WorldWideScience

Sample records for high-peak performance playmaker

  1. Practical game design with Unity and Playmaker

    CERN Document Server

    Mohov, Sergey

    2013-01-01

    A practical guide packed with examples that helps you to build a full-fledged game with the help of Unity and Playmaker. A few exercises and useful external resources are also provided to improve both the game and your skills.This book is for animation artists and 3D artists, designers, and engineers who want to create interactive content with little or no programming. This book is also for game programmers who want to create a game from scratch in Unity and Playmaker. You are expected to have basic knowledge of game programming and Unity 3D.

  2. Sharp or broad pulse peak for high resolution instruments? Choice of moderator performance

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Arai, M.; Watanabe, N.; Teshigawara, M.

    2001-01-01

    We demonstrate a concept how we should choose moderator performance to realize required performance for instruments. Neutron burst pulse can be characterized with peak intensity, peak width and tail. Those can be controllable by designing moderator, i.e. material, temperature, shape, decoupling, poisoning and having premoderator. Hence there are large number of variable parameters to be determined. Here we discuss the required moderator performance for some typical examples, i.e. high resolution powder instrument, chopper instrument, high resolution back scattering machine. (author)

  3. Inductively coupled plasma emission spectrometric detection of simulated high performance liquid chromatographic peaks

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Fraley, D.M.; Yates, D.; Manahan, S.E.

    1979-01-01

    Because of its multielement capability, element-specificity, and low detection limits, inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometry (ICP) is a very promising technique for the detection of specific elemental species separated by high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). This paper evaluated ICP as a detector for HPLC peaks containing specific elements. Detection limits for a number of elements have been evaluated in terms of the minimum detectable concentration of the element at the chromatographic peak maximum. The elements studies were Al, As, B, Ba, Ca, Cd, Co, Cr, Cu, Fe, K, Li, Mg, Mn, Mo, Na, Ni, P, Pb, Sb, Se, Sr, Ti, V, and Zn. In addition, ICP was compared with atomic absorption spectrometry for the detection of HPLC peaks composed of EDTA and NTA chelates of copper. Furthermore, ICP was compared to uv solution absorption for the detection of copper chelates. 6 figures, 4 tables

  4. Advancements of ultra-high peak power laser diode arrays

    Science.gov (United States)

    Crawford, D.; Thiagarajan, P.; Goings, J.; Caliva, B.; Smith, S.; Walker, R.

    2018-02-01

    Enhancements of laser diode epitaxy in conjunction with process and packaging improvements have led to the availability of 1cm bars capable of over 500W peak power at near-infrared wavelengths (770nm to 1100nm). Advances in cooler design allow for multi-bar stacks with bar-to-bar pitches as low as 350μm and a scalable package architecture enabled a single diode assembly with total peak powers of over 1MegaWatt of peak power. With the addition of micro-optics, overall array brightness greater than 10kW/cm2 was achieved. Performance metrics of barbased diode lasers specifically engineered for high peak power and high brightness at wavelengths and pulse conditions commonly used to pump a variety of fiber and solid-state materials are presented.

  5. Compact high voltage, high peak power, high frequency transformer for converter type modulator applications.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Reghu, T; Mandloi, V; Shrivastava, Purushottam

    2016-04-01

    The design and development of a compact high voltage, high peak power, high frequency transformer for a converter type modulator of klystron amplifiers is presented. The transformer has been designed to operate at a frequency of 20 kHz and at a flux swing of ±0.6 T. Iron (Fe) based nanocrystalline material has been selected as a core for the construction of the transformer. The transformer employs a specially designed solid Teflon bobbin having 120 kV insulation for winding the high voltage secondary windings. The flux swing of the core has been experimentally found by plotting the hysteresis loop at actual operating conditions. Based on the design, a prototype transformer has been built which is per se a unique combination of high voltage, high frequency, and peak power specifications. The transformer was able to provide 58 kV (pk-pk) at the secondary with a peak power handling capability of 700 kVA. The transformation ratio was 1:17. The performance of the transformer is also presented and discussed.

  6. Neurofeedback training for peak performance.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Graczyk, Marek; Pąchalska, Maria; Ziółkowski, Artur; Mańko, Grzegorz; Łukaszewska, Beata; Kochanowicz, Kazimierz; Mirski, Andrzej; Kropotov, Iurii D

    2014-01-01

    One of the applications of the Neurofeedback methodology is peak performance in sport. The protocols of the neurofeedback are usually based on an assessment of the spectral parameters of spontaneous EEG in resting state conditions. The aim of the paper was to study whether the intensive neurofeedback training of a well-functioning Olympic athlete who has lost his performance confidence after injury in sport, could change the brain functioning reflected in changes in spontaneous EEG and event related potentials (ERPs). The case is presented of an Olympic athlete who has lost his performance confidence after injury in sport. He wanted to resume his activities by means of neurofeedback training. His QEEG/ERP parameters were assessed before and after 4 intensive sessions of neurotherapy. Dramatic and statistically significant changes that could not be explained by error measurement were observed in the patient. Neurofeedback training in the subject under study increased the amplitude of the monitoring component of ERPs generated in the anterior cingulate cortex, accompanied by an increase in beta activity over the medial prefrontal cortex. Taking these changes together, it can be concluded that that even a few sessions of neurofeedback in a high performance brain can significantly activate the prefrontal cortical areas associated with increasing confidence in sport performance.

  7. High-Average, High-Peak Current Injector Design

    CERN Document Server

    Biedron, S G; Virgo, M

    2005-01-01

    There is increasing interest in high-average-power (>100 kW), um-range FELs. These machines require high peak current (~1 kA), modest transverse emittance, and beam energies of ~100 MeV. High average currents (~1 A) place additional constraints on the design of the injector. We present a design for an injector intended to produce the required peak currents at the injector, eliminating the need for magnetic compression within the linac. This reduces the potential for beam quality degradation due to CSR and space charge effects within magnetic chicanes.

  8. Associations of Power at V̇O2peak and Anaerobic Threshold with Rank in British High Performance Junior Surfers

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Barlow Matthew John

    2015-03-01

    Full Text Available Purpose. The objective of this study was to determine the relationships of peak oxygen uptake ( V̇O2peak, power at V̇O2peak and power at the anaerobic threshold (AT with national ranking in a sample of British high performance junior surfers. Methods. Eighteen male surfers (aged 15.4 ± 1.4 years from the British Junior Surfing team were tested for V̇O2peak and AT using an adapted kayak ergometer; national ranking was used to indicate performance level. The AT was identified as the point at which V̇E/V̇O2 started to rise without a concomitant increase in V̇E/V̇CO2. Spearman’s rank (rs and partial correlations (rp controlling for age were used to identify the relationships between the physiological variables and national ranking. Results. Mean V̇O2peak was 3.1 ± 0.5 l · min-1 (47.7 ± 7.2 ml · kg-1 · min-1 and mean AT occurred at 48.1 ± 12.2 W. There were significant correlations between national ranking and power at V̇O2peak (rs = -0.549, p = 0.028, power at AT (rs = -0.646, p = 0.009, and age (rs = -0.579, p = 0.012. Significant partial correlations were established controlling for age between national ranking and power at V̇O2peak (rp = -0.839, p = 0.000 and power at AT (rp = -0.541, p < 0.046. Conclusions. The power outputs associated with V̇O2peak and AT were significantly related to surfer ranking in this sample. However, due to the low coefficient of determination associated with the AT/ranking relationship, AT does not discriminate well between the ranking of surfers. These findings support the inclusion of power at V̇O2peak in assessment batteries for junior competitive surfers.

  9. Psychological Preparation for Peak Performance in Sports Competition

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ohuruogu, Ben; Jonathan, Ugwuanyi I.; Ikechukwu, Ugwu Jude

    2016-01-01

    This paper attempts to make an overview of various techniques, sport psychologist adopt in psychological preparation of athletes for peak performance. To attain peak performance in sports competitions, coaches and athletes should not base their prospect on physical training on sport skills alone rather should integrate both the mental and physical…

  10. Neurofeedback training for peak performance

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Marek Graczyk

    2014-11-01

    Full Text Available [b]aim[/b]. One of the applications of the Neurofeedback methodology is peak performance in sport. The protocols of the neurofeedback are usually based on an assessment of the spectral parameters of spontaneous EEG in resting state conditions. The aim of the paper was to study whether the intensive neurofeedback training of a well-functioning Olympic athlete who has lost his performance confidence after injury in sport, could change the brain functioning reflected in changes in spontaneous EEG and event related potentials (ERPs. [b]case study[/b]. The case is presented of an Olympic athlete who has lost his performance confidence after injury in sport. He wanted to resume his activities by means of neurofeedback training. His QEEG/ERP parameters were assessed before and after 4 intensive sessions of neurotherapy. Dramatic and statistically significant changes that could not be explained by error measurement were observed in the patient. [b]conclusion[/b]. Neurofeedback training in the subject under study increased the amplitude of the monitoring component of ERPs generated in the anterior cingulate cortex, accompanied by an increase in beta activity over the medial prefrontal cortex. Taking these changes together, it can be concluded that that even a few sessions of neurofeedback in a high performance brain can significantly activate the prefrontal cortical areas associated with increasing confidence in sport performance.

  11. Neurofeedback training for peak performance

    OpenAIRE

    Marek Graczyk; Maria Pąchalska; Artur Ziółkowski; Grzegorz Mańko; Beata Łukaszewska; Kazimierz Kochanowicz; Andrzej Mirski; Iurii D. Kropotov

    2014-01-01

    [b]aim[/b]. One of the applications of the Neurofeedback methodology is peak performance in sport. The protocols of the neurofeedback are usually based on an assessment of the spectral parameters of spontaneous EEG in resting state conditions. The aim of the paper was to study whether the intensive neurofeedback training of a well-functioning Olympic athlete who has lost his performance confidence after injury in sport, could change the brain functioning reflected in changes in spontaneou...

  12. Systematic evaluation of commercially available ultra-high performance liquid chromatography columns for drug metabolite profiling: optimization of chromatographic peak capacity.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Dubbelman, Anne-Charlotte; Cuyckens, Filip; Dillen, Lieve; Gross, Gerhard; Hankemeier, Thomas; Vreeken, Rob J

    2014-12-29

    The present study investigated the practical use of modern ultra-high performance liquid chromatography (UHPLC) separation techniques for drug metabolite profiling, aiming to develop a widely applicable, high-throughput, easy-to-use chromatographic method, with a high chromatographic resolution to accommodate simultaneous qualitative and quantitative analysis of small-molecule drugs and metabolites in biological matrices. To this end, first the UHPLC system volume and variance were evaluated. Then, a mixture of 17 drugs and various metabolites (molecular mass of 151-749Da, logP of -1.04 to 6.7), was injected on six sub-2μm particle columns. Five newest generation core shell technology columns were compared and tested against one column packed with porous particles. Two aqueous (pH 2.7 and 6.8) and two organic mobile phases were evaluated, first with the same flow and temperature and subsequently at each column's individual limit of temperature and pressure. The results demonstrated that pre-column dead volume had negligible influence on the peak capacity and shape. In contrast, a decrease in post-column volume of 57% resulted in a substantial (47%) increase in median peak capacity and significantly improved peak shape. When the various combinations of stationary and mobile phases were used at the same flow rate (0.5mL/min) and temperature (45°C), limited differences were observed between the median peak capacities, with a maximum of 26%. At higher flow though (up to 0.9mL/min), a maximum difference of almost 40% in median peak capacity was found between columns. The finally selected combination of solid-core particle column and mobile phase composition was chosen for its selectivity, peak capacity, wide applicability and peak shape. The developed method was applied to rat hepatocyte samples incubated with the drug buspirone and demonstrated to provide a similar chromatographic resolution, but a 6 times higher signal-to-noise ratio than a more traditional UHPLC

  13. Validation of an assay for quantification of free normetanephrine, metanephrine and methoxytyramine in plasma by high performance liquid chromatography with coulometric detection: Comparison of peak-area vs. peak-height measurements.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nieć, Dawid; Kunicki, Paweł K

    2015-10-01

    Measurements of plasma concentrations of free normetanephrine (NMN), metanephrine (MN) and methoxytyramine (MTY) constitute the most diagnostically accurate screening test for pheochromocytomas and paragangliomas. The aim of this article is to present the results from a validation of an analytical method utilizing high performance liquid chromatography with coulometric detection (HPLC-CD) for quantifying plasma free NMN, MN and MTY. Additionally, peak integration by height and area and the use of one calibration curve for all batches or individual calibration curve for each batch of samples was explored as to determine the optimal approach with regard to accuracy and precision. The method was validated using charcoal stripped plasma spiked with solutions of NMN, MN, MTY and internal standard (4-hydroxy-3-methoxybenzylamine) with the exception of selectivity which was evaluated by analysis of real plasma samples. Calibration curve performance, accuracy, precision and recovery were determined following both peak-area and peak-height measurements and the obtained results were compared. The most accurate and precise method of calibration was evaluated by analyzing quality control samples at three concentration levels in 30 analytical runs. The detector response was linear over the entire tested concentration range from 10 to 2000pg/mL with R(2)≥0.9988. The LLOQ was 10pg/mL for each analyte of interest. To improve accuracy for measurements at low concentrations, a weighted (1/amount) linear regression model was employed, which resulted in inaccuracies of -2.48 to 9.78% and 0.22 to 7.81% following peak-area and peak-height integration, respectively. The imprecisions ranged from 1.07 to 15.45% and from 0.70 to 11.65% for peak-area and peak-height measurements, respectively. The optimal approach to calibration was the one utilizing an individual calibration curve for each batch of samples and peak-height measurements. It was characterized by inaccuracies ranging from -3

  14. High-intensity interval training improves VO2peak, maximal lactate accumulation, time trial and competition performance in 9?11-year-old swimmers

    OpenAIRE

    Sperlich, Billy; Zinner, Christoph; Heilemann, Ilka; Kjendlie, Per-Ludvik; Holmberg, Hans-Christer; Mester, Joachim

    2010-01-01

    Training volume in swimming is usually very high when compared to the relatively short competition time. High-intensity interval training (HIIT) has been demonstrated to improve performance in a relatively short training period. The main purpose of the present study was to examine the effects of a 5-week HIIT versus high-volume training (HVT) in 9?11-year-old swimmers on competition performance, 100 and 2,000?m time (T 100?m and T 2,000?m), VO2peak and rate of maximal lactate accumulation (La...

  15. Bayesian Peptide Peak Detection for High Resolution TOF Mass Spectrometry.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhang, Jianqiu; Zhou, Xiaobo; Wang, Honghui; Suffredini, Anthony; Zhang, Lin; Huang, Yufei; Wong, Stephen

    2010-11-01

    In this paper, we address the issue of peptide ion peak detection for high resolution time-of-flight (TOF) mass spectrometry (MS) data. A novel Bayesian peptide ion peak detection method is proposed for TOF data with resolution of 10 000-15 000 full width at half-maximum (FWHW). MS spectra exhibit distinct characteristics at this resolution, which are captured in a novel parametric model. Based on the proposed parametric model, a Bayesian peak detection algorithm based on Markov chain Monte Carlo (MCMC) sampling is developed. The proposed algorithm is tested on both simulated and real datasets. The results show a significant improvement in detection performance over a commonly employed method. The results also agree with expert's visual inspection. Moreover, better detection consistency is achieved across MS datasets from patients with identical pathological condition.

  16. Biomechanical aspects of peak performance in human swimming

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Toussaint, H.M.; Truijens, M.J.

    2005-01-01

    Peak performances in sport require the full deployment of all the powers an athlete possesses. How factors such as mechanical power output, technique and drag, each individually, but also in concert, determine swimming performance is the subject of this enquiry. This overview of swimming

  17. The evaluation of speed skating helmet performance through peak linear and rotational accelerations.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Karton, Clara; Rousseau, Philippe; Vassilyadi, Michael; Hoshizaki, Thomas Blaine

    2014-01-01

    Like many sports involving high speeds and body contact, head injuries are a concern for short track speed skating athletes and coaches. While the mandatory use of helmets has managed to nearly eliminate catastrophic head injuries such as skull fractures and cerebral haemorrhages, they may not be as effective at reducing the risk of a concussion. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the performance characteristics of speed skating helmets with respect to managing peak linear and peak rotational acceleration, and to compare their performance against other types of helmets commonly worn within the speed skating sport. Commercially available speed skating, bicycle and ice hockey helmets were evaluated using a three-impact condition test protocol at an impact velocity of 4 m/s. Two speed skating helmet models yielded mean peak linear accelerations at a low-estimated probability range for sustaining a concussion for all three impact conditions. Conversely, the resulting mean peak rotational acceleration values were all found close to the high end of a probability range for sustaining a concussion. A similar tendency was observed for the bicycle and ice hockey helmets under the same impact conditions. Speed skating helmets may not be as effective at managing rotational acceleration and therefore may not successfully protect the user against risks associated with concussion injuries.

  18. Coinciding exercise with peak serum caffeine does not improve cycling performance.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Skinner, Tina L; Jenkins, David G; Taaffe, Dennis R; Leveritt, Michael D; Coombes, Jeff S

    2013-01-01

    To investigate whether coinciding peak serum caffeine concentration with the onset of exercise enhances subsequent endurance performance. Randomised, double-blind, crossover. In this randomised, placebo-controlled, double-blind crossover study, 14 male trained cyclists and triathletes (age 31±5year, body mass 75.4±5.7 kg, VO₂max 69.5±6.1 mL kg⁻¹ min⁻¹ and peak power output 417±35W, mean±SD) consumed 6 mg kg(-1) caffeine or a placebo either 1h (C(1h)) prior to completing a 40 km time trial or when the start of exercise coincided with individual peak serum caffeine concentrations (C(peak)). C(peak) was determined from a separate 'caffeine profiling' session that involved monitoring caffeine concentrations in the blood every 30 min over a 4h period. Following caffeine ingestion, peak serum caffeine occurred 120 min in 12 participants and 150 min in 2 participants. Time to complete the 40 km time trial was significantly faster (2.0%; p=0.002) in C(1h) compared to placebo. No statistically significant improvement in performance was noted in the C(peak) trial versus placebo (1.1%; p=0.240). Whilst no differences in metabolic markers were found between C(peak) and placebo conditions, plasma concentrations of glucose (p=0.005), norepinephrine and epinephrine (p≤0.002) were higher in the C(1h) trial 6 min post-exercise versus placebo. In contrast to coinciding peak serum caffeine concentration with exercise onset, caffeine consumed 60 min prior to exercise resulted in significant improvements in 40 km time trial performance. The ergogenic effect of caffeine was not found to be related to peak caffeine concentration in the blood at the onset of endurance exercise. Copyright © 2012 Sports Medicine Australia. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  19. Getting high utilization of peak GFLOPS in real applications in the Cray X1

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Levesque, J.M. [Cray Research, Inc., Los Alamos, NM (United States)

    2003-07-01

    This paper will show the advanced characteristics of the Cray X1 and discuss how they are used to achieve high-utilized GFLOPS on many real world applications. On most MPP systems, other than the Earth Simulator and the Cray Inc. X1, advanced scientific applications do not obtain a high percentage of peak performance, in some cases less than 2%. When this small percentage of peak is attained on the processor, one needs to have more individual processors to achieve a TFLOP of sustained performance. Larger numbers of processors result in a tremendous burden on the interconnect. Here again MPPs other than the Earth Simulator and the X1 do not have the interconnect to support the increased number of processors. Combining low processor performance with insufficient scaling results in less than desired performance for many applications. (author)

  20. Getting high utilization of peak GFLOPS in real applications in the Cray X1

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Levesque, J.M.

    2003-01-01

    This paper will show the advanced characteristics of the Cray X1 and discuss how they are used to achieve high-utilized GFLOPS on many real world applications. On most MPP systems, other than the Earth Simulator and the Cray Inc. X1, advanced scientific applications do not obtain a high percentage of peak performance, in some cases less than 2%. When this small percentage of peak is attained on the processor, one needs to have more individual processors to achieve a TFLOP of sustained performance. Larger numbers of processors result in a tremendous burden on the interconnect. Here again MPPs other than the Earth Simulator and the X1 do not have the interconnect to support the increased number of processors. Combining low processor performance with insufficient scaling results in less than desired performance for many applications. (author)

  1. Sensitivity enhancement by chromatographic peak concentration with ultra-high performance liquid chromatography-nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy for minor impurity analysis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tokunaga, Takashi; Akagi, Ken-Ichi; Okamoto, Masahiko

    2017-07-28

    High performance liquid chromatography can be coupled with nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy to give a powerful analytical method known as liquid chromatography-nuclear magnetic resonance (LC-NMR) spectroscopy, which can be used to determine the chemical structures of the components of complex mixtures. However, intrinsic limitations in the sensitivity of NMR spectroscopy have restricted the scope of this procedure, and resolving these limitations remains a critical problem for analysis. In this study, we coupled ultra-high performance liquid chromatography (UHPLC) with NMR to give a simple and versatile analytical method with higher sensitivity than conventional LC-NMR. UHPLC separation enabled the concentration of individual peaks to give a volume similar to that of the NMR flow cell, thereby maximizing the sensitivity to the theoretical upper limit. The UHPLC concentration of compound peaks present at typical impurity levels (5.0-13.1 nmol) in a mixture led to at most three-fold increase in the signal-to-noise ratio compared with LC-NMR. Furthermore, we demonstrated the use of UHPLC-NMR for obtaining structural information of a minor impurity in a reaction mixture in actual laboratory-scale development of a synthetic process. Using UHPLC-NMR, the experimental run times for chromatography and NMR were greatly reduced compared with LC-NMR. UHPLC-NMR successfully overcomes the difficulties associated with analyses of minor components in a complex mixture by LC-NMR, which are problematic even when an ultra-high field magnet and cryogenic probe are used. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  2. Discrete ordinates transport methods for problems with highly forward-peaked scattering

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Pautz, S.D.

    1998-04-01

    The author examines the solutions of the discrete ordinates (S N ) method for problems with highly forward-peaked scattering kernels. He derives conditions necessary to obtain reasonable solutions in a certain forward-peaked limit, the Fokker-Planck (FP) limit. He also analyzes the acceleration of the iterative solution of such problems and offer improvements to it. He extends the analytic Fokker-Planck limit analysis to the S N equations. This analysis shows that in this asymptotic limit the S N solution satisfies a pseudospectral discretization of the FP equation, provided that the scattering term is handled in a certain way (which he describes) and that the analytic transport solution satisfies an analytic FP equation. Similar analyses of various spatially discretized S N equations reveal that they too produce solutions that satisfy discrete FP equations, given the same provisions. Numerical results agree with these theoretical predictions. He defines a multidimensional angular multigrid (ANMG) method to accelerate the iterative solution of highly forward-peaked problems. The analyses show that a straightforward application of this scheme is subject to high-frequency instabilities. However, by applying a diffusive filter to the ANMG corrections he is able to stabilize this method. Fourier analyses of model problems show that the resulting method is effective at accelerating the convergence rate when the scattering is forward-peaked. The numerical results demonstrate that these analyses are good predictors of the actual performance of the ANMG method

  3. High peak power Q-switched Er:YAG laser with two polarizers and its ablation performance for hard dental tissues.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yang, Jingwei; Wang, Li; Wu, Xianyou; Cheng, Tingqing; Jiang, Haihe

    2014-06-30

    An electro-optically Q-switched high-energy Er:YAG laser with two polarizers is proposed. By using two Al(2)O(3) polarizing plates and a LiNbO(3) crystal with Brewster angle, the polarization efficiency is significantly improved. As a result, 226 mJ pulse energy with 62 ns pulse width is achieved at the repetition rate of 3 Hz, the corresponding peak power is 3.6 MW. To our knowledge, such a high peak power has not been reported in literature. With our designed laser, in-vitro teeth were irradiated under Q-switched and free-running modes. Results of a laser ablation experiment on hard dental tissue with the high-peak-power laser demonstrates that the Q-switched Er:YAG laser has higher ablation precision and less thermal damage than the free-running Er:YAG laser.

  4. Peak activation of lower limb musculature during high flexion kneeling and transitional movements.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kingston, David C; Tennant, Liana M; Chong, Helen C; Acker, Stacey M

    2016-09-01

    Few studies have measured lower limb muscle activation during high knee flexion or investigated the effects of occupational safety footwear. Therefore, our understanding of injury and disease mechanisms, such as knee osteoarthritis, is limited for these high-risk postures. Peak activation was assessed in eight bilateral lower limb muscles for twelve male participants, while shod or barefoot. Transitions between standing and kneeling had peak quadriceps and tibialis anterior (TA) activations above 50% MVC. Static kneeling and simulated tasks performed when kneeling had peak TA activity above 15% MVC but below 10% MVC for remaining muscles. In three cases, peak muscle activity was significantly higher (mean 8.9% MVC) when shod. However, net compressive knee joint forces may not be significantly increased when shod. EMG should be used as a modelling input when estimating joint contact forces for these postures, considering the activation levels in the hamstrings and quadriceps muscles during transitions. Practitioner Summary: Kneeling transitional movements are used in activities of daily living and work but are linked to increased knee osteoarthritis risk. We found peak EMG activity of some lower limb muscles to be over 70% MVC during transitions and minimal influence of wearing safety footwear.

  5. The Effect of Concurrent Plyometric Training Versus Submaximal Aerobic Cycling on Rowing Economy, Peak Power, and Performance in Male High School Rowers.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Egan-Shuttler, Julian D; Edmonds, Rohan; Eddy, Cassandra; O'Neill, Veronica; Ives, Stephen J

    2017-12-01

    Plyometric training has been shown to increase muscle power, running economy, and performance in athletes. Despite its use by rowing coaches, it is unknown whether plyometrics might improve rowing economy or performance. The purpose was to determine if plyometric training, in conjunction with training on the water, would lead to improved rowing economy and performance. Eighteen male high school rowers were assigned to perform 4 weeks of either plyometric training (PLYO, n = 9) or steady-state cycling below ventilatory threshold (endurance, E, n = 9), for 30 min prior to practice on the water (matched for training volume) 3 days per week. Rowing performance was assessed through a 500-m rowing time trial (TT) and peak rowing power (RP), while rowing economy (RE) was assessed by measuring the oxygen cost over four work rates (90, 120, 150, and 180 W). Rowing economy was improved in both PLYO and E (p  0.05). Finally, RP was moderately higher in the PLYO group post-training (E 569 ± 75 W, PLYO 629 ± 51 W, ES = 0.66) CONCLUSIONS: In a season when the athletes performed no rowing sprint training, 4 weeks of plyometric training improved the 500-m rowing performance and moderately improved peak power. This increase in performance may have been mediated by moderate improvements in rowing power, but not economy, and warrants further investigation.

  6. Simultaneous EEG and EMG biofeedback for peak performance in musicians.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Markovska-Simoska, Silvana; Pop-Jordanova, Nada; Georgiev, Dejan

    2008-07-01

    The aim of this study was to determine the effects of alpha neurofeedback and EMG biofeedback protocols for improvement of musical performance in violinists. The sample consisted of 12 music students (10 violinists and 2 viola players) from the Faculty of Music, Skopje (3 males, mean age of 20 +/- 0 and 9 females, mean age = 20.89 +/- 2.98). Six of them had a low alpha peak frequency (APF) ( 10 Hz). The sample was randomized in two groups. The students from the experimental group participated in 20 sessions of biofeedback (alpha/EMG), combined with music practice, while the students from the control group did only music practice. Average absolute power, interhemispheric coherence in the alpha band, alpha peak frequency (APF), individual alpha band width (IABW), amount of alpha suppression (AAS) and surface forehead integrated EMG power (IEMG), as well as a score on musical performance and inventories measuring anxiety, were assessed. Alpha-EEG/EMG-biofeedback was associated with a significant increase in average alpha power, APF and IABW in all the participants and with decreases in IEMG only in high-APF musicians. The biofeedback training success was positively correlated with the alpha power, IcoH, APF, IABW and baseline level of APF and IABW. Alpha-EEG/EMG biofeedback is capable of increasing voluntary self-regulation and the quality of musical performance. The efficiency of biofeedback training depends on the baseline EEG alpha activity status, in particular the APF.

  7. High peak power tubes and gate effect Klystrons

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Gerbelot, N.; Bres, M.; Faillon, G.; Buzzi, J.M.

    1993-01-01

    The conventional microwave tubes such as TWTs, Magnetrons, Klystrons... deliver the very high peak powers which are required by radar transmitters but more especially by many particle accelerators. In the range of a few hundred MHz to about 10 GHz, some dozen of MWs per unit are currently obtained and commercially available, according to the frequency and the pulse lengths. But peak power requirements are ever increasing, especially for the expected new linear particle acceleratores, where several hundred MWs per tube would be necessary. Also some special military transmitters begin to request GW pulses, with short pulse lengths - of course - but at nonnegligible repetition rates. Therefore several laboratories and microwave vacuum tube manufacturers have engaged - for several years - studies and development in the field of very high peak microwave power (HPM) toward two main directions: extended operation and extrapolation of the conventional tubes and devices; development of new concepts, among which the most promising are likely the high-current relativistic klystrons - that are also referred to as gate effect klystrons

  8. Peak torque and rate of torque development influence on repeated maximal exercise performance: contractile and neural contributions.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Morel, Baptiste; Rouffet, David M; Saboul, Damien; Rota, Samuel; Clémençon, Michel; Hautier, Christophe A

    2015-01-01

    Rapid force production is critical to improve performance and prevent injuries. However, changes in rate of force/torque development caused by the repetition of maximal contractions have received little attention. The aim of this study was to determine the relative influence of rate of torque development (RTD) and peak torque (T(peak)) on the overall performance (i.e. mean torque, T(mean)) decrease during repeated maximal contractions and to investigate the contribution of contractile and neural mechanisms to the alteration of the various mechanical variables. Eleven well-trained men performed 20 sets of 6-s isokinetic maximal knee extensions at 240° · s(-1), beginning every 30 seconds. RTD, T(peak) and T(mean) as well as the Rate of EMG Rise (RER), peak EMG (EMG(peak)) and mean EMG (EMG(mean)) of the vastus lateralis were monitored for each contraction. A wavelet transform was also performed on raw EMG signal for instant mean frequency (if(mean)) calculation. A neuromuscular testing procedure was carried out before and immediately after the fatiguing protocol including evoked RTD (eRTD) and maximal evoked torque (eT(peak)) induced by high frequency doublet (100 Hz). T(mean) decrease was correlated to RTD and T(peak) decrease (R(²) = 0.62; p<0.001; respectively β=0.62 and β=0.19). RER, eRTD and initial if(mean) (0-225 ms) decreased after 20 sets (respectively -21.1 ± 14.1, -25 ± 13%, and ~20%). RTD decrease was correlated to RER decrease (R(²) = 0.36; p<0.05). The eT(peak) decreased significantly after 20 sets (24 ± 5%; p<0.05) contrary to EMG(peak) (-3.2 ± 19.5 %; p=0.71). Our results show that reductions of RTD explained part of the alterations of the overall performance during repeated moderate velocity maximal exercise. The reductions of RTD were associated to an impairment of the ability of the central nervous system to maximally activate the muscle in the first milliseconds of the contraction.

  9. Discovery and characterization of the first low-peaked and intermediate-peaked BL Lacertae objects in the very high energy {gamma}-ray regime

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Berger, Karsten

    2009-12-19

    . This was successfully achieved and resulted in a vastly improved performance of the MAGIC telescope in monitoring campaigns. The detections of low-peaked and intermediate-peaked BL Lac objects are in line with theoretical expectations, but push the models based on electron shock acceleration and inverse-Compton cooling to their limits. The short variability time scales of the order of one day observed at very high energies show that the {gamma}-rays originate rather close to the putative supermassive black holes in the centers of blazars, corresponding to less than 1000 Schwarzschild radii when taking into account relativistic bulk motion. (orig.)

  10. Discovery and characterization of the first low-peaked and intermediate-peaked BL Lacertae objects in the very high energy γ-ray regime

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Berger, Karsten

    2009-01-01

    and resulted in a vastly improved performance of the MAGIC telescope in monitoring campaigns. The detections of low-peaked and intermediate-peaked BL Lac objects are in line with theoretical expectations, but push the models based on electron shock acceleration and inverse-Compton cooling to their limits. The short variability time scales of the order of one day observed at very high energies show that the γ-rays originate rather close to the putative supermassive black holes in the centers of blazars, corresponding to less than 1000 Schwarzschild radii when taking into account relativistic bulk motion. (orig.)

  11. Peak capacity, peak-capacity production rate, and boiling point resolution for temperature-programmed GC with very high programming rates

    Science.gov (United States)

    Grall; Leonard; Sacks

    2000-02-01

    Recent advances in column heating technology have made possible very fast linear temperature programming for high-speed gas chromatography. A fused-silica capillary column is contained in a tubular metal jacket, which is resistively heated by a precision power supply. With very rapid column heating, the rate of peak-capacity production is significantly enhanced, but the total peak capacity and the boiling-point resolution (minimum boiling-point difference required for the separation of two nonpolar compounds on a nonpolar column) are reduced relative to more conventional heating rates used with convection-oven instruments. As temperature-programming rates increase, elution temperatures also increase with the result that retention may become insignificant prior to elution. This results in inefficient utilization of the down-stream end of the column and causes a loss in the rate of peak-capacity production. The rate of peak-capacity production is increased by the use of shorter columns and higher carrier gas velocities. With high programming rates (100-600 degrees C/min), column lengths of 6-12 m and average linear carrier gas velocities in the 100-150 cm/s range are satisfactory. In this study, the rate of peak-capacity production, the total peak capacity, and the boiling point resolution are determined for C10-C28 n-alkanes using 6-18 m long columns, 50-200 cm/s average carrier gas velocities, and 60-600 degrees C/min programming rates. It was found that with a 6-meter-long, 0.25-mm i.d. column programmed at a rate of 600 degrees C/min, a maximum peak-capacity production rate of 6.1 peaks/s was obtained. A total peak capacity of about 75 peaks was produced in a 37-s long separation spanning a boiling-point range from n-C10 (174 degrees C) to n-C28 (432 degrees C).

  12. Active inductor shunt peaking in high-speed VCSEL driver design

    CERN Document Server

    Liang, Futian; Hou, Suen; Liu, Chonghan; Liu, Tiankuan; Su, Da-Shung; Teng, Ping-Kun; Xiang, Annie; Ye, Jingbo; Jin, Ge

    2013-01-01

    An all transistor active inductor shunt peaking structure has been used in a prototype of 8-Gbps high-speed VCSEL driver which is designed for the optical link in ATLAS liquid Argon calorimeter upgrade. The VCSEL driver is fabricated in a commercial 0.25-um Silicon-on-Sapphire (SoS) CMOS process for radiation tolerant purpose. The all transistor active inductor shunt peaking is used to overcome the bandwidth limitation from the CMOS process. The peaking structure has the same peaking effect as the passive one, but takes a small area, does not need linear resistors and can overcome the process variation by adjust the peaking strength via an external control. The design has been tapped out, and the prototype has been proofed by the preliminary electrical test results and bit error ratio test results. The driver achieves 8-Gbps data rate as simulated with the peaking. We present the all transistor active inductor shunt peaking structure, simulation and test results in this paper.

  13. Neuroscience imaging enabled by new highly tunable and high peak power femtosecond lasers

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hakulinen, T.; Klein, J.

    2017-02-01

    Neuroscience applications benefit from recent developments in industrial femtosecond laser technology. New laser sources provide several megawatts of peak power at wavelength of 1040 nm, which enables simultaneous optogenetics photoactivation of tens or even hundreds of neurons using red shifted opsins. Another recent imaging trend is to move towards longer wavelengths, which would enable access to deeper layers of tissue due to lower scattering and lower absorption in the tissue. Femtosecond lasers pumping a non-collinear optical parametric amplifier (NOPA) enable the access to longer wavelengths with high peak powers. High peak powers of >10 MW at 1300 nm and 1700 nm allow effective 3-photon excitation of green and red shifted calcium indicators respectively and access to deeper, sub-cortex layers of the brain. Early results include in vivo detection of spontaneous activity in hippocampus within an intact mouse brain, where neurons express GCaMP6 activated in a 3-photon process at 1320 nm.

  14. Ionospheric Peak Electron Density and Performance Evaluation of IRI-CCIR Near Magnetic Equator in Africa During Two Extreme Solar Activities

    Science.gov (United States)

    Adebesin, B. O.; Rabiu, A. B.; Obrou, O. K.; Adeniyi, J. O.

    2018-03-01

    The F2 layer peak electron density (NmF2) was investigated over Korhogo (Geomagnetic: 1.26°S, 67.38°E), a station near the magnetic equator in the African sector. Data for 1996 and 2000 were, respectively, categorized into low solar quiet and disturbed and high solar quiet and disturbed. NmF2 prenoon peak was higher than the postnoon peak during high solar activity irrespective of magnetic activity condition, while the postnoon peak was higher for low solar activity. Higher NmF2 peak amplitude characterizes disturbed magnetic activity than quiet magnetic condition for any solar activity. The maximum peaks appeared in equinox. June solstice noontime bite out lagged other seasons by 1-2 h. For any condition of solar and magnetic activities, the daytime NmF2 percentage variability (%VR) measured by the relative standard deviation maximizes/minimizes in June solstice/equinox. Daytime variability increases with increasing magnetic activity. The highest peak in the morning time NmF2 variability occurs in equinox, while the highest evening/nighttime variability appeared in June solstice for all solar/magnetic conditions. The nighttime annual variability amplitude is higher during disturbed than quiet condition regardless of solar activity period. At daytime, variability is similar for all conditions of solar activities. NmF2 at Korhogo is well represented on the International Reference Ionosphere-International Radio Consultative Committee (IRI-CCIR) option. The model/observation relationship performed best between local midnight and postmidnight period (00-08 LT). The noontime trough characteristics is not prominent in the IRI pattern during high solar activity but evident during low solar conditions when compared with Korhogo observations. The Nash-Sutcliffe coefficients revealed better model performance during disturbed activities.

  15. High-speed Light Peak optical link for high energy applications

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Chang, F.X. [Academia Sinica, Taipei, Taiwan (China); Chiang, F. [FOCI Fiber Optic Comm., Inc., Hsinchu, Taiwan (China); Deng, B. [Hubei Polytechnic University, Huangshi, Hubei (China); Southern Methodist University, Dallas, TX (United States); Hou, J. [FOCI Fiber Optic Comm., Inc., Hsinchu, Taiwan (China); Hou, S., E-mail: suen@gate.sinica.edu.tw [Academia Sinica, Taipei, Taiwan (China); Liu, C.; Liu, T. [Southern Methodist University, Dallas, TX (United States); Teng, P.K. [Academia Sinica, Taipei, Taiwan (China); Wang, C.H. [National United University, Miaoli, Taiwan (China); Xu, T. [Shandong University, Ji' nan (China); Southern Methodist University, Dallas, TX (United States); Ye, J. [Southern Methodist University, Dallas, TX (United States)

    2014-11-21

    Optical links provide high speed data transmission with low mass fibers favorable for applications in high energy experiments. We report investigation of a compact Light Peak optical engine designed for data transmission at 4.8 Gbps. The module is assembled with bare die VCSEL, PIN diodes and a control IC aligned within a prism receptacle for light coupling to fiber ferrule. Radiation damage in the receptacle was examined with {sup 60}Co gamma ray. Radiation induced single event effects in the optical engine were studied with protons, neutrons and X-ray tests.

  16. Measurements of Ion Stopping around the Bragg Peak in High-Energy-Density Plasmas

    Science.gov (United States)

    Frenje, Johan

    2015-11-01

    Over the last few decades, ion stopping in weakly- to strongly-coupled High-Energy-Density (HED) plasmas has been subject to extensive analytical and numerical studies, but only a limited set of experimental data exists to check the validity of these theories. Most of these experiments also did not probe the detailed characteristics of the Bragg peak (peak ion stopping) where the ion velocity is similar to the average thermal electron velocity. To the best of our knowledge, only one exploratory attempt to do this was conducted by Hicks et al., who were able to describe qualitatively the behavior of the Bragg peak for one plasma condition. The work described in this presentation makes significant advances over previous experimental efforts by quantitatively assessing the characteristics of the ion stopping, ranging from low-velocity stopping, through the Bragg peak, to high-velocity stopping for different HED plasma conditions. This was achieved by measuring the energy loss of DD-tritons, D3He-alphas, DD-protons and D3He-protons, with distinctly different velocities, and the results indicate that the stopping power varies strongly with Te and ne. This effort represents the first experimental test of state-of-art plasma-stopping-power theories around the Bragg peak, which is an important first step in our efforts of getting a fundamental understanding of DT-alpha stopping in HED plasmas, a prerequisite for understanding ignition margins in various implosion designs with varying hot spot areal density at the National Ignition Facility. The work described here was performed in part at the LLE National Laser User's Facility (NLUF), and was supported in part by US DOE (Grant No. DE-FG03- 03SF22691), LLNL (subcontract Grant No. B504974) and LLE (subcontract Grant No. 412160-001G).

  17. Explaining the gap between theoretical peak performance and real performance for supercomputer architectures

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Schoenauer, W.; Haefner, H.

    1993-01-01

    The basic architectures of vector and parallel computers with their properties are presented. Then the memory size and the arithmetic operations in the context of memory bandwidth are discussed. For the exemplary discussion of a single operation micro-measurements of the vector triad for the IBM 3090 VF and the CRAY Y-MP/8 are presented. They reveal the details of the losses for a single operation. Then we analyze the global performance of a whole supercomputer by identifying reduction factors that bring down the theoretical peak performance to the poor real performance. The responsibilities of the manufacturer and of the user for these losses are dicussed. Then the price-performance ratio for different architectures in a snapshot of January 1991 is briefly mentioned. Finally some remarks to a user-friendly architecture for a supercomputer will be made. (orig.)

  18. Proposal for a race-track microtron with high peak current

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Ernst, G.J.; Haselhoff, E.H.; Witteman, W.J.; Botman, J.I.M.; van Genderen, W.; Hagedoorn, H.L.; van der Heide, J.A.; Kleeven, W.J.G.M.

    1989-01-01

    In order to obtain high gain in a free electron laser a high-quality electron beam with high peak current is required. It is well-known that a microtron is able to produce a high-quality beam having low emittance and small energy spread (1%). Because a circular microtron has a limited high-current

  19. Decreased anaerobic performance and hormone adaptation after expedition to Peak Lenin.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chen, Kung-tung; Chen, Yu-yawn; Wu, Huey-june; Chang, Chen-kang; Lee, Wen-tsung; Lu, Yen-yuan; Liu, Chieh-chung; Yang, Rong-sen; Lin, Jung-charng

    2008-11-20

    The change of anaerobic exercise abilities during and after a high-altitude expedition or hypoxic exposure is not well studied. To evaluate the effects of an extreme-altitude expedition on anaerobic performance, the 10-second supramaximal test and endocrine hormones were evaluated before and after an expedition to Peak Lenin. Four subjects (3 male and 1 female, age (30.5 +/- 16.5) years) were recruited into the study. Three sets of tests were performed, including a basic test at sea level and 20 days before first arrival at the base camp (3600 m), a middle test done at day after returning from the summit to the base camp and the post test at the 10th day after return to the sea level. Both the supramaximal test, performed by a cycle ergometer, and body composition, performed by bioelectrical impedance analysis, were completed before the basic test and post test. The endocrine hormones including cortisol, growth hormone, testosterone, noradrenaline, adrenaline, dopamine, glucagon and beta-endorphin were measured at all tests. Comparing the conditions before and after the expedition, the body measurement parameters were decreased after the expedition, i.e., body weight (-4.22%, P Lenin had occurred. The real physiological significance needs to be further investigated.

  20. Percent voluntary inactivation and peak force predictions with the interpolated twitch technique in individuals with high ability of voluntary activation

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Herda, Trent J; Walter, Ashley A; Hoge, Katherine M; Stout, Jeffrey R; Costa, Pablo B; Ryan, Eric D; Cramer, Joel T

    2011-01-01

    The purpose of this study was to examine the sensitivity and peak force prediction capability of the interpolated twitch technique (ITT) performed during submaximal and maximal voluntary contractions (MVCs) in subjects with the ability to maximally activate their plantar flexors. Twelve subjects performed two MVCs and nine submaximal contractions with the ITT method to calculate percent voluntary inactivation (%VI). Additionally, two MVCs were performed without the ITT. Polynomial models (linear, quadratic and cubic) were applied to the 10–90% VI and 40–90% VI versus force relationships to predict force. Peak force from the ITT MVC was 6.7% less than peak force from the MVC without the ITT. Fifty-eight percent of the 10–90% VI versus force relationships were best fit with nonlinear models; however, all 40–90% VI versus force relationships were best fit with linear models. Regardless of the polynomial model or the contraction intensities used to predict force, all models underestimated the actual force from 22% to 28%. There was low sensitivity of the ITT method at high contraction intensities and the predicted force from polynomial models significantly underestimated the actual force. Caution is warranted when interpreting the % VI at high contraction intensities and predicted peak force from submaximal contractions

  1. High-temperature peaks of thermostimulated luminescence in the ammonium halogens

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kim, L.M.; Musenova, Eh.K.; Mukhamedrakhimov, K.U.

    2003-01-01

    The ammonium halogen crystals (AHC) are the close analogs of the alkali halogen crystals by the type of chemical bonds and crystal lattice structure. The ammonium halogen after irradiation by X-rays within 80-300 K range have two peaks of thermo-stimulation luminescence. Its maximums in dependence of anions type are in the 110-120 K and 170-180 K ranges. The first range is related with activation of auto-localized holes migration, and the second one - with the NH 3 + defects decay. Experimentally is established, that the pure ammonium halogens have memory about the previous irradiation at heating up to 300 K. After repeat irradiation the recombination luminescence high-temperature peak's shoulder is appearing. The second luminescence peak's shoulder revealing does not depend on the impurity center nature. It is known, that in the AHC there is the next thermo-stimulation luminescence peak within 340-360 K. The thermal annealing of this peak leads to the memory effect disappearance. So, the observing phenomenon is related with own defect of the matrix in the cation sublattice. Experimentally is established, that at a room temperature the AHC memorizing about previous irradiation during 20 h

  2. High fat diet promotes achievement of peak bone mass in young rats

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Malvi, Parmanand; Piprode, Vikrant; Chaube, Balkrishna; Pote, Satish T. [National Centre for Cell Science, Savitribai Phule Pune University Campus, Ganeshkhind, Pune 411 007 (India); Mittal, Monika; Chattopadhyay, Naibedya [Division of Endocrinology and Center for Research in Anabolic Skeletal Targets in Health and Illness (ASTHI), CSIR-Central Drug Research Institute, Jankipuram Extension, Sitapur Road, Lucknow 226 031 (India); Wani, Mohan R. [National Centre for Cell Science, Savitribai Phule Pune University Campus, Ganeshkhind, Pune 411 007 (India); Bhat, Manoj Kumar, E-mail: manojkbhat@nccs.res.in [National Centre for Cell Science, Savitribai Phule Pune University Campus, Ganeshkhind, Pune 411 007 (India)

    2014-12-05

    Highlights: • High fat diet helps in achieving peak bone mass at younger age. • Shifting from high fat to normal diet normalizes obese parameters. • Bone parameters are sustained even after withdrawal of high fat diet. - Abstract: The relationship between obesity and bone is complex. Epidemiological studies demonstrate positive as well as negative correlation between obesity and bone health. In the present study, we investigated the impact of high fat diet-induced obesity on peak bone mass. After 9 months of feeding young rats with high fat diet, we observed obesity phenotype in rats with increased body weight, fat mass, serum triglycerides and cholesterol. There were significant increases in serum total alkaline phosphatase, bone mineral density and bone mineral content. By micro-computed tomography (μ-CT), we observed a trend of better trabecular bones with respect to their microarchitecture and geometry. This indicated that high fat diet helps in achieving peak bone mass and microstructure at younger age. We subsequently shifted rats from high fat diet to normal diet for 6 months and evaluated bone/obesity parameters. It was observed that after shifting rats from high fat diet to normal diet, fat mass, serum triglycerides and cholesterol were significantly decreased. Interestingly, the gain in bone mineral density, bone mineral content and trabecular bone parameters by HFD was retained even after body weight and obesity were normalized. These results suggest that fat rich diet during growth could accelerate achievement of peak bone mass that is sustainable even after withdrawal of high fat diet.

  3. High fat diet promotes achievement of peak bone mass in young rats

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Malvi, Parmanand; Piprode, Vikrant; Chaube, Balkrishna; Pote, Satish T.; Mittal, Monika; Chattopadhyay, Naibedya; Wani, Mohan R.; Bhat, Manoj Kumar

    2014-01-01

    Highlights: • High fat diet helps in achieving peak bone mass at younger age. • Shifting from high fat to normal diet normalizes obese parameters. • Bone parameters are sustained even after withdrawal of high fat diet. - Abstract: The relationship between obesity and bone is complex. Epidemiological studies demonstrate positive as well as negative correlation between obesity and bone health. In the present study, we investigated the impact of high fat diet-induced obesity on peak bone mass. After 9 months of feeding young rats with high fat diet, we observed obesity phenotype in rats with increased body weight, fat mass, serum triglycerides and cholesterol. There were significant increases in serum total alkaline phosphatase, bone mineral density and bone mineral content. By micro-computed tomography (μ-CT), we observed a trend of better trabecular bones with respect to their microarchitecture and geometry. This indicated that high fat diet helps in achieving peak bone mass and microstructure at younger age. We subsequently shifted rats from high fat diet to normal diet for 6 months and evaluated bone/obesity parameters. It was observed that after shifting rats from high fat diet to normal diet, fat mass, serum triglycerides and cholesterol were significantly decreased. Interestingly, the gain in bone mineral density, bone mineral content and trabecular bone parameters by HFD was retained even after body weight and obesity were normalized. These results suggest that fat rich diet during growth could accelerate achievement of peak bone mass that is sustainable even after withdrawal of high fat diet

  4. Submaximal physical strain and peak performance in handcycling versus handrim wheelchair propulsion

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Dallmeijer, A.J.; Zentgraaff, I.D.; Zijp, N.I.; van der Woude, L.H.V.

    2004-01-01

    Study design: Experimental study in subjects with paraplegia and nondisabled subjects. Objective: To compare submaximal physical strain and peak performance in handcycling and handrim wheelchair propulsion in wheelchair-dependent and nondisabled control subjects Setting: Amsterdam, The Netherlands.

  5. Free-space optical communications with peak and average constraints: High SNR capacity approximation

    KAUST Repository

    Chaaban, Anas

    2015-09-07

    The capacity of the intensity-modulation direct-detection (IM-DD) free-space optical channel with both average and peak intensity constraints is studied. A new capacity lower bound is derived by using a truncated-Gaussian input distribution. Numerical evaluation shows that this capacity lower bound is nearly tight at high signal-to-noise ratio (SNR), while it is shown analytically that the gap to capacity upper bounds is a small constant at high SNR. In particular, the gap to the high-SNR asymptotic capacity of the channel under either a peak or an average constraint is small. This leads to a simple approximation of the high SNR capacity. Additionally, a new capacity upper bound is derived using sphere-packing arguments. This bound is tight at high SNR for a channel with a dominant peak constraint.

  6. Individual Alpha Peak Frequency in Ice Hockey Shooting Performance

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Sommer Christie

    2017-05-01

    Full Text Available There are several important inter- and intra-individual variations in individual alpha peak frequency (IAPF in the cognitive domain. The rationale for the present study was to extend the research on IAPF in the cognitive domain to IAPF in the sport domain. Specifically, the purpose of the present study was twofold: (a to explore whether baseline IAPF is related to performance in an ice hockey shooting task and (b to explore whether a shooting task has an effect on IAPF variability. The present investigation is one of the first studies to examine links between IAPF and sport performance. Study results did not show significant changes in IAPF when comparing baseline IAPF and pre- to post-task IAPF across three performance levels. The findings support previous literature in the cognitive domain suggesting that IAPF is a stable neurophysiological marker. Future research should consider the following methodological suggestions: (a measuring IAPF during sport performance instead of at a resting state, (b changing the pre-performance resting baseline instructions to take into account sport-specific mental preparation, (c exploring an expert-novice paradigm to accentuate performance ability differences between groups (d comparing tasks with different levels of complexity, and (e analyzing the possible correlation between IAPF and performance on different days.

  7. Peak and ceiling effects in final-product analysis of mastoidectomy performance

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    West, N; Konge, L; Cayé-Thomasen, P

    2015-01-01

    BACKGROUND: Virtual reality surgical simulation of mastoidectomy is a promising training tool for novices. Final-product analysis for assessing novice mastoidectomy performance could be limited by a peak or ceiling effect. These may be countered by simulator-integrated tutoring. METHODS: Twenty......-two participants completed a single session of self-directed practice of the mastoidectomy procedure in a virtual reality simulator. Participants were randomised for additional simulator-integrated tutoring. Performances were assessed at 10-minute intervals using final-product analysis. RESULTS: In all, 45.5 per...

  8. A design technique of low cost but high quality peak stretcher

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Lo, H Y; Su, C S; Hsu, J Y; Wang, L

    1981-03-01

    This paper presents the design of low cost but high quality pulse peak stretcher incorporated with a LSI of 12 bit ADC and SKD-85 microcomputer. The conflict between the capacitor high charging speed and longer holding time for realizing a high quality stretcher is discussed and solved. For a lager number of channels available in a dual ramp Wilkinson-type ADC, two-stage stretchers connected in series are designed. The first stage is a fast-discharge to keep the output stretched pulse follow-up the input quickly and the second-stage (main stretcher) is a slow-discharge to keep the transient of the circuit minimum. Both of these two peak stretchers are described and the experiment results are photographically recorded.

  9. High-precision analogue peak detector for X-ray imaging applications

    OpenAIRE

    Dlugosz, Rafal Tomasz; Iniewski, Kris

    2007-01-01

    A new analogue high-precision peak detector is presented. Owing to its very low power consumption the circuit is particularly well suited for photon energy detection in multichannel receiver integrated circuits used in nuclear medicine.

  10. Catching Butterflies

    Science.gov (United States)

    Fisher, Maisha T.

    2008-01-01

    Playmaking for Girls, founded by Rachel May and directed by Susie Spear Purcell, assembles a diverse ensemble of teaching artists committed to using playwriting and performance to help with incarcerated and formerly incarcerated teen girls to help them "think and thus act for themselves" (Freden, 2001, p. 70). These teaching artists, with the…

  11. Evaluation of the shape of the specular peak for high glossy surfaces

    Science.gov (United States)

    Obein, Gaël.; Ouarets, Shiraz; Ged, Guillaume

    2014-02-01

    Gloss is the second most relevant visual attribute of a surface beside its colour. While the colour originates from the wavelength repartition of the reflected light, gloss originates from its angular distribution. When an observer is asked to evaluate the gloss of a surface, he always first orientate his eyes along the specular direction before lightly tilting the examined sample. This means that gloss is located in and around the specular direction, in a peak that is called the specular peak. On the one hand, this peak is flat and broad on matte surfaces on the other hand, it is narrow and sharp on high gloss surfaces. For the late ones, the FWHM of the specular peak is less than 2° which can be quite difficult to measure. We developed a dedicated facility capable of measuring specular peak with a FWHM up to 0,1 °. We measured the evolution of the peak according to the angle of illumination and the specular gloss of the sample in the restricted field of very glossy surface. The facility and peaks measured are presented in the paper. The next step will be to identify the correlations between the peak and the roughness of the sample.

  12. Physical performance and peak aerobic power at different body temperatures.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bergh, U; Ekblom, B

    1979-05-01

    In eight male subjects we studied the effect of different core (esophageal, (Tes 34.9--38.4 degrees C) and muscle (Tm 35.1--39.3 degrees C) temperature on 1) physical performance (time to exhaustion at a standard maximal rate of work, WT), 2) aerobic power (VO2), 3) heart rate (HR), and 4) blood lactate (LA) concentration during exhaustive combined arm and leg exercise. In three subjects the effects at different mean skin temperatures (Tsk 27 and 31 degrees C, respectively) were also studied. Peak VO2 was positively correlated to both Tes (r = 0.88) and Tm (r = 0.91). None of the subjects attained control VO2max at Tes and Tm lower than 37.5 and 38.0 degrees C, respectively. HR was correlated to both Tes (r = 0.97) and Tm (r = 0.95). Different Tsk did not affect peak VO2 and HR at subnormal body temperatures. Pulmonary ventilation was independent of Tes and Tm in all experimental situations. LA was significantly higher at Tes 37.5 degrees C compared to both Tes 34.9 and 38.5 degrees C, respectively. At Tes less than 37.5 degrees C and Tm less than 38.0 degrees C, there was a linear reduction in WT (20%.degrees C-1), peak VO2 (5--6%.degrees C-1), and HR (8 beats.min-1.degrees C-1) with lowered Tes and Tm.

  13. Efficient high-peak-power and high-repetition-rate eye-safe laser using an intracavity KTP OPO

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Guo, J; Jiao, Z X; Wang, B; He, G Y

    2015-01-01

    An efficient high-peak-power and high-repetition-rate intracavity KTP optical parametric oscillator pumped by a Q-switched Nd:YVO 4 laser is demonstrated. We achieved 1.5 W output power of 1.5 μm at 10 kHz repetition rate with the pulse duration of 6 ns. The maximum peak power of 25 kW and the maximum pulse energy of 150 μJ have been obtained. The maximum conversion efficiency of 9.5% is achieved with respect to a laser diode power of 10.5 W. (paper)

  14. Tentative type test of a non-invasive high-voltage meter with respect to the quantity of practical peak voltage

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Peixoto, J.G.P.; Selbach, H.J.; Kramer, H.M.; Lange, B.

    2001-04-01

    In Working Group 3 of Sub-committee 62C of the international electrotechnical commission (IEC) a new project is underway [1] with the objective of specifying requirements for the performance characteristics of instruments for the non-invasive measurement of the X-ray tube voltage in diagnostic radiology. In this draft the X-ray tube voltage is specified in terms of the practical peak voltage [2]. The objective of the present work is to perform a tentative type test, based on the ''Requirements for Instruments for Non-invasive Measurements of the X-ray Tube Voltage'' defined in the IEC draft, with a commercially available non-invasive high-voltage meter. The instrument was modified so that the practical peak voltage can be measured. It is shown that the instrument, with the modifications made, is suitable for the non-invasive measurement of the practical peak voltage between 50 kV and 150 kV within the required limits of variation of the response. (orig.)

  15. Energy peaks: A high energy physics outlook

    Science.gov (United States)

    Franceschini, Roberto

    2017-12-01

    Energy distributions of decay products carry information on the kinematics of the decay in ways that are at the same time straightforward and quite hidden. I will review these properties and discuss their early historical applications, as well as more recent ones in the context of (i) methods for the measurement of masses of new physics particle with semi-invisible decays, (ii) the characterization of Dark Matter particles produced at colliders, (iii) precision mass measurements of Standard Model particles, in particular of the top quark. Finally, I will give an outlook of further developments and applications of energy peak method for high energy physics at colliders and beyond.

  16. High precision 16K, 16 channel peak sensing CAMAC ADC

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Jain, Mamta; Subramaniam, E.T

    2013-01-01

    A high density, peak sensing, analog to digital converter (ADC) double width module with CAMAC back plane has been developed for nuclear physics experiments with a large number of detectors. This module has sixteen independent channels in plug-in daughter card mother board mode

  17. Evaluation of different time domain peak models using extreme learning machine-based peak detection for EEG signal.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Adam, Asrul; Ibrahim, Zuwairie; Mokhtar, Norrima; Shapiai, Mohd Ibrahim; Cumming, Paul; Mubin, Marizan

    2016-01-01

    Various peak models have been introduced to detect and analyze peaks in the time domain analysis of electroencephalogram (EEG) signals. In general, peak model in the time domain analysis consists of a set of signal parameters, such as amplitude, width, and slope. Models including those proposed by Dumpala, Acir, Liu, and Dingle are routinely used to detect peaks in EEG signals acquired in clinical studies of epilepsy or eye blink. The optimal peak model is the most reliable peak detection performance in a particular application. A fair measure of performance of different models requires a common and unbiased platform. In this study, we evaluate the performance of the four different peak models using the extreme learning machine (ELM)-based peak detection algorithm. We found that the Dingle model gave the best performance, with 72 % accuracy in the analysis of real EEG data. Statistical analysis conferred that the Dingle model afforded significantly better mean testing accuracy than did the Acir and Liu models, which were in the range 37-52 %. Meanwhile, the Dingle model has no significant difference compared to Dumpala model.

  18. Improving peak detection in high-resolution LC/MS metabolomics data using preexisting knowledge and machine learning approach.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yu, Tianwei; Jones, Dean P

    2014-10-15

    Peak detection is a key step in the preprocessing of untargeted metabolomics data generated from high-resolution liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC/MS). The common practice is to use filters with predetermined parameters to select peaks in the LC/MS profile. This rigid approach can cause suboptimal performance when the choice of peak model and parameters do not suit the data characteristics. Here we present a method that learns directly from various data features of the extracted ion chromatograms (EICs) to differentiate between true peak regions from noise regions in the LC/MS profile. It utilizes the knowledge of known metabolites, as well as robust machine learning approaches. Unlike currently available methods, this new approach does not assume a parametric peak shape model and allows maximum flexibility. We demonstrate the superiority of the new approach using real data. Because matching to known metabolites entails uncertainties and cannot be considered a gold standard, we also developed a probabilistic receiver-operating characteristic (pROC) approach that can incorporate uncertainties. The new peak detection approach is implemented as part of the apLCMS package available at http://web1.sph.emory.edu/apLCMS/ CONTACT: tyu8@emory.edu Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online. © The Author 2014. Published by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.

  19. Determination of trapping parameters of the high temperature thermoluminescence peak in equilibrated ordinary chondrites

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Akridge, Jannette M.C.; Benoit, Paul H.; Sears, Derek W.G.

    2001-01-01

    Most meteorites exhibit thermoluminescence (TL) that can be used to constrain their recent thermal and irradiation history, but quantitative conclusions require a knowledge of the detailed TL peak structure of the TL glow curve. We have determined TL peak parameters for the high temperature portion of the glow curve for six ordinary chondrites: Chicora (LL6); Innisfree (L5); Lost City (H5); Paragould (LL6); Pribram (H5); and Tilden (L6). The saturation dose for all these meteorites is approximately 3600 Gy. Published procedures were used to determine the number and temperatures of peaks in the high temperature (>570 K) portion of the glow curve and peak fitting was used to estimate TL trap parameters for each peak. These data were then tested and adjusted, if necessary, by comparing calculated decay results with TL glow curves for samples heated at ∼420 K for various times. We find evidence for four TL peaks in the high temperature portion of the glow curve, where trapping parameters vary slightly from meteorite to meteorite. For the Lost City meteorite, the TL peak temperatures (K), activation energies (E, eV), and Arrhenius factors (s, x 10 -9 s -1 ) are: 325, 1.26, 4.8; 360, 1.33, 3.88; 401, 1.44, 5.8; and 455, 1.5, 2.25, respectively. These data could be used to estimate dose rates for meteorites; however, the albedo values required for the calculation are not yet sufficiently known. However, terrestrial ages, or surface exposure ages, for meteorite finds from hot deserts like those in Australia or North Africa, can be estimated from these data

  20. Determination of trapping parameters of the high temperature thermoluminescence peak in equilibrated ordinary chondrites

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Akridge, Jannette M.C.; Benoit, Paul H. E-mail: pbenoit@comp.uark.edu; Sears, Derek W.G

    2001-02-01

    Most meteorites exhibit thermoluminescence (TL) that can be used to constrain their recent thermal and irradiation history, but quantitative conclusions require a knowledge of the detailed TL peak structure of the TL glow curve. We have determined TL peak parameters for the high temperature portion of the glow curve for six ordinary chondrites: Chicora (LL6); Innisfree (L5); Lost City (H5); Paragould (LL6); Pribram (H5); and Tilden (L6). The saturation dose for all these meteorites is approximately 3600 Gy. Published procedures were used to determine the number and temperatures of peaks in the high temperature (>570 K) portion of the glow curve and peak fitting was used to estimate TL trap parameters for each peak. These data were then tested and adjusted, if necessary, by comparing calculated decay results with TL glow curves for samples heated at {approx}420 K for various times. We find evidence for four TL peaks in the high temperature portion of the glow curve, where trapping parameters vary slightly from meteorite to meteorite. For the Lost City meteorite, the TL peak temperatures (K), activation energies (E, eV), and Arrhenius factors (s, x 10{sup -9} s{sup -1}) are: 325, 1.26, 4.8; 360, 1.33, 3.88; 401, 1.44, 5.8; and 455, 1.5, 2.25, respectively. These data could be used to estimate dose rates for meteorites; however, the albedo values required for the calculation are not yet sufficiently known. However, terrestrial ages, or surface exposure ages, for meteorite finds from hot deserts like those in Australia or North Africa, can be estimated from these data.

  1. Reduction of chemical formulas from the isotopic peak distributions of high-resolution mass spectra.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Roussis, Stilianos G; Proulx, Richard

    2003-03-15

    A method has been developed for the reduction of the chemical formulas of compounds in complex mixtures from the isotopic peak distributions of high-resolution mass spectra. The method is based on the principle that the observed isotopic peak distribution of a mixture of compounds is a linear combination of the isotopic peak distributions of the individual compounds in the mixture. All possible chemical formulas that meet specific criteria (e.g., type and number of atoms in structure, limits of unsaturation, etc.) are enumerated, and theoretical isotopic peak distributions are generated for each formula. The relative amount of each formula is obtained from the accurately measured isotopic peak distribution and the calculated isotopic peak distributions of all candidate formulas. The formulas of compounds in simple spectra, where peak components are fully resolved, are rapidly determined by direct comparison of the calculated and experimental isotopic peak distributions. The singular value decomposition linear algebra method is used to determine the contributions of compounds in complex spectra containing unresolved peak components. The principles of the approach and typical application examples are presented. The method is most useful for the characterization of complex spectra containing partially resolved peaks and structures with multiisotopic elements.

  2. Controlling nonlinear longitudinal space charge oscillations for high peak current bunch train generation

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    P. Musumeci

    2013-10-01

    Full Text Available The evolution of picosecond modulations of the longitudinal profile of an electron beam generated in an rf photoinjector is analyzed and optimized with the goal of obtaining high peak current electron bunch trains at very high frequencies (≥THz. Taking advantage of nonlinear longitudinal space charge forces, it is found that more than 500 A peak current 1 THz bunch trains can be generated using a standard 1.6 cell SLAC/UCLA/BNL rf gun. Postacceleration is used to freeze the longitudinal phase space dynamics after one half plasma oscillation. Applications range from tunable narrow bandwidth THz radiation generation to drivers for high frequency high gradient accelerators.

  3. Assessing the detectability of antioxidants in two-dimensional high-performance liquid chromatography.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bassanese, Danielle N; Conlan, Xavier A; Barnett, Neil W; Stevenson, Paul G

    2015-05-01

    This paper explores the analytical figures of merit of two-dimensional high-performance liquid chromatography for the separation of antioxidant standards. The cumulative two-dimensional high-performance liquid chromatography peak area was calculated for 11 antioxidants by two different methods--the areas reported by the control software and by fitting the data with a Gaussian model; these methods were evaluated for precision and sensitivity. Both methods demonstrated excellent precision in regards to retention time in the second dimension (%RSD below 1.16%) and cumulative second dimension peak area (%RSD below 3.73% from the instrument software and 5.87% for the Gaussian method). Combining areas reported by the high-performance liquid chromatographic control software displayed superior limits of detection, in the order of 1 × 10(-6) M, almost an order of magnitude lower than the Gaussian method for some analytes. The introduction of the countergradient eliminated the strong solvent mismatch between dimensions, leading to a much improved peak shape and better detection limits for quantification. © 2015 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

  4. Knee joint moments during high flexion movements: Timing of peak moments and the effect of safety footwear.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chong, Helen C; Tennant, Liana M; Kingston, David C; Acker, Stacey M

    2017-03-01

    (1) Characterize knee joint moments and peak knee flexion moment timing during kneeling transitions, with the intent of identifying high-risk postures. (2) Determine whether safety footwear worn by kneeling workers (construction workers, tile setters, masons, roofers) alters high flexion kneeling mechanics. Fifteen males performed high flexion kneeling transitions. Kinetics and kinematics were analyzed for differences in ascent and descent in the lead and trail legs. Mean±standard deviation peak external knee adduction and flexion moments during transitions ranged from 1.01±0.31 to 2.04±0.66% body weight times height (BW∗Ht) and from 3.33 to 12.6% BW∗Ht respectively. The lead leg experienced significantly higher adduction moments compared to the trail leg during descent, when work boots were worn (interaction, p=0.005). There was a main effect of leg (higher lead vs. trail) on the internal rotation moment in both descent (p=0.0119) and ascent (p=0.0129) phases. Peak external knee adduction moments during transitions did not exceed those exhibited during level walking, thus increased knee adduction moment magnitude is likely not a main factor in the development of knee OA in occupational kneelers. Additionally, work boots only significantly increased the adduction moment in the lead leg during descent. In cases where one knee is painful, diseased, or injured, the unaffected knee should be used as the lead leg during asymmetric bilateral kneeling. Peak flexion moments occurred at flexion angles above the maximum flexion angle exhibited during walking (approximately 60°), supporting the theory that the loading of atypical surfaces may aid disease development or progression. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  5. Real-time bilinear rotation decoupling in absorptive mode J-spectroscopy: Detecting low-intensity metabolite peak close to high-intensity metabolite peak with convenience

    Science.gov (United States)

    Verma, Ajay; Baishya, Bikash

    2016-05-01

    ;Pure shift; NMR spectra display singlet peak per chemical site. Thus, high resolution is offered at the cost of valuable J-coupling information. In the present work, real-time BIRD (BIlinear Rotation Decoupling) is applied to the absorptive-mode 2D J-spectroscopy to provide pure shift spectrum in the direct dimension and J-coupling information in the indirect dimension. Quite often in metabolomics, proton NMR spectra from complex bio-fluids display tremendous signal overlap. Although conventional J-spectroscopy in principle overcomes this problem by separating the multiplet information from chemical shift information, however, only magnitude mode of the experiment is practical, sacrificing much of the potential high resolution that could be achieved. Few J-spectroscopy methods have been reported so far that produce high-resolution pure shift spectrum along with J-coupling information for crowded spectral regions. In the present work, high-quality J-resolved spectrum from important metabolomic mixture such as tissue extract from rat cortex is demonstrated. Many low-intensity metabolite peaks which are obscured by the broad dispersive tails from high-intensity metabolite peaks in regular magnitude mode J-spectrum can be clearly identified in real-time BIRD J-resolved spectrum. The general practice of removing such spectral overlap is tedious and time-consuming as it involves repeated sample preparation to change the pH of the tissue extract sample and subsequent spectra recording.

  6. Systematic Self-Regulation of the Neural System Essential for Peak Performance and Wellbeing.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cassel, Russell N.

    1985-01-01

    Balance and harmony within one's neural system is dynamic and changing, and restoring that balance is essential for peak performance. With a minimum amount of training individuals are able to restore this delicate balance and thereby enhance their own wellbeing. Autogenic feedback training has been demonstrated to be an effective means for…

  7. High peak power picosecond hybrid fiber and solid-state amplifier system

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Wushouer, X; Yan, P; Yu, H; Liu, Q; Fu, X; Yan, X; Gong, M

    2010-01-01

    We report the high peak power picosecond hybrid fiber and solid-state laser amplifier system. The passively mode-locked solid-state seed source produced an average power of 1.8 W with pulse width of 14 ps and repetition rate of 86 MHz. It was directly coupled into the first Yb-doped polarized photonic crystal fiber amplifier stage. To avoid the nonlinear effects in fiber, the output power from the first stage was merely amplified to 24 W with the narrow spectra broadening of 0.21 nm. For the improvement of the peak power, the dual-end pumped composite Nd:YVO 4 amplifier system has been chosen at the second stage. To reduce the serious thermal effect, the thermally bonded composite YVO 4 – Nd:YVO 4 – YVO 4 rod crystal was used as the gain medium. The 53 W TEM 00 mode with the peak power of 40 kW, beam quality of M 2 < 1.15, corresponding to the optical-optical efficiency of 42.4% was obtained at the hybrid amplifier laser system. The system allows using a low power seed source and demonstrates an increase in the peak power beyond a fiber master oscillator power amplifier's (MOPA's) limit

  8. Bayesian approach to peak deconvolution and library search for high resolution gas chromatography - Mass spectrometry.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Barcaru, A; Mol, H G J; Tienstra, M; Vivó-Truyols, G

    2017-08-29

    A novel probabilistic Bayesian strategy is proposed to resolve highly coeluting peaks in high-resolution GC-MS (Orbitrap) data. Opposed to a deterministic approach, we propose to solve the problem probabilistically, using a complete pipeline. First, the retention time(s) for a (probabilistic) number of compounds for each mass channel are estimated. The statistical dependency between m/z channels was implied by including penalties in the model objective function. Second, Bayesian Information Criterion (BIC) is used as Occam's razor for the probabilistic assessment of the number of components. Third, a probabilistic set of resolved spectra, and their associated retention times are estimated. Finally, a probabilistic library search is proposed, computing the spectral match with a high resolution library. More specifically, a correlative measure was used that included the uncertainties in the least square fitting, as well as the probability for different proposals for the number of compounds in the mixture. The method was tested on simulated high resolution data, as well as on a set of pesticides injected in a GC-Orbitrap with high coelution. The proposed pipeline was able to detect accurately the retention times and the spectra of the peaks. For our case, with extremely high coelution situation, 5 out of the 7 existing compounds under the selected region of interest, were correctly assessed. Finally, the comparison with the classical methods of deconvolution (i.e., MCR and AMDIS) indicates a better performance of the proposed algorithm in terms of the number of correctly resolved compounds. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  9. ASPeak: an abundance sensitive peak detection algorithm for RIP-Seq.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kucukural, Alper; Özadam, Hakan; Singh, Guramrit; Moore, Melissa J; Cenik, Can

    2013-10-01

    Unlike DNA, RNA abundances can vary over several orders of magnitude. Thus, identification of RNA-protein binding sites from high-throughput sequencing data presents unique challenges. Although peak identification in ChIP-Seq data has been extensively explored, there are few bioinformatics tools tailored for peak calling on analogous datasets for RNA-binding proteins. Here we describe ASPeak (abundance sensitive peak detection algorithm), an implementation of an algorithm that we previously applied to detect peaks in exon junction complex RNA immunoprecipitation in tandem experiments. Our peak detection algorithm yields stringent and robust target sets enabling sensitive motif finding and downstream functional analyses. ASPeak is implemented in Perl as a complete pipeline that takes bedGraph files as input. ASPeak implementation is freely available at https://sourceforge.net/projects/as-peak under the GNU General Public License. ASPeak can be run on a personal computer, yet is designed to be easily parallelizable. ASPeak can also run on high performance computing clusters providing efficient speedup. The documentation and user manual can be obtained from http://master.dl.sourceforge.net/project/as-peak/manual.pdf.

  10. Approaches to characterise chromatographic column performance based on global parameters accounting for peak broadening and skewness.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Baeza-Baeza, J J; Pous-Torres, S; Torres-Lapasió, J R; García-Alvarez-Coque, M C

    2010-04-02

    Peak broadening and skewness are fundamental parameters in chromatography, since they affect the resolution capability of a chromatographic column. A common practice to characterise chromatographic columns is to estimate the efficiency and asymmetry factor for the peaks of one or more solutes eluted at selected experimental conditions. This has the drawback that the extra-column contributions to the peak variance and skewness make the peak shape parameters depend on the retention time. We propose and discuss here the use of several approaches that allow the estimation of global parameters (non-dependent on the retention time) to describe the column performance. The global parameters arise from different linear relationships that can be established between the peak variance, standard deviation, or half-widths with the retention time. Some of them describe exclusively the column contribution to the peak broadening, whereas others consider the extra-column effects also. The estimation of peak skewness was also possible for the approaches based on the half-widths. The proposed approaches were applied to the characterisation of different columns (Spherisorb, Zorbax SB, Zorbax Eclipse, Kromasil, Chromolith, X-Terra and Inertsil), using the chromatographic data obtained for several diuretics and basic drugs (beta-blockers). Copyright (c) 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  11. A high-resolution peak fractionation approach for streamlined screening of nuclear-factor-E2-related factor-2 activators in Salvia miltiorrhiza.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhang, Hui; Luo, Li-Ping; Song, Hui-Peng; Hao, Hai-Ping; Zhou, Ping; Qi, Lian-Wen; Li, Ping; Chen, Jun

    2014-01-24

    Generation of a high-purity fraction library for efficiently screening active compounds from natural products is challenging because of their chemical diversity and complex matrices. In this work, a strategy combining high-resolution peak fractionation (HRPF) with a cell-based assay was proposed for target screening of bioactive constituents from natural products. In this approach, peak fractionation was conducted under chromatographic conditions optimized for high-resolution separation of the natural product extract. The HRPF approach was automatically performed according to the predefinition of certain peaks based on their retention times from a reference chromatographic profile. The corresponding HRPF database was collected with a parallel mass spectrometer to ensure purity and characterize the structures of compounds in the various fractions. Using this approach, a set of 75 peak fractions on the microgram scale was generated from 4mg of the extract of Salvia miltiorrhiza. After screening by an ARE-luciferase reporter gene assay, 20 diterpene quinones were selected and identified, and 16 of these compounds were reported to possess novel Nrf2 activation activity. Compared with conventional fixed-time interval fractionation, the HRPF approach could significantly improve the efficiency of bioactive compound discovery and facilitate the uncovering of minor active components. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  12. Low-complexity R-peak detection for ambulatory fetal monitoring

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Rooijakkers, Michael J; Rabotti, Chiara; Mischi, Massimo; Oei, S Guid

    2012-01-01

    Non-invasive fetal health monitoring during pregnancy is becoming increasingly important because of the increasing number of high-risk pregnancies. Despite recent advances in signal-processing technology, which have enabled fetal monitoring during pregnancy using abdominal electrocardiogram (ECG) recordings, ubiquitous fetal health monitoring is still unfeasible due to the computational complexity of noise-robust solutions. In this paper, an ECG R-peak detection algorithm for ambulatory R-peak detection is proposed, as part of a fetal ECG detection algorithm. The proposed algorithm is optimized to reduce computational complexity, without reducing the R-peak detection performance compared to the existing R-peak detection schemes. Validation of the algorithm is performed on three manually annotated datasets. With a detection error rate of 0.23%, 1.32% and 9.42% on the MIT/BIH Arrhythmia and in-house maternal and fetal databases, respectively, the detection rate of the proposed algorithm is comparable to the best state-of-the-art algorithms, at a reduced computational complexity. (paper)

  13. Low-complexity R-peak detection for ambulatory fetal monitoring.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rooijakkers, Michael J; Rabotti, Chiara; Oei, S Guid; Mischi, Massimo

    2012-07-01

    Non-invasive fetal health monitoring during pregnancy is becoming increasingly important because of the increasing number of high-risk pregnancies. Despite recent advances in signal-processing technology, which have enabled fetal monitoring during pregnancy using abdominal electrocardiogram (ECG) recordings, ubiquitous fetal health monitoring is still unfeasible due to the computational complexity of noise-robust solutions. In this paper, an ECG R-peak detection algorithm for ambulatory R-peak detection is proposed, as part of a fetal ECG detection algorithm. The proposed algorithm is optimized to reduce computational complexity, without reducing the R-peak detection performance compared to the existing R-peak detection schemes. Validation of the algorithm is performed on three manually annotated datasets. With a detection error rate of 0.23%, 1.32% and 9.42% on the MIT/BIH Arrhythmia and in-house maternal and fetal databases, respectively, the detection rate of the proposed algorithm is comparable to the best state-of-the-art algorithms, at a reduced computational complexity.

  14. Carotid near-occlusion frequently has high peak systolic velocity on Doppler ultrasound

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Khangure, Simon R.; Machnowska, Matylda; Fox, Allan J.; Hojjat, Seyed-Parsa; Aviv, Richard I. [Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre, Department of Medical Imaging, Neuroradiology Division, Toronto, ON (Canada); University of Toronto, Department of Medical Imaging, Division of Neuroimaging, Toronto (Canada); Benhabib, Hadas [Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre, Department of Medical Imaging, Neuroradiology Division, Toronto, ON (Canada); Groenlund, Christer [Umeaa University, Department of Radiation Sciences, Biomedical Engineering, Umeaa (Sweden); Herod, Wendy [Department of Surgery, Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre, Toronto (Canada); Maggisano, Robert [Department of Surgery, Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre, Toronto (Canada); University of Toronto, Division of Vascular Surgery, Department of Surgery, Toronto (Canada); Sjoeberg, Anders [Umeaa University, Department of Radiation Sciences, Biomedical Engineering, Umeaa (Sweden); Umeaa University, Department of Pharmacology and Clinical Neuroscience, Umeaa (Sweden); Wester, Per [Umeaa University, Department of Public Health and Clinical Medicine, Umeaa (Sweden); Karolinska Institutet Danderyds Hospital, Department of Clinical Sciences, Stockholm (Sweden); Hopyan, Julia [University of Toronto, Division of Neurology, Department of Medicine, Toronto (Canada); Johansson, Elias [Umeaa University, Department of Pharmacology and Clinical Neuroscience, Umeaa (Sweden); Umeaa University, Department of Public Health and Clinical Medicine, Umeaa (Sweden)

    2018-01-15

    Carotid near-occlusion is a tight atherosclerotic stenosis of the internal carotid artery (ICA) resulting in decrease in diameter of the vessel lumen distal to the stenosis. Near-occlusions can be classified as with or without full collapse, and may have high peak systolic velocity (PSV) across the stenosis, mimicking conventional > 50% carotid artery stenosis. We aimed to determine how frequently near-occlusions have high PSV in the stenosis and determine how accurately carotid Doppler ultrasound can distinguish high-velocity near-occlusion from conventional stenosis. Included patients had near-occlusion or conventional stenosis with carotid ultrasound and CT angiogram (CTA) performed within 30 days of each other. CTA examinations were analyzed by two blinded expert readers. Velocities in the internal and common carotid arteries were recorded. Mean velocity, pulsatility index, and ratios were calculated, giving 12 Doppler parameters for analysis. Of 136 patients, 82 had conventional stenosis and 54 had near-occlusion on CTA. Of near-occlusions, 40 (74%) had high PSV (≥ 125 cm/s) across the stenosis. Ten Doppler parameters significantly differed between conventional stenosis and high-velocity near-occlusion groups. However, no parameter was highly sensitive and specific to separate the groups. Near-occlusions frequently have high PSV across the stenosis, particularly those without full collapse. Carotid Doppler ultrasound does not seem able to distinguish conventional stenosis from high-velocity near-occlusion. These findings question the use of ultrasound alone for preoperative imaging evaluation. (orig.)

  15. High intensity aerobic interval training improves peak oxygen consumption in patients with metabolic syndrome: CAT

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Alexis Espinoza Salinas

    2014-06-01

    Full Text Available Introduction A number of cardiovascular risk factors characterizes the metabolic syndrome: insulin resistance (IR, low HDL cholesterol and high triglycerides. The aforementioned risk factors lead to elevated levels of abdominal adipose tissue, resulting in oxygen consumption deficiency. Purpose To verify the validity and applicability of using high intensity interval training (HIIT in subjects with metabolic syndrome and to answer the following question: Can HIIT improve peak oxygen consumption? Method The systematic review "Effects of aerobic interval training on exercise capacity and metabolic risk factors in individuals with cardiometabolic disorders" was analyzed. Results Data suggests high intensity aerobic interval training increases peak oxygen consumption by a standardized mean difference of 3.60 mL/kg-1/min-1 (95% confidence interval, 0.28-4.91. Conclusion In spite of the methodological shortcomings of the primary studies included in the systematic review, we reasonably conclude that implementation of high intensity aerobic interval training in subjects with metabolic syndrome, leads to increases in peak oxygen consumption.

  16. Quantification of Quercetin and Rutin from Benincasa hispida Seeds and Carissa Congesta Roots by High-performance Thin Layer Chromatography and High-performance Liquid Chromatography.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Doshi, Gaurav Mahesh; Une, Hemant Devidas

    2016-01-01

    In Indian Ayurvedic system, Benincasa hispida (BH) and Carissa congesta (CC) are well-known plants used for major and minor ailments. BH has been regarded as Kushmanda, whereas CC has been used in immune-related disorders of the human system. Quercetin and rutin identified from the vast plethora of plant extracts have proved to possess ethnopharmacological relevance. In present studies, we have determined quercetin and rutin in terms of percentage in BH seeds and CC roots by high-performance thin layer chromatography (HPTLC) and high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). After extraction and phytochemical screening, the extracts were subjected to quantification for the presence of quercetin and rutin by HPTLC and HPLC. HPTLC showed quercetin as 44.60, 27.13% and rutin as 32.00, 36.31% w/w, whereas HPLC revealed quercetin as 34.00, 35.00% and rutin as 21.99, 45.03% w/v in BH and CC extracts, respectively. The BH and CC extracts have elucidated peaks that were corresponding with standard peaks on undertaking chromatographic studies. Quercetin and rutin are isolated from BH seeds and CC roots by High Performance. Thin Layer Chromatography and High Performance Liquid Chromatography. HPTLC revealed presence of quercetin as 44.60, 27.13 % and rutin as 32.00, 36.31 % w/w. HPLC revealed presence of quercetin as 34.00, 35.00 % and rutin as 21.99, 45.03 % w/v. Abbreviation Used: HPTLC: High Performance Thin Layer Chromatography; HPLC: High Pressure Liquid Chromatography, UV: Ultraviolet, CC: Carissa congesta, BH: Benincasa hispida.

  17. Quantification of Quercetin and Rutin from Benincasa hispida Seeds and Carissa Congesta Roots by High-performance Thin Layer Chromatography and High-performance Liquid Chromatography

    Science.gov (United States)

    Doshi, Gaurav Mahesh; Une, Hemant Devidas

    2016-01-01

    Objective: In Indian Ayurvedic system, Benincasa hispida (BH) and Carissa congesta (CC) are well-known plants used for major and minor ailments. BH has been regarded as Kushmanda, whereas CC has been used in immune-related disorders of the human system. Quercetin and rutin identified from the vast plethora of plant extracts have proved to possess ethnopharmacological relevance. Materials and Methods: In present studies, we have determined quercetin and rutin in terms of percentage in BH seeds and CC roots by high-performance thin layer chromatography (HPTLC) and high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). After extraction and phytochemical screening, the extracts were subjected to quantification for the presence of quercetin and rutin by HPTLC and HPLC. Results: HPTLC showed quercetin as 44.60, 27.13% and rutin as 32.00, 36.31% w/w, whereas HPLC revealed quercetin as 34.00, 35.00% and rutin as 21.99, 45.03% w/v in BH and CC extracts, respectively. Conclusion: The BH and CC extracts have elucidated peaks that were corresponding with standard peaks on undertaking chromatographic studies. SUMMARY Quercetin and rutin are isolated from BH seeds and CC roots by High Performance. Thin Layer Chromatography and High Performance Liquid Chromatography. HPTLC revealed presence of quercetin as 44.60, 27.13 % and rutin as 32.00, 36.31 % w/w. HPLC revealed presence of quercetin as 34.00, 35.00 % and rutin as 21.99, 45.03 % w/v. Abbreviation Used: HPTLC: High Performance Thin Layer Chromatography; HPLC: High Pressure Liquid Chromatography, UV: Ultraviolet, CC: Carissa congesta, BH: Benincasa hispida PMID:26941534

  18. Low cost high performance uncertainty quantification

    KAUST Repository

    Bekas, C.

    2009-01-01

    Uncertainty quantification in risk analysis has become a key application. In this context, computing the diagonal of inverse covariance matrices is of paramount importance. Standard techniques, that employ matrix factorizations, incur a cubic cost which quickly becomes intractable with the current explosion of data sizes. In this work we reduce this complexity to quadratic with the synergy of two algorithms that gracefully complement each other and lead to a radically different approach. First, we turned to stochastic estimation of the diagonal. This allowed us to cast the problem as a linear system with a relatively small number of multiple right hand sides. Second, for this linear system we developed a novel, mixed precision, iterative refinement scheme, which uses iterative solvers instead of matrix factorizations. We demonstrate that the new framework not only achieves the much needed quadratic cost but in addition offers excellent opportunities for scaling at massively parallel environments. We based our implementation on BLAS 3 kernels that ensure very high processor performance. We achieved a peak performance of 730 TFlops on 72 BG/P racks, with a sustained performance 73% of theoretical peak. We stress that the techniques presented in this work are quite general and applicable to several other important applications. Copyright © 2009 ACM.

  19. Peak power ratio generator

    Science.gov (United States)

    Moyer, R.D.

    A peak power ratio generator is described for measuring, in combination with a conventional power meter, the peak power level of extremely narrow pulses in the gigahertz radio frequency bands. The present invention in a preferred embodiment utilizes a tunnel diode and a back diode combination in a detector circuit as the only high speed elements. The high speed tunnel diode provides a bistable signal and serves as a memory device of the input pulses for the remaining, slower components. A hybrid digital and analog loop maintains the peak power level of a reference channel at a known amount. Thus, by measuring the average power levels of the reference signal and the source signal, the peak power level of the source signal can be determined.

  20. Periodic permanent magnet focusing system with high peak field

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Zhang Hong; Liu Weiwei; Bai Shuxin; Chen Ke

    2008-01-01

    In this study, hybrid periodic permanent magnet (PPM) system is studied, which has high axial magnetic field and low magnetic leakage. By simulation computation, some laws of magnetic field distribution vs. structure dimensions were obtained. A hybrid PPM is designed and constructed whose peak field reaches 0.6 T. The factors inducing discrepancies between computational results and practical measurements are analyzed. The magnetic field distribution is very sensitive to the variations of constructional parameters. Construction accuracy greatly influences the magnetic field distribution. Research results obtained here are potentially valuable for future work

  1. Relative thermoluminescent efficiencies proton/gamma and helium/gamma of peaks of high temperature in TLD-100 dosemeters

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Flores M, E.

    2007-01-01

    The increase of the applications of ion beams in radiotherapy treatments has generated interest in the study of the thermoluminescent materials (TL) that allow to determine the applied doses. A way to quantify the TL response from these materials to ions is by means of the relative thermoluminescent efficiency. In the group of Thermoluminescent dosimetry of the Institute of Physics of the UNAM (IFUNAM) the thermoluminescent response of the TLD-100 dosemeters has been studied, which present a glow curve characteristic with several peaks that correspond to traps and luminescent centers in the material. The stable peaks know each other as 4, 5, 6a, 6b, 7, 8, 9 and 10. The efficiencies should be measured using the response so much to the radiation of interest (in this case protons and helium ions) as the response to gamma radiation. In previous works with ions of low energy taken place in the Pelletron accelerator of the IFUNAM was only measured the TL efficiency for the peak 5 and the total signal. It had not been possible to measure the efficiency of the peaks of high temperature (6a-10) because, for the gamma radiation, the peaks of high temperature show very small signals; however, recently Massillon carries out measures of efficiency TL of peaks of high temperature for ions of intermediate energy using a protocol special of reading and of deconvolution that allows to measure the signals coming from the peaks of high temperature. In this work is implemented this same protocol to complete the study of TL efficiencies at low energy of protons and helium and to determine if the values of efficiency depend on the used reading protocol. For it is reported it measures of the relative efficiency of the peaks of high temperature from the TLD-100 exposed to protons of 1.5 MeV and nuclei of helium of 3 and 7.5 MeV. (Author)

  2. The path toward HEP High Performance Computing

    CERN Document Server

    Apostolakis, John; Carminati, Federico; Gheata, Andrei; Wenzel, Sandro

    2014-01-01

    High Energy Physics code has been known for making poor use of high performance computing architectures. Efforts in optimising HEP code on vector and RISC architectures have yield limited results and recent studies have shown that, on modern architectures, it achieves a performance between 10% and 50% of the peak one. Although several successful attempts have been made to port selected codes on GPUs, no major HEP code suite has a 'High Performance' implementation. With LHC undergoing a major upgrade and a number of challenging experiments on the drawing board, HEP cannot any longer neglect the less-than-optimal performance of its code and it has to try making the best usage of the hardware. This activity is one of the foci of the SFT group at CERN, which hosts, among others, the Root and Geant4 project. The activity of the experiments is shared and coordinated via a Concurrency Forum, where the experience in optimising HEP code is presented and discussed. Another activity is the Geant-V project, centred on th...

  3. KiDS-450: cosmological constraints from weak lensing peak statistics - I. Inference from analytical prediction of high signal-to-noise ratio convergence peaks

    Science.gov (United States)

    Shan, HuanYuan; Liu, Xiangkun; Hildebrandt, Hendrik; Pan, Chuzhong; Martinet, Nicolas; Fan, Zuhui; Schneider, Peter; Asgari, Marika; Harnois-Déraps, Joachim; Hoekstra, Henk; Wright, Angus; Dietrich, Jörg P.; Erben, Thomas; Getman, Fedor; Grado, Aniello; Heymans, Catherine; Klaes, Dominik; Kuijken, Konrad; Merten, Julian; Puddu, Emanuella; Radovich, Mario; Wang, Qiao

    2018-02-01

    This paper is the first of a series of papers constraining cosmological parameters with weak lensing peak statistics using ˜ 450 deg2 of imaging data from the Kilo Degree Survey (KiDS-450). We measure high signal-to-noise ratio (SNR: ν) weak lensing convergence peaks in the range of 3 < ν < 5, and employ theoretical models to derive expected values. These models are validated using a suite of simulations. We take into account two major systematic effects, the boost factor and the effect of baryons on the mass-concentration relation of dark matter haloes. In addition, we investigate the impacts of other potential astrophysical systematics including the projection effects of large-scale structures, intrinsic galaxy alignments, as well as residual measurement uncertainties in the shear and redshift calibration. Assuming a flat Λ cold dark matter model, we find constraints for S_8=σ _8(Ω _m/0.3)^{0.5}=0.746^{+0.046}_{-0.107} according to the degeneracy direction of the cosmic shear analysis and Σ _8=σ _8(Ω _m/0.3)^{0.38}=0.696^{+0.048}_{-0.050} based on the derived degeneracy direction of our high-SNR peak statistics. The difference between the power index of S8 and in Σ8 indicates that combining cosmic shear with peak statistics has the potential to break the degeneracy in σ8 and Ωm. Our results are consistent with the cosmic shear tomographic correlation analysis of the same data set and ˜2σ lower than the Planck 2016 results.

  4. Multiscale peak detection in wavelet space.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhang, Zhi-Min; Tong, Xia; Peng, Ying; Ma, Pan; Zhang, Ming-Jin; Lu, Hong-Mei; Chen, Xiao-Qing; Liang, Yi-Zeng

    2015-12-07

    Accurate peak detection is essential for analyzing high-throughput datasets generated by analytical instruments. Derivatives with noise reduction and matched filtration are frequently used, but they are sensitive to baseline variations, random noise and deviations in the peak shape. A continuous wavelet transform (CWT)-based method is more practical and popular in this situation, which can increase the accuracy and reliability by identifying peaks across scales in wavelet space and implicitly removing noise as well as the baseline. However, its computational load is relatively high and the estimated features of peaks may not be accurate in the case of peaks that are overlapping, dense or weak. In this study, we present multi-scale peak detection (MSPD) by taking full advantage of additional information in wavelet space including ridges, valleys, and zero-crossings. It can achieve a high accuracy by thresholding each detected peak with the maximum of its ridge. It has been comprehensively evaluated with MALDI-TOF spectra in proteomics, the CAMDA 2006 SELDI dataset as well as the Romanian database of Raman spectra, which is particularly suitable for detecting peaks in high-throughput analytical signals. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves show that MSPD can detect more true peaks while keeping the false discovery rate lower than MassSpecWavelet and MALDIquant methods. Superior results in Raman spectra suggest that MSPD seems to be a more universal method for peak detection. MSPD has been designed and implemented efficiently in Python and Cython. It is available as an open source package at .

  5. Avoiding the False Peaks in Correlation Discrimination

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Awwal, A.S.

    2009-01-01

    Fiducials imprinted on laser beams are used to perform video image based alignment of the 192 laser beams in the National Ignition Facility (NIF) of Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory. In many video images, matched filtering is used to detect the location of these fiducials. Generally, the highest correlation peak is used to determine the position of the fiducials. However, when the signal to-be-detected is very weak compared to the noise, this approach totally breaks down. The highest peaks act as traps for false detection. The active target images used for automatic alignment in the National Ignition Facility are examples of such images. In these images, the fiducials of interest exhibit extremely low intensity and contrast, surrounded by high intensity reflection from metallic objects. Consequently, the highest correlation peaks are caused by these bright objects. In this work, we show how the shape of the correlation is exploited to isolate the valid matches from hundreds of invalid correlation peaks, and therefore identify extremely faint fiducials under very challenging imaging conditions

  6. Improving UV Resistance of High Performance Fibers

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hassanin, Ahmed

    % rutile TiO2 nanoparticles showed excellent protection of braid from PBO. Only 7.5% strength loss was observed. To optimize the degree of protection of the sheath loaded with UV blocker particles, computational models were developed to optimize the protective layer thickness/weight and the amount of UV particles that provide the maximum protection with lightest weight of the protective layer and minimum amount of UV particles. The simulated results were found to be higher that the experimental results due to the tendency of nanoparticles to be agglomerated in real experiments. The third approach to achieve a maximum protection with the minimum weight added is constructing a sleeve from SpectraRTM (Ultra High Molecular Weight Polyethylene (UHMWPE) high performance fiber), which is known to resist UV, woven fabric. Covering the braid from PBO fiber with Spectra RTM woven fabric provide hybrid structure with two compatible components that can share the load and thus maintain the high strength to weight ratio. Although the SpectraRTM fabric had maximum cover factor, 20 % of visible light and about 15 % of UV were able to penetrate the fabric. This transmittance of UV-VIS light negatively affected the protection performance of the SpectraRTM woven fabric layer. It is thought that SpectraRTM fabric be coated with a thin layer (mentioned earlier) containing UV blocker for additional protection while maintain strength contribution to the hybrid structure. To maximize the strength to weight ratio of the hybrid structure (with core from PBO braid and sheath from SpectraRTM woven fabric) an established finite element model was utilized. The theoretical results using the finite element theory indicated that by controlling the bending rigidity of the filling yarn of the SpectraRTM fabric, the extension at peak load of woven fabric in warp direction (loading direction) could be controlled to match the braid extension at peak load. The match in the extension at peak load of the two

  7. Degree of conversion of resin-based materials cured with dual-peak or single-peak LED light-curing units.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lucey, Siobhan M; Santini, Ario; Roebuck, Elizabeth M

    2015-03-01

    There is a lack of data on polymerization of resin-based materials (RBMs) used in paediatric dentistry, using dual-peak light-emitting diode (LED) light-curing units (LCUs). To evaluate the degree of conversion (DC) of RBMs cured with dual-peak or single-peak LED LCUs. Samples of Vit-l-escence (Ultradent) and Herculite XRV Ultra (Kerr) and fissure sealants Delton Clear and Delton Opaque (Dentsply) were prepared (n = 3 per group) and cured with either one of two dual-peak LCUs (bluephase(®) G2; Ivoclar Vivadent or Valo; Ultradent) or a single-peak (bluephase(®) ; Ivoclar Vivadent). High-performance liquid chromatography and nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy were used to confirm the presence or absence of initiators other than camphorquinone. The DC was determined using micro-Raman spectroscopy. Data were analysed using general linear model anova; α = 0.05. With Herculite XRV Ultra, the single-peak LCU gave higher DC values than either of the two dual-peak LCUs (P < 0.05). Both fissure sealants showed higher DC compared with the two RBMs (P < 0.05); the DC at the bottom of the clear sealant was greater than the opaque sealant, (P < 0.05). 2,4,6-trimethylbenzoyldiphenylphosphine oxide (Lucirin(®) TPO) was found only in Vit-l-escence. Dual-peak LED LCUs may not be best suited for curing non-Lucirin(®) TPO-containing materials. A clear sealant showed a better cure throughout the material and may be more appropriate than opaque versions in deep fissures. © 2014 BSPD, IAPD and John Wiley & Sons A/S. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

  8. Replication of Annual Cycles in Mn in Hudson River Cores: Mn Peaks During High Water Flow

    Science.gov (United States)

    Abbott, D. H.; Hutson, D.; Marrero, A. M.; Block, K. A.; Chang, C.; Cai, Y.

    2017-12-01

    Using the results from an ITRAX, XRF scanner, we previously reported apparent annual cycles in Mn in a single, high sedimentation rate Hudson River core, LWB1-8, taken off Yonkers, NY (Carlson et al., 2016). We replicated these results in three more high sedimentation rate cores and found stratigraphic markers that verify our inferences about the annual nature of the Mn cycles. The three new cores are LWB4-5 taken off Peekskill, NY, and LWB3-44 and LWB3-25, both taken in Haverstraw Bay. The cores are from water depths of 7-9 meters and all have high magnetic susceptibilities (typically > 30 cgs units) in their upper 1 to 2 meters. The high susceptibilities are primarily produced by magnetite from modern industrial combustion. One core, LWB1-8, has reconnaissance Cs dates that verify the annual nature of the cycles. More Cs dates are expected before the meeting. We developed several new methods of verifying the annual nature of our layer counts. The first is looking at the grain size distribution and age of layers with unusually high Mn peaks. Peaks in Si, Ni and Ti and peaks in percentage of coarse material typically accompany the peaks in Mn. Some are visible as yellow sandy layers. The five highest peaks in Mn in LWB1-8 have layer counted ages that correspond (within 1 year in the top meter and within 2 years in the bottom meter) to 1996, 1948, 1913, 1857 and 1790. The latter three events are the three largest historical spring freshets on the Hudson. 1996 is a year of unusually high flow rate during the spring freshet. Based on our work and previous work on Mn cycling in rivers, we infer that the peaks in Mn are produced by extreme erosional events that erode sediment and release pore water Mn into the water column. The other methods of testing our chronology involve marine storms that increase Ca and Sr and a search for fragments of the Peekskill meteorite that fell in October 1992. More information on the latter will be available by the meeting.

  9. PeakCaller: an automated graphical interface for the quantification of intracellular calcium obtained by high-content screening.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Artimovich, Elena; Jackson, Russell K; Kilander, Michaela B C; Lin, Yu-Chih; Nestor, Michael W

    2017-10-16

    Intracellular calcium is an important ion involved in the regulation and modulation of many neuronal functions. From regulating cell cycle and proliferation to initiating signaling cascades and regulating presynaptic neurotransmitter release, the concentration and timing of calcium activity governs the function and fate of neurons. Changes in calcium transients can be used in high-throughput screening applications as a basic measure of neuronal maturity, especially in developing or immature neuronal cultures derived from stem cells. Using human induced pluripotent stem cell derived neurons and dissociated mouse cortical neurons combined with the calcium indicator Fluo-4, we demonstrate that PeakCaller reduces type I and type II error in automated peak calling when compared to the oft-used PeakFinder algorithm under both basal and pharmacologically induced conditions. Here we describe PeakCaller, a novel MATLAB script and graphical user interface for the quantification of intracellular calcium transients in neuronal cultures. PeakCaller allows the user to set peak parameters and smoothing algorithms to best fit their data set. This new analysis script will allow for automation of calcium measurements and is a powerful software tool for researchers interested in high-throughput measurements of intracellular calcium.

  10. Amorphous Zinc Oxide Integrated Wavy Channel Thin Film Transistor Based High Performance Digital Circuits

    KAUST Repository

    Hanna, Amir

    2015-12-04

    High performance thin film transistor (TFT) can be a great driving force for display, sensor/actuator, integrated electronics, and distributed computation for Internet of Everything applications. While semiconducting oxides like zinc oxide (ZnO) present promising opportunity in that regard, still wide area of improvement exists to increase the performance further. Here, we show a wavy channel (WC) architecture for ZnO integrated TFT which increases transistor width without chip area penalty, enabling high performance in material agnostic way. We further demonstrate digital logic NAND circuit using the WC architecture and compare it to the conventional planar architecture. The WC architecture circuits have shown 2× higher peak-to-peak output voltage for the same input voltage. They also have 3× lower high-to-low propagation delay times, respectively, when compared to the planar architecture. The performance enhancement is attributed to both extra device width and enhanced field effect mobility due to higher gate field electrostatics control.

  11. High performance direct methanol fuel cell with thin electrolyte membrane

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wan, Nianfang

    2017-06-01

    A high performance direct methanol fuel cell is achieved with thin electrolyte membrane. 320 mW cm-2 of peak power density and over 260 mW cm-2 at 0.4 V are obtained when working at 90 °C with normal pressure air supply. It is revealed that the increased anode half-cell performance with temperature contributes primarily to the enhanced performance at elevated temperature. From the comparison of iR-compensated cathode potential of methanol/air with that of H2/air fuel cell, the impact of methanol crossover on cathode performance decreases with current density and becomes negligible at high current density. Current density is found to influence fuel efficiency and methanol crossover significantly from the measurement of fuel efficiency at different current density. At high current density, high fuel efficiency can be achieved even at high temperature, indicating decreased methanol crossover.

  12. High performance parallel computers for science

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Nash, T.; Areti, H.; Atac, R.; Biel, J.; Cook, A.; Deppe, J.; Edel, M.; Fischler, M.; Gaines, I.; Hance, R.

    1989-01-01

    This paper reports that Fermilab's Advanced Computer Program (ACP) has been developing cost effective, yet practical, parallel computers for high energy physics since 1984. The ACP's latest developments are proceeding in two directions. A Second Generation ACP Multiprocessor System for experiments will include $3500 RISC processors each with performance over 15 VAX MIPS. To support such high performance, the new system allows parallel I/O, parallel interprocess communication, and parallel host processes. The ACP Multi-Array Processor, has been developed for theoretical physics. Each $4000 node is a FORTRAN or C programmable pipelined 20 Mflops (peak), 10 MByte single board computer. These are plugged into a 16 port crossbar switch crate which handles both inter and intra crate communication. The crates are connected in a hypercube. Site oriented applications like lattice gauge theory are supported by system software called CANOPY, which makes the hardware virtually transparent to users. A 256 node, 5 GFlop, system is under construction

  13. Fluctuations of the peak current of tunnel diodes in multi-junction solar cells

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Jandieri, K; Baranovskii, S D; Stolz, W; Gebhard, F; Guter, W; Hermle, M; Bett, A W

    2009-01-01

    Interband tunnel diodes are widely used to electrically interconnect the individual subcells in multi-junction solar cells. Tunnel diodes have to operate at high current densities and low voltages, especially when used in concentrator solar cells. They represent one of the most critical elements of multi-junction solar cells and the fluctuations of the peak current in the diodes have an essential impact on the performance and reliability of the devices. Recently we have found that GaAs tunnel diodes exhibit extremely high peak currents that can be explained by resonant tunnelling through defects homogeneously distributed in the junction. Experiments evidence rather large fluctuations of the peak current in the diodes fabricated from the same wafer. It is a challenging task to clarify the reason for such large fluctuations in order to improve the performance of the multi-junction solar cells. In this work we show that the large fluctuations of the peak current in tunnel diodes can be caused by relatively small fluctuations of the dopant concentration. We also show that the fluctuations of the peak current become smaller for deeper energy levels of the defects responsible for the resonant tunnelling.

  14. Aerobic capacity and peak power output of elite quadriplegic games players

    Science.gov (United States)

    Goosey‐Tolfrey, V; Castle, P; Webborn, N

    2006-01-01

    Background Participation in wheelchair sports such as tennis and rugby enables people with quadriplegia to compete both individually and as a team at the highest level. Both sports are dominated by frequent, intermittent, short term power demands superimposed on a background of aerobic activity. Objective To gain physiological profiles of highly trained British quadriplegic athletes, and to examine the relation between aerobic and sprint capacity. Methods Eight male quadriplegic athletes performed an arm crank exercise using an ergometer fitted with a Schoberer Rad Messtechnik (SRM) powermeter. The sprint test consisted of three maximum‐effort sprints of five seconds duration against a resistance of 2%, 3%, and 4% of body mass. The highest power output obtained was recorded (PPO). Peak oxygen consumption (V̇o2peak), peak heart rate (HRpeak), and maximal power output (POaer) were determined. Results Mean POaer was 67.7 (16.2) W, mean V̇o2peak was 0.96 (0.17) litres/min, and HRpeak was 134 (19) beats/min for the group. There was high variability among subjects. Peak power over the five second sprint for the group was 220 (62) W. There was a significant correlation between V̇o2peak (litres/min) and POaer (W) (r  =  0.74, p<0.05). Conclusions These British quadriplegic athletes have relatively high aerobic fitness when compared with the available literature. Moreover, the anaerobic capacity of these athletes appeared to be relatively high compared with paraplegic participants. PMID:16611721

  15. Holographic wavefront characterization of a frequency-tripled high-peak-power neodymium:glass laser

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kessler, T.J.

    1984-01-01

    Near-field amplitude and phase distributions from a high-peak-power, frequency converted Nd:glass laser (lambda = 351 nm) have been holographically recorded on silver-halide emulsions. Conventionally, the absence of a suitable reference beam forces one to use some type of shearing interferometry to obtain phasefront information, while the near-field and far-field distributions are recorded as intensity profiles. In this study, a spatially filtered, locally generated reference beam was created to holographically store the complex amplitude distribution of the pulsed laser beam, while reconstruction of the original wavefront was achieved with a continuous-wave laser. Reconstructed near-field and quasi-far-field intensity distributions closely resembled those obtained from conventional techniques, and accurate phasefront reconstruction was achieved. Furthermore, several two-beam interferometric techniques, not practicable with a high-peak-power laser, have been successfully implemented on a continuous-wave reconstruction of the pulsed laser beam. 46 refs., 40 figs., 1 tab

  16. Statistical analysis for discrimination of prompt gamma ray peak induced by high energy neutron: Monte Carlo simulation study

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Do-Kun Yoon; Joo-Young Jung; Tae Suk Suh; Seong-Min Han

    2015-01-01

    The purpose of this research is a statistical analysis for discrimination of prompt gamma ray peak induced by the 14.1 MeV neutron particles from spectra using Monte Carlo simulation. For the simulation, the information of 18 detector materials was used to simulate spectra by the neutron capture reaction. The discrimination of nine prompt gamma ray peaks from the simulation of each detector material was performed. We presented the several comparison indexes of energy resolution performance depending on the detector material using the simulation and statistics for the prompt gamma activation analysis. (author)

  17. PeakAnalyzer: Genome-wide annotation of chromatin binding and modification loci

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Tammoja Kairi

    2010-08-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background Functional genomic studies involving high-throughput sequencing and tiling array applications, such as ChIP-seq and ChIP-chip, generate large numbers of experimentally-derived signal peaks across the genome under study. In analyzing these loci to determine their potential regulatory functions, areas of signal enrichment must be considered relative to proximal genes and regulatory elements annotated throughout the target genome Regions of chromatin association by transcriptional regulators should be distinguished as individual binding sites in order to enhance downstream analyses, such as the identification of known and novel consensus motifs. Results PeakAnalyzer is a set of high-performance utilities for the automated processing of experimentally-derived peak regions and annotation of genomic loci. The programs can accurately subdivide multimodal regions of signal enrichment into distinct subpeaks corresponding to binding sites or chromatin modifications, retrieve genomic sequences encompassing the computed subpeak summits, and identify positional features of interest such as intersection with exon/intron gene components, proximity to up- or downstream transcriptional start sites and cis-regulatory elements. The software can be configured to run either as a pipeline component for high-throughput analyses, or as a cross-platform desktop application with an intuitive user interface. Conclusions PeakAnalyzer comprises a number of utilities essential for ChIP-seq and ChIP-chip data analysis. High-performance implementations are provided for Unix pipeline integration along with a GUI version for interactive use. Source code in C++ and Java is provided, as are native binaries for Linux, Mac OS X and Windows systems.

  18. Twin peak high-frequency quasi-periodic oscillations as a spectral imprint of dual oscillation modes of accretion tori

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bakala, P.; Goluchová, K.; Török, G.; Šrámková, E.; Abramowicz, M. A.; Vincent, F. H.; Mazur, G. P.

    2015-09-01

    Context. High-frequency (millisecond) quasi-periodic oscillations (HF QPOs) are observed in the X-ray power-density spectra of several microquasars and low-mass X-ray binaries. Two distinct QPO peaks, so-called twin peak QPOs, are often detected simultaneously exhibiting their frequency ratio close or equal to 3:2. A widely discussed class of proposed QPOs models is based on oscillations of accretion toroidal structures orbiting in the close vicinity of black holes or neutron stars. Aims: Following the analytic theory and previous studies of observable spectral signatures, we aim to model the twin peak QPOs as a spectral imprint of specific dual oscillation regime defined by a combination of the lowest radial and vertical oscillation mode of slender tori. We consider the model of an optically thick slender accretion torus with constant specific angular momentum. We examined power spectra and fluorescent Kα iron line profiles for two different simulation setups with the mode frequency relations corresponding to the epicyclic resonance HF QPOs model and modified relativistic precession QPOs model. Methods: We used relativistic ray-tracing implemented in the parallel simulation code LSDplus. In the background of the Kerr spacetime geometry, we analyzed the influence of the distant observer inclination and the spin of the central compact object. Relativistic optical projection of the oscillating slender torus is illustrated by images in false colours related to the frequency shift. Results: We show that performed simulations yield power spectra with the pair of dominant peaks that correspond to the frequencies of radial and vertical oscillation modes and with the peak frequency ratio equal to the proper value 3:2 on a wide range of inclinations and spin values. We also discuss exceptional cases of a very low and very high inclination, as well as unstable high spin relativistic precession-like configurations that predict a constant frequency ratio equal to 1:2. We

  19. Performance test of Spectran-F and Spectran-III computer programs for resolving the 137Cs-110Ag double peak in gamma-ray spectrometric analysis

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Terada, H.; Malinowski, J.; Blick, H.

    1981-09-01

    The performance of the computer programs (Spectran F and Spectran-III) in resolving the 137 Cs-sup(110m)Ag double peak at 661.6-657.7 keV in the gamma-ray spectrum was investigated. In the experiments, the intensity ratios of both lines in the double peak were varied from 0.1 to 60. The results obtained show, that both programs have almost the same performance in resolving the double peak investigated, with slight superiority of Spectran-F. If accuracy better than 5% is desired, the peak intensity ratio in the dublet must be kept below 10. (orig.)

  20. Difference in peak weight transfer and timing based on golf handicap.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Queen, Robin M; Butler, Robert J; Dai, Boyi; Barnes, C Lowry

    2013-09-01

    Weight shift during the golf swing has been a topic of discussion among golf professionals; however, it is still unclear how weight shift varies in golfers of different performance levels. The main purpose of this study was to examine the following: (a) the changes in the peak ground reaction forces (GRF) and the timing of these events between high (HHCP) and low handicap (LHCP) golfers and (b) the differences between the leading and trailing legs. Twenty-eight male golfers were recruited and divided based on having an LHCP 9. Three-dimensional GRF peaks and the timing of the peaks were recorded bilaterally during a golf swing. The golf swing was divided into different phases: (a) address to the top of the backswing, (b) top of the backswing to ball contact, and (c) ball contact to the end of follow through. Repeated measures analyses of variance (α = 0.05) were completed for each study variable: the magnitude and the timing of peak vertical GRF, peak lateral GRF, and peak medial GRF (α = 0.05). The LHCP group had a greater transfer of vertical force from the trailing foot to the leading foot in phase 2 than the HHCP group. The LHCP group also demonstrated earlier timing of peak vertical force throughout the golf swing than the HHCP group. The LHCP and HHCP groups demonstrated different magnitudes of peak lateral force. The LHCP group had an earlier timing of peak lateral GRF in phase 2 and earlier timing of peak medial GRF in phases 1 and 2 than the HHCP group. In general, LHCP golfers demonstrated greater and earlier force generation than HHCP golfers. It may be relevant to consider both the magnitude of the forces and the timing of these events during golf-specific training to improve performance. These data reveal weight shifting differences that can be addressed by teaching professionals to help their students better understand weight transfer during the golf swing to optimize performance.

  1. Peak thrust operation of linear induction machines from parameter identification

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Zhang, Z.; Eastham, T.R.; Dawson, G.E. [Queen`s Univ., Kingston, Ontario (Canada). Dept. of Electrical and Computer Engineering

    1995-12-31

    Various control strategies are being used to achieve high performance operation of linear drives. To maintain minimum volume and weight of the power supply unit on board the transportation vehicle, peak thrust per unit current operation is a desirable objective. True peak thrust per unit current through slip control is difficult to achieve because the parameters of linear induction machines vary during normal operation. This paper first develops a peak thrust per unit current control law based on the per-phase equivalent circuit for linear induction machines. The algorithm for identification of the variable parameters in induction machines is then presented. Application to an operational linear induction machine (LIM) demonstrates the utility of this algorithm. The control strategy is then simulated, based on an operational transit LIM, to show the capability of achieving true peak thrust operation for linear induction machines.

  2. Bayesian approach to peak deconvolution and library search for high resolution gas chromatography - Mass spectrometry

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Barcaru, A.; Mol, H.G.J.; Tienstra, M.; Vivó-Truyols, G.

    2017-01-01

    A novel probabilistic Bayesian strategy is proposed to resolve highly coeluting peaks in high-resolution GC-MS (Orbitrap) data. Opposed to a deterministic approach, we propose to solve the problem probabilistically, using a complete pipeline. First, the retention time(s) for a (probabilistic) number

  3. Peak fitting and identification software library for high resolution gamma-ray spectra

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Uher, Josef; Roach, Greg; Tickner, James

    2010-01-01

    A new gamma-ray spectral analysis software package is under development in our laboratory. It can be operated as a stand-alone program or called as a software library from Java, C, C++ and MATLAB TM environments. It provides an advanced graphical user interface for data acquisition, spectral analysis and radioisotope identification. The code uses a peak-fitting function that includes peak asymmetry, Compton continuum and flexible background terms. Peak fitting function parameters can be calibrated as functions of energy. Each parameter can be constrained to improve fitting of overlapping peaks. All of these features can be adjusted by the user. To assist with peak identification, the code can automatically measure half-lives of single or multiple overlapping peaks from a time series of spectra. It implements library-based peak identification, with options for restricting the search based on radioisotope half-lives and reaction types. The software also improves the reliability of isotope identification by utilizing Monte-Carlo simulation results.

  4. Adaptive Fourier decomposition based R-peak detection for noisy ECG Signals.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ze Wang; Chi Man Wong; Feng Wan

    2017-07-01

    An adaptive Fourier decomposition (AFD) based R-peak detection method is proposed for noisy ECG signals. Although lots of QRS detection methods have been proposed in literature, most detection methods require high signal quality. The proposed method extracts the R waves from the energy domain using the AFD and determines the R-peak locations based on the key decomposition parameters, achieving the denoising and the R-peak detection at the same time. Validated by clinical ECG signals in the MIT-BIH Arrhythmia Database, the proposed method shows better performance than the Pan-Tompkin (PT) algorithm in both situations of a native PT and the PT with a denoising process.

  5. Identification of Raman peaks of high-Tc cuprates in normal state through density of states

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Bishoyi, K.C.; Rout, G.C.; Behera, S.N.

    2007-01-01

    We present a microscopic theory to explain and identify the Raman spectral peaks of high-T c cuprates R 2-x M x CuO 4 in the normal state. We used electronic Hamiltonian prescribed by Fulde in presence of anti-ferromagnetism. Phonon interaction to the hybridization between the conduction electrons of the system and the f-electrons has been incorporated in the calculation. The phonon spectral density is calculated by the Green's function technique of Zubarev at zero wave vector and finite (room) temperature limit. The four Raman active peaks (P 1 -P 4 ) representing the electronic states of the atomic sub-systems of the cuprate system are identified by the calculated quasi-particle energy bands and electron density of states (DOS). The effect of interactions on these peaks are also explained

  6. Secular distribution of highly metalliferous black shales corresponds with peaks in past atmosphere oxygenation

    Science.gov (United States)

    Johnson, Sean C.; Large, Ross R.; Coveney, Raymond M.; Kelley, Karen D.; Slack, John F.; Steadman, Jeffrey A.; Gregory, Daniel D.; Sack, Patrick J.; Meffre, Sebastien

    2017-08-01

    Highly metalliferous black shales (HMBS) are enriched in organic carbon and a suite of metals, including Ni, Se, Mo, Ag, Au, Zn, Cu, Pb, V, As, Sb, Se, P, Cr, and U ± PGE, compared to common black shales, and are distributed at particular times through Earth history. They constitute an important future source of metals. HMBS are relatively thin units within thicker packages of regionally extensive, continental margin or intra-continental marine shales that are rich in organic matter and bio-essential trace elements. Accumulation and preservation of black shales, and the metals contained within them, usually require low-oxygen or euxinic bottom waters. However, whole-rock redox proxies, particularly Mo, suggest that HMBS may have formed during periods of elevated atmosphere pO2. This interpretation is supported by high levels of nutrient trace elements within these rocks and secular patterns of Se and Se/Co ratios in sedimentary pyrite through Earth history, with peaks occurring in the middle Paleoproterozoic, Early Cambrian to Early Ordovician, Middle Devonian, Middle to late Carboniferous, Middle Permian, and Middle to Late Cretaceous, all corresponding with time periods of HMBS deposition. This counter-intuitive relationship of strongly anoxic to euxinic, localized seafloor conditions forming under an atmosphere of peak oxygen concentrations is proposed as key to the genesis of HMBS. The secular peaks and shoulders of enriched Se in sedimentary pyrite through time correlate with periods of tectonic plate collision, which resulted in high nutrient supply to the oceans and consequently maximum productivity accompanying severe drawdown into seafloor muds of C, S, P, and nutrient trace metals. The focused burial of C and S over extensive areas of the seafloor, during these anoxic to euxinic periods, likely resulted in an O2 increase in the atmosphere, causing short-lived peaks in pO2 that coincide with the deposition of HMBS. As metals become scarce, particularly Mo

  7. Absolute peak detection efficiencies of a Ge(Li) detector for high gamma-ray energies

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Katagiri, Masaki

    1985-11-01

    Absolute peak detection efficiencies of a Ge(Li) detector for gamma-rays of 3.5 MeV to 12 MeV were measured using four (p,γ) reactions and a (n,γ) reaction. Two-line-method was used to obtaine peak detection efficiencies. The efficiencies with the both cases are agreed very well. Utilization of (n,γ) reaction is, therefore, effective for measuring these efficiencies, because high energy gamma-rays can be generated easily by using a neutron source. These results were applied to calibration of a gamma-ray standard source, emitting 6.13 MeV gamma-rays, and of intensities of 56 Co standard gamma-ray source. (author)

  8. Probabilistic peak detection for first-order chromatographic data.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lopatka, M; Vivó-Truyols, G; Sjerps, M J

    2014-03-19

    We present a novel algorithm for probabilistic peak detection in first-order chromatographic data. Unlike conventional methods that deliver a binary answer pertaining to the expected presence or absence of a chromatographic peak, our method calculates the probability of a point being affected by such a peak. The algorithm makes use of chromatographic information (i.e. the expected width of a single peak and the standard deviation of baseline noise). As prior information of the existence of a peak in a chromatographic run, we make use of the statistical overlap theory. We formulate an exhaustive set of mutually exclusive hypotheses concerning presence or absence of different peak configurations. These models are evaluated by fitting a segment of chromatographic data by least-squares. The evaluation of these competing hypotheses can be performed as a Bayesian inferential task. We outline the potential advantages of adopting this approach for peak detection and provide several examples of both improved performance and increased flexibility afforded by our approach. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  9. High peak current operation of x-ray free-electron laser multiple beam lines by suppressing coherent synchrotron radiation effects

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hara, Toru; Kondo, Chikara; Inagaki, Takahiro; Togawa, Kazuaki; Fukami, Kenji; Nakazawa, Shingo; Hasegawa, Taichi; Morimoto, Osamu; Yoshioka, Masamichi; Maesaka, Hirokazu; Otake, Yuji; Tanaka, Hitoshi

    2018-04-01

    The parallel operation of multiple beam lines is an important means to expand the opportunity of user experiments at x-ray free-electron laser (XFEL) facilities. At SPring-8 Angstrom free-electron laser (SACLA), the multi-beam-line operation had been tested using two beam lines, but transverse coherent synchrotron radiation (CSR) effects at a dogleg beam transport severely limited the laser performance. To suppress the CSR effects, a new beam optics based on two double bend achromat (DBA) structures was introduced for the dogleg. After the replacement of the beam optics, high peak current bunches of more than 10 kA are now stably transported through the dogleg and the laser pulse output is increased by a factor of 2-3. In the multi-beam-line operation of SACLA, the electron beam parameters, such as the beam energy and peak current, can be adjusted independently for each beam line. Thus the laser output can be optimized and wide spectral tunability is ensured for all beam lines.

  10. Environmental impacts of public transport. Why peak-period travellers cause a greater environmental burden than off-peak travellers

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Rietveld, P.

    2002-01-01

    Given the difference between peak and off-peak occupancy rates in public transport, emissions per traveller kilometre are lower in the peak than in the off-peak period, whereas the opposite pattern is observed for cars. It is argued that it is much more fruitful to analyse environmental effects in marginal terms. This calls for a careful analysis of capacity management policies of public transport suppliers that are facing increased demand during both peak and off-peak periods. A detailed analysis of capacity management by the Netherlands Railways (NS) revealed that off-peak capacity supply is mainly dictated by the demand levels during the peak period. The analysis included the effects of increased frequency and increased vehicle size on environmental impacts, while environmental economies of vehicle size were also taken into account. The main conclusion is that the marginal environmental burden during the peak hours is much higher than is usually thought, whereas it is almost zero during the off-peak period. This implies a pattern that is the precise opposite of the average environmental burden. Thus, an analysis of environmental effects of public transport based on average performance would yield misleading conclusions [nl

  11. Progress in a novel architecture for high performance processing

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhang, Zhiwei; Liu, Meng; Liu, Zijun; Du, Xueliang; Xie, Shaolin; Ma, Hong; Ding, Guangxin; Ren, Weili; Zhou, Fabiao; Sun, Wenqin; Wang, Huijuan; Wang, Donglin

    2018-04-01

    The high performance processing (HPP) is an innovative architecture which targets on high performance computing with excellent power efficiency and computing performance. It is suitable for data intensive applications like supercomputing, machine learning and wireless communication. An example chip with four application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC) cores which is the first generation of HPP cores has been taped out successfully under Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC) 40 nm low power process. The innovative architecture shows great energy efficiency over the traditional central processing unit (CPU) and general-purpose computing on graphics processing units (GPGPU). Compared with MaPU, HPP has made great improvement in architecture. The chip with 32 HPP cores is being developed under TSMC 16 nm field effect transistor (FFC) technology process and is planed to use commercially. The peak performance of this chip can reach 4.3 teraFLOPS (TFLOPS) and its power efficiency is up to 89.5 gigaFLOPS per watt (GFLOPS/W).

  12. Predicted peak temperature-rises around a high-level radioactive waste canister emplaced in the deep ocean bed

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kipp, K.L.

    1978-06-01

    A simple mathematical model of heat conduction was used to evaluate the peak temperature-rise along the wall of a canister of high-level radioactive waste buried in deep ocean sediment. Three different amounts of vitrified waste, corresponding to standard Harvest, large Harvest, and AVM canisters, and three different waste loadings were studied. Peak temperature-rise was computed for the nine cases as a function of canister geometry and storage time between reprocessing and burial. Lower waste loadings or longer storage times than initially envisaged are necessary to prevent the peak temperature-rise from exceeding 200 0 C. The use of longer, thinner cylinders only modestly reduces the storage time for a given peak temperature. Effects of stacking of waste canisters and of close-packing were also studied. (author)

  13. What is the peak stress in ceramic bar impacts?

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Simha, C. Hari Manoj; Bless, S.J.; Bedford, A.

    2000-01-01

    The bar impact experiment has been extensively used to characterize the high strain rate properties of high strength ceramics. In particular, alumina AD-99.5 has been widely studied; both stress gauge and VISAR bar impact data are available for this material. We have performed plate-on-bar impact experiments using this material in some novel configurations. An interface was introduced in the target bar (by cutting it) in the zone where the material fails by axial splitting. Such experiments resulted in a dramatic drop in the peak stress measured in the experiment, when compared to experiments with no interface. We show that the damage kinetics in tension influence these measurements. Since the peak stress is dependent on the damage kinetics we conclude that the measurement cannot be correlated to some intrinsic strength of the ceramic

  14. R Peak Detection Method Using Wavelet Transform and Modified Shannon Energy Envelope.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Park, Jeong-Seon; Lee, Sang-Woong; Park, Unsang

    2017-01-01

    Rapid automatic detection of the fiducial points-namely, the P wave, QRS complex, and T wave-is necessary for early detection of cardiovascular diseases (CVDs). In this paper, we present an R peak detection method using the wavelet transform (WT) and a modified Shannon energy envelope (SEE) for rapid ECG analysis. The proposed WTSEE algorithm performs a wavelet transform to reduce the size and noise of ECG signals and creates SEE after first-order differentiation and amplitude normalization. Subsequently, the peak energy envelope (PEE) is extracted from the SEE. Then, R peaks are estimated from the PEE, and the estimated peaks are adjusted from the input ECG. Finally, the algorithm generates the final R features by validating R-R intervals and updating the extracted R peaks. The proposed R peak detection method was validated using 48 first-channel ECG records of the MIT-BIH arrhythmia database with a sensitivity of 99.93%, positive predictability of 99.91%, detection error rate of 0.16%, and accuracy of 99.84%. Considering the high detection accuracy and fast processing speed due to the wavelet transform applied before calculating SEE, the proposed method is highly effective for real-time applications in early detection of CVDs.

  15. The road to gold: training and peaking characteristics in the year prior to a gold medal endurance performance.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Espen Tønnessen

    Full Text Available To describe training variations across the annual cycle in Olympic and World Champion endurance athletes, and determine whether these athletes used tapering strategies in line with recommendations in the literature.Eleven elite XC skiers and biathletes (4 male; 28±1 yr, 85±5 mL x min(-1 x kg(-1 VO2max, 7 female, 25±4 yr, 73±3 mL x min(-1 x kg(-1 VO2max reported one year of day-to-day training leading up to the most successful competition of their career. Training data were divided into periodization and peaking phases and distributed into training forms, intensity zones and endurance activity forms.Athletes trained ∼800 h/500 sessions x year(-1, including ∼500 h x year(-1 of sport-specific training. Ninety-four percent of all training was executed as aerobic endurance training. Of this, ∼90% was low intensity training (LIT, below the first lactate threshold and 10% high intensity training (HIT, above the first lactate threshold by time. Categorically, 23% of training sessions were characterized as HIT with primary portions executed at or above the first lactate turn point. Training volume and specificity distribution conformed to a traditional periodization model, but absolute volume of HIT remained stable across phases. However, HIT training patterns tended to become more polarized in the competition phase. Training volume, frequency and intensity remained unchanged from pre-peaking to peaking period, but there was a 32±15% (P<.01 volume reduction from the preparation period to peaking phase.The annual training data for these Olympic and World champion XC skiers and biathletes conforms to previously reported training patterns of elite endurance athletes. During the competition phase, training became more sport-specific, with 92% performed as XC skiing. However, they did not follow suggested tapering practice derived from short-term experimental studies. Only three out of 11 athletes took a rest day during the final 5 days prior to

  16. The high-producing dairy cow and its reproductive performance

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Dobson, H; Smith, Rf; Royal, Md

    2007-01-01

    There is evidence that the reproductive performance of dairy cows has declined as milk yields have increased over the last 40 years. Identifying the precise cause(s) of this problem may provide focused solutions. Intensive genetic selection for very high yields has reduced fertility, due mainly...... to an increase in postpartum clinical problems, poor expression of oestrus, defective oocytes/embryos and uterine infections. It is a challenge to solve the problem by getting enough food into these cows to meet the high demands of peak milk yields in early lactation, as well as providing the considerable...

  17. Method and apparatus for current-output peak detection

    Science.gov (United States)

    De Geronimo, Gianluigi

    2017-01-24

    A method and apparatus for a current-output peak detector. A current-output peak detector circuit is disclosed and works in two phases. The peak detector circuit includes switches to switch the peak detector circuit from the first phase to the second phase upon detection of the peak voltage of an input voltage signal. The peak detector generates a current output with a high degree of accuracy in the second phase.

  18. High peak-power kilohertz laser system employing single-stage multi-pass amplification

    Science.gov (United States)

    Shan, Bing; Wang, Chun; Chang, Zenghu

    2006-05-23

    The present invention describes a technique for achieving high peak power output in a laser employing single-stage, multi-pass amplification. High gain is achieved by employing a very small "seed" beam diameter in gain medium, and maintaining the small beam diameter for multiple high-gain pre-amplification passes through a pumped gain medium, then leading the beam out of the amplifier cavity, changing the beam diameter and sending it back to the amplifier cavity for additional, high-power amplification passes through the gain medium. In these power amplification passes, the beam diameter in gain medium is increased and carefully matched to the pump laser's beam diameter for high efficiency extraction of energy from the pumped gain medium. A method of "grooming" the beam by means of a far-field spatial filter in the process of changing the beam size within the single-stage amplifier is also described.

  19. Relationship between low-temperature boson heat capacity peak and high-temperature shear modulus relaxation in a metallic glass

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Vasiliev, A. N.; Voloshok, T. N.; Granato, A. V.; Joncich, D. M.; Mitrofanov, Yu. P.; Khonik, V. A.

    2009-01-01

    Low-temperature (2 K≤T≤350 K) heat capacity and room-temperature shear modulus measurements (ν=1.4 MHz) have been performed on bulk Pd 41.25 Cu 41.25 P 17.5 in the initial glassy, relaxed glassy, and crystallized states. It has been found that the height of the low-temperature Boson heat capacity peak strongly correlates with the changes in the shear modulus upon high-temperature annealing. It is this behavior that was earlier predicted by the interstitialcy theory, according to which dumbbell interstitialcy defects are responsible for a number of thermodynamic and kinetic properties of crystalline, (supercooled) liquid, and solid glassy states.

  20. Transfusion Associated Peak in Hb HPLC Chromatogram – a Case Report

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jain, Sonal; Dass, Jasmita; Pati, Hara Prasad

    2012-01-01

    High performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) and electrophoresis are commonly used to diagnose various hemoglobinopathies. However, insufficient information about the transfusion history can lead to unexpected and confusing results. We are reporting a case of Juvenile myelomonocytic leukemia (JMML) in which HbHPLC was done to quantify fetal hemoglobin (HbF). The chromatogram showed elevated HbF along with a peak in the HbD window. A transfusion acquired peak was suspected based on the unexpectedly low percentage of HbD and was subsequently confirmed using parental HbHPLC. PMID:22348188

  1. ICPD-a new peak detection algorithm for LC/MS.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhang, Jianqiu; Haskins, William

    2010-12-01

    The identification and quantification of proteins using label-free Liquid Chromatography/Mass Spectrometry (LC/MS) play crucial roles in biological and biomedical research. Increasing evidence has shown that biomarkers are often low abundance proteins. However, LC/MS systems are subject to considerable noise and sample variability, whose statistical characteristics are still elusive, making computational identification of low abundance proteins extremely challenging. As a result, the inability of identifying low abundance proteins in a proteomic study is the main bottleneck in protein biomarker discovery. In this paper, we propose a new peak detection method called Information Combining Peak Detection (ICPD ) for high resolution LC/MS. In LC/MS, peptides elute during a certain time period and as a result, peptide isotope patterns are registered in multiple MS scans. The key feature of the new algorithm is that the observed isotope patterns registered in multiple scans are combined together for estimating the likelihood of the peptide existence. An isotope pattern matching score based on the likelihood probability is provided and utilized for peak detection. The performance of the new algorithm is evaluated based on protein standards with 48 known proteins. The evaluation shows better peak detection accuracy for low abundance proteins than other LC/MS peak detection methods.

  2. Fluoride materials for high peak power lasers, 17 May 1976--31 January 1977

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Folweiler, R.C.

    1977-02-01

    Single crystal fluoride optical materials were grown for potential application to laser fusion. Fluoride materials are of interest for this application, in general, because their low non-linear indices of refraction permit their use in optical components which can sustain very high peak powers without causing beam distortion. Emphasis was placed on Nd:YLF because its emission wave-lengths match the gain curve of promising amplifier materials. In addition to material growth, new feed preparation techniques were investigated and developed and certain material properties measured. The laser material, Nd:YLF, (Nd 3+ in LiYF 4 ) was grown and fabricated into laser rods. This material has laser emission at 1.047 μm and 1.053 μm, depending on the polarization selected. The former wavelength matches the peak emission wavelength of developmental Nd fluoroberyllate glasses, the latter matches Nd phosphate and fluorophosphate glasses that have low values of n 2 . The non-linear index of pure LiYF 4 was measured by Milam and Weber as 0.59 x 10 -13 esu. The concentration of Nd 3+ was varied from 1% to 4%. At higher concentrations and larger diameters a radial strain was found, sufficient to cause spiral cracking. This strain was apparently generated by a radial gradient of Nd 3+ ions. The distribution coefficient observed in one sample was 0.38. The stimulation emission coefficients were determined. Boules of KY 3 F 10 and KTb 3 F 10 were grown, with the latter suitable as a Faraday rotator material with projected low n 2 and larger Verdet constant. Experiments were performed on the systemKF-CeF 3 as a potential Faraday rotator material, and a cubic phase observed. The Ce 3+ ion has slightly lower rotary power/ion, but significantly lower cost

  3. Projection Effects of Large-scale Structures on Weak-lensing Peak Abundances

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yuan, Shuo; Liu, Xiangkun; Pan, Chuzhong; Wang, Qiao; Fan, Zuhui

    2018-04-01

    High peaks in weak lensing (WL) maps originate dominantly from the lensing effects of single massive halos. Their abundance is therefore closely related to the halo mass function and thus a powerful cosmological probe. However, besides individual massive halos, large-scale structures (LSS) along lines of sight also contribute to the peak signals. In this paper, with ray-tracing simulations, we investigate the LSS projection effects. We show that for current surveys with a large shape noise, the stochastic LSS effects are subdominant. For future WL surveys with source galaxies having a median redshift z med ∼ 1 or higher, however, they are significant. For the cosmological constraints derived from observed WL high-peak counts, severe biases can occur if the LSS effects are not taken into account properly. We extend the model of Fan et al. by incorporating the LSS projection effects into the theoretical considerations. By comparing with simulation results, we demonstrate the good performance of the improved model and its applicability in cosmological studies.

  4. Fracture toughness of ultra high performance concrete by flexural performance

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Manolova Emanuela

    2016-01-01

    Full Text Available This paper describes the fracture toughness of the innovative structural material - Ultra High Performance Concrete (UHPC, evaluated by flexural performance. For determination the material behaviour by static loading are used adapted standard test methods for flexural performance of fiber-reinforced concrete (ASTM C 1609 and ASTM C 1018. Fracture toughness is estimated by various deformation parameters derived from the load-deflection curve, obtained by testing simple supported beam under third-point loading, using servo-controlled testing system. This method is used to be estimated the contribution of the embedded fiber-reinforcement into improvement of the fractural behaviour of UHPC by changing the crack-resistant capacity, fracture toughness and energy absorption capacity with various mechanisms. The position of the first crack has been formulated based on P-δ (load- deflection response and P-ε (load - longitudinal deformation in the tensile zone response, which are used for calculation of the two toughness indices I5 and I10. The combination of steel fibres with different dimensions leads to a composite, having at the same time increased crack resistance, first crack formation, ductility and post-peak residual strength.

  5. Peaking for optimal performance: Research limitations and future directions.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pyne, David B; Mujika, Iñigo; Reilly, Thomas

    2009-02-01

    A key element of the physical preparation of athletes is the taper period in the weeks immediately preceding competition. Existing research has defined the taper, identified various forms used in contemporary sport, and examined the prescription of training volume, load, intensity, duration, and type (progressive or step). Current limitations include: the lack of studies on team, combative, racquet, and precision (target) sports; the relatively small number of randomized controlled trials; the narrow focus on a single competition (single peak) compared with multiple peaking for weekly, multi-day or multiple events; and limited understanding of the physiological, neuromuscular, and biomechanical basis of the taper. Future research should address these limitations, together with the influence of prior training on optimal tapering strategies, and the interactions between the taper and long-haul travel, heat, and altitude. Practitioners seek information on how to prescribe tapers from season to season during an athlete's career, or a team's progression through a domestic league season, or multi-year Olympic or World Cup cycle. Practical guidelines for planning effective tapers for the Vancouver 2010 and London 2012 Olympics will evolve from both experimental investigations and modelling of successful tapers currently employed in a wide range of sports.

  6. High Performance Single Nanowire Tunnel Diodes

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Wallentin, Jesper; Persson, Johan Mikael; Wagner, Jakob Birkedal

    NWs were contacted in a NW-FET setup. Electrical measurements at room temperature display typical tunnel diode behavior, with a Peak-to-Valley Current Ratio (PVCR) as high as 8.2 and a peak current density as high as 329 A/cm2. Low temperature measurements show improved PVCR of up to 27.6....... is the tunnel (Esaki) diode, which provides a low-resistance connection between junctions. We demonstrate an InP-GaAs NW axial heterostructure with tunnel diode behavior. InP and GaAs can be readily n- and p-doped, respectively, and the heterointerface is expected to have an advantageous type II band alignment...

  7. Predicting rheological behavior and baking quality of wheat flour using a GlutoPeak test.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rakita, Slađana; Dokić, Ljubica; Dapčević Hadnađev, Tamara; Hadnađev, Miroslav; Torbica, Aleksandra

    2018-06-01

    The purpose of this research was to gain an insight into the ability of the GlutoPeak instrument to predict flour functionality for bread making, as well as to determine which of the GlutoPeak parameters show the best potential in predicting dough rheological behavior and baking performance. Obtained results showed that GlutoPeak parameters correlated better with the indices of extensional rheological tests which consider constant dough hydration than with those which were performed at constant dough consistency. The GlutoPeak test showed that it is suitable for discriminating wheat varieties of good quality from those of poor quality, while the most discriminating index was maximum torque (MT). Moreover, MT value of 50 BU and aggregation energy value of 1,300 GPU were set as limits of wheat flour quality. The backward stepwise regression analysis revealed that a high-level prediction of indices which are highly affected by protein content (gluten content, flour water absorption, and dough tenacity) was achieved by using the GlutoPeak indices. Concerning bread quality, a moderate prediction of specific loaf volume and an intense level prediction of breadcrumb textural properties were accomplished by using the GlutoPeak parameters. The presented results indicated that the application of this quick test in wheat transformation chain for the assessment of baking quality would be useful. Baking test is considered as the most reliable method for assessing wheat-baking quality. However, baking test requires trained stuff, time, and large sample amount. These disadvantages have led to a growing demand to develop new rapid tests which would enable prediction of baked product quality with a limited flour size. Therefore, we tested the possibility of using a GlutoPeak tester to predict loaf volume and breadcrumb textural properties. Discrimination of wheat varieties according to quality with a restricted flour amount was also examined. Furthermore, we proposed the limit

  8. From a single encapsulated detector to the spectrometer for INTEGRAL satellite: predicting the peak-to-total ratio at high γ-energies

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kshetri, R

    2012-01-01

    In two recent papers (R. Kshetri, JINST 2012 7 P04008; ibid., P07006), a probabilistic formalism was introduced to predict the response of encapsulated type composite germanium detectors like the SPI (spectrometer for INTEGRAL satellite). Predictions for the peak-to-total and peak-to-background ratios are given at 1.3 MeV for the addback mode of operation. The application of the formalism to clover germanium detector is discussed in two separate papers (R. Kshetri, JINST 2012 7 P07008; ibid., P08015). Using the basic approach developed in those papers, for the first time we present a procedure for calculating the peak-to-total ratio of the cluster detector for γ-energies up to 8 MeV. Results are shown for both bare and suppressed detectors as well as for the single crystal and addback modes of operation. We have considered the experimental data of (i) peak-to-total ratio at 1.3 MeV, and (ii) single detector efficiency and addback factor for other energies up to 8 MeV. Using this data, an approximate method of calculating the peak-to-total ratio of other composite detectors, is shown. Experimental validation of our approach (for energies up to 8 MeV) has been confirmed considering the data of the SPI spectrometer. We have discussed about comparisons between various modes of operation and suppression cases. The present paper is the fifth in the series of papers on composite germanium detectors and for the first time discusses about the change in fold distribution and peak-to-total ratio for sophisticated detectors consisting of several modules of miniball, cluster and SPI detectors. Our work could provide a guidance in designing new composite detectors and in performing experimental studies with the existing detectors for high energy gamma-rays.

  9. From a single encapsulated detector to the spectrometer for INTEGRAL satellite: predicting the peak-to-total ratio at high γ-energies

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kshetri, R.

    2012-12-01

    In two recent papers (R. Kshetri, JINST 2012 7 P04008; ibid., P07006), a probabilistic formalism was introduced to predict the response of encapsulated type composite germanium detectors like the SPI (spectrometer for INTEGRAL satellite). Predictions for the peak-to-total and peak-to-background ratios are given at 1.3 MeV for the addback mode of operation. The application of the formalism to clover germanium detector is discussed in two separate papers (R. Kshetri, JINST 2012 7 P07008; ibid., P08015). Using the basic approach developed in those papers, for the first time we present a procedure for calculating the peak-to-total ratio of the cluster detector for γ-energies up to 8 MeV. Results are shown for both bare and suppressed detectors as well as for the single crystal and addback modes of operation. We have considered the experimental data of (i) peak-to-total ratio at 1.3 MeV, and (ii) single detector efficiency and addback factor for other energies up to 8 MeV. Using this data, an approximate method of calculating the peak-to-total ratio of other composite detectors, is shown. Experimental validation of our approach (for energies up to 8 MeV) has been confirmed considering the data of the SPI spectrometer. We have discussed about comparisons between various modes of operation and suppression cases. The present paper is the fifth in the series of papers on composite germanium detectors and for the first time discusses about the change in fold distribution and peak-to-total ratio for sophisticated detectors consisting of several modules of miniball, cluster and SPI detectors. Our work could provide a guidance in designing new composite detectors and in performing experimental studies with the existing detectors for high energy gamma-rays.

  10. Energy Efficiency Evaluation and Benchmarking of AFRL’s Condor High Performance Computer

    Science.gov (United States)

    2011-08-01

    PlayStation 3 nodes executing the HPL benchmark. When idle, the two PS3s consume 188.49 W on average. At peak HPL performance, the nodes draw an average of...AUG 2011 2. REPORT TYPE CONFERENCE PAPER (Post Print) 3. DATES COVERED (From - To) JAN 2011 – JUN 2011 4 . TITLE AND SUBTITLE ENERGY EFFICIENCY...the High Performance LINPACK (HPL) benchmark while also measuring the energy consumed to achieve such performance. Supercomputers are ranked by

  11. Reducing electricity demand peaks by scheduling home appliances usage

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Rossello-Busquet, A.; Kardaras, G.; Baek Iversen, V.; Soler, J.; Dittmann, L.

    2011-05-15

    Nowadays there is a tendency to consume electricity during the same period of the day leading to demand peaks. Regular energy consumption habits lead to demand peaks at specific temporal intervals, because users consume power at the same time. In order to avoid demand peaks, users' appliances should consume electricity in a more temporarily distributed way. A new methodology to schedule the usage of home appliances is proposed and analyzed in this paper. The main concept behind this approach is the aggregation of home appliances into priority classes and the definition of a maximum power consumption limit, which is not allowed to be exceeded during peak hours. The scenario simulated describes a modern household, where the electrical devices are classified in low and high priority groups. The high priority devices are always granted power in order to operate without temporal restrictions. On the contrary, the low priority devices have to pause their operation, when the algorithm dictates it, and resume it in the future. This can become beneficial for both energy companies and users. The electricity suppliers companies will be capable of regulating power generation during demand peaks periods. Moreover, users can be granted lower electricity bill rates for accepting delaying the operation of some of their appliances. In order to analyze this scenario, teletraffic engineering theory, which is used in evaluating the performance of telecommunication networks, is used. A reversible fair scheduling (RFS) algorithm, which was originally developed for telecommunication networks, is applied. The purpose is to analyze how a power consumption limit and priorities for home appliances will affect the demand peak and the users' everyday life. Verification of the effectiveness of the RFS algorithm is done by means of simulation and by using real data for power consumption and operation hours. The defined maximum power limit of 750 and 1000 Watt was not exceeded during

  12. Postexercise cold-water immersion improves intermittent high-intensity exercise performance in normothermia.

    Science.gov (United States)

    McCarthy, Avina; Mulligan, James; Egaña, Mikel

    2016-11-01

    A brief cold water immersion between 2 continuous high-intensity exercise bouts improves the performance of the latter compared with passive recovery in the heat. We investigated if this effect is apparent in normothermic conditions (∼19 °C), employing an intermittent high-intensity exercise designed to reflect the work performed at the high-intensity domain in team sports. Fifteen young active men completed 2 exhaustive cycling protocols (Ex1 and Ex2: 12 min at 85% ventilatory threshold (VT) and then an intermittent exercise alternating 30-s at 40% peak power (P peak ) and 30 s at 90% P peak to exhaustion) separated by 15 min of (i) passive rest, (ii) 5-min cold-water immersion at 8 °C, and (iii) 10-min cold-water immersion at 8 °C. Core temperature, heart rate, rates of perceived exertion, and oxygen uptake kinetics were not different during Ex1 among conditions. Time to failure during the intermittent exercise was significantly (P immersions (7.2 ± 3.5 min and 7.3 ± 3.3 min, respectively) compared with passive rest (5.8 ± 3.1 min). Core temperature, heart rate, and rates of perceived exertion were significantly (P immersions compared with passive rest. The time constant of phase II oxygen uptake response during the 85% VT bout of Ex2 was not different among the 3 conditions. A postexercise, 5- to 10-min cold-water immersion increases subsequent intermittent high-intensity exercise compared with passive rest in normothermia due, at least in part, to reductions in core temperature, circulatory strain, and effort perception.

  13. Chemical fingerprint of Ganmaoling granule by double-wavelength ultra high performance liquid chromatography and ultra high performance liquid chromatography with quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lou, Qiong; Ye, Xiaolan; Zhou, Yingyi; Li, Hua; Song, Fenyun

    2015-06-01

    A method incorporating double-wavelength ultra high performance liquid chromatography with quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry was developed for the investigation of the chemical fingerprint of Ganmaoling granule. The chromatographic separations were performed on an ACQUITY UPLC HSS C18 column (2.1 × 50 mm, 1.8 μm) at 30°C using gradient elution with water/formic acid (1%) and acetonitrile at a flow rate of 0.4 mL/min. A total of 11 chemical constituents of Ganmaoling granule were identified from their molecular weight, UV spectra, tandem mass spectrometry data, and retention behavior by comparing the results with those of the reference standards or literature. And 25 peaks were selected as the common peaks for fingerprint analysis to evaluate the similarities among 25 batches of Ganmaoling granule. The results of principal component analysis and orthogonal projection to latent structures discriminant analysis showed that the important chemical markers that could distinguish the different batches were revealed as 4,5-di-O-caffeoylquinic acid, 3,5-di-O-caffeoylquinic acid, and 4-O-caffeoylquinic acid. This is the first report of the ultra high performance liquid chromatography chemical fingerprint and component identification of Ganmaoling granule, which could lay a foundation for further studies of Ganmaoling granule. © 2015 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

  14. Aiding the Detection of QRS Complex in ECG Signals by Detecting S Peaks Independently.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sabherwal, Pooja; Singh, Latika; Agrawal, Monika

    2018-03-30

    In this paper, a novel algorithm for the accurate detection of QRS complex by combining the independent detection of R and S peaks, using fusion algorithm is proposed. R peak detection has been extensively studied and is being used to detect the QRS complex. Whereas, S peaks, which is also part of QRS complex can be independently detected to aid the detection of QRS complex. In this paper, we suggest a method to first estimate S peak from raw ECG signal and then use them to aid the detection of QRS complex. The amplitude of S peak in ECG signal is relatively weak than corresponding R peak, which is traditionally used for the detection of QRS complex, therefore, an appropriate digital filter is designed to enhance the S peaks. These enhanced S peaks are then detected by adaptive thresholding. The algorithm is validated on all the signals of MIT-BIH arrhythmia database and noise stress database taken from physionet.org. The algorithm performs reasonably well even for the signals highly corrupted by noise. The algorithm performance is confirmed by sensitivity and positive predictivity of 99.99% and the detection accuracy of 99.98% for QRS complex detection. The number of false positives and false negatives resulted while analysis has been drastically reduced to 80 and 42 against the 98 and 84 the best results reported so far.

  15. Peak performance & reducing stage fright : implementation research HeartMath training programme with students of the Prince Claus Conservatoire

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Mak, Peter

    2010-01-01

    Stage fright among musicians and music students is a severe problem, and a problem moreover that is not easily talked about. This researchreport is a reflection of the project Peak Performance & Reducing Stage Fright, in which six students of the Prince Claus Conservatoire got the opportunity to

  16. Critical Role of Monoclinic Polarization Rotation in High-Performance Perovskite Piezoelectric Materials.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Liu, Hui; Chen, Jun; Fan, Longlong; Ren, Yang; Pan, Zhao; Lalitha, K V; Rödel, Jürgen; Xing, Xianran

    2017-07-07

    High-performance piezoelectric materials constantly attract interest for both technological applications and fundamental research. The understanding of the origin of the high-performance piezoelectric property remains a challenge mainly due to the lack of direct experimental evidence. We perform in situ high-energy x-ray diffraction combined with 2D geometry scattering technology to reveal the underlying mechanism for the perovskite-type lead-based high-performance piezoelectric materials. The direct structural evidence reveals that the electric-field-driven continuous polarization rotation within the monoclinic plane plays a critical role to achieve the giant piezoelectric response. An intrinsic relationship between the crystal structure and piezoelectric performance in perovskite ferroelectrics has been established: A strong tendency of electric-field-driven polarization rotation generates peak piezoelectric performance and vice versa. Furthermore, the monoclinic M_{A} structure is the key feature to superior piezoelectric properties as compared to other structures such as monoclinic M_{B}, rhombohedral, and tetragonal. A high piezoelectric response originates from intrinsic lattice strain, but little from extrinsic domain switching. The present results will facilitate designing high-performance perovskite piezoelectric materials by enhancing the intrinsic lattice contribution with easy and continuous polarization rotation.

  17. High power RF performance test of an improved SiC load

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Hwang, W.H.; Kim, S.H.; Park, Y.J. [Pohang Accelerator Lab., Pohang Inst. of Sceince and Technology, Pohang (KR)] [and others

    1998-11-01

    Two prototypes of SiC loads sustaining a maximum peak power of 50 MW were fabricated by Nihon Koshuha Co. in Japan. The PAL conducted the high power RF performance tests of SiC loads to verify the operation characteristics for the application to the PLS Linac. The in-situ facility for the K 12 module was used for the test, which consists of a modulator and klystron system, waveguide network, vacuum and cooling system, and RF analyzing equipment. As the test results, no breakdown appeared up to 50 MW peak power of 1 {mu}s pulse width at a repetition rate of 50 Hz. However, as the peak power increased above 20 MW at 4 {mu}s with 10 Hz, the breakdown phenomena has been observed. Analysing the test results with the current operation power level of PLS Linac, it is confirmed that the SiC loads well satisfy the criteria of the PLS Linac operation. (author)

  18. Peak groundwater depletion in the High Plains Aquifer, projections from 1930 to 2110

    Science.gov (United States)

    Peak groundwater depletion from overtapping aquifers beyond recharge rates occurs as the depletion rate increases until a peak occurs followed by a decreasing trend as pumping equilibrates towards available recharge. The logistic equation of Hubbert’s study of peak oil is used to project measurement...

  19. Passive radio frequency peak power multiplier

    Science.gov (United States)

    Farkas, Zoltan D.; Wilson, Perry B.

    1977-01-01

    Peak power multiplication of a radio frequency source by simultaneous charging of two high-Q resonant microwave cavities by applying the source output through a directional coupler to the cavities and then reversing the phase of the source power to the coupler, thereby permitting the power in the cavities to simultaneously discharge through the coupler to the load in combination with power from the source to apply a peak power to the load that is a multiplication of the source peak power.

  20. Functional High-Intensity Circuit Training Improves Body Composition, Peak Oxygen Uptake, Strength, and Alters Certain Dimensions of Quality of Life in Overweight Women.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sperlich, Billy; Wallmann-Sperlich, Birgit; Zinner, Christoph; Von Stauffenberg, Valerie; Losert, Helena; Holmberg, Hans-Christer

    2017-01-01

    The effects of circuit-like functional high-intensity training (Circuit HIIT ) alone or in combination with high-volume low-intensity exercise (Circuit combined ) on selected cardio-respiratory and metabolic parameters, body composition, functional strength and the quality of life of overweight women were compared. In this single-center, two-armed randomized, controlled study, overweight women performed 9-weeks (3 sessions·wk -1 ) of either Circuit HIIT ( n = 11), or Circuit combined ( n = 8). Peak oxygen uptake and perception of physical pain were increased to a greater extent ( p body mass, body-mass-index, waist-to-hip ratio, fat mass, and enhanced fat-free mass; decreased ratings of perceived exertion during submaximal treadmill running; improved the numbers of push-ups, burpees, one-legged squats, and 30-s skipping performed, as well as the height of counter-movement jumps; and improved physical and social functioning, role of physical limitations, vitality, role of emotional limitations, and mental health to a similar extent (all p training can be employed to improve body composition, selected variables of functional strength, and certain dimensions of quality of life in overweight women. However, Circuit HIIT improves peak oxygen uptake to a greater extent, but with more perception of pain, whereas Circuit combined results in better perception of general health.

  1. The modified relaxation time function: A novel analysis technique for relaxation processes. Application to high-temperature molybdenum internal friction peaks

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Matteo, C.L.; Lambri, O.A.; Zelada-Lambri, G.I.; Sorichetti, P.A.; Garcia, J.A.

    2008-01-01

    The modified relaxation time (MRT) function, which is based on a general linear viscoelastic formalism, has several important mathematical properties that greatly simplify the analysis of relaxation processes. In this work, the MRT is applied to the study of the relaxation damping peaks in deformed molybdenum at high temperatures. The dependence of experimental data from these relaxation processes with temperature are adequately described by a Havriliak-Negami (HN) function, and the MRT makes it possible to find a relation between the parameters of the HN function and the activation energy of the process. The analysis reveals that for the relaxation peak appearing at temperatures below 900 K, the physical mechanism is related to a vacancy-diffusion-controlled movement of dislocations. In contrast, when the peak appears at temperatures higher than 900 K, the damping is controlled by a mechanism of diffusion in the low-temperature tail of the peak, and in the high-temperature tail of the peak the creation plus diffusion of vacancies at the dislocation line occurs

  2. The influence of cricket fast bowlers' front leg technique on peak ground reaction forces.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Worthington, Peter; King, Mark; Ranson, Craig

    2013-01-01

    High ground reaction forces during the front foot contact phase of the bowling action are believed to be a major contributor to the high prevalence of lumbar stress fractures in fast bowlers. This study aimed to investigate the influence of front leg technique on peak ground reaction forces during the delivery stride. Three-dimensional kinematic data and ground reaction forces during the front foot contact phase were captured for 20 elite male fast bowlers. Eight kinematic parameters were determined for each performance, describing run-up speed and front leg technique, in addition to peak force and time to peak force in the vertical and horizontal directions. There were substantial variations between bowlers in both peak forces (vertical 6.7 ± 1.4 body weights; horizontal (braking) 4.5 ± 0.8 body weights) and times to peak force (vertical 0.03 ± 0.01 s; horizontal 0.03 ± 0.01 s). These differences were found to be linked to the orientation of the front leg at the instant of front foot contact. In particular, a larger plant angle and a heel strike technique were associated with lower peak forces and longer times to peak force during the front foot contact phase, which may help reduce the likelihood of lower back injuries.

  3. Very fast, high peak-power, planar triode amplifiers for driving optical gates

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Howland, M.M.; Davis, S.J.; Gagnon, W.L.

    1979-01-01

    Recent extensions of the peak power capabilities of planar triodes have made possible the latter's use as very fast pulse amplifiers, to drive optical gates within high-power Nd:glass laser chains. These pulse amplifiers switch voltages in the 20 kV range with rise times of a few nanoseconds, into crystal optical gates that are essentially capacitive loads. This paper describes a simplified procedure for designing these pulse amplifiers. It further outlines the use of bridged-T constant resistance networks to transform load capacitance into pure resistance, independent of frequency

  4. Variable threshold method for ECG R-peak detection.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kew, Hsein-Ping; Jeong, Do-Un

    2011-10-01

    In this paper, a wearable belt-type ECG electrode worn around the chest by measuring the real-time ECG is produced in order to minimize the inconvenient in wearing. ECG signal is detected using a potential instrument system. The measured ECG signal is transmits via an ultra low power consumption wireless data communications unit to personal computer using Zigbee-compatible wireless sensor node. ECG signals carry a lot of clinical information for a cardiologist especially the R-peak detection in ECG. R-peak detection generally uses the threshold value which is fixed. There will be errors in peak detection when the baseline changes due to motion artifacts and signal size changes. Preprocessing process which includes differentiation process and Hilbert transform is used as signal preprocessing algorithm. Thereafter, variable threshold method is used to detect the R-peak which is more accurate and efficient than fixed threshold value method. R-peak detection using MIT-BIH databases and Long Term Real-Time ECG is performed in this research in order to evaluate the performance analysis.

  5. Storage coordination and peak-shaving operation in urban areas with high renewable penetration

    OpenAIRE

    Voulis, N.; Warnier, Martijn; Brazier, F.M.

    2017-01-01

    As renewable power generation gains importance, balancing of power demand and supply becomes more and more challenging. This paper addresses this challenge by exploring the potential of individually-owned storage units in decentralised power systems with a high share of renewables. The focus is on the influence of coordination and peak-shaving operation of these individual units in realistic urban areas. Currently extensive amount of research exits on specific applications related to storage ...

  6. Industrial applications of high-average power high-peak power nanosecond pulse duration Nd:YAG lasers

    Science.gov (United States)

    Harrison, Paul M.; Ellwi, Samir

    2009-02-01

    Within the vast range of laser materials processing applications, every type of successful commercial laser has been driven by a major industrial process. For high average power, high peak power, nanosecond pulse duration Nd:YAG DPSS lasers, the enabling process is high speed surface engineering. This includes applications such as thin film patterning and selective coating removal in markets such as the flat panel displays (FPD), solar and automotive industries. Applications such as these tend to require working spots that have uniform intensity distribution using specific shapes and dimensions, so a range of innovative beam delivery systems have been developed that convert the gaussian beam shape produced by the laser into a range of rectangular and/or shaped spots, as required by demands of each project. In this paper the authors will discuss the key parameters of this type of laser and examine why they are important for high speed surface engineering projects, and how they affect the underlying laser-material interaction and the removal mechanism. Several case studies will be considered in the FPD and solar markets, exploring the close link between the application, the key laser characteristics and the beam delivery system that link these together.

  7. Evaluation of peak-fitting software for gamma spectrum analysis

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Zahn, Guilherme S.; Genezini, Frederico A.; Moralles, Mauricio

    2009-01-01

    In all applications of gamma-ray spectroscopy, one of the most important and delicate parts of the data analysis is the fitting of the gamma-ray spectra, where information as the number of counts, the position of the centroid and the width, for instance, are associated with each peak of each spectrum. There's a huge choice of computer programs that perform this type of analysis, and the most commonly used in routine work are the ones that automatically locate and fit the peaks; this fit can be made in several different ways - the most common ways are to fit a Gaussian function to each peak or simply to integrate the area under the peak, but some software go far beyond and include several small corrections to the simple Gaussian peak function, in order to compensate for secondary effects. In this work several gamma-ray spectroscopy software are compared in the task of finding and fitting the gamma-ray peaks in spectra taken with standard sources of 137 Cs, 60 Co, 133 Ba and 152 Eu. The results show that all of the automatic software can be properly used in the task of finding and fitting peaks, with the exception of GammaVision; also, it was possible to verify that the automatic peak-fitting software did perform as well as - and sometimes even better than - a manual peak-fitting software. (author)

  8. Performance evaluation of a high-speed switched network for PACS

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhang, Randy H.; Tao, Wenchao; Huang, Lu J.; Valentino, Daniel J.

    1998-07-01

    We have replaced our shared-media Ethernet and FDDI network with a multi-tiered, switched network using OC-12 (622 Mbps) ATM for the network backbone, OC3 (155 Mbps) connections to high-end servers and display workstations, and switched 100/10 Mbps Ethernet for workstations and desktop computers. The purpose of this research was to help PACS designers and implementers understand key performance factors in a high- speed switched network by characterizing and evaluating its image delivery performance, specifically, the performance of socket-based TCP (Transmission Control Protocol) and DICOM 3.0 communications. A test network within the UCLA Clinical RIS/PACS was constructed using Sun UltraSPARC-II machines with ATM, Fast Ethernet, and Ethernet network interfaces. To identify performance bottlenecks, we evaluated network throughput for memory to memory, memory to disk, disk to memory, and disk to disk transfers. To evaluate the effect of file size, tests involving disks were further divided using sizes of small (514 KB), medium (8 MB), and large (16 MB) files. The observed maximum throughput for various network configurations using the TCP protocol was 117 Mbps for memory to memory and 88 MBPS for memory to disk. For disk to memory, the peak throughput was 98 Mbps using small files, 114 Mbps using medium files, and 116 Mbps using large files. The peak throughput for disk to disk became 64 Mbps using small files and 96 Mbps using medium and large files. The peak throughput using the DICOM 3.0 protocol was substantially lower in all categories. The measured throughput varied significantly among the tests when TCP socket buffer was raised above the default value. The optimal buffer size was approximately 16 KB or the TCP protocol and around 256 KB for the DICOM protocol. The application message size also displayed distinctive effects on network throughput when the TCP socket buffer size was varied. The throughput results for Fast Ethernet and Ethernet were expectedly

  9. The simple method of determination peaks areas in multiplets

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Loska, L.; Ptasinski, J.

    1991-01-01

    Semiconductor germanium detectors used in γ-spectrometry give spectra with well-separated peaks. However, in some cases, energies of γ-lines are too near, to produce resolved and undisturbed peaks. Then, there is a necessity to perform a mathematical separation. The method proposed here is based on the assumption, that areas of peaks composing the analysed multiplet are proportional to their heights. The method can be applied for any number of interfering peaks, providing, that the function of the background under the multiplet is accurately determined. The results of testing calculations performed on a simulated spectrum are given. The method works successfully in a computer program used for neutron activation analysis data processing. (author). 9 refs, 1 fig, 1 tab

  10. High-Performance Supercapacitors from Niobium Nanowire Yarns.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mirvakili, Seyed M; Mirvakili, Mehr Negar; Englezos, Peter; Madden, John D W; Hunter, Ian W

    2015-07-01

    The large-ion-accessible surface area of carbon nanotubes (CNTs) and graphene sheets formed as yarns, forests, and films enables miniature high-performance supercapacitors with power densities exceeding those of electrolytics while achieving energy densities equaling those of batteries. Capacitance and energy density can be enhanced by depositing highly pseudocapacitive materials such as conductive polymers on them. Yarns formed from carbon nanotubes are proposed for use in wearable supercapacitors. In this work, we show that high power, energy density, and capacitance in yarn form are not unique to carbon materials, and we introduce niobium nanowires as an alternative. These yarns show higher capacitance and energy per volume and are stronger and 100 times more conductive than similarly spun carbon multiwalled nanotube (MWNT) and graphene yarns. The long niobium nanowires, formed by repeated extrusion and drawing, achieve device volumetric peak power and energy densities of 55 MW·m(-3) (55 W·cm(-3)) and 25 MJ·m(-3) (7 mWh·cm(-3)), 2 and 5 times higher than that for state-of-the-art CNT yarns, respectively. The capacitance per volume of Nb nanowire yarn is lower than the 158 MF·m(-3) (158 F·cm(-3)) reported for carbon-based materials such as reduced graphene oxide (RGO) and CNT wet-spun yarns, but the peak power and energy densities are 200 and 2 times higher, respectively. Achieving high power in long yarns is made possible by the high conductivity of the metal, and achievement of high energy density is possible thanks to the high internal surface area. No additional metal backing is needed, unlike for CNT yarns and supercapacitors in general, saving substantial space. As the yarn is infiltrated with pseudocapacitive materials such as poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) (PEDOT), the energy density is further increased to 10 MJ·m(-3) (2.8 mWh·cm(-3)). Similar to CNT yarns, niobium nanowire yarns are highly flexible and show potential for weaving into textiles

  11. Multiple current peaks in room-temperature atmospheric pressure homogenous dielectric barrier discharge plasma excited by high-voltage tunable nanosecond pulse in air

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Yang, De-Zheng; Wang, Wen-Chun; Zhang, Shuai; Tang, Kai; Liu, Zhi-jie; Wang, Sen [Key Lab of Materials Modification, Dalian University of Technology, Ministry of Education, Dalian 116024 (China)

    2013-05-13

    Room temperature homogenous dielectric barrier discharge plasma with high instantaneous energy efficiency is acquired by using nanosecond pulse voltage with 20-200 ns tunable pulse width. Increasing the voltage pulse width can lead to the generation of regular and stable multiple current peaks in each discharge sequence. When the voltage pulse width is 200 ns, more than 5 organized current peaks can be observed under 26 kV peak voltage. Investigation also shows that the organized multiple current peaks only appear in homogenous discharge mode. When the discharge is filament mode, organized multiple current peaks are replaced by chaotic filament current peaks.

  12. [A peak recognition algorithm designed for chromatographic peaks of transformer oil].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ou, Linjun; Cao, Jian

    2014-09-01

    In the field of the chromatographic peak identification of the transformer oil, the traditional first-order derivative requires slope threshold to achieve peak identification. In terms of its shortcomings of low automation and easy distortion, the first-order derivative method was improved by applying the moving average iterative method and the normalized analysis techniques to identify the peaks. Accurate identification of the chromatographic peaks was realized through using multiple iterations of the moving average of signal curves and square wave curves to determine the optimal value of the normalized peak identification parameters, combined with the absolute peak retention times and peak window. The experimental results show that this algorithm can accurately identify the peaks and is not sensitive to the noise, the chromatographic peak width or the peak shape changes. It has strong adaptability to meet the on-site requirements of online monitoring devices of dissolved gases in transformer oil.

  13. High-intensity cycle interval training improves cycling and running performance in triathletes.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Etxebarria, Naroa; Anson, Judith M; Pyne, David B; Ferguson, Richard A

    2014-01-01

    Effective cycle training for triathlon is a challenge for coaches. We compared the effects of two variants of cycle high-intensity interval training (HIT) on triathlon-specific cycling and running. Fourteen moderately-trained male triathletes ([Formula: see text]O2peak 58.7 ± 8.1 mL kg(-1) min(-1); mean ± SD) completed on separate occasions a maximal incremental test ([Formula: see text]O2peak and maximal aerobic power), 16 × 20 s cycle sprints and a 1-h triathlon-specific cycle followed immediately by a 5 km run time trial. Participants were then pair-matched and assigned randomly to either a long high-intensity interval training (LONG) (6-8 × 5 min efforts) or short high-intensity interval training (SHORT) (9-11 × 10, 20 and 40 s efforts) HIT cycle training intervention. Six training sessions were completed over 3 weeks before participants repeated the baseline testing. Both groups had an ∼7% increase in [Formula: see text]O2peak (SHORT 7.3%, ±4.6%; mean, ±90% confidence limits; LONG 7.5%, ±1.7%). There was a moderate improvement in mean power for both the SHORT (10.3%, ±4.4%) and LONG (10.7%, ±6.8%) groups during the last eight 20-s sprints. There was a small to moderate decrease in heart rate, blood lactate and perceived exertion in both groups during the 1-h triathlon-specific cycling but only the LONG group had a substantial decrease in the subsequent 5-km run time (64, ±59 s). Moderately-trained triathletes should use both short and long high-intensity intervals to improve cycling physiology and performance. Longer 5-min intervals on the bike are more likely to benefit 5 km running performance.

  14. Contribution to performing gas solutions and the complementarity of energies to address electric peak consumptions

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    2015-01-01

    This article aims at outlining the contribution that gas-based solutions may have for the reduction of the seasonal electricity peak consumption. After having recalled the principles related to electricity peak consumption (daily peak in summer and in winter due to the use of various equipment which lasts few hours, seasonal peak in winter due to the use of electric heating which may last several weeks) and the associated evolution of electricity consumptions over the last years, this article describes the main challenges related to the electric peak consumption: how to maintain the balance in real time between production and consumption. In France, the network manager must use, beside nuclear power stations, thermal productions (gas or coal-based) which result in higher CO 2 emissions. Electricity imports from Germany also degrade the French carbon footprint. Thus, the management of daily and seasonal peaks can be based on three levers of action: to act on supply by developing capacities to face the residual peak, to act on demand by smoothing the load curve by controlling the load of electric equipment, or to act on demand by a global reduction of the thermo-sensitive consumption of electricity

  15. flowPeaks: a fast unsupervised clustering for flow cytometry data via K-means and density peak finding.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ge, Yongchao; Sealfon, Stuart C

    2012-08-01

    For flow cytometry data, there are two common approaches to the unsupervised clustering problem: one is based on the finite mixture model and the other on spatial exploration of the histograms. The former is computationally slow and has difficulty to identify clusters of irregular shapes. The latter approach cannot be applied directly to high-dimensional data as the computational time and memory become unmanageable and the estimated histogram is unreliable. An algorithm without these two problems would be very useful. In this article, we combine ideas from the finite mixture model and histogram spatial exploration. This new algorithm, which we call flowPeaks, can be applied directly to high-dimensional data and identify irregular shape clusters. The algorithm first uses K-means algorithm with a large K to partition the cell population into many small clusters. These partitioned data allow the generation of a smoothed density function using the finite mixture model. All local peaks are exhaustively searched by exploring the density function and the cells are clustered by the associated local peak. The algorithm flowPeaks is automatic, fast and reliable and robust to cluster shape and outliers. This algorithm has been applied to flow cytometry data and it has been compared with state of the art algorithms, including Misty Mountain, FLOCK, flowMeans, flowMerge and FLAME. The R package flowPeaks is available at https://github.com/yongchao/flowPeaks. yongchao.ge@mssm.edu Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online.

  16. Results from core-edge experiments in high Power, high performance plasmas on DIII-D

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    T.W. Petrie

    2017-08-01

    Full Text Available Significant challenges to reducing divertor heat flux in highly powered near-double null divertor (DND hybrid plasmas, while still maintaining both high performance metrics and low enough density for application of RF heating, are identified. For these DNDs on DIII-D, the scaling of the peak heat flux at the outer target (q⊥P ∝ [PSOL x IP] 0.92 for PSOL= 8−19MW and IP= 1.0–1.4MA, and is consistent with standard ITPA scaling for single-null H-mode plasmas. Two divertor heat flux reduction methods were tested. First, applying the puff-and-pump radiating divertor to DIII-D plasmas may be problematical at high power and H98 (≥ 1.5 due to improvement in confinement time with deuterium gas puffing which can lead to unacceptably high core density under certain conditions. Second, q⊥P for these high performance DNDs was reduced by ≈35% when an open divertor is closed on the common flux side of the outer divertor target (“semi-slot” but also that heating near the slot opening is a significant source for impurity contamination of the core.

  17. A fast high-voltage current-peak detection system for the ALICE transition radiation detector

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Verclas, Robert [Physikalisches Institut, Ruprecht-Karls-Universitaet Heidelberg (Germany); Collaboration: ALICE-Collaboration

    2016-07-01

    During LHC operation in run 1, the gaseous detectors of ALICE occasionally experienced simultaneous trips in their high voltage which affected the majority of the high voltage channels. These trips are caused by large anode currents in the detector and are potentially related to LHC machine operations. We developed and installed a fast current-peak detection system for the ALICE Transition Radiation Detector. This system is based on FPGA technology and monitors 144 out 522 high voltage channels minimally invasively at a maximum readout rate of 2 MHz. It is an integral part of the LHC beam monitoring system. We report on the latest status.

  18. High Electricity Demand in the Northeast U.S.: PJM Reliability Network and Peaking Unit Impacts on Air Quality.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Farkas, Caroline M; Moeller, Michael D; Felder, Frank A; Henderson, Barron H; Carlton, Annmarie G

    2016-08-02

    On high electricity demand days, when air quality is often poor, regional transmission organizations (RTOs), such as PJM Interconnection, ensure reliability of the grid by employing peak-use electric generating units (EGUs). These "peaking units" are exempt from some federal and state air quality rules. We identify RTO assignment and peaking unit classification for EGUs in the Eastern U.S. and estimate air quality for four emission scenarios with the Community Multiscale Air Quality (CMAQ) model during the July 2006 heat wave. Further, we population-weight ambient values as a surrogate for potential population exposure. Emissions from electricity reliability networks negatively impact air quality in their own region and in neighboring geographic areas. Monitored and controlled PJM peaking units are generally located in economically depressed areas and can contribute up to 87% of hourly maximum PM2.5 mass locally. Potential population exposure to peaking unit PM2.5 mass is highest in the model domain's most populated cities. Average daily temperature and national gross domestic product steer peaking unit heat input. Air quality planning that capitalizes on a priori knowledge of local electricity demand and economics may provide a more holistic approach to protect human health within the context of growing energy needs in a changing world.

  19. Has Athletic Performance Reached its Peak?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Berthelot, Geoffroy; Sedeaud, Adrien; Marck, Adrien; Antero-Jacquemin, Juliana; Schipman, Julien; Saulière, Guillaume; Marc, Andy; Desgorces, François-Denis; Toussaint, Jean-François

    2015-09-01

    Limits to athletic performance have long been a topic of myth and debate. However, sport performance appears to have reached a state of stagnation in recent years, suggesting that the physical capabilities of humans and other athletic species, such as greyhounds and thoroughbreds, cannot progress indefinitely. Although the ultimate capabilities may be predictable, the exact path for the absolute maximal performance values remains difficult to assess and relies on technical innovations, sport regulation, and other parameters that depend on current societal and economic conditions. The aim of this literature review was to assess the possible plateau of top physical capabilities in various events and detail the historical backgrounds and sociocultural, anthropometrical, and physiological factors influencing the progress and regression of athletic performance. Time series of performances in Olympic disciplines, such as track and field and swimming events, from 1896 to 2012 reveal a major decrease in performance development. Such a saturation effect is simultaneous in greyhound, thoroughbred, and frog performances. The genetic condition, exhaustion of phenotypic pools, economic context, and the depletion of optimal morphological traits contribute to the observed limitation of physical capabilities. Present conditions prevailing, we approach absolute physical limits and endure a continued period of world record scarcity. Optional scenarios for further improvements will mostly depend on sport technology and modification competition rules.

  20. Extragalactic Peaked-spectrum Radio Sources at Low Frequencies

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Callingham, J. R.; Gaensler, B. M.; Sadler, E. M.; Lenc, E. [Sydney Institute for Astronomy (SIfA), School of Physics, The University of Sydney, NSW 2006 (Australia); Ekers, R. D.; Bell, M. E. [CSIRO Astronomy and Space Science (CASS), Marsfield, NSW 2122 (Australia); Line, J. L. B.; Hancock, P. J.; Kapińska, A. D.; McKinley, B.; Procopio, P. [ARC Centre of Excellence for All-Sky Astrophysics (CAASTRO) (Australia); Hurley-Walker, N.; Tingay, S. J.; Franzen, T. M. O.; Morgan, J. [International Centre for Radio Astronomy Research (ICRAR), Curtin University, Bentley, WA 6102 (Australia); Dwarakanath, K. S. [Raman Research Institute (RRI), Bangalore 560080 (India); For, B.-Q. [International Centre for Radio Astronomy Research (ICRAR), The University of Western Australia, Crawley, WA 6009 (Australia); Hindson, L.; Johnston-Hollitt, M. [School of Chemical and Physical Sciences, Victoria University of Wellington, Wellington 6140 (New Zealand); Offringa, A. R., E-mail: joseph.callingham@sydney.edu.au [Netherlands Institute for Radio Astronomy (ASTRON), Dwingeloo (Netherlands); and others

    2017-02-20

    We present a sample of 1483 sources that display spectral peaks between 72 MHz and 1.4 GHz, selected from the GaLactic and Extragalactic All-sky Murchison Widefield Array (GLEAM) survey. The GLEAM survey is the widest fractional bandwidth all-sky survey to date, ideal for identifying peaked-spectrum sources at low radio frequencies. Our peaked-spectrum sources are the low-frequency analogs of gigahertz-peaked spectrum (GPS) and compact-steep spectrum (CSS) sources, which have been hypothesized to be the precursors to massive radio galaxies. Our sample more than doubles the number of known peaked-spectrum candidates, and 95% of our sample have a newly characterized spectral peak. We highlight that some GPS sources peaking above 5 GHz have had multiple epochs of nuclear activity, and we demonstrate the possibility of identifying high-redshift ( z > 2) galaxies via steep optically thin spectral indices and low observed peak frequencies. The distribution of the optically thick spectral indices of our sample is consistent with past GPS/CSS samples but with a large dispersion, suggesting that the spectral peak is a product of an inhomogeneous environment that is individualistic. We find no dependence of observed peak frequency with redshift, consistent with the peaked-spectrum sample comprising both local CSS sources and high-redshift GPS sources. The 5 GHz luminosity distribution lacks the brightest GPS and CSS sources of previous samples, implying that a convolution of source evolution and redshift influences the type of peaked-spectrum sources identified below 1 GHz. Finally, we discuss sources with optically thick spectral indices that exceed the synchrotron self-absorption limit.

  1. Robust Peak Recognition in Intracranial Pressure Signals

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Bergsneider Marvin

    2010-10-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background The waveform morphology of intracranial pressure pulses (ICP is an essential indicator for monitoring, and forecasting critical intracranial and cerebrovascular pathophysiological variations. While current ICP pulse analysis frameworks offer satisfying results on most of the pulses, we observed that the performance of several of them deteriorates significantly on abnormal, or simply more challenging pulses. Methods This paper provides two contributions to this problem. First, it introduces MOCAIP++, a generic ICP pulse processing framework that generalizes MOCAIP (Morphological Clustering and Analysis of ICP Pulse. Its strength is to integrate several peak recognition methods to describe ICP morphology, and to exploit different ICP features to improve peak recognition. Second, it investigates the effect of incorporating, automatically identified, challenging pulses into the training set of peak recognition models. Results Experiments on a large dataset of ICP signals, as well as on a representative collection of sampled challenging ICP pulses, demonstrate that both contributions are complementary and significantly improve peak recognition performance in clinical conditions. Conclusion The proposed framework allows to extract more reliable statistics about the ICP waveform morphology on challenging pulses to investigate the predictive power of these pulses on the condition of the patient.

  2. Ultra-high performance liquid chromatography tandem high-resolution mass spectrometry study of tricyclazole photodegradation products in water.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gosetti, Fabio; Chiuminatto, Ugo; Mazzucco, Eleonora; Mastroianni, Rita; Bolfi, Bianca; Marengo, Emilio

    2015-06-01

    This paper reports the study of the photodegradation reactions that tricyclazole can naturally undergo, under the action of sunlight, in aqueous solutions of standard tricyclazole and of the commercial BEAM(TM) formulation. The analyses are carried out by ultra-high performance liquid chromatography technique coupled with high-resolution tandem mass spectrometry. Analysis of both tricyclazole and BEAM(TM) water solutions undergone to hydrolysis does not evidence new chromatographic peaks with respect to the not treated solutions. On the contrary, analysis of the same samples subjected to sunlight irradiation shows a decreased intensity of tricyclazole signal and the presence of new chromatographic peaks. Two photodegradation products of tricyclazole have been identified, one of which has been also quantified, being the commercial standard available. The pattern is similar for the solutions of the standard fungicide and of the BEAM(TM) formulation. The results obtained from eco-toxicological tests show that toxicity of tricyclazole standard solutions is greater than that of the irradiated ones, whereas toxicity levels of all the BEAM(TM) solutions investigated (non-irradiated, irradiated, and hydrolyzed) are comparable and lower than those shown by tricyclazole standard solutions. Experiments performed in paddy water solution show that there is no difference in the degradation products formed.

  3. Endurance, aerobic high-intensity, and repeated sprint cycling performance is unaffected by normobaric "Live High-Train Low"

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Bejder, Jacob; Andersen, Andreas Breenfeldt; Buchardt, Rie

    2017-01-01

    The aim was to investigate whether 6 weeks of normobaric "Live High-Train Low" (LHTL) using altitude tents affect highly trained athletes incremental peak power, 26-km time-trial cycling performance, 3-min all-out performance, and 30-s repeated sprint ability. In a double-blinded, placebo......-controlled cross-over design, seven highly trained triathletes were exposed to 6 weeks of normobaric hypoxia (LHTL) and normoxia (placebo) for 8 h/day. LHTL exposure consisted of 2 weeks at 2500 m, 2 weeks at 3000 m, and 2 weeks at 3500 m. Power output during an incremental test, ~26-km time trial, 3-min all...... conducted in a double-blinded, placebo-controlled cross-over design do not affect power output during an incremental test, a ~26-km time-trial test, or 3-min all-out exercise in highly trained triathletes. Furthermore, 30 s of repeated sprint ability was unaltered....

  4. Peak height velocity as an alternative for maturational classification associated with motor performance

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Leonardo Trevizan Costa

    2009-01-01

    Full Text Available Adolescence is a phase characterized by important physical and maturational alterations, with individuals of the same chronological age, but who are more mature, may present sportive advantages because of greater force gain and additional muscle mass. Thus, in studies evaluating motor skills of children and adolescents, maturational classification should be an efficient and easily applicable tool in order to facilitate the interpretation of the true relationship between maturation and motor performance. Therefore, the objective of this study was to compare the relationship between motor performance and different types of classification of biological maturation in 209 boys aged to 17 years (11.59 ± 2.57 practicing soccer. Anthropometric variables were obtained according to the ISAK criteria. Biological maturation was determined based on age at peak height velocity (PHV and also by self-assessment of sexual maturation (genitalia and pubic hair. Motor performance was evaluated by sit-and-reach tests, horizontal jump, modified push-ups, 50-m run, and 9/12-min run/walk. The results showed progression in the variables analyzed as the subjects reached maturity. Correlation analysis and the egression values indicated higher consistency for the PHV classification, which better explained motor performance according to maturational status, exceeding the values obtained by comparison according to age or sexual maturation. Thus, the use of PHV as a classification instrument is preferably recommended for youngsters with haracteristics similar to those of the present sample.

  5. Peak-Seeking Control for Trim Optimization

    Data.gov (United States)

    National Aeronautics and Space Administration — Innovators have developed a peak-seeking algorithm that can reduce drag and improve performance and fuel efficiency by optimizing aircraft trim in real time. The...

  6. High-performance flat-panel solar thermoelectric generators with high thermal concentration

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kraemer, Daniel; Poudel, Bed; Feng, Hsien-Ping; Caylor, J. Christopher; Yu, Bo; Yan, Xiao; Ma, Yi; Wang, Xiaowei; Wang, Dezhi; Muto, Andrew; McEnaney, Kenneth; Chiesa, Matteo; Ren, Zhifeng; Chen, Gang

    2011-07-01

    The conversion of sunlight into electricity has been dominated by photovoltaic and solar thermal power generation. Photovoltaic cells are deployed widely, mostly as flat panels, whereas solar thermal electricity generation relying on optical concentrators and mechanical heat engines is only seen in large-scale power plants. Here we demonstrate a promising flat-panel solar thermal to electric power conversion technology based on the Seebeck effect and high thermal concentration, thus enabling wider applications. The developed solar thermoelectric generators (STEGs) achieved a peak efficiency of 4.6% under AM1.5G (1 kW m-2) conditions. The efficiency is 7-8 times higher than the previously reported best value for a flat-panel STEG, and is enabled by the use of high-performance nanostructured thermoelectric materials and spectrally-selective solar absorbers in an innovative design that exploits high thermal concentration in an evacuated environment. Our work opens up a promising new approach which has the potential to achieve cost-effective conversion of solar energy into electricity.

  7. High-performance flat-panel solar thermoelectric generators with high thermal concentration.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kraemer, Daniel; Poudel, Bed; Feng, Hsien-Ping; Caylor, J Christopher; Yu, Bo; Yan, Xiao; Ma, Yi; Wang, Xiaowei; Wang, Dezhi; Muto, Andrew; McEnaney, Kenneth; Chiesa, Matteo; Ren, Zhifeng; Chen, Gang

    2011-05-01

    The conversion of sunlight into electricity has been dominated by photovoltaic and solar thermal power generation. Photovoltaic cells are deployed widely, mostly as flat panels, whereas solar thermal electricity generation relying on optical concentrators and mechanical heat engines is only seen in large-scale power plants. Here we demonstrate a promising flat-panel solar thermal to electric power conversion technology based on the Seebeck effect and high thermal concentration, thus enabling wider applications. The developed solar thermoelectric generators (STEGs) achieved a peak efficiency of 4.6% under AM1.5G (1 kW m(-2)) conditions. The efficiency is 7-8 times higher than the previously reported best value for a flat-panel STEG, and is enabled by the use of high-performance nanostructured thermoelectric materials and spectrally-selective solar absorbers in an innovative design that exploits high thermal concentration in an evacuated environment. Our work opens up a promising new approach which has the potential to achieve cost-effective conversion of solar energy into electricity. © 2011 Macmillan Publishers Limited. All rights reserved

  8. Between-game variation of physical soccer performance measures in highly trained youth soccer players.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Doncaster, Greg; Unnithan, Viswanath

    2017-07-12

    To assess the between-game variation in measures of physical performance during 11 v 11 soccer match-play, over a short period of time, in highly trained youth soccer players. A single cohort observational study design was employed. Physical match performance data were collected from 17 male, highly trained youth soccer players (age: 13.3 ± 0.4 y) over three, 2 x 20min, 11 v 11 matches. Using 10 Hz GPS, the variables selected for analyses were total distance (TD), high-speed running (HSR), very high-speed running (VHSR), number of high-speed running efforts (HSReff) and number of very high-speed running efforts (VHSReff). Match data was also separated into cumulative 5 min epochs, to identify the peak 5 min epoch and the mean of the cumulative 5 min epochs for each match. Variability was quantified using the coefficient of variation (CV), Standard error of measurement (SEM) and intra-class correlation coefficient (ICC). Between- and within-player smallest worthwhile changes (SWC) were also calculated for each variable to aid in the interpretation of the data. Analysis of the variance between games reported a low CV for TD (3.8%) but larger CVs for HSR (33.3%), HSReff (35.4%) and VHSR and VHSReff (59.6 and 57.4 %, respectively). Analysis of 5 min epochs (peak and average) found an increase in the CVs beyond that of the values reported for the whole match. Between-player SWC in high intensity physical performance data ranged from 24.7 - 42.4 %, whereas within-player SWC ranged from 1.2 - 79.9%. The between-game variability of high and very high intensity activities in youth soccer players, across three soccer matches over a short period of time (2 weeks), is relatively 'large' and specific to the individual, thus highlighting the need for caution when interpreting physical performance data between games and players.

  9. Identification of Raman peaks of high-T{sub c} cuprates in normal state through density of states

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Bishoyi, K.C. [P.G. Department of Physics, F.M. College (Auto.), Balasore 756 001 (India)]. E-mail: bishoyi@iopb.res.in; Rout, G.C. [Condensed Matter Physics Group, Govt. Science College, Chatrapur 761 020, Orissa (India); Behera, S.N. [Physics Enclave, H.I.G.-23/1, Housing Board Phase-I, Chandrasekharpur, Bhubaneswar 7510016 (India)

    2007-05-31

    We present a microscopic theory to explain and identify the Raman spectral peaks of high-T{sub c} cuprates R{sub 2-x}M{sub x}CuO{sub 4} in the normal state. We used electronic Hamiltonian prescribed by Fulde in presence of anti-ferromagnetism. Phonon interaction to the hybridization between the conduction electrons of the system and the f-electrons has been incorporated in the calculation. The phonon spectral density is calculated by the Green's function technique of Zubarev at zero wave vector and finite (room) temperature limit. The four Raman active peaks (P{sub 1}-P{sub 4}) representing the electronic states of the atomic sub-systems of the cuprate system are identified by the calculated quasi-particle energy bands and electron density of states (DOS). The effect of interactions on these peaks are also explained.

  10. High-resolution 129I bomb peak profile in an ice core from SE-Dome site, Greenland.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bautista, Angel T; Miyake, Yasuto; Matsuzaki, Hiroyuki; Iizuka, Yoshinori; Horiuchi, Kazuho

    2018-04-01

    129 I in natural archives, such as ice cores, can be used as a proxy for human nuclear activities, age marker, and environmental tracer. Currently, there is only one published record of 129 I in ice core (i.e., from Fiescherhorn Glacier, Swiss Alps) and its limited time resolution (1-2 years) prevents the full use of 129 I for the mentioned applications. Here we show 129 I concentrations in an ice core from SE-Dome, Greenland, covering years 1956-1976 at a time resolution of ∼6 months, the most detailed record to date. Results revealed 129 I bomb peaks in years 1959, 1962, and 1963, associated to tests performed by the former Soviet Union, one year prior, in its Novaya Zemlya test site. All 129 I bomb peaks were observed in winter (1958.9, 1962.1, and 1963.0), while tritium bomb peaks, another prominent radionuclide associated with nuclear bomb testing, were observed in spring or summer (1959.3, and 1963.6; Iizuka et al., 2017). These results indicate that 129 I bomb peaks can be used as annual and seasonal age markers for these years. Furthermore, we found that 129 I recorded nuclear fuel reprocessing signals and that these can be potentially used to correct timing of estimated 129 I releases during years 1964-1976. Comparisons with other published records of 129 I in natural archives showed that 129 I can be used as common age marker and tracer for different types of records. Most notably, the 1963 129 I bomb peak can be used as common age marker for ice and coral cores, providing the means to reconcile age models and associated trends from the polar and tropical regions, respectively. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  11. Gamma-Ray Peak Integration: Accuracy and Precision

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Richard M. Lindstrom

    2000-01-01

    The accuracy of singlet gamma-ray peak areas obtained by a peak analysis program is immaterial. If the same algorithm is used for sample measurement as for calibration and if the peak shapes are similar, then biases in the integration method cancel. Reproducibility is the only important issue. Even the uncertainty of the areas computed by the program is trivial because the true standard uncertainty can be experimentally assessed by repeated measurements of the same source. Reproducible peak integration was important in a recent standard reference material certification task. The primary tool used for spectrum analysis was SUM, a National Institute of Standards and Technology interactive program to sum peaks and subtract a linear background, using the same channels to integrate all 20 spectra. For comparison, this work examines other peak integration programs. Unlike some published comparisons of peak performance in which synthetic spectra were used, this experiment used spectra collected for a real (though exacting) analytical project, analyzed by conventional software used in routine ways. Because both components of the 559- to 564-keV doublet are from 76 As, they were integrated together with SUM. The other programs, however, deconvoluted the peaks. A sensitive test of the fitting algorithm is the ratio of reported peak areas. In almost all the cases, this ratio was much more variable than expected from the reported uncertainties reported by the program. Other comparisons to be reported indicate that peak integration is still an imperfect tool in the analysis of gamma-ray spectra

  12. The effect of energy peak drift on the calibration of a high resolution gamma-ray soil density gauge

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Henshall, J.K.

    1994-01-01

    High spatial resolution is obtained from a gamma-ray transmission density gauge by restricting the measured counts to a narrow band of the energy spectrum, close to the emission energy peak. The effect on measurement accuracy of any movement of this measurement window relative to the energy peak was investigated. The findings were related to anticipated energy peak movements in a proposed LED-based gain-stabilization system. Movements of the energy peaks during recording of unstabilized spectra prevented direct comparisons of spectra at different positions. A simulation procedure was, therefore, developed in which movements of the measurement window relative to sets of stable calibration spectra were examined. When analysing spectra, recorded using a gauge with a different gain-stabilization system, accuracy was found to be unaffected by simulated peak movements of up to 0.03 MeV in the direction of increasing energy. However, movements of stabilized spectra in the direction of decreasing energy, and of unstabilized spectra in either direction, increased measurement errors to twice the level of inherent measurement errors within 0.02 MeV, with errors in bulk density of up to 0.7 Mg m −3 for movements of 0.1 MeV. The spectra of the new LED-based stabilization system are expected to behave in a manner similar to the unstabilized system, therefore requiring regular monitoring of the peak position. (author)

  13. The road to gold: training and peaking characteristics in the year prior to a gold medal endurance performance.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tønnessen, Espen; Sylta, Øystein; Haugen, Thomas A; Hem, Erlend; Svendsen, Ida S; Seiler, Stephen

    2014-01-01

    To describe training variations across the annual cycle in Olympic and World Champion endurance athletes, and determine whether these athletes used tapering strategies in line with recommendations in the literature. Eleven elite XC skiers and biathletes (4 male; 28±1 yr, 85±5 mL x min(-1) x kg(-1) VO2max, 7 female, 25±4 yr, 73±3 mL x min(-1) x kg(-1) VO2max) reported one year of day-to-day training leading up to the most successful competition of their career. Training data were divided into periodization and peaking phases and distributed into training forms, intensity zones and endurance activity forms. Athletes trained ∼800 h/500 sessions x year(-1), including ∼500 h x year(-1) of sport-specific training. Ninety-four percent of all training was executed as aerobic endurance training. Of this, ∼90% was low intensity training (LIT, below the first lactate threshold) and 10% high intensity training (HIT, above the first lactate threshold) by time. Categorically, 23% of training sessions were characterized as HIT with primary portions executed at or above the first lactate turn point. Training volume and specificity distribution conformed to a traditional periodization model, but absolute volume of HIT remained stable across phases. However, HIT training patterns tended to become more polarized in the competition phase. Training volume, frequency and intensity remained unchanged from pre-peaking to peaking period, but there was a 32±15% (Pphase. The annual training data for these Olympic and World champion XC skiers and biathletes conforms to previously reported training patterns of elite endurance athletes. During the competition phase, training became more sport-specific, with 92% performed as XC skiing. However, they did not follow suggested tapering practice derived from short-term experimental studies. Only three out of 11 athletes took a rest day during the final 5 days prior to their most successful competition.

  14. Statistics of peaks in cosmological nonlinear density fields

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Suginohara, Tatsushi; Suto, Yasushi.

    1990-06-01

    Distribution of the high-density peaks in the universe is examined using N-body simulations. Nonlinear evolution of the underlying density field significantly changes the statistical properties of the peaks, compared with the analytic results valid for the random Gaussian field. In particular, the abundances and correlations of the initial density peaks are discussed in the context of biased galaxy formation theory. (author)

  15. Relationships between electroencephalographic spectral peaks across frequency bands

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Sacha Jennifer Van Albada

    2013-03-01

    Full Text Available The degree to which electroenencephalographic (EEG spectral peaks are independent, and the relationships between their frequencies have been debated. A novel fitting method was used to determine peak parameters in the range 2–35 Hz from a large sample of eyes-closed spectra, and their interrelationships were investigated. Findings were compared with a mean-field model of thalamocortical activity, which predicts near-harmonic relationships between peaks. The subject set consisted of 1424 healthy subjects from the Brain Resource International Database. Peaks in the theta range occurred on average near half the alpha peak frequency, while peaks in the beta range tended to occur near twice and three times the alpha peak frequency on an individual-subject basis. Moreover, for the majority of subjects, alpha peak frequencies were significantly positively correlated with frequencies of peaks in the theta and low and high beta ranges. Such a harmonic progression agrees semiquantitatively with theoretical predictions from the mean-field model. These findings indicate a common or analogous source for different rhythms, and help to define appropriate individual frequency bands for peak identification.

  16. Relationships between Electroencephalographic Spectral Peaks Across Frequency Bands

    Science.gov (United States)

    van Albada, S. J.; Robinson, P. A.

    2013-01-01

    The degree to which electroencephalographic spectral peaks are independent, and the relationships between their frequencies have been debated. A novel fitting method was used to determine peak parameters in the range 2–35 Hz from a large sample of eyes-closed spectra, and their interrelationships were investigated. Findings were compared with a mean-field model of thalamocortical activity, which predicts near-harmonic relationships between peaks. The subject set consisted of 1424 healthy subjects from the Brain Resource International Database. Peaks in the theta range occurred on average near half the alpha peak frequency, while peaks in the beta range tended to occur near twice and three times the alpha peak frequency on an individual-subject basis. Moreover, for the majority of subjects, alpha peak frequencies were significantly positively correlated with frequencies of peaks in the theta and low and high beta ranges. Such a harmonic progression agrees semiquantitatively with theoretical predictions from the mean-field model. These findings indicate a common or analogous source for different rhythms, and help to define appropriate individual frequency bands for peak identification. PMID:23483663

  17. Low carbohydrate, high fat diet impairs exercise economy and negates the performance benefit from intensified training in elite race walkers

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ross, Megan L.; Garvican‐Lewis, Laura A.; Welvaert, Marijke; Heikura, Ida A.; Forbes, Sara G.; Mirtschin, Joanne G.; Cato, Louise E.; Strobel, Nicki; Sharma, Avish P.; Hawley, John A.

    2017-01-01

    Key points Three weeks of intensified training and mild energy deficit in elite race walkers increases peak aerobic capacity independent of dietary support.Adaptation to a ketogenic low carbohydrate, high fat (LCHF) diet markedly increases rates of whole‐body fat oxidation during exercise in race walkers over a range of exercise intensities.The increased rates of fat oxidation result in reduced economy (increased oxygen demand for a given speed) at velocities that translate to real‐life race performance in elite race walkers.In contrast to training with diets providing chronic or periodised high carbohydrate availability, adaptation to an LCHF diet impairs performance in elite endurance athletes despite a significant improvement in peak aerobic capacity. Abstract We investigated the effects of adaptation to a ketogenic low carbohydrate (CHO), high fat diet (LCHF) during 3 weeks of intensified training on metabolism and performance of world‐class endurance athletes. We controlled three isoenergetic diets in elite race walkers: high CHO availability (g kg−1 day−1: 8.6 CHO, 2.1 protein, 1.2 fat) consumed before, during and after training (HCHO, n = 9); identical macronutrient intake, periodised within or between days to alternate between low and high CHO availability (PCHO, n = 10); LCHF (diets providing chronic or periodised high‐CHO availability, and despite a significant improvement in V˙O2 peak , adaptation to the topical LCHF diet negated performance benefits in elite endurance athletes, in part due to reduced exercise economy. PMID:28012184

  18. High performance as-grown and annealed high band gap tunnel junctions: Te behavior at the interface

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Bedair, S. M., E-mail: bedair@ncsu.edu; Harmon, Jeffrey L.; Carlin, C. Zachary; Hashem Sayed, Islam E.; Colter, P. C. [Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, North Carolina 27695 (United States)

    2016-05-16

    The performance of n{sup +}-InGaP(Te)/p{sup +}-AlGaAs(C) high band gap tunnel junctions (TJ) is critical for achieving high efficiency in multijunction photovoltaics. Several limitations for as grown and annealed TJ can be attributed to the Te doping of InGaP and its behavior at the junction interface. Te atoms in InGaP tend to get attached at step edges, resulting in a Te memory effect. In this work, we use the peak tunneling current (J{sub pk}) in this TJ as a diagnostic tool to study the behavior of the Te dopant at the TJ interface. Additionally, we used our understanding of Te behavior at the interface, guided by device modeling, to modify the Te source shut-off procedure and the growth rate. These modifications lead to a record performance for both the as-grown (2000 A/cm{sup 2}) and annealed (1000 A/cm{sup 2}) high band gap tunnel junction.

  19. Does team lifting increase the variability in peak lumbar compression in ironworkers?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Faber, Gert; Visser, Steven; van der Molen, Henk F; Kuijer, P Paul F M; Hoozemans, Marco J M; Van Dieën, Jaap H; Frings-Dresen, Monique H W

    2012-01-01

    Ironworkers frequently perform heavy lifting tasks in teams of two or four workers. Team lifting could potentially lead to a higher variation in peak lumbar compression forces than lifts performed by one worker, resulting in higher maximal peak lumbar compression forces. This study compared single-worker lifts (25-kg, iron bar) to two-worker lifts (50-kg, two iron bars) and to four-worker lifts (100-kg, iron lattice). Inverse dynamics was used to calculate peak lumbar compression forces. To assess the variability in peak lumbar loading, all three lifting tasks were performed six times. Results showed that the variability in peak lumbar loading was somewhat higher in the team lifts compared to the single-worker lifts. However, despite this increased variability, team lifts did not result in larger maximum peak lumbar compression forces. Therefore, it was concluded that, from a biomechanical point of view, team lifting does not result in an additional risk for low back complaints in ironworkers.

  20. Sodium bicarbonate improves 4 km time trial cycling performance when individualised to time to peak blood bicarbonate in trained male cyclists.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gough, Lewis A; Deb, Sanjoy K; Sparks, S Andy; McNaughton, Lars R

    2018-08-01

    The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of sodium bicarbonate (NaHCO 3 ) on 4 km cycling time trial (TT) performance when individualised to a predetermined time to peak blood bicarbonate (HCO 3 - ). Eleven male trained cyclists volunteered for this study (height 1.82 ± 0.80 m, body mass (BM) 86.4 ± 12.9 kg, age 32 ± 9 years, peak power output (PPO) 382 ± 22 W). Two trials were initially conducted to identify time to peak HCO 3 - following both 0.2 g . kg -1 BM (SBC2) and 0.3 g . kg -1 BM (SBC3) NaHCO 3 . Thereafter, on three separate occasions using a randomised, double-blind, crossover design, participants completed a 4 km TT following ingestion of either SBC2, SBC3, or a taste-matched placebo (PLA) containing 0.07 g . kg -1 BM sodium chloride (NaCl) at the predetermined individual time to peak HCO 3 - . Both SBC2 (-8.3 ± 3.5 s; p < 0.001, d = 0.64) and SBC3 (-8.6 ± 5.4 s; p = 0.003, d = 0.66) reduced the time to complete the 4 km TT, with no difference between SBC conditions (mean difference = 0.2 ± 0.2 s; p = 0.87, d = 0.02). These findings suggest trained cyclists may benefit from individualising NaHCO 3 ingestion to time to peak HCO 3 - to enhance 4 km TT performance.

  1. Combining multiple ChIP-seq peak detection systems using combinatorial fusion.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Schweikert, Christina; Brown, Stuart; Tang, Zuojian; Smith, Phillip R; Hsu, D Frank

    2012-01-01

    Due to the recent rapid development in ChIP-seq technologies, which uses high-throughput next-generation DNA sequencing to identify the targets of Chromatin Immunoprecipitation, there is an increasing amount of sequencing data being generated that provides us with greater opportunity to analyze genome-wide protein-DNA interactions. In particular, we are interested in evaluating and enhancing computational and statistical techniques for locating protein binding sites. Many peak detection systems have been developed; in this study, we utilize the following six: CisGenome, MACS, PeakSeq, QuEST, SISSRs, and TRLocator. We define two methods to merge and rescore the regions of two peak detection systems and analyze the performance based on average precision and coverage of transcription start sites. The results indicate that ChIP-seq peak detection can be improved by fusion using score or rank combination. Our method of combination and fusion analysis would provide a means for generic assessment of available technologies and systems and assist researchers in choosing an appropriate system (or fusion method) for analyzing ChIP-seq data. This analysis offers an alternate approach for increasing true positive rates, while decreasing false positive rates and hence improving the ChIP-seq peak identification process.

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

    CERN Document Server

    De Geronimo, G; Kandasamy, A

    2002-01-01

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

  3. Peak capacity and peak capacity per unit time in capillary and microchip zone electrophoresis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Foley, Joe P; Blackney, Donna M; Ennis, Erin J

    2017-11-10

    The origins of the peak capacity concept are described and the important contributions to the development of that concept in chromatography and electrophoresis are reviewed. Whereas numerous quantitative expressions have been reported for one- and two-dimensional separations, most are focused on chromatographic separations and few, if any, quantitative unbiased expressions have been developed for capillary or microchip zone electrophoresis. Making the common assumption that longitudinal diffusion is the predominant source of zone broadening in capillary electrophoresis, analytical expressions for the peak capacity are derived, first in terms of migration time, diffusion coefficient, migration distance, and desired resolution, and then in terms of the remaining underlying fundamental parameters (electric field, electroosmotic and electrophoretic mobilities) that determine the migration time. The latter expressions clearly illustrate the direct square root dependence of peak capacity on electric field and migration distance and the inverse square root dependence on solute diffusion coefficient. Conditions that result in a high peak capacity will result in a low peak capacity per unit time and vice-versa. For a given symmetrical range of relative electrophoretic mobilities for co- and counter-electroosmotic species (cations and anions), the peak capacity increases with the square root of the electric field even as the temporal window narrows considerably, resulting in a significant reduction in analysis time. Over a broad relative electrophoretic mobility interval [-0.9, 0.9], an approximately two-fold greater amount of peak capacity can be generated for counter-electroosmotic species although it takes about five-fold longer to do so, consistent with the well-known bias in migration time and resolving power for co- and counter-electroosmotic species. The optimum lower bound of the relative electrophoretic mobility interval [μ r,Z , μ r,A ] that provides the maximum

  4. High-performance liquid chromatography of rat and mouse islet polypeptides

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Linde, S; Hansen, B; Welinder, B S

    1990-01-01

    After preparative high-performance liquid chromatography of mouse islet culture medium, concentrated on disposable C18 cartridges (Sep-Pak), an unexpected insulin immunoreactive peak eluting earlier than mouse insulin I and II was detected. Molecular mass determination by mass spectrometry...... on the buffer, the organic modifier and the procedure. In particular the use of methanol-trifluoroacetic acid resulted in extensive oxidation. The oxidation could be minimized by adding 2 mM dithiothreitol to the buffer and by degassing and/or nitrogen-bubbling of the buffer. Minimal formation of Met...

  5. Detecting and accounting for multiple sources of positional variance in peak list registration analysis and spin system grouping.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Smelter, Andrey; Rouchka, Eric C; Moseley, Hunter N B

    2017-08-01

    Peak lists derived from nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectra are commonly used as input data for a variety of computer assisted and automated analyses. These include automated protein resonance assignment and protein structure calculation software tools. Prior to these analyses, peak lists must be aligned to each other and sets of related peaks must be grouped based on common chemical shift dimensions. Even when programs can perform peak grouping, they require the user to provide uniform match tolerances or use default values. However, peak grouping is further complicated by multiple sources of variance in peak position limiting the effectiveness of grouping methods that utilize uniform match tolerances. In addition, no method currently exists for deriving peak positional variances from single peak lists for grouping peaks into spin systems, i.e. spin system grouping within a single peak list. Therefore, we developed a complementary pair of peak list registration analysis and spin system grouping algorithms designed to overcome these limitations. We have implemented these algorithms into an approach that can identify multiple dimension-specific positional variances that exist in a single peak list and group peaks from a single peak list into spin systems. The resulting software tools generate a variety of useful statistics on both a single peak list and pairwise peak list alignment, especially for quality assessment of peak list datasets. We used a range of low and high quality experimental solution NMR and solid-state NMR peak lists to assess performance of our registration analysis and grouping algorithms. Analyses show that an algorithm using a single iteration and uniform match tolerances approach is only able to recover from 50 to 80% of the spin systems due to the presence of multiple sources of variance. Our algorithm recovers additional spin systems by reevaluating match tolerances in multiple iterations. To facilitate evaluation of the

  6. Explanation of the surface peak in charge integrated LEIS spectra

    CERN Document Server

    Draxler, M; Taglauer, E; Schmid, K; Gruber, R; Ermolov, S N; Bauer, P

    2003-01-01

    Low energy ion scattering is very surface sensitive if scattered ions are analyzed. By time-of-flight (TOF) techniques, also neutral and charge integrated spectra (ions plus neutrals) can be obtained, which yield information about deeper layers. In the literature, the observation of a more or less pronounced surface peak was reported for charge integrated spectra, the intensity of the surface peak being higher at low energies and for heavy projectiles. Aiming at a more profound physical understanding of this surface peak, we performed TOF-experiments and computer simulations for He projectiles and a copper target. Experiments were done in the range 1-9 keV for a scattering angle of 129 deg. . The simulation was performed using the MARLOWE code for the given experimental parameters and a polycrystalline target. At low energies, a pronounced surface peak was observed, which fades away at higher energies. This peak is quantitatively reproduced by the simulation, and corresponds to scattering from approx 2 atomic...

  7. Comparison of public peak detection algorithms for MALDI mass spectrometry data analysis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yang, Chao; He, Zengyou; Yu, Weichuan

    2009-01-06

    In mass spectrometry (MS) based proteomic data analysis, peak detection is an essential step for subsequent analysis. Recently, there has been significant progress in the development of various peak detection algorithms. However, neither a comprehensive survey nor an experimental comparison of these algorithms is yet available. The main objective of this paper is to provide such a survey and to compare the performance of single spectrum based peak detection methods. In general, we can decompose a peak detection procedure into three consequent parts: smoothing, baseline correction and peak finding. We first categorize existing peak detection algorithms according to the techniques used in different phases. Such a categorization reveals the differences and similarities among existing peak detection algorithms. Then, we choose five typical peak detection algorithms to conduct a comprehensive experimental study using both simulation data and real MALDI MS data. The results of comparison show that the continuous wavelet-based algorithm provides the best average performance.

  8. Peak-interviewet

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Raalskov, Jesper; Warming-Rasmussen, Bent

    Peak-interviewet er en særlig effektiv metode til at gøre ubevidste menneskelige ressourcer bevidste. Fokuspersonen (den interviewede) interviewes om en selvvalgt, personlig succesoplevelse. Terapeuten/coachen (intervieweren) spørger ind til processen, som ledte hen til denne succes. Herved afdæk...... fokuspersonen ønsker at tage op (nye mål eller nye processer). Nærværende workingpaper beskriver, hvad der menes med et peak-interview, peakinterviwets teoretiske fundament samt metodikken til at foretage et tillidsfuldt og effektiv peak-interview....

  9. 'Peak oil' or 'peak demand'?

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Chevallier, Bruno; Moncomble, Jean-Eudes; Sigonney, Pierre; Vially, Rolland; Bosseboeuf, Didier; Chateau, Bertrand

    2012-01-01

    This article reports a workshop which addressed several energy issues like the objectives and constraints of energy mix scenarios, the differences between the approaches in different countries, the cost of new technologies implemented for this purposes, how these technologies will be developed and marketed, which will be the environmental and societal acceptability of these technical choices. Different aspects and issues have been more precisely presented and discussed: the peak oil, development of shale gases and their cost (will non conventional hydrocarbons modify the peak oil and be socially accepted?), energy efficiency (its benefits, its reality in France and other countries, its position in front of the challenge of energy transition), and strategies in the transport sector (challenges for mobility, evolution towards a model of sustainable mobility)

  10. THE EFFECTS OF AREA CONTRACTION ON SHOCK WAVE STRENGTH AND PEAK PRESSURE IN SHOCK TUBE

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    A. M. Mohsen

    2012-06-01

    Full Text Available This paper presents an experimental investigation into the effects of area contraction on shock wave strength and peak pressure in a shock tube. The shock tube is an important component of the short duration, high speed fluid flow test facility, available at the Universiti Tenaga Nasional (UNITEN, Malaysia. The area contraction was facilitated by positioning a bush adjacent to the primary diaphragm section, which separates the driver and driven sections. Experimental measurements were performed with and without the presence of the bush, at various diaphragm pressure ratios, which is the ratio of air pressure between the driver (high pressure and driven (low pressure sections. The instantaneous static pressure variations were measured at two locations close to the driven tube end wall, using high sensitivity pressure sensors, which allow the shock wave strength, shock wave speed and peak pressure to be analysed. The results reveal that the area contraction significantly reduces the shock wave strength, shock wave speed and peak pressure. At a diaphragm pressure ratio of 10, the shock wave strength decreases by 18%, the peak pressure decreases by 30% and the shock wave speed decreases by 8%.

  11. Automated Peak Picking and Peak Integration in Macromolecular NMR Spectra Using AUTOPSY

    Science.gov (United States)

    Koradi, Reto; Billeter, Martin; Engeli, Max; Güntert, Peter; Wüthrich, Kurt

    1998-12-01

    A new approach for automated peak picking of multidimensional protein NMR spectra with strong overlap is introduced, which makes use of the program AUTOPSY (automatedpeak picking for NMRspectroscopy). The main elements of this program are a novel function for local noise level calculation, the use of symmetry considerations, and the use of lineshapes extracted from well-separated peaks for resolving groups of strongly overlapping peaks. The algorithm generates peak lists with precise chemical shift and integral intensities, and a reliability measure for the recognition of each peak. The results of automated peak picking of NOESY spectra with AUTOPSY were tested in combination with the combined automated NOESY cross peak assignment and structure calculation routine NOAH implemented in the program DYANA. The quality of the resulting structures was found to be comparable with those from corresponding data obtained with manual peak picking.

  12. Comparative analysis of peak-detection techniques for comprehensive two-dimensional chromatography.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Latha, Indu; Reichenbach, Stephen E; Tao, Qingping

    2011-09-23

    Comprehensive two-dimensional gas chromatography (GC×GC) is a powerful technology for separating complex samples. The typical goal of GC×GC peak detection is to aggregate data points of analyte peaks based on their retention times and intensities. Two techniques commonly used for two-dimensional peak detection are the two-step algorithm and the watershed algorithm. A recent study [4] compared the performance of the two-step and watershed algorithms for GC×GC data with retention-time shifts in the second-column separations. In that analysis, the peak retention-time shifts were corrected while applying the two-step algorithm but the watershed algorithm was applied without shift correction. The results indicated that the watershed algorithm has a higher probability of erroneously splitting a single two-dimensional peak than the two-step approach. This paper reconsiders the analysis by comparing peak-detection performance for resolved peaks after correcting retention-time shifts for both the two-step and watershed algorithms. Simulations with wide-ranging conditions indicate that when shift correction is employed with both algorithms, the watershed algorithm detects resolved peaks with greater accuracy than the two-step method. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  13. Bulk power system performance issues affecting utility peaking capacity additions

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Garrity, T.F. [GE Power Sytems, Schenectady, NY (United States)

    1994-12-31

    This paper presents a discussion of transmission system constraints and problems that affect the siting and rating of peaking capacity additions. Techniques for addressing and modifying these concerns are presented. Particular attention is paid to techniques that have been successfully used by utilities to improve power transfer and system loadability, while avoiding the construction of additional transmission lines. Proven techniques for dealing with thermal, short-circuit level and stability issues are presented.

  14. Leveraging probabilistic peak detection to estimate baseline drift in complex chromatographic samples.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lopatka, Martin; Barcaru, Andrei; Sjerps, Marjan J; Vivó-Truyols, Gabriel

    2016-01-29

    Accurate analysis of chromatographic data often requires the removal of baseline drift. A frequently employed strategy strives to determine asymmetric weights in order to fit a baseline model by regression. Unfortunately, chromatograms characterized by a very high peak saturation pose a significant challenge to such algorithms. In addition, a low signal-to-noise ratio (i.e. s/npeak detection algorithm. A posterior probability of being affected by a peak is computed for each point in the chromatogram, leading to a set of weights that allow non-iterative calculation of a baseline estimate. For extremely saturated chromatograms, the peak weighted (PW) method demonstrates notable improvement compared to the other methods examined. However, in chromatograms characterized by low-noise and well-resolved peaks, the asymmetric least squares (ALS) and the more sophisticated Mixture Model (MM) approaches achieve superior results in significantly less time. We evaluate the performance of these three baseline correction methods over a range of chromatographic conditions to demonstrate the cases in which each method is most appropriate. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  15. Analysis of the location for peak heating in CHP based combined district heating systems

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Wang, Haichao; Lahdelma, Risto; Wang, Xin; Jiao, Wenling; Zhu, Chuanzhi; Zou, Pinghua

    2015-01-01

    Combined heat and power (CHP) is the main technology for providing the base load of district heating in China. However, CHP is not efficient for providing the peak load; instead, a peak boiler with high efficiency could be used to compensate the peak load. This paper studies how the location of the peak boiler can affect the energy efficiency and economic performance of such CHP based combined district heating system. Firstly, the connection mode and the control strategy for different peak heating locations are analyzed. Then the effect of the peak boiler's location on the initial investment of the network and the cost for distributing heat is studied. The objective is to place the peak boiler in a location where the overall costs are the smallest. Following this rule, the results indicate that the peak boiler should be located at the CHP plant if that allows using cheaper ‘self-use electricity’ in CHP for distributing the heat. However, if the market electricity price is used everywhere, or if energy efficiency is more emphasized, the location of the peak boiler should be closer to the users with dense heat loads. - Highlights: • Location for peak heating in the CHP based combined DH system is studied. • Regulation or control strategies for combined DH are summarized. • The heat load duration curve for combined DH is demonstrated. • Network design for combined DH with peak boiler outside of the CHP is analyzed

  16. Peak effect in twinned superconductors

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Larkin, A.I.; Marchetti, M.C.; Vinokur, V.M.

    1995-01-01

    A sharp maximum in the critical current J c as a function of temperature just below the melting point of the Abrikosov flux lattice has recently been observed in both low- and high-temperature superconductors. This peak effect is strongest in twinned crystals for fields aligned with the twin planes. We propose that this peak signals the breakdown of the collective pinning regime and the crossover to strong pinning of single vortices on the twin boundaries. This crossover is very sharp and can account for the steep drop of the differential resistivity observed in experiments. copyright 1995 The American Physical Society

  17. Non-Planar Nanotube and Wavy Architecture Based Ultra-High Performance Field Effect Transistors

    KAUST Repository

    Hanna, Amir

    2016-11-01

    This dissertation presents a unique concept for a device architecture named the nanotube (NT) architecture, which is capable of higher drive current compared to the Gate-All-Around Nanowire architecture when applied to heterostructure Tunnel Field Effect Transistors. Through the use of inner/outer core-shell gates, heterostructure NT TFET leverages physically larger tunneling area thus achieving higher driver current (ION) and saving real estates by eliminating arraying requirement. We discuss the physics of p-type (Silicon/Indium Arsenide) and n-type (Silicon/Germanium hetero-structure) based TFETs. Numerical TCAD simulations have shown that NT TFETs have 5x and 1.6 x higher normalized ION when compared to GAA NW TFET for p and n-type TFETs, respectively. This is due to the availability of larger tunneling junction cross sectional area, and lower Shockley-Reed-Hall recombination, while achieving sub 60 mV/dec performance for more than 5 orders of magnitude of drain current, thus enabling scaling down of Vdd to 0.5 V. This dissertation also introduces a novel thin-film-transistors architecture that is named the Wavy Channel (WC) architecture, which allows for extending device width by integrating vertical fin-like substrate corrugations giving rise to up to 50% larger device width, without occupying extra chip area. The novel architecture shows 2x higher output drive current per unit chip area when compared to conventional planar architecture. The current increase is attributed to both the extra device width and 50% enhancement in field effect mobility due to electrostatic gating effects. Digital circuits are fabricated to demonstrate the potential of integrating WC TFT based circuits. WC inverters have shown 2× the peak-to-peak output voltage for the same input, and ~2× the operation frequency of the planar inverters for the same peak-to-peak output voltage. WC NAND circuits have shown 2× higher peak-to-peak output voltage, and 3× lower high-to-low propagation

  18. High peak power processing up to 100 MV/M on various metallic samples

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Luong, M.; Bonin, B.; Safa, H.

    1996-01-01

    The high peak power processing (HPPP) is a well established way to reduce electronic field emission from radiofrequency (RF) metallic surfaces. The processing occurs because of some kind of instability destroys the emitter, but the basic physical mechanism at work has not yet been clearly identified. RF processing experiments on samples of restricted area, are described with well localized artificial emitting sites (protrusions from scratches on the sample surface). In order to disentangle the role of thermal and mechanical effects, in the processing, the samples were made from metals with different melting temperatures and tensile strengths. (author)

  19. High peak power processing up to 100 MV/m on various metallic samples

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Luong, M.; Bonin, B.; Safa, H.; Le Goff, A.

    1996-01-01

    The high peak power processing (HPPP) is a well established way to reduce electronic field emission from radiofrequency (RF) metallic surfaces. The processing occurs because of some kind of instability destroys the emitter, but the basic physical mechanism at work has not yet been clearly identified. The present study describes RF processing experiments on samples of restricted area, with well localized artificial emitting sites (protrusions from scratches on the sample surface). In order to disentangle the role of thermal and mechanical effects in the processing, the samples were made from metals with different melting temperatures and tensile strengths. (author)

  20. The dislocation-internal friction peak γ in tantalum

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Baur, J.; Benoit, W.; Schultz, H.

    1989-01-01

    Torsion-pendulum measurements were carried out on high-purity single crystal specimens of tantalum, having extremely low oxygen contents ( 2 peak, which appears close to γ is small traces of oxygen are presents. The γ 2 peak was formerly explained as a ''dislocation-enhanced Snoek peak''. The γ peak recovers at the peak temperature, whereas the γ 2 peak is more stable. On the basis of their results, and making use of earlier investigations of Rodrian and Schultz, the authors suggest that γ 2 is modified γ relaxation, related to screw-dislocation segments, stabilized by oxygen-decorated kinks. The stability of the γ 2 peak allows an accurate determination of the activation energy, found to be 1.00 +- 0.03 eV. This value is distinctly lower than the activation energy of the oxygen Snoek effect (1.10 eV) and is related here to the mechanism of ''kink-pair formation'' in screw dislocations, as the original γ peak. The numerical value is compatible with recent values derived from flow-stress measurements. The peak γ 2 shows increasing stability with increasing oxygen content. This is explained by single- and multi-decorated kinks

  1. From Modeling of Plasticity in Single-Crystal Superalloys to High-Resolution X-rays Three-Crystal Diffractometer Peaks Simulation

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jacques, Alain

    2016-12-01

    The dislocation-based modeling of the high-temperature creep of two-phased single-crystal superalloys requires input data beyond strain vs time curves. This may be obtained by use of in situ experiments combining high-temperature creep tests with high-resolution synchrotron three-crystal diffractometry. Such tests give access to changes in phase volume fractions and to the average components of the stress tensor in each phase as well as the plastic strain of each phase. Further progress may be obtained by a new method making intensive use of the Fast Fourier Transform, and first modeling the behavior of a representative volume of material (stress fields, plastic strain, dislocation densities…), then simulating directly the corresponding diffraction peaks, taking into account the displacement field within the material, chemical variations, and beam coherence. Initial tests indicate that the simulated peak shapes are close to the experimental ones and are quite sensitive to the details of the microstructure and to dislocation densities at interfaces and within the soft γ phase.

  2. A novel graphene nanoribbon FET with an extra peak electric field (EFP-GNRFET) for enhancing the electrical performances

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Akbari Eshkalak, Maedeh [Young Researchers and Elite Club, Lahijan Branch, Islamic Azad University, Lahijan (Iran, Islamic Republic of); Anvarifard, Mohammad K., E-mail: m.anvarifard@guilan.ac.ir [Department of Engineering Sciences, Faculty of Technology and Engineering, East of Guilan, University of Guilan, Rudsar-Vajargah (Iran, Islamic Republic of)

    2017-04-25

    This work has provided an efficient technique to improve the electrical performance for the Graphene Nanoribbon Field Effect Transistors (GNRFETs) successfully. The physical gate length is divided into two gates named as the original gate and the other one as the virtual gate. We have applied a voltage source between these gates to control the channel of the GNRFETs. This technique has created an extra peak electric field in the middle of the channel resulting in the redistribution of surface potential profile. The proposed structure named as EFP-GNRFET has been compared with a simple GNRFET and has shown many improvements in terms of the critical parameters such as short channel effects, leakage current, subthreshold swing, ON-state to OFF-state current ratio, transconductance, output conductance and voltage gain. The structures under the study in this paper benefits from the Non-Equilibrium Green Function (NEGF) approach for solving Schrödinger equation coupled with the two-dimensional (2D) Poisson equation in a self-consistent manner. - Highlights: • Proposal of a novel graphene nanoribbon FET. • Creation of an extra peak in electric field. • Modification of the channel potential with the help of virtual gate. • Considerable improvement on electrical performances.

  3. Statistics of peaks of Gaussian random fields

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Bardeen, J.M.; Bond, J.R.; Kaiser, N.; Szalay, A.S.; Stanford Univ., CA; California Univ., Berkeley; Cambridge Univ., England; Fermi National Accelerator Lab., Batavia, IL)

    1986-01-01

    A set of new mathematical results on the theory of Gaussian random fields is presented, and the application of such calculations in cosmology to treat questions of structure formation from small-amplitude initial density fluctuations is addressed. The point process equation is discussed, giving the general formula for the average number density of peaks. The problem of the proper conditional probability constraints appropriate to maxima are examined using a one-dimensional illustration. The average density of maxima of a general three-dimensional Gaussian field is calculated as a function of heights of the maxima, and the average density of upcrossing points on density contour surfaces is computed. The number density of peaks subject to the constraint that the large-scale density field be fixed is determined and used to discuss the segregation of high peaks from the underlying mass distribution. The machinery to calculate n-point peak-peak correlation functions is determined, as are the shapes of the profiles about maxima. 67 references

  4. Summary of the Special Analysis of Savannah River Depleted Uranium Trioxide Demonstrating the Before and After Impacts on the DOE Order 435.1 Performance Objective and the Peak Dose

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Shott, G.J.

    2011-01-01

    This report summarizes the special analysis (SA) of the Savannah River Depleted Uranium Trioxide waste stream (SVRSURANIUM03, Revision 1) demonstrating the before and after impacts of the waste stream to the DOE Order 435.1 performance objective at the disposal facility, and the peak dose. The Nevada Division of Environmental Protection (NDEP) requested this SA and asked the Nevada Site Office (NSO) to run the SA deterministically and assume that all the model conditions remain the same regardless of the length of time to the peak dose. Although the NDEP accepts that DOE Order 435.1 requires a compliance period of 1,000 years, it also requested to know what year, if any, the specific DOE performance objectives will be exceeded. Given the NDEP's requested model conditions, the SA demonstrates the Rn-222 peak dose will occur in about 2 million years and will exceed the performance objective in about 6,000 years. The 0.25 mSv y-1 all-pathway performance objective was not exceeded for the resident scenario after reaching the 4 million year peak dose.

  5. Does team lifting increase the variability in peak lumbar compression in ironworkers?

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Faber, Gert; Visser, Steven; van der Molen, Henk F.; Kuijer, P. Paul F. M.; Hoozemans, Marco J. M.; van Dieën, Jaap H.; Frings-Dresen, Monique H. W.

    2012-01-01

    Ironworkers frequently perform heavy lifting tasks in teams of two or four workers. Team lifting could potentially lead to a higher variation in peak lumbar compression forces than lifts performed by one worker, resulting in higher maximal peak lumbar compression forces. This study compared

  6. Resonant tunneling with high peak to valley current ratio in SiO2/nc-Si/SiO2 multi-layers at room temperature

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Chen, D. Y.; Sun, Y.; He, Y. J.; Xu, L.; Xu, J.

    2014-01-01

    We have investigated carrier transport in SiO 2 /nc-Si/SiO 2 multi-layers by room temperature current-voltage measurements. Resonant tunneling signatures accompanied by current peaks are observed. Carrier transport in the multi-layers were analyzed by plots of ln(I/V 2 ) as a function of 1/V and ln(I) as a function of V 1/2 . Results suggest that besides films quality, nc-Si and barrier sub-layer thicknesses are important parameters that restrict carrier transport. When thicknesses are both small, direct tunneling dominates carrier transport, resonant tunneling occurs only at certain voltages and multi-resonant tunneling related current peaks can be observed but with peak to valley current ratio (PVCR) values smaller than 1.5. When barrier thickness is increased, trap-related and even high field related tunneling is excited, causing that multi-current peaks cannot be observed clearly, only one current peak with higher PVCR value of 7.7 can be observed. While if the thickness of nc-Si is large enough, quantum confinement is not so strong, a broad current peak with PVCR value as high as 60 can be measured, which may be due to small energy difference between the splitting energy levels in the quantum dots of nc-Si. Size distribution in a wide range may cause un-controllability of the peak voltages

  7. Age of peak performance in elite male and female Ironman triathletes competing in Ironman Switzerland, a qualifier for the Ironman world championship, Ironman Hawaii, from 1995 to 2011

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Rüst CA

    2012-11-01

    Full Text Available Christoph Alexander Rüst,1 Beat Knechtle,1,2 Patrizia Knechtle,2 Thomas Rosemann,1 Romuald Lepers31Institute of General Practice and for Health Services Research, University of Zurich, 2Gesundheitszentrum St Gallen, St Gallen, Switzerland; 3INSERM U1093, Faculty of Sport Sciences, University of Burgundy, Dijon, FranceBackground: The age of peak performance in elite endurance athletes has been investigated for elite marathoners, but not for elite Ironman triathletes. The aim of this study was to analyze the age of peak performance in swimming (3.8 km, cycling (180 km, running (42 km, and overall race time for elite female and male Ironman triathletes competing in Ironman Switzerland, a qualifier for the Ironman world championship, known as the Ironman Hawaii.Methods: The age of the annual top ten overall swimmers, cyclists, runners, and annual overall finishers for both male and female elite triathletes and their corresponding split and overall race times at the Ironman Switzerland were analyzed between 1995 and 2011.Results: The mean age of the elite Ironman triathletes was 33 ± 3 years for men and 34 ± 4 years for women. For women, the age of peak performance was not significantly different between the three disciplines (P > 0.05, while for men, the best swimmers (29 ± 3 years were significantly (P < 0.05 younger than the best runners (35 ± 5 years. During the study period, the age of peak performance remained unchanged for men at 31 ± 3 years (P > 0.05, but increased for women from 30 ± 4 years in 1995 to 36 ± 5 years in 2011 (P < 0.01.Conclusion: Although both women and men improved their overall race times during the 1995–2011 period, the age of peak performance was similar between women and men in the three disciplines and in overall race time. Future studies need to examine the change in age of peak performance across years in the Ironman Hawaii world championship event.Keywords: gender difference, swimming, cycling, running

  8. Predicting High-Power Performance in Professional Cyclists.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sanders, Dajo; Heijboer, Mathieu; Akubat, Ibrahim; Meijer, Kenneth; Hesselink, Matthijs K

    2017-03-01

    To assess if short-duration (5 to ~300 s) high-power performance can accurately be predicted using the anaerobic power reserve (APR) model in professional cyclists. Data from 4 professional cyclists from a World Tour cycling team were used. Using the maximal aerobic power, sprint peak power output, and an exponential constant describing the decrement in power over time, a power-duration relationship was established for each participant. To test the predictive accuracy of the model, several all-out field trials of different durations were performed by each cyclist. The power output achieved during the all-out trials was compared with the predicted power output by the APR model. The power output predicted by the model showed very large to nearly perfect correlations to the actual power output obtained during the all-out trials for each cyclist (r = .88 ± .21, .92 ± .17, .95 ± .13, and .97 ± .09). Power output during the all-out trials remained within an average of 6.6% (53 W) of the predicted power output by the model. This preliminary pilot study presents 4 case studies on the applicability of the APR model in professional cyclists using a field-based approach. The decrement in all-out performance during high-intensity exercise seems to conform to a general relationship with a single exponential-decay model describing the decrement in power vs increasing duration. These results are in line with previous studies using the APR model to predict performance during brief all-out trials. Future research should evaluate the APR model with a larger sample size of elite cyclists.

  9. A high-performance micro electret power generator based on microball bearings

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Yang, Zhaohui; Wang, Jing; Zhang, Jinwen

    2011-01-01

    In this paper, a high-performance micro electret power generator fabricated by simple bulk micromachining technology is presented. It has microballs as movable bearings for harvesting changing low-frequency vibration energy from the environment. The silicon V-grooves where the microballs slide have very smooth (1 1 1) planes, and so the device is sensitive to very slight vibration and almost has no resonant frequency. A plasma-enhanced chemical vapour deposition SiO 2 /Si 3 N 4 double layer was used as the electret. The device was fabricated by simple micromachining technology suitable for mass production except for microball assembly. The influence of various frequencies and accelerations on the performance was studied in detail. The measurement results of this electret micro power generator show that the optimal load is proportional to the frequency, and inversely proportional to the acceleration. The peak-to-peak output charge and output power were 72 nC and 5.9 µW respectively at 20 Hz and 0.7 g with the optimal resistive load 626 kΩ. The work frequencies range from 100 Hz to a lower frequency (1 Hz). 112 nW can still be obtained in the minimum acceleration of 0.05 g at 10 Hz with the optimal resistive load, indicating that this device has high sensitivity. The possible application of our device in scavenging energy from low-frequency irregular movements, such as human motion, was proved by a primary experiment

  10. Improved peak detection in mass spectrum by incorporating continuous wavelet transform-based pattern matching.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Du, Pan; Kibbe, Warren A; Lin, Simon M

    2006-09-01

    A major problem for current peak detection algorithms is that noise in mass spectrometry (MS) spectra gives rise to a high rate of false positives. The false positive rate is especially problematic in detecting peaks with low amplitudes. Usually, various baseline correction algorithms and smoothing methods are applied before attempting peak detection. This approach is very sensitive to the amount of smoothing and aggressiveness of the baseline correction, which contribute to making peak detection results inconsistent between runs, instrumentation and analysis methods. Most peak detection algorithms simply identify peaks based on amplitude, ignoring the additional information present in the shape of the peaks in a spectrum. In our experience, 'true' peaks have characteristic shapes, and providing a shape-matching function that provides a 'goodness of fit' coefficient should provide a more robust peak identification method. Based on these observations, a continuous wavelet transform (CWT)-based peak detection algorithm has been devised that identifies peaks with different scales and amplitudes. By transforming the spectrum into wavelet space, the pattern-matching problem is simplified and in addition provides a powerful technique for identifying and separating the signal from the spike noise and colored noise. This transformation, with the additional information provided by the 2D CWT coefficients can greatly enhance the effective signal-to-noise ratio. Furthermore, with this technique no baseline removal or peak smoothing preprocessing steps are required before peak detection, and this improves the robustness of peak detection under a variety of conditions. The algorithm was evaluated with SELDI-TOF spectra with known polypeptide positions. Comparisons with two other popular algorithms were performed. The results show the CWT-based algorithm can identify both strong and weak peaks while keeping false positive rate low. The algorithm is implemented in R and will be

  11. Ultrasonic Transducer Peak-to-Peak Optical Measurement

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Pavel Skarvada

    2012-01-01

    Full Text Available Possible optical setups for measurement of the peak-to-peak value of an ultrasonic transducer are described in this work. The Michelson interferometer with the calibrated nanopositioner in reference path and laser Doppler vibrometer were used for the basic measurement of vibration displacement. Langevin type of ultrasonic transducer is used for the purposes of Electro-Ultrasonic Nonlinear Spectroscopy (EUNS. Parameters of produced mechanical vibration have to been well known for EUNS. Moreover, a monitoring of mechanical vibration frequency shift with a mass load and sample-transducer coupling is important for EUNS measurement.

  12. High-performance laboratories and cleanrooms; TOPICAL

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Tschudi, William; Sartor, Dale; Mills, Evan; Xu, Tengfang

    2002-01-01

    The California Energy Commission sponsored this roadmap to guide energy efficiency research and deployment for high performance cleanrooms and laboratories. Industries and institutions utilizing these building types (termed high-tech buildings) have played an important part in the vitality of the California economy. This roadmap's key objective to present a multi-year agenda to prioritize and coordinate research efforts. It also addresses delivery mechanisms to get the research products into the market. Because of the importance to the California economy, it is appropriate and important for California to take the lead in assessing the energy efficiency research needs, opportunities, and priorities for this market. In addition to the importance to California's economy, energy demand for this market segment is large and growing (estimated at 9400 GWH for 1996, Mills et al. 1996). With their 24hr. continuous operation, high tech facilities are a major contributor to the peak electrical demand. Laboratories and cleanrooms constitute the high tech building market, and although each building type has its unique features, they are similar in that they are extremely energy intensive, involve special environmental considerations, have very high ventilation requirements, and are subject to regulations-primarily safety driven-that tend to have adverse energy implications. High-tech buildings have largely been overlooked in past energy efficiency research. Many industries and institutions utilize laboratories and cleanrooms. As illustrated, there are many industries operating cleanrooms in California. These include semiconductor manufacturing, semiconductor suppliers, pharmaceutical, biotechnology, disk drive manufacturing, flat panel displays, automotive, aerospace, food, hospitals, medical devices, universities, and federal research facilities

  13. Reverse-Phase High-Performance Liquid Chromatographic Separation of Methylated and Non-Methylated Nucleic Acid Bases

    OpenAIRE

    Madyastha, Prema; Rao, Pratima; Deobagkar, DN; Madyastha, KM

    1983-01-01

    A high-performance liquid chromatographic sepration method is described for the detection of 5-methylcytosine and 6-methyladenine in nucleic acid ext. The bases were sepd. on a Waters $C18 \\mu$ Bondapak column with a water: methanol acetic acid system. Effluents were monitored by UV absorption at 254 nm. The bases were estd. by peak heights which are proportional to the amts. of the individual bases. The method is rapid, sensitive, easy to perform and reproducible.

  14. Effect of high-intensity training versus moderate training on peak oxygen uptake and chronotropic response in heart transplant recipients

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Dall, C H; Snoer, M; Christensen, S

    2014-01-01

    In heart transplant (HTx) recipients, there has been reluctance to recommend high-intensity interval training (HIIT) due to denervation and chronotropic impairment of the heart. We compared the effects of 12 weeks' HIIT versus continued moderate exercise (CON) on exercise capacity and chronotropic...... response in stable HTx recipients >12 months after transplantation in a randomized crossover trial. The study was completed by 16 HTx recipients (mean age 52 years, 75% males). Baseline peak oxygen uptake (VO2peak ) was 22.9 mL/kg/min. HIIT increased VO2peak by 4.9 ± 2.7 mL/min/kg (17%) and CON by 2.6 ± 2.......2 mL/kg/min (10%) (significantly higher in HIIT; p HIIT, systolic blood pressure decreased significantly (p = 0.037) with no significant change in CON (p = 0.241; between group difference p = 0.027). Peak heart rate (HRpeak ) increased significantly by 4.3 beats per minute (p = 0...

  15. Soliton-induced nonlocal resonances observed through high-intensity tunable spectrally compressed second-harmonic peaks

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Zhou, Binbin; Guo, Hairun; Bache, Morten

    2014-01-01

    Experimental data of femtosecond thick-crystal second-harmonic generation show that when tuning away from phase matching, a dominating narrow spectral peak appears in the second harmonic that can be tuned over hundreds of nanometers by changing the phase-mismatch parameter. Traditional theory...... and the nonlocal theory indirectly proves that we have observed a soliton-induced nonlocal resonance. The soliton exists in the self-defocusing regime of the cascaded nonlinear interaction and in the normal dispersion regime of the crystal, and needs high input intensities to become excited....

  16. Manipulating Carbohydrate Availability Between Twice-Daily Sessions of High-Intensity Interval Training Over 2 Weeks Improves Time-Trial Performance.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cochran, Andrew J; Myslik, Frank; MacInnis, Martin J; Percival, Michael E; Bishop, David; Tarnopolsky, Mark A; Gibala, Martin J

    2015-10-01

    Commencing some training sessions with reduced carbohydrate (CHO) availability has been shown to enhance skeletal muscle adaptations, but the effect on exercise performance is less clear. We examined whether restricting CHO intake between twice daily sessions of high-intensity interval training (HIIT) augments improvements in exercise performance and mitochondrial content. Eighteen active but not highly trained subjects (peak oxygen uptake [VO2peak] = 44 ± 9 ml/kg/min), matched for age, sex, and fitness, were randomly allocated to two groups. On each of 6 days over 2 weeks, subjects completed two training sessions, each consisting of 5 × 4-min cycling intervals (60% of peak power), interspersed by 2 min of recovery. Subjects ingested either 195 g of CHO (HI-HI group: ~2.3 g/kg) or 17 g of CHO (HI-LO group: ~0.3 g/kg) during the 3-hr period between sessions. The training-induced improvement in 250-kJ time trial performance was greater (p = .02) in the HI-LO group (211 ± 66 W to 244 ± 75 W) compared with the HI-HI group (203 ± 53 W to 219 ± 60 W); however, the increases in mitochondrial content was similar between groups, as reflected by similar increases in citrate synthase maximal activity, citrate synthase protein content and cytochrome c oxidase subunit IV protein content (p > .05 for interaction terms). This is the first study to show that a short-term "train low, compete high" intervention can improve whole-body exercise capacity. Further research is needed to determine whether this type of manipulation can also enhance performance in highly-trained subjects.

  17. Benchmark for Peak Detection Algorithms in Fiber Bragg Grating Interrogation and a New Neural Network for its Performance Improvement

    Science.gov (United States)

    Negri, Lucas; Nied, Ademir; Kalinowski, Hypolito; Paterno, Aleksander

    2011-01-01

    This paper presents a benchmark for peak detection algorithms employed in fiber Bragg grating spectrometric interrogation systems. The accuracy, precision, and computational performance of currently used algorithms and those of a new proposed artificial neural network algorithm are compared. Centroid and gaussian fitting algorithms are shown to have the highest precision but produce systematic errors that depend on the FBG refractive index modulation profile. The proposed neural network displays relatively good precision with reduced systematic errors and improved computational performance when compared to other networks. Additionally, suitable algorithms may be chosen with the general guidelines presented. PMID:22163806

  18. Characteristic of 120 degree C thermoluminescence peak of iceland spar

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lu Xinwei; Han Jia

    2006-01-01

    The basic characteristic of 120 degree C thermoluminescence peak of iceland spar was studied. The experimental result indicates the longevity of 120 degree C thermoluminescence peak of iceland spar is about 2 h under 30 degree C. The thermoluminescence peak moves to the high temperature when the heating speed increasing. The intensity of 120 degree C thermoluminescence peak of iceland spar is directly proportional to radiation dose under 15 Gy. (authors)

  19. Reducing Electricity Demand Peaks by Scheduling Home Appliances Usage

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Rossello Busquet, Ana; Kardaras, Georgios; Iversen, Villy Bæk

    2011-01-01

    Nowadays there is a tendency to consume electricity during the same period of the day leading to demand peaks. Regular energy consumption habits lead to demand peaks at specific temporal intervals, because users consume power at the same time. In order to avoid demand peaks, users’ appliances...... should consume electricity in a more temporarily distributed way. A new methodology to schedule the usage of home appliances is proposed and analyzed in this paper. The main concept behind this approach is the aggregation of home appliances into priority classes and the definition of a maximum power...... consumption limit, which is not allowed to be exceeded during peak hours. The scenario simulated describes a modern household, where the electrical devices are classified in low and high priority groups. The high priority devices are always granted power in order to operate without temporal restrictions...

  20. Identification and Quantitation of Asparagine and Citrulline Using High-Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC)

    OpenAIRE

    Bai, Cheng; Reilly, Charles C.; Wood, Bruce W.

    2007-01-01

    High-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) analysis was used for identification of two problematic ureides, asparagine and citrulline. We report here a technique that takes advantage of the predictable delay in retention time of the co-asparagine/citrulline peak to enable both qualitative and quantitative analysis of asparagine and citrulline using the Platinum EPS reverse-phase C18 column (Alltech Associates). Asparagine alone is eluted earlier than citrulline alone, but when both of them...

  1. Demonstration of high performance negative central magnetic shear discharges on the DIII-D tokamak

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Rice, B.W.; Burrell, K.H.; Lao, L.L.

    1996-01-01

    Reliable operation of discharges with negative central magnetic shear has led to significant increases in plasma performance and reactivity in both low confinement, L-mode, and high confinement, H-mode, regimes in the DIII-D tokamak. Using neutral beam injection early in the initial current ramp, a large range of negative shear discharges have been produced with durations lasting up to 3.2 s. The total non- inductive current (beam plus bootstrap) ranges from 50% to 80% in these discharges. In the region of shear reversal, significant peaking of the toroidal rotation [f φ ∼ 30-60 kHz] and ion temperature [T i (0) ∼ 15-22 keV] profiles are observed. In high power discharges with an L-mode edge, peaked density profiles are also observed. Confinement enhancement factors up to H ≡ τ E /τ ITER-89P ∼ 2.5 with an L-mode edge, and H ∼ 3.3 in an Edge Localized Mode (ELM)-free H-mode, are obtained. Transport analysis shows both ion thermal diffusivity and particle diffusivity to be near or below standard neoclassical values in the core. Large pressure peaking in L- mode leads to high disruptivity with Β N ≡ Β T /(I/aB) ≤ 2.3, while broader pressure profiles in H- mode gives low disruptivity with Β N ≤ 4.2

  2. Conductive graphene as passive saturable absorber with high instantaneous peak power and pulse energy in Q-switched regime

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zuikafly, Siti Nur Fatin; Khalifa, Ali; Ahmad, Fauzan; Shafie, Suhaidi; Harun, SulaimanWadi

    2018-06-01

    The Q-switched pulse regime is demonstrated by integrating conductive graphene as passive saturable absorber producing relatively high instantaneous peak power and pulse energy. The fabricated conductive graphene is investigated using Raman spectroscopy. The single wavelength Q-switching operates at 1558.28 nm at maximum input pump power of 151.47 mW. As the pump power is increased from threshold power of 51.6 mW to 151.47 mW, the pulse train repetition rate increases proportionally from 47.94 kHz to 67.8 kHz while the pulse width is reduced from 9.58 μs to 6.02 μs. The generated stable pulse produced maximum peak power and pulse energy of 32 mW and 206 nJ, respectively. The first beat node of the measured signal-to-noise ratio is about 62 dB indicating high pulse stability.

  3. Acute exposure to high-peak-power pulsed microwaves affecting the histamine H3 receptor expression in rat hippocampus

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Yu Xiaodong; Li Bo; Li Dehua; He Qiyi; Yu Zhengping

    2006-01-01

    In the Morris Water test, high-peak-power pulsed microwave (MW)-exposed rats displayed some learning and memory behavior dysfunctions, and their escape time and swimming distance to the submerged platform were longer than those of the sham-exposed rats. to understand the molecular mechanism involved, the reverse transcription-polymerase chain reation (RT-PCR) and the Western-blotting technique were used for investigating the mRNA and protein expression patterns of the histamine H 3 receptor (H 3 R) in rat hippocampus. High-peak-power pulsed microwave-exposure did not remarkably lead to the change in expression of H 3 R mRNA in rat hippocampi; however, it promoted the up-regulatory expression of the H 3 R protein, which was possibly triggered through the mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) pathways. Therefore, further investigation of the molecular mechanism of the MW effects on the learning and memory behaviors is required. (authors)

  4. Acute exposure to high-peak-power pulsed microwaves affecting the histamine H3 receptor expression in rat hippocampus

    Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

    2006-01-01

    In the Morris Water Maze test, high-peak-power pulsed microwave (MW)-exposed rats displayed some learning and memory behavior dysfunctions, and their escape time and swimming distance to the submerged platform were longer than those of the sham-exposed rats. To understand the molecular mechanism involved, the reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) and the Western-blotting technique were used for investigating the mRNA and protein expression patterns of the histamine H3 receptor (H3R) in rat hippocampus. High-peak-power pulsed microwave-exposure did not remarkably lead to the change in expression of H3R mRNA in rat hippocampi;however, it promoted the up-regulatory expression of the H3R protein, which was possibly triggered through the mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) pathways. Therefore, further investigation of the molecular mechanism of the MW effects on the learning and memory behaviors is required.

  5. Effects of age and spa treatment on match running performance over two consecutive games in highly trained young soccer players.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Buchheit, Martin; Horobeanu, Cosmin; Mendez-Villanueva, Alberto; Simpson, Ben M; Bourdon, Pitre C

    2011-03-01

    The aim of this study was to examine the effect of age and spa treatment (i.e. combined sauna, cold water immersion, and jacuzzi) on match running performance over two consecutive matches in highly trained young soccer players. Fifteen pre- (age 12.8 ± 0.6 years) and 13 post- (15.9 ± 1 y) peak height velocity (PHV) players played two matches (Matches 1 and 2) within 48 h against the same opposition, with no specific between-match recovery intervention (control). Five post-PHV players also completed another set of two consecutive matches, with spa treatment implemented after the first match. Match running performance was assessed using a global positioning system with very-high-intensity running (> 16.1-19.0 km · h(-1)), sprinting distance (>19 km · h(-1)), and peak match speed determined. Match 2 very-high-intensity running was "possibly" impaired in post-PHV players (-9 ± 33%; ± 90% confidence limits), whereas it was "very likely" improved for the pre-PHV players (+27 ± 22%). The spa treatment had a beneficial impact on Match 2 running performance, with a "likely" rating for sprinting distance (+30 ± 67%) and "almost certain" for peak match speed (+6.4 ± 3%). The results suggest that spa treatment is an effective recovery intervention for post-PHV players, while its value in pre-PHV players is questionable.

  6. Comparison of Peak-area Ratios and Percentage Peak Area Derived from HPLC-evaporative Light Scattering and Refractive Index Detectors for Palm Oil and its Fractions.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ping, Bonnie Tay Yen; Aziz, Haliza Abdul; Idris, Zainab

    2018-01-01

    High-Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC) methods via evaporative light scattering (ELS) and refractive index (RI) detectors are used by the local palm oil industry to monitor the TAG profiles of palm oil and its fractions. The quantitation method used is based on area normalization of the TAG components and expressed as percentage area. Although not frequently used, peak-area ratios based on TAG profiles are a possible qualitative method for characterizing the TAG of palm oil and its fractions. This paper aims to compare these two detectors in terms of peak-area ratio, percentage peak area composition, and TAG elution profiles. The triacylglycerol (TAG) composition for palm oil and its fractions were analysed under similar HPLC conditions i.e. mobile phase and column. However, different sample concentrations were used for the detectors while remaining within the linearity limits of the detectors. These concentrations also gave a good baseline resolved separation for all the TAGs components. The results of the ELSD method's percentage area composition for the TAGs of palm oil and its fractions differed from those of RID. This indicates an unequal response of TAGs for palm oil and its fractions using the ELSD, also affecting the peak area ratios. They were found not to be equivalent to those obtained using the HPLC-RID. The ELSD method showed a better baseline separation for the TAGs components, with a more stable baseline as compared with the corresponding HPLC-RID. In conclusion, the percentage area compositions and peak-area ratios for palm oil and its fractions as derived from HPLC-ELSD and RID were not equivalent due to different responses of TAG components to the ELSD detector. The HPLC-RID has a better accuracy for percentage area composition and peak-area ratio because the TAG components response equally to the detector.

  7. KiDS-450: cosmological constraints from weak-lensing peak statistics - II: Inference from shear peaks using N-body simulations

    Science.gov (United States)

    Martinet, Nicolas; Schneider, Peter; Hildebrandt, Hendrik; Shan, HuanYuan; Asgari, Marika; Dietrich, Jörg P.; Harnois-Déraps, Joachim; Erben, Thomas; Grado, Aniello; Heymans, Catherine; Hoekstra, Henk; Klaes, Dominik; Kuijken, Konrad; Merten, Julian; Nakajima, Reiko

    2018-02-01

    We study the statistics of peaks in a weak-lensing reconstructed mass map of the first 450 deg2 of the Kilo Degree Survey (KiDS-450). The map is computed with aperture masses directly applied to the shear field with an NFW-like compensated filter. We compare the peak statistics in the observations with that of simulations for various cosmologies to constrain the cosmological parameter S_8 = σ _8 √{Ω _m/0.3}, which probes the (Ωm, σ8) plane perpendicularly to its main degeneracy. We estimate S8 = 0.750 ± 0.059, using peaks in the signal-to-noise range 0 ≤ S/N ≤ 4, and accounting for various systematics, such as multiplicative shear bias, mean redshift bias, baryon feedback, intrinsic alignment, and shear-position coupling. These constraints are ˜ 25 per cent tighter than the constraints from the high significance peaks alone (3 ≤ S/N ≤ 4) which typically trace single-massive haloes. This demonstrates the gain of information from low-S/N peaks. However, we find that including S/N KiDS-450. Combining shear peaks with non-tomographic measurements of the shear two-point correlation functions yields a ˜20 per cent improvement in the uncertainty on S8 compared to the shear two-point correlation functions alone, highlighting the great potential of peaks as a cosmological probe.

  8. Analysis of aqueous humour in uveitis by high performance liquid chromatography and sodium dodecyl sulphate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Murray, P. I.; Hoekzema, R.; Luyendijk, L.; Kijlstra, A.

    1992-01-01

    Aqueous humour from patients with Fuchs' heterochromic cyclitis (FHC) and other types of uveitis was analysed by high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) and sodium dodecyl sulphate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE). Using HPLC, the number of peaks and their respective elution times

  9. Modified automatic R-peak detection algorithm for patients with epilepsy using a portable electrocardiogram recorder.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jeppesen, J; Beniczky, S; Fuglsang Frederiksen, A; Sidenius, P; Johansen, P

    2017-07-01

    Earlier studies have shown that short term heart rate variability (HRV) analysis of ECG seems promising for detection of epileptic seizures. A precise and accurate automatic R-peak detection algorithm is a necessity in a real-time, continuous measurement of HRV, in a portable ECG device. We used the portable CE marked ePatch® heart monitor to record the ECG of 14 patients, who were enrolled in the videoEEG long term monitoring unit for clinical workup of epilepsy. Recordings of the first 7 patients were used as training set of data for the R-peak detection algorithm and the recordings of the last 7 patients (467.6 recording hours) were used to test the performance of the algorithm. We aimed to modify an existing QRS-detection algorithm to a more precise R-peak detection algorithm to avoid the possible jitter Qand S-peaks can create in the tachogram, which causes error in short-term HRVanalysis. The proposed R-peak detection algorithm showed a high sensitivity (Se = 99.979%) and positive predictive value (P+ = 99.976%), which was comparable with a previously published QRS-detection algorithm for the ePatch® ECG device, when testing the same dataset. The novel R-peak detection algorithm designed to avoid jitter has very high sensitivity and specificity and thus is a suitable tool for a robust, fast, real-time HRV-analysis in patients with epilepsy, creating the possibility for real-time seizure detection for these patients.

  10. Multiple negative differential resistance devices with ultra-high peak-to-valley current ratio for practical multi-valued logic and memory applications

    Science.gov (United States)

    Shin, Sunhae; Rok Kim, Kyung

    2015-06-01

    In this paper, we propose a novel multiple negative differential resistance (NDR) device with ultra-high peak-to-valley current ratio (PVCR) over 106 by combining tunnel diode with a conventional MOSFET, which suppresses the valley current with transistor off-leakage level. Band-to-band tunneling (BTBT) in tunnel junction provides the first peak, and the second peak and valley are generated from the suppression of diffusion current in tunnel diode by the off-state MOSFET. The multiple NDR curves can be controlled by doping concentration of tunnel junction and the threshold voltage of MOSFET. By using complementary multiple NDR devices, five-state memory is demonstrated only with six transistors.

  11. High-intensity interval training and athletic performance in Taekwondo athletes.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Monks, Lynne; Seo, Myong-Won; Kim, Hyun-Bae; Jung, Hyun C; Song, Jong K

    2017-10-01

    The purpose of this study was to determine the effects of high-intensity interval training (HIIT) on athletic performance in Taekwondo athletes. Thirty-three male and female collegiate Taekwondo athletes were randomly divided into a HIIT group (N.=16) or a high-intensity continuous running (HICR) group (N.=17). The HIIT group undertook training of high-intensity sprints interspersed with active rest periods whilst the HICR group participated in high-intensity running for a continuous period. Both groups completed 11 sessions over 4 weeks. Physique, body composition, Wingate anaerobic test and VO2max test were measured. The vertical jump test, agility T-test and sit-ups were used to assess physical fitness. Repeated measures ANCOVAs with sex as a covariate were applied and significant level was set at 0.05. Following 11 sessions of training, significant improvements in anaerobic peak power (Ptraining, specifically the influence of training intensity on anaerobic capacity.

  12. The path toward HEP High Performance Computing

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Apostolakis, John; Brun, René; Gheata, Andrei; Wenzel, Sandro; Carminati, Federico

    2014-01-01

    High Energy Physics code has been known for making poor use of high performance computing architectures. Efforts in optimising HEP code on vector and RISC architectures have yield limited results and recent studies have shown that, on modern architectures, it achieves a performance between 10% and 50% of the peak one. Although several successful attempts have been made to port selected codes on GPUs, no major HEP code suite has a 'High Performance' implementation. With LHC undergoing a major upgrade and a number of challenging experiments on the drawing board, HEP cannot any longer neglect the less-than-optimal performance of its code and it has to try making the best usage of the hardware. This activity is one of the foci of the SFT group at CERN, which hosts, among others, the Root and Geant4 project. The activity of the experiments is shared and coordinated via a Concurrency Forum, where the experience in optimising HEP code is presented and discussed. Another activity is the Geant-V project, centred on the development of a highperformance prototype for particle transport. Achieving a good concurrency level on the emerging parallel architectures without a complete redesign of the framework can only be done by parallelizing at event level, or with a much larger effort at track level. Apart the shareable data structures, this typically implies a multiplication factor in terms of memory consumption compared to the single threaded version, together with sub-optimal handling of event processing tails. Besides this, the low level instruction pipelining of modern processors cannot be used efficiently to speedup the program. We have implemented a framework that allows scheduling vectors of particles to an arbitrary number of computing resources in a fine grain parallel approach. The talk will review the current optimisation activities within the SFT group with a particular emphasis on the development perspectives towards a simulation framework able to profit

  13. Electricity Portfolio Management: Optimal Peak / Off-Peak Allocations

    OpenAIRE

    Huisman, Ronald; Mahieu, Ronald; Schlichter, Felix

    2007-01-01

    textabstractElectricity purchasers manage a portfolio of contracts in order to purchase the expected future electricity consumption profile of a company or a pool of clients. This paper proposes a mean-variance framework to address the concept of structuring the portfolio and focuses on how to allocate optimal positions in peak and off-peak forward contracts. It is shown that the optimal allocations are based on the difference in risk premiums per unit of day-ahead risk as a measure of relati...

  14. Analysis of factors influencing the integrated bolus peak timing in contrast-enhanced brain computed tomographic angiography

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Son, Soon Yong; Choi, Kwan Woo; Jeong, Hoi Woun; Jang, Seo Goo; Jung, Jae Young; Yun, Jung Soo; Kim, Ki Won; Lee, Young Ah; Son, Jin Hyun; Min, Jung Whan

    2016-01-01

    The objective of this study was to analyze the factors influencing integrated bolus peak timing in contrast- enhanced computed tomographic angiography (CTA) and to determine a method of calculating personal peak time. The optimal time was calculated by performing multiple linear regression analysis, after finding the influence factors through correlation analysis between integrated peak time of contrast medium and personal measured value by monitoring CTA scans. The radiation exposure dose in CTA was 716.53 mGy·cm and the radiation exposure dose in monitoring scan was 15.52 mGy (2 - 34 mGy). The results were statistically significant (p < .01). Regression analysis revealed, a -0.160 times decrease with a one-step increase in heart rate in male, and -0.004, -0.174, and 0.006 times decrease with one-step in DBP, heart rate, and blood sugar, respectively, in female. In a consistency test of peak time by calculating measured peak time and peak time by using the regression equation, the consistency was determined to be very high for male and female. This study could prevent unnecessary dose exposure by encouraging in clinic calculation of personal integrated peak time of contrast medium prior to examination

  15. Fast Metabolite Identification in Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Metabolomic Studies: Statistical Peak Sorting and Peak Overlap Detection for More Reliable Database Queries.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hoijemberg, Pablo A; Pelczer, István

    2018-01-05

    A lot of time is spent by researchers in the identification of metabolites in NMR-based metabolomic studies. The usual metabolite identification starts employing public or commercial databases to match chemical shifts thought to belong to a given compound. Statistical total correlation spectroscopy (STOCSY), in use for more than a decade, speeds the process by finding statistical correlations among peaks, being able to create a better peak list as input for the database query. However, the (normally not automated) analysis becomes challenging due to the intrinsic issue of peak overlap, where correlations of more than one compound appear in the STOCSY trace. Here we present a fully automated methodology that analyzes all STOCSY traces at once (every peak is chosen as driver peak) and overcomes the peak overlap obstacle. Peak overlap detection by clustering analysis and sorting of traces (POD-CAST) first creates an overlap matrix from the STOCSY traces, then clusters the overlap traces based on their similarity and finally calculates a cumulative overlap index (COI) to account for both strong and intermediate correlations. This information is gathered in one plot to help the user identify the groups of peaks that would belong to a single molecule and perform a more reliable database query. The simultaneous examination of all traces reduces the time of analysis, compared to viewing STOCSY traces by pairs or small groups, and condenses the redundant information in the 2D STOCSY matrix into bands containing similar traces. The COI helps in the detection of overlapping peaks, which can be added to the peak list from another cross-correlated band. POD-CAST overcomes the generally overlooked and underestimated presence of overlapping peaks and it detects them to include them in the search of all compounds contributing to the peak overlap, enabling the user to accelerate the metabolite identification process with more successful database queries and searching all tentative

  16. Aerial Rotation Effects on Vertical Jump Performance Among Highly Skilled Collegiate Soccer Players.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Barker, Leland A; Harry, John R; Dufek, Janet S; Mercer, John A

    2017-04-01

    Barker, LA, Harry, JR, Dufek, JS, and Mercer, JA. Aerial rotation effects on vertical jump performance among highly skilled collegiate soccer players. J Strength Cond Res 31(4): 932-938, 2017-In soccer matches, jumps involving rotations occur when attempting to head the ball for a shot or pass from set pieces, such as corner kicks, goal kicks, and lob passes. However, the 3-dimensional ground reaction forces used to perform rotational jumping tasks are currently unknown. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to compare bilateral, 3-dimensional, and ground reaction forces of a standard countermovement jump (CMJ0) with those of a countermovement jump with a 180° rotation (CMJ180) among Division-1 soccer players. Twenty-four participants from the soccer team of the University of Nevada performed 3 trials of CMJ0 and CMJ180. Dependent variables included jump height, downward and upward phase times, vertical (Fz) peak force and net impulse relative to mass, and medial-lateral and anterior-posterior force couple values. Statistical significance was set a priori at α = 0.05. CMJ180 reduced jump height, increased the anterior-posterior force couple in the downward and upward phases, and increased upward peak Fz (p ≤ 0.05). All other variables were not significantly different between groups (p > 0.05). However, we did recognize that downward peak Fz trended lower in the CMJ0 condition (p = 0.059), and upward net impulse trended higher in the CMJ0 condition (p = 0.071). It was concluded that jump height was reduced during the rotational jumping task, and rotation occurred primarily via AP ground reaction forces through the entire countermovement jump. Coaches and athletes may consider additional rotational jumping in their training programs to mediate performance decrements during rotational jump tasks.

  17. Peak regulation right

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Gao, Z. |; Ren, Z.; Li, Z.; Zhu, R.

    2005-01-01

    A peak regulation right concept and corresponding transaction mechanism for an electricity market was presented. The market was based on a power pool and independent system operator (ISO) model. Peak regulation right (PRR) was defined as a downward regulation capacity purchase option which allowed PRR owners to buy certain quantities of peak regulation capacity (PRC) at a specific price during a specified period from suppliers. The PRR owner also had the right to decide whether or not they would buy PRC from suppliers. It was the power pool's responsibility to provide competitive and fair peak regulation trading markets to participants. The introduction of PRR allowed for unit capacity regulation. The PRR and PRC were rated by the supplier, and transactions proceeded through a bidding process. PRR suppliers obtained profits by selling PRR and PRC, and obtained downward regulation fees regardless of whether purchases are made. It was concluded that the peak regulation mechanism reduced the total cost of the generating system and increased the social surplus. 6 refs., 1 tab., 3 figs

  18. Peak performance: remote memory revisited

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Mühleisen, H.; Gonçalves, R.; Kersten, M.; Johnson, R.; Kemper, A.

    2013-01-01

    Many database systems share a need for large amounts of fast storage. However, economies of scale limit the utility of extending a single machine with an arbitrary amount of memory. The recent broad availability of the zero-copy data transfer protocol RDMA over low-latency and high-throughput

  19. Relative thermoluminescent efficiencies proton/gamma and helium/gamma of high temperature peaks in TLD-100 dosemeters

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Flores M, E.; Avila, O.; Rodriguez V, M.; Massillon, J.L.G.; Buenfil A, E.; Ruiz T, C.; Brandan, M.E.; Gamboa De Buen, I.

    2007-01-01

    This work presents measures of relative thermoluminescent efficiency of those high temperature peaks of TLD-100 dosemeters exposed to protons of 1.5 MeV and to helium nuclei of 3 and 7.5 MeV. A rigorous reading and of deconvolution protocol was used for the calculation of the TL efficiencies. Additionally an Excel program that facilitated the deconvolution adjustment process of the glow curves was elaborated. (Author)

  20. Production and accumulation of UV-B [ultra violet] absorbing compounds in UV-B irradiated leaves of rice, Oryza SativaL.: effects of varying UV-B doses on leaf damage, phenolic content and HPLC [high performance liquid chromatography] peak I area

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Caasi-Lit, M.T.

    2005-01-01

    The effects of varying UV-B doses on leaf damage, phenolic content and HPLC peak 1 area were studied using 65-d-old plants of the UV-B tolerant rice cultivar, M202, and the UV-B susceptible rice cultivar, Dular. Results showed that the production and accumulation of UV-B- absorbing compounds in rice leaves were affected by leaf position and levels (dose) of UV-B and time or duration of UV-B irradiation or exposure. The youngest terminal leaves showed the least damage when exposed to medium and high UV-B doses. The production of these absorptive compounds as represented by relative phenolic and HPLC peak 1 were significantly higher in younger leaves and lower in older or senescing leaves. M202 showed significantly higher amounts of peak 1 area and relative phenolic compared to UV-B susceptible rice cultivar, Dular. The results also confirmed the strong relationship of overall damage rating and area of HPLC peak 1. The development of UV-B symptoms in the susceptible cultivar was hastened when a high UV-B treatment was applied. Peak 1 area did not accumulate in the UV-B susceptible Dular at any given UV-B dose

  1. Automation of peak-tracking analysis of stepwise perturbed NMR spectra

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Banelli, Tommaso; Vuano, Marco [Università di Udine, Dipartimento di Area Medica (Italy); Fogolari, Federico [INBB (Italy); Fusiello, Andrea [Università di Udine, Dipartimento Politecnico di Ingegneria e Architettura (Italy); Esposito, Gennaro [INBB (Italy); Corazza, Alessandra, E-mail: alessandra.corazza@uniud.it [Università di Udine, Dipartimento di Area Medica (Italy)

    2017-02-15

    We describe a new algorithmic approach able to automatically pick and track the NMR resonances of a large number of 2D NMR spectra acquired during a stepwise variation of a physical parameter. The method has been named Trace in Track (TinT), referring to the idea that a gaussian decomposition traces peaks within the tracks recognised through 3D mathematical morphology. It is capable of determining the evolution of the chemical shifts, intensity and linewidths of each tracked peak.The performances obtained in term of track reconstruction and correct assignment on realistic synthetic spectra were high above 90% when a noise level similar to that of experimental data were considered. TinT was applied successfully to several protein systems during a temperature ramp in isotope exchange experiments. A comparison with a state-of-the-art algorithm showed promising results for great numbers of spectra and low signal to noise ratios, when the graduality of the perturbation is appropriate. TinT can be applied to different kinds of high throughput chemical shift mapping experiments, with quasi-continuous variations, in which a quantitative automated recognition is crucial.

  2. Correlation Filter Learning Toward Peak Strength for Visual Tracking.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sui, Yao; Wang, Guanghui; Zhang, Li

    2018-04-01

    This paper presents a novel visual tracking approach to correlation filter learning toward peak strength of correlation response. Previous methods leverage all features of the target and the immediate background to learn a correlation filter. Some features, however, may be distractive to tracking, like those from occlusion and local deformation, resulting in unstable tracking performance. This paper aims at solving this issue and proposes a novel algorithm to learn the correlation filter. The proposed approach, by imposing an elastic net constraint on the filter, can adaptively eliminate those distractive features in the correlation filtering. A new peak strength metric is proposed to measure the discriminative capability of the learned correlation filter. It is demonstrated that the proposed approach effectively strengthens the peak of the correlation response, leading to more discriminative performance than previous methods. Extensive experiments on a challenging visual tracking benchmark demonstrate that the proposed tracker outperforms most state-of-the-art methods.

  3. High performance homes

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Beim, Anne; Vibæk, Kasper Sánchez

    2014-01-01

    Can prefabrication contribute to the development of high performance homes? To answer this question, this chapter defines high performance in more broadly inclusive terms, acknowledging the technical, architectural, social and economic conditions under which energy consumption and production occur....... Consideration of all these factors is a precondition for a truly integrated practice and as this chapter demonstrates, innovative project delivery methods founded on the manufacturing of prefabricated buildings contribute to the production of high performance homes that are cost effective to construct, energy...

  4. Limitation of peak fitting and peak shape methods for determination of activation energy of thermoluminescence glow peaks

    CERN Document Server

    Sunta, C M; Piters, T M; Watanabe, S

    1999-01-01

    This paper shows the limitation of general order peak fitting and peak shape methods for determining the activation energy of the thermoluminescence glow peaks in the cases in which retrapping probability is much higher than the recombination probability and the traps are filled up to near saturation level. Right values can be obtained when the trap occupancy is reduced by using small doses or by post-irradiation partial bleaching. This limitation in the application of these methods has not been indicated earlier. In view of the unknown nature of kinetics in the experimental samples, it is recommended that these methods of activation energy determination should be applied only at doses well below the saturation dose.

  5. Peak Performance Through Nutrition and Exercise

    Science.gov (United States)

    1999-09-01

    Keith Avery, J02 Cerise Fenton , Dr. Jeffrey Bennett, and Dawn Schultz. Also, many thanks to HM1 (FMF) Otis B. Brown, the USUHS Brigade, and Morale...ability to perform physical activities. Regular physical activity leads to improved physical fitness and many other physiologic, cosmetic , and

  6. Make peak flow a habit

    Science.gov (United States)

    Asthma - make peak flow a habit; Reactive airway disease - peak flow; Bronchial asthma - peak flow ... 2014:chap 55. National Asthma Education and Prevention Program website. How to use a peak flow meter. ...

  7. QRS peak detection for heart rate monitoring on Android smartphone

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pambudi Utomo, Trio; Nuryani, Nuryani; Darmanto

    2017-11-01

    In this study, Android smartphone is used for heart rate monitoring and displaying electrocardiogram (ECG) graph. Heart rate determination is based on QRS peak detection. Two methods are studied to detect the QRS complex peak; they are Peak Threshold and Peak Filter. The acquisition of ECG data is utilized by AD8232 module from Analog Devices, three electrodes, and Microcontroller Arduino UNO R3. To record the ECG data from a patient, three electrodes are attached to particular body’s surface of a patient. Patient’s heart activity which is recorded by AD8232 module is decoded by Arduino UNO R3 into analog data. Then, the analog data is converted into a voltage value (mV) and is processed to get the QRS complex peak. Heart rate value is calculated by Microcontroller Arduino UNO R3 uses the QRS complex peak. Voltage, heart rate, and the QRS complex peak are sent to Android smartphone by Bluetooth HC-05. ECG data is displayed as the graph by Android smartphone. To evaluate the performance of QRS complex peak detection method, three parameters are used; they are positive predictive, accuracy and sensitivity. Positive predictive, accuracy, and sensitivity of Peak Threshold method is 92.39%, 70.30%, 74.62% and for Peak Filter method are 98.38%, 82.47%, 83.61%, respectively.

  8. MEASURING PRIMORDIAL NON-GAUSSIANITY THROUGH WEAK-LENSING PEAK COUNTS

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Marian, Laura; Hilbert, Stefan; Smith, Robert E.; Schneider, Peter; Desjacques, Vincent

    2011-01-01

    We explore the possibility of detecting primordial non-Gaussianity of the local type using weak-lensing peak counts. We measure the peak abundance in sets of simulated weak-lensing maps corresponding to three models f NL = 0, - 100, and 100. Using survey specifications similar to those of EUCLID and without assuming any knowledge of the lens and source redshifts, we find the peak functions of the non-Gaussian models with f NL = ±100 to differ by up to 15% from the Gaussian peak function at the high-mass end. For the assumed survey parameters, the probability of fitting an f NL = 0 peak function to the f NL = ±100 peak functions is less than 0.1%. Assuming the other cosmological parameters are known, f NL can be measured with an error Δf NL ∼ 13. It is therefore possible that future weak-lensing surveys like EUCLID and LSST may detect primordial non-Gaussianity from the abundance of peak counts, and provide information complementary to that obtained from the cosmic microwave background.

  9. Peak oxygen uptake in Paralympic sitting sports: A systematic literature review, meta- and pooled-data analysis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Baumgart, Julia Kathrin; Brurok, Berit; Sandbakk, Øyvind

    2018-01-01

    Peak oxygen uptake (VO2peak) in Paralympic sitting sports athletes represents their maximal ability to deliver energy aerobically in an upper-body mode, with values being influenced by sex, disability-related physiological limitations, sport-specific demands, training status and how they are tested. To identify VO2peak values in Paralympic sitting sports, examine between-sports differences and within-sports variations in VO2peak and determine the influence of sex, age, body-mass, disability and test-mode on VO2peak. Systematic literature review and meta-analysis. PubMed, CINAHL, SPORTDiscusTM and EMBASE were systematically searched in October 2016 using relevant medical subject headings, keywords and a Boolean. Studies that assessed VO2peak values in sitting sports athletes with a disability in a laboratory setting were included. Data was extracted and pooled in the different sports disciplines, weighted by the Dersimonian and Laird random effects approach. Quality of the included studies was assessed with a modified version of the Downs and Black checklist by two independent reviewers. Meta-regression and pooled-data multiple regression analyses were performed to assess the influence of sex, age, body-mass, disability, test mode and study quality on VO2peak. Of 6542 retrieved articles, 57 studies reporting VO2peak values in 14 different sitting sports were included in this review. VO2peak values from 771 athletes were used in the data analysis, of which 30% participated in wheelchair basketball, 27% in wheelchair racing, 15% in wheelchair rugby and the remaining 28% in the 11 other disciplines. Fifty-six percent of the athletes had a spinal cord injury and 87% were men. Sports-discipline-averaged VO2peak values ranged from 2.9 L∙min-1 and 45.6 mL∙kg-1∙min-1 in Nordic sit skiing to 1.4 L∙min-1 and 17.3 mL∙kg-1∙min-1 in shooting and 1.3 L∙min-1 and 18.9 mL∙kg-1∙min-1 in wheelchair rugby. Large within-sports variation was found in sports with few

  10. Peak oxygen uptake in Paralympic sitting sports: A systematic literature review, meta- and pooled-data analysis.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Julia Kathrin Baumgart

    Full Text Available Peak oxygen uptake (VO2peak in Paralympic sitting sports athletes represents their maximal ability to deliver energy aerobically in an upper-body mode, with values being influenced by sex, disability-related physiological limitations, sport-specific demands, training status and how they are tested.To identify VO2peak values in Paralympic sitting sports, examine between-sports differences and within-sports variations in VO2peak and determine the influence of sex, age, body-mass, disability and test-mode on VO2peak.Systematic literature review and meta-analysis.PubMed, CINAHL, SPORTDiscusTM and EMBASE were systematically searched in October 2016 using relevant medical subject headings, keywords and a Boolean.Studies that assessed VO2peak values in sitting sports athletes with a disability in a laboratory setting were included.Data was extracted and pooled in the different sports disciplines, weighted by the Dersimonian and Laird random effects approach. Quality of the included studies was assessed with a modified version of the Downs and Black checklist by two independent reviewers. Meta-regression and pooled-data multiple regression analyses were performed to assess the influence of sex, age, body-mass, disability, test mode and study quality on VO2peak.Of 6542 retrieved articles, 57 studies reporting VO2peak values in 14 different sitting sports were included in this review. VO2peak values from 771 athletes were used in the data analysis, of which 30% participated in wheelchair basketball, 27% in wheelchair racing, 15% in wheelchair rugby and the remaining 28% in the 11 other disciplines. Fifty-six percent of the athletes had a spinal cord injury and 87% were men. Sports-discipline-averaged VO2peak values ranged from 2.9 L∙min-1 and 45.6 mL∙kg-1∙min-1 in Nordic sit skiing to 1.4 L∙min-1 and 17.3 mL∙kg-1∙min-1 in shooting and 1.3 L∙min-1 and 18.9 mL∙kg-1∙min-1 in wheelchair rugby. Large within-sports variation was found in

  11. Local properties of the large-scale peaks of the CMB temperature

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Marcos-Caballero, A.; Martínez-González, E.; Vielva, P., E-mail: marcos@ifca.unican.es, E-mail: martinez@ifca.unican.es, E-mail: vielva@ifca.unican.es [Instituto de Física de Cantabria, CSIC-Universidad de Cantabria, Avda. de los Castros s/n, 39005 Santander (Spain)

    2017-05-01

    In the present work, we study the largest structures of the CMB temperature measured by Planck in terms of the most prominent peaks on the sky, which, in particular, are located in the southern galactic hemisphere. Besides these large-scale features, the well-known Cold Spot anomaly is included in the analysis. All these peaks would contribute significantly to some of the CMB large-scale anomalies, as the parity and hemispherical asymmetries, the dipole modulation, the alignment between the quadrupole and the octopole, or in the case of the Cold Spot, to the non-Gaussianity of the field. The analysis of the peaks is performed by using their multipolar profiles, which characterize the local shape of the peaks in terms of the discrete Fourier transform of the azimuthal angle. In order to quantify the local anisotropy of the peaks, the distribution of the phases of the multipolar profiles is studied by using the Rayleigh random walk methodology. Finally, a direct analysis of the 2-dimensional field around the peaks is performed in order to take into account the effect of the galactic mask. The results of the analysis conclude that, once the peak amplitude and its first and second order derivatives at the centre are conditioned, the rest of the field is compatible with the standard model. In particular, it is observed that the Cold Spot anomaly is caused by the large value of curvature at the centre.

  12. Peak tree: a new tool for multiscale hierarchical representation and peak detection of mass spectrometry data.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhang, Peng; Li, Houqiang; Wang, Honghui; Wong, Stephen T C; Zhou, Xiaobo

    2011-01-01

    Peak detection is one of the most important steps in mass spectrometry (MS) analysis. However, the detection result is greatly affected by severe spectrum variations. Unfortunately, most current peak detection methods are neither flexible enough to revise false detection results nor robust enough to resist spectrum variations. To improve flexibility, we introduce peak tree to represent the peak information in MS spectra. Each tree node is a peak judgment on a range of scales, and each tree decomposition, as a set of nodes, is a candidate peak detection result. To improve robustness, we combine peak detection and common peak alignment into a closed-loop framework, which finds the optimal decomposition via both peak intensity and common peak information. The common peak information is derived and loopily refined from the density clustering of the latest peak detection result. Finally, we present an improved ant colony optimization biomarker selection method to build a whole MS analysis system. Experiment shows that our peak detection method can better resist spectrum variations and provide higher sensitivity and lower false detection rates than conventional methods. The benefits from our peak-tree-based system for MS disease analysis are also proved on real SELDI data.

  13. Peak-to-average power ratio reduction in interleaved OFDMA systems

    KAUST Repository

    Al-Shuhail, Shamael; Ali, Anum; Al-Naffouri, Tareq Y.

    2015-01-01

    Orthogonal frequency division multiple access (OFDMA) systems suffer from several impairments, and communication system engineers use powerful signal processing tools to combat these impairments and to keep up with the capacity/rate demands. One of these impairments is high peak-to-average power ratio (PAPR) and clipping is the simplest peak reduction scheme. However, in general, when multiple users are subjected to clipping, frequency domain clipping distortions spread over the spectrum of all users. This results in compromised performance and hence clipping distortions need to be mitigated at the receiver. Mitigating these distortions in multiuser case is not simple and requires complex clipping mitigation procedures at the receiver. However, it was observed that interleaved OFDMA presents a special structure that results in only self-inflicted clipping distortions (i.e., the distortions of a particular user do not interfere with other users). In this work, we prove analytically that distortions do not spread over multiple users (while utilizing interleaved carrier assignment in OFDMA) and construct a compressed sensing system that utilizes the sparsity of the clipping distortions and recovers it on each user. We provide numerical results that validate our analysis and show promising performance for the proposed clipping recovery scheme.

  14. Peak-to-average power ratio reduction in interleaved OFDMA systems

    KAUST Repository

    Al-Shuhail, Shamael

    2015-12-07

    Orthogonal frequency division multiple access (OFDMA) systems suffer from several impairments, and communication system engineers use powerful signal processing tools to combat these impairments and to keep up with the capacity/rate demands. One of these impairments is high peak-to-average power ratio (PAPR) and clipping is the simplest peak reduction scheme. However, in general, when multiple users are subjected to clipping, frequency domain clipping distortions spread over the spectrum of all users. This results in compromised performance and hence clipping distortions need to be mitigated at the receiver. Mitigating these distortions in multiuser case is not simple and requires complex clipping mitigation procedures at the receiver. However, it was observed that interleaved OFDMA presents a special structure that results in only self-inflicted clipping distortions (i.e., the distortions of a particular user do not interfere with other users). In this work, we prove analytically that distortions do not spread over multiple users (while utilizing interleaved carrier assignment in OFDMA) and construct a compressed sensing system that utilizes the sparsity of the clipping distortions and recovers it on each user. We provide numerical results that validate our analysis and show promising performance for the proposed clipping recovery scheme.

  15. High Peak Power Test and Evaluation of S-band Waveguide Switches

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nassiri, A.; Grelick, A.; Kustom, R. L.; White, M.

    1997-05-01

    The injector and source of particles for the Advanced Photon Source is a 2856-MHz S-band electron-positron linear accelerator (linac) which produces electrons with energies up to 650 MeV or positrons with energies up to 450 MeV. To improve the linac rf system availability, an additional modulator-klystron subsystem is being constructed to provide a switchable hot spare unit for each of the five exsisting S-band transmitters. The switching of the transmitters will require the use of SF6-pressurized S-band waveguide switches at a peak operating power of 35 MW. Such rf switches have been successfully operated at other accelerator facilities but at lower peak powers. A test stand has been set up at the Stanford Linear Accelerator Center (SLAC) Klystron Factory to conduct tests comparing the power handling characteristics of two WR-284 and one WR-340 switches. Test results are presented and their implications for the design of the switching system are discussed.

  16. Quantification of sulphur amino acids by ultra-high performance liquid chromatography in aquatic invertebrates.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Thera, Jennifer C; Kidd, Karen A; Dodge-Lynch, M Elaine; Bertolo, Robert F

    2017-12-15

    We examined the performance of an ultra-high performance liquid chromatography method to quantify protein-bound sulphur amino acids in zooplankton. Both cysteic acid and methionine sulfone were linear from 5 to 250 pmol (r 2  = 0.99), with a method detection limit of 13 pmol and 9 pmol, respectively. Although there was no matrix effect on linearity, adjacent peaks and co-eluting noise from the invertebrate proteins increased the detection limits when compared to common standards. Overall, performance characteristics were reproducible and accurate, and provide a means for quantifying sulphur amino acids in aquatic invertebrates, an understudied group. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  17. Recruiting, Training, Retaining, and Promoting the Workforce of the Future at Comanche Peak Steam Electric Station

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Sunseri, M.

    1999-01-01

    TXU Electric expects to encounter a relatively high turnover in the workforce in the coming years. To prepare for this challenge and to maintain a high level of performance, a number of approaches are being implemented. These approaches involve recruiting experienced personnel, recruiting and developing local nonexperienced personnel, and developing current employees. Through these approaches, TXU Electric expects to maintain a high-quality workforce for the continued support of Comanche Peak Steam Electric Station

  18. Pulsed high-peak-power and single-frequency fibre laser design for LIDAR aircraft safety application

    Science.gov (United States)

    Liégeois, Flavien; Vercambre, Clément; Hernandez, Yves; Salhi, Mohamed; Giannone, Domenico

    2006-09-01

    Laser wind velocimeters work by monitoring the Doppler shift induced on the backscattered light by aerosols that are present in the air. Recently there has been a growing interest in the scientific community for developing systems operating at wavelengths near 1.5 μm and based on all-fibre lasers configuration. In this paper, we propose a new all-fibre laser source that is suitable for Doppler velocimetry in aircraft safety applications. The all-fibre laser has been specifically conceived for aircraft safety application. Our prototype has a conveniently narrow linewidth (9 kHz) and is modulated and amplified through an all fibre Master Oscillator Power Amplifier (MOPA) configuration. According to the measurements, we performed the final characteristics of the laser consist in a maximum peak power of 2.7 kW and an energy of 27 μJ energy per pulses of 10 ns at 30 kHz repetition rate. The only limiting factor of these performances is the Stimulated Brillouin Scattering.

  19. Peak Oil, Food Systems, and Public Health

    Science.gov (United States)

    Parker, Cindy L.; Kirschenmann, Frederick L.; Tinch, Jennifer; Lawrence, Robert S.

    2011-01-01

    Peak oil is the phenomenon whereby global oil supplies will peak, then decline, with extraction growing increasingly costly. Today's globalized industrial food system depends on oil for fueling farm machinery, producing pesticides, and transporting goods. Biofuels production links oil prices to food prices. We examined food system vulnerability to rising oil prices and the public health consequences. In the short term, high food prices harm food security and equity. Over time, high prices will force the entire food system to adapt. Strong preparation and advance investment may mitigate the extent of dislocation and hunger. Certain social and policy changes could smooth adaptation; public health has an essential role in promoting a proactive, smart, and equitable transition that increases resilience and enables adequate food for all. PMID:21778492

  20. An internal friction peak caused by hydrogen in maraging steel

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Usui, Makoto; Asano, Shigeru

    1996-01-01

    Internal friction in hydrogen-charged iron and steel has so far been studied by a large number of investigators. For pure iron, a well-defined peak of internal friction has been observed under the cold-worked and hydrogen-charged conditions. This is called the hydrogen cold-work peak, or the Snoek-Koester relaxation, which originates from the hydrogen-dislocation interaction. In the present study, a high-strength maraging steel (Fe-18Ni-9Co-5Mo) was chosen as another high-alloy steel which is known to be very susceptible to hydrogen embrittlement. The purpose of this paper is to show a new internal friction peak caused by hydrogen in the maraging steel and to compare it with those found in stainless steels which have so far been studied as typical engineering high-alloy materials

  1. Social learning solves the problem of narrow-peaked search landscapes: experimental evidence in humans.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Acerbi, Alberto; Tennie, Claudio; Mesoudi, Alex

    2016-09-01

    The extensive use of social learning is considered a major reason for the ecological success of humans. Theoretical considerations, models and experiments have explored the evolutionary basis of social learning, showing the conditions under which learning from others is more adaptive than individual learning. Here we present an extension of a previous experimental set-up, in which individuals go on simulated 'hunts' and their success depends on the features of a 'virtual arrowhead' they design. Individuals can modify their arrowhead either by individual trial and error or by copying others. We study how, in a multimodal adaptive landscape, the smoothness of the peaks influences learning. We compare narrow peaks, in which solutions close to optima do not provide useful feedback to individuals, to wide peaks, where smooth landscapes allow an effective hill-climbing individual learning strategy. We show that individual learning is more difficult in narrow-peaked landscapes, but that social learners perform almost equally well in both narrow- and wide-peaked search spaces. There was a weak trend for more copying in the narrow than wide condition, although as in previous experiments social information was generally underutilized. Our results highlight the importance of tasks' design space when studying the adaptiveness of high-fidelity social learning.

  2. Peak energy consumption and CO2 emissions in China

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Yuan, Jiahai; Xu, Yan; Hu, Zheng; Zhao, Changhong; Xiong, Minpeng; Guo, Jingsheng

    2014-01-01

    China is in the processes of rapid industrialization and urbanization. Based on the Kaya identity, this paper proposes an analytical framework for various energy scenarios that explicitly simulates China's economic development, with a prospective consideration on the impacts of urbanization and income distribution. With the framework, China's 2050 energy consumption and associated CO 2 reduction scenarios are constructed. Main findings are: (1) energy consumption will peak at 5200–5400 million tons coal equivalent (Mtce) in 2035–2040; (2) CO 2 emissions will peak at 9200–9400 million tons (Mt) in 2030–2035, whilst it can be potentially reduced by 200–300 Mt; (3) China's per capita energy consumption and per capita CO 2 emission are projected to peak at 4 tce and 6.8 t respectively in 2020–2030, soon after China steps into the high income group. - Highlights: • A framework for modeling China's energy and CO 2 emissions is proposed. • Scenarios are constructed based on various assumptions on the driving forces. • Energy consumption will peak in 2035–2040 at 5200–5400 Mtce. • CO 2 emissions will peak in 2030–2035 at about 9300 Mt and be cut by 300 Mt in a cleaner energy path. • Energy consumption and CO 2 emissions per capita will peak soon after China steps into the high income group

  3. [A new peak detection algorithm of Raman spectra].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jiang, Cheng-Zhi; Sun, Qiang; Liu, Ying; Liang, Jing-Qiu; An, Yan; Liu, Bing

    2014-01-01

    The authors proposed a new Raman peak recognition method named bi-scale correlation algorithm. The algorithm uses the combination of the correlation coefficient and the local signal-to-noise ratio under two scales to achieve Raman peak identification. We compared the performance of the proposed algorithm with that of the traditional continuous wavelet transform method through MATLAB, and then tested the algorithm with real Raman spectra. The results show that the average time for identifying a Raman spectrum is 0.51 s with the algorithm, while it is 0.71 s with the continuous wavelet transform. When the signal-to-noise ratio of Raman peak is greater than or equal to 6 (modern Raman spectrometers feature an excellent signal-to-noise ratio), the recognition accuracy with the algorithm is higher than 99%, while it is less than 84% with the continuous wavelet transform method. The mean and the standard deviations of the peak position identification error of the algorithm are both less than that of the continuous wavelet transform method. Simulation analysis and experimental verification prove that the new algorithm possesses the following advantages: no needs of human intervention, no needs of de-noising and background removal operation, higher recognition speed and higher recognition accuracy. The proposed algorithm is operable in Raman peak identification.

  4. Capacitor performance limitations in high power converter applications

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    El-Khatib, Walid Ziad; Holbøll, Joachim; Rasmussen, Tonny Wederberg

    2013-01-01

    High voltage low inductance capacitors are used in converters as HVDC-links, snubber circuits and sub model (MMC) capacitances. They facilitate the possibility of large peak currents under high frequent or transient voltage applications. On the other hand, using capacitors with larger equivalent...... series inductances include the risk of transient overvoltages, with a negative effect on life time and reliability of the capacitors. These allowable limits of such current and voltage peaks are decided by the ability of the converter components, including the capacitors, to withstand them over...... the expected life time. In this paper results are described from investigations on the electrical environment of these capacitors, including all the conditions they would be exposed to, thereby trying to find the tradeoffs needed to find a suitable capacitor. Different types of capacitors with the same voltage...

  5. Experimental discrimination of ion stopping models near the Bragg peak in highly ionized matter

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cayzac, W.; Frank, A.; Ortner, A.; Bagnoud, V.; Basko, M. M.; Bedacht, S.; Bläser, C.; Blažević, A.; Busold, S.; Deppert, O.; Ding, J.; Ehret, M.; Fiala, P.; Frydrych, S.; Gericke, D. O.; Hallo, L.; Helfrich, J.; Jahn, D.; Kjartansson, E.; Knetsch, A.; Kraus, D.; Malka, G.; Neumann, N. W.; Pépitone, K.; Pepler, D.; Sander, S.; Schaumann, G.; Schlegel, T.; Schroeter, N.; Schumacher, D.; Seibert, M.; Tauschwitz, An.; Vorberger, J.; Wagner, F.; Weih, S.; Zobus, Y.; Roth, M.

    2017-01-01

    The energy deposition of ions in dense plasmas is a key process in inertial confinement fusion that determines the α-particle heating expected to trigger a burn wave in the hydrogen pellet and resulting in high thermonuclear gain. However, measurements of ion stopping in plasmas are scarce and mostly restricted to high ion velocities where theory agrees with the data. Here, we report experimental data at low projectile velocities near the Bragg peak, where the stopping force reaches its maximum. This parameter range features the largest theoretical uncertainties and conclusive data are missing until today. The precision of our measurements, combined with a reliable knowledge of the plasma parameters, allows to disprove several standard models for the stopping power for beam velocities typically encountered in inertial fusion. On the other hand, our data support theories that include a detailed treatment of strong ion-electron collisions. PMID:28569766

  6. Peak Experience Project

    Science.gov (United States)

    Scott, Daniel G.; Evans, Jessica

    2010-01-01

    This paper emerges from the continued analysis of data collected in a series of international studies concerning Childhood Peak Experiences (CPEs) based on developments in understanding peak experiences in Maslow's hierarchy of needs initiated by Dr Edward Hoffman. Bridging from the series of studies, Canadian researchers explore collected…

  7. The peak of oil production-Timings and market recognition

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Almeida, Pedro de; Silva, Pedro D.

    2009-01-01

    Energy is essential for present societies. In particular, transportation systems depend on petroleum-based fuels. That world oil production is set to pass a peak is now a reasonably accepted concept, although its date is far from consensual. In this work, we analyze the true expectations of the oil market participants about the future availability of this fundamental energy source. We study the evolution through time of the curves of crude oil futures prices, and we conclude that the market participants, among them the crude oil producers, already expect a near-term peak of oil production. This agrees with many technical predictions for the date of peak production, including our own, that point to peak dates around the end of the present decade. If this scenario is confirmed, it can cause serious social and economical problems because societies will have little time to perform the necessary adjustments

  8. Combining automated peak tracking in SAR by NMR with structure-based backbone assignment from 15N-NOESY

    KAUST Repository

    Jang, Richard; Gao, Xin; Li, Ming

    2012-01-01

    Background: Chemical shift mapping is an important technique in NMR-based drug screening for identifying the atoms of a target protein that potentially bind to a drug molecule upon the molecule's introduction in increasing concentrations. The goal is to obtain a mapping of peaks with known residue assignment from the reference spectrum of the unbound protein to peaks with unknown assignment in the target spectrum of the bound protein. Although a series of perturbed spectra help to trace a path from reference peaks to target peaks, a one-to-one mapping generally is not possible, especially for large proteins, due to errors, such as noise peaks, missing peaks, missing but then reappearing, overlapped, and new peaks not associated with any peaks in the reference. Due to these difficulties, the mapping is typically done manually or semi-automatically, which is not efficient for high-throughput drug screening.Results: We present PeakWalker, a novel peak walking algorithm for fast-exchange systems that models the errors explicitly and performs many-to-one mapping. On the proteins: hBclXL, UbcH5B, and histone H1, it achieves an average accuracy of over 95% with less than 1.5 residues predicted per target peak. Given these mappings as input, we present PeakAssigner, a novel combined structure-based backbone resonance and NOE assignment algorithm that uses just 15N-NOESY, while avoiding TOCSY experiments and 13C-labeling, to resolve the ambiguities for a one-to-one mapping. On the three proteins, it achieves an average accuracy of 94% or better.Conclusions: Our mathematical programming approach for modeling chemical shift mapping as a graph problem, while modeling the errors directly, is potentially a time- and cost-effective first step for high-throughput drug screening based on limited NMR data and homologous 3D structures. 2012 Jang et al.; licensee BioMed Central Ltd.

  9. Combining automated peak tracking in SAR by NMR with structure-based backbone assignment from 15N-NOESY

    KAUST Repository

    Jang, Richard

    2012-03-21

    Background: Chemical shift mapping is an important technique in NMR-based drug screening for identifying the atoms of a target protein that potentially bind to a drug molecule upon the molecule\\'s introduction in increasing concentrations. The goal is to obtain a mapping of peaks with known residue assignment from the reference spectrum of the unbound protein to peaks with unknown assignment in the target spectrum of the bound protein. Although a series of perturbed spectra help to trace a path from reference peaks to target peaks, a one-to-one mapping generally is not possible, especially for large proteins, due to errors, such as noise peaks, missing peaks, missing but then reappearing, overlapped, and new peaks not associated with any peaks in the reference. Due to these difficulties, the mapping is typically done manually or semi-automatically, which is not efficient for high-throughput drug screening.Results: We present PeakWalker, a novel peak walking algorithm for fast-exchange systems that models the errors explicitly and performs many-to-one mapping. On the proteins: hBclXL, UbcH5B, and histone H1, it achieves an average accuracy of over 95% with less than 1.5 residues predicted per target peak. Given these mappings as input, we present PeakAssigner, a novel combined structure-based backbone resonance and NOE assignment algorithm that uses just 15N-NOESY, while avoiding TOCSY experiments and 13C-labeling, to resolve the ambiguities for a one-to-one mapping. On the three proteins, it achieves an average accuracy of 94% or better.Conclusions: Our mathematical programming approach for modeling chemical shift mapping as a graph problem, while modeling the errors directly, is potentially a time- and cost-effective first step for high-throughput drug screening based on limited NMR data and homologous 3D structures. 2012 Jang et al.; licensee BioMed Central Ltd.

  10. Development of high average power industrial Nd:YAG laser with peak power of 10 kW class

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kim, Cheol Jung; Kim, Jeong Mook; Jung, Chin Mann; Kim, Soo Sung; Kim, Kwang Suk; Kim, Min Suk; Cho, Jae Wan; Kim, Duk Hyun

    1992-03-01

    We developed and commercialized an industrial pulsed Nd:YAG laser with peak power of 10 kW class for fine cutting and drilling applications. Several commercial models have been investigated in design and performance. We improved its quality to the level of commercial Nd:YAG laser by an endurance test for each parts of laser system. The maximum peak power and average power of our laser were 10 kW and 250 W, respectively. Moreover, the laser pulse width could be controlled from 0.5 msec to 20 msec continuously. Many optical parts were localized and lowered much in cost. Only few parts were imported and almost 90% in cost were localized. Also, to accellerate the commercialization by the joint company, the training and transfer of technology were pursued in the joint participation in design and assembly by company researchers from the early stage. Three Nd:YAG lasers have been assembled and will be tested in industrial manufacturing process to prove the capability of developed Nd:YAG laser with potential users. (Author)

  11. Improvements to science operations at Kitt Peak National Observatory

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bohannan, Bruce

    1998-07-01

    In recent years Kitt Peak National Observatory has undertaken a number of innovative projects to optimize science operations with the suite of telescopes we operate on Kitt Peak, Arizona. Changing scientific requirements and expectations of our users, evolving technology and declining budgets have motivated the changes. The operations improvements have included telescope performance enhancements--with the focus on the Mayall 4-m--modes of observing and scheduling, telescope control and observing systems, planning and communication, and data archiving.

  12. High performance in silico virtual drug screening on many-core processors

    Science.gov (United States)

    Price, James; Sessions, Richard B; Ibarra, Amaurys A

    2015-01-01

    Drug screening is an important part of the drug development pipeline for the pharmaceutical industry. Traditional, lab-based methods are increasingly being augmented with computational methods, ranging from simple molecular similarity searches through more complex pharmacophore matching to more computationally intensive approaches, such as molecular docking. The latter simulates the binding of drug molecules to their targets, typically protein molecules. In this work, we describe BUDE, the Bristol University Docking Engine, which has been ported to the OpenCL industry standard parallel programming language in order to exploit the performance of modern many-core processors. Our highly optimized OpenCL implementation of BUDE sustains 1.43 TFLOP/s on a single Nvidia GTX 680 GPU, or 46% of peak performance. BUDE also exploits OpenCL to deliver effective performance portability across a broad spectrum of different computer architectures from different vendors, including GPUs from Nvidia and AMD, Intel’s Xeon Phi and multi-core CPUs with SIMD instruction sets. PMID:25972727

  13. High performance in silico virtual drug screening on many-core processors.

    Science.gov (United States)

    McIntosh-Smith, Simon; Price, James; Sessions, Richard B; Ibarra, Amaurys A

    2015-05-01

    Drug screening is an important part of the drug development pipeline for the pharmaceutical industry. Traditional, lab-based methods are increasingly being augmented with computational methods, ranging from simple molecular similarity searches through more complex pharmacophore matching to more computationally intensive approaches, such as molecular docking. The latter simulates the binding of drug molecules to their targets, typically protein molecules. In this work, we describe BUDE, the Bristol University Docking Engine, which has been ported to the OpenCL industry standard parallel programming language in order to exploit the performance of modern many-core processors. Our highly optimized OpenCL implementation of BUDE sustains 1.43 TFLOP/s on a single Nvidia GTX 680 GPU, or 46% of peak performance. BUDE also exploits OpenCL to deliver effective performance portability across a broad spectrum of different computer architectures from different vendors, including GPUs from Nvidia and AMD, Intel's Xeon Phi and multi-core CPUs with SIMD instruction sets.

  14. Effects of Sled Towing on Peak Force, the Rate of Force Development and Sprint Performance During the Acceleration Phase

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Martínez-Valencia María Asunción

    2015-06-01

    Full Text Available Resisted sprint training is believed to increase strength specific to sprinting. Therefore, the knowledge of force output in these tasks is essential. The aim of this study was to analyze the effect of sled towing (10%, 15% and 20% of body mass (Bm on sprint performance and force production during the acceleration phase. Twenty-three young experienced sprinters (17 men and 6 women; men = 17.9 ± 3.3 years, 1.79 ± 0.06 m and 69.4 ± 6.1 kg; women = 17.2 ± 1.7 years, 1.65 ± 0.04 m and 56.6 ± 2.3 kg performed four 30 m sprints from a crouch start. Sprint times in 20 and 30 m sprint, peak force (Fpeak, a peak rate of force development (RFDpeak and time to RFD (TRFD in first step were recorded. Repeated-measures ANOVA showed significant increases (p ≤ 0.001 in sprint times (20 and 30 m sprint for each resisted condition as compared to the unloaded condition. The RFDpeak increased significantly when a load increased (3129.4 ± 894.6 N·s−1, p ≤ 0.05 and 3892.4 ± 1377.9 N·s−1, p ≤ 0.01. Otherwise, no significant increases were found in Fpeak and TRFD. The RFD determines the force that can be generated in the early phase of muscle contraction, and it has been considered a factor that influences performance of force-velocity tasks. The use of a load up to 20% Bm might provide a training stimulus in young sprinters to improve the RFDpeak during the sprint start, and thus, early acceleration.

  15. Effects of a low- or a high-carbohydrate diet on performance, energy system contribution, and metabolic responses during supramaximal exercise.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lima-Silva, Adriano E; Pires, Flavio O; Bertuzzi, Romulo; Silva-Cavalcante, Marcos D; Oliveira, Rodrigo S F; Kiss, Maria Augusta; Bishop, David

    2013-09-01

    The purpose of the present study was to examine the effects of a high- or low-carbohydrate (CHO) diet on performance, aerobic and anaerobic contribution, and metabolic responses during supramaximal exercise. Six physically-active men first performed a cycling exercise bout at 115% maximal oxygen uptake to exhaustion after following their normal diet for 48 h (∼50% of CHO, control test). Seventy-two hours after, participants performed a muscle glycogen depletion exercise protocol, followed by either a high- or low-CHO diet (∼70 and 25% of CHO, respectively) for 48 h, in a random, counterbalanced order. After the assigned diet period (48 h), the supramaximal cycling exercise bout (115% maximal oxygen consumption) to exhaustion was repeated. The low-CHO diet reduced time to exhaustion when compared with both the control and the high-CHO diet (-19 and -32%, respectively, p diet was accompanied by a lower total aerobic energy contribution (-39%) compared with the high-CHO diet (p 0.05). The low-CHO diet was associated with a lower blood lactate concentration (p 0.05). In conclusion, a low-CHO diet reduces both performance and total aerobic energy provision during supramaximal exercise. As peak K(+) concentration was similar, but time to exhaustion shorter, the low-CHO diet was associated with an earlier attainment of peak plasma K(+) concentration.

  16. Focused ultrasound transducer spatial peak intensity estimation: a comparison of methods

    Science.gov (United States)

    Civale, John; Rivens, Ian; Shaw, Adam; ter Haar, Gail

    2018-03-01

    Characterisation of the spatial peak intensity at the focus of high intensity focused ultrasound transducers is difficult because of the risk of damage to hydrophone sensors at the high focal pressures generated. Hill et al (1994 Ultrasound Med. Biol. 20 259-69) provided a simple equation for estimating spatial-peak intensity for solid spherical bowl transducers using measured acoustic power and focal beamwidth. This paper demonstrates theoretically and experimentally that this expression is only strictly valid for spherical bowl transducers without a central (imaging) aperture. A hole in the centre of the transducer results in over-estimation of the peak intensity. Improved strategies for determining focal peak intensity from a measurement of total acoustic power are proposed. Four methods are compared: (i) a solid spherical bowl approximation (after Hill et al 1994 Ultrasound Med. Biol. 20 259-69), (ii) a numerical method derived from theory, (iii) a method using measured sidelobe to focal peak pressure ratio, and (iv) a method for measuring the focal power fraction (FPF) experimentally. Spatial-peak intensities were estimated for 8 transducers at three drive powers levels: low (approximately 1 W), moderate (~10 W) and high (20-70 W). The calculated intensities were compared with those derived from focal peak pressure measurements made using a calibrated hydrophone. The FPF measurement method was found to provide focal peak intensity estimates that agreed most closely (within 15%) with the hydrophone measurements, followed by the pressure ratio method (within 20%). The numerical method was found to consistently over-estimate focal peak intensity (+40% on average), however, for transducers with a central hole it was more accurate than using the solid bowl assumption (+70% over-estimation). In conclusion, the ability to make use of an automated beam plotting system, and a hydrophone with good spatial resolution, greatly facilitates characterisation of the FPF, and

  17. Peak oxygen uptake in Paralympic sitting sports: A systematic literature review, meta- and pooled-data analysis

    Science.gov (United States)

    Brurok, Berit; Sandbakk, Øyvind

    2018-01-01

    Background Peak oxygen uptake (VO2peak) in Paralympic sitting sports athletes represents their maximal ability to deliver energy aerobically in an upper-body mode, with values being influenced by sex, disability-related physiological limitations, sport-specific demands, training status and how they are tested. Objectives To identify VO2peak values in Paralympic sitting sports, examine between-sports differences and within-sports variations in VO2peak and determine the influence of sex, age, body-mass, disability and test-mode on VO2peak. Design Systematic literature review and meta-analysis. Data sources PubMed, CINAHL, SPORTDiscusTM and EMBASE were systematically searched in October 2016 using relevant medical subject headings, keywords and a Boolean. Eligibility criteria Studies that assessed VO2peak values in sitting sports athletes with a disability in a laboratory setting were included. Data synthesis Data was extracted and pooled in the different sports disciplines, weighted by the Dersimonian and Laird random effects approach. Quality of the included studies was assessed with a modified version of the Downs and Black checklist by two independent reviewers. Meta-regression and pooled-data multiple regression analyses were performed to assess the influence of sex, age, body-mass, disability, test mode and study quality on VO2peak. Results Of 6542 retrieved articles, 57 studies reporting VO2peak values in 14 different sitting sports were included in this review. VO2peak values from 771 athletes were used in the data analysis, of which 30% participated in wheelchair basketball, 27% in wheelchair racing, 15% in wheelchair rugby and the remaining 28% in the 11 other disciplines. Fifty-six percent of the athletes had a spinal cord injury and 87% were men. Sports-discipline-averaged VO2peak values ranged from 2.9 L∙min-1 and 45.6 mL∙kg-1∙min-1 in Nordic sit skiing to 1.4 L∙min-1 and 17.3 mL∙kg-1∙min-1 in shooting and 1.3 L∙min-1 and 18.9 mL∙kg-1

  18. Technology for computer-stabilized peak of NaI(Tl) gamma spectrum

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Chen Jianzhen; Guo Lanying; Ling Qiu; Qu Guopu; Zhao Lihong; Hu Chuangye

    2005-01-01

    An improved technology for spectrum stabilization of NaI(Tl) gamma spectrum was introduced. This technology is based on the system using a reference peak, which is equivalent gamma peak of 241 Am source. The computer seeks peak's position deviation and computes adjust value of programmable amplifier and controls programmable amplifier to stabilize spectrum by digital PID. This is a technology of spectrum stabilizing with 'hardware + reference-peak + software' and has high stability and fast speed of spectrum stabilizing. (author)

  19. Base profile design for high-performance operation of bipolar transistors at liquid-nitrogen temperature

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Stork, J.M.C.; Harame, D.L.; Meyerson, B.S.; Nguyen, T.N.

    1989-01-01

    The base profile requirements of Si bipolar junction transistors (BJT's) high-performance operation at liquid-nitrogen temperature are examined. Measurements of thin epitaxial-base polysilicon-emitter n-p-n transistors with increasing base doping show the effects of bandgap narrowing, mobility changes, and carrier freezeout. At room temperature the collector current at low injection is proportional to the integrated base charge, independent of the impurity distribution. At temperatures below 150 Κ, however, minority injection is dominated by the peak base doping because of the greater effectiveness of bandgap narrowing. When the peak doping in the base approaches 10 19 cm -3 , the bandgap difference between emitter and base is sufficiently small that the current gain no longer monotonically decreases with lower temperature but instead shows a maximum as low as 180 Κ. The device design window appears limited at the low-current end by increased base-emitter leakage due to tunneling and by resistance control at the high-current end. Using the measured dc characteristics, circuit delay calculations are made to estimate the performance of an ECL ring oscillator at room and liquid-nitrogen temperatures. It is shown that if the base doping can be raised to 10 19 cm -3 while keeping the base thickness constant, the minimum delay at liquid nitrogen can approach the delay of optimized devices at room temperature

  20. Peak Oil and other threatening peaks-Chimeras without substance

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Radetzki, Marian

    2010-01-01

    The Peak Oil movement has widely spread its message about an impending peak in global oil production, caused by an inadequate resource base. On closer scrutiny, the underlying analysis is inconsistent, void of a theoretical foundation and without support in empirical observations. Global oil resources are huge and expanding, and pose no threat to continuing output growth within an extended time horizon. In contrast, temporary or prolonged supply crunches are indeed plausible, even likely, on account of growing resource nationalism denying access to efficient exploitation of the existing resource wealth.

  1. High intensity interval training improves VO2peak, maximal lactate production, time trial and competition performance in 9-11 year old swimmers

    OpenAIRE

    Sperlich, Billy; Zinner, Christoph; Helleman, Ilka; Kjendlie, Per-Ludvik; Holmberg, H. C.; Mester, Joachim

    2010-01-01

    Open Access - This article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Noncommercial License which permits any noncommercial use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the source is credited. Training volume in swimming is usually very high when compared to the relatively short competition time. High-intensity interval training (HIIT) has been demonstrated to improve performance in a relatively short training period. The main purpose of the present s...

  2. Peak-locking reduction for particle image velocimetry

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Michaelis, Dirk; Wieneke, Bernhard; Neal, Douglas R

    2016-01-01

    A parametric study of the factors contributing to peak-locking, a known bias error source in particle image velocimetry (PIV), is conducted using synthetic data that are processed with a state-of-the-art PIV algorithm. The investigated parameters include: particle image diameter, image interpolation techniques, the effect of asymmetric versus symmetric window deformation, number of passes and the interrogation window size. Some of these parameters are found to have a profound effect on the magnitude of the peak-locking error. The effects for specific PIV cameras are also studied experimentally using a precision turntable to generate a known rotating velocity field. Image time series recorded using this experiment show a linear range of pixel and sub-pixel shifts ranging from 0 to  ±4 pixels. Deviations in the constant vorticity field (ω z ) reveal how peak-locking can be affected systematically both by varying parameters of the detection system such as the focal distance and f -number, and also by varying the settings of the PIV analysis. A new a priori technique for reducing the bias errors associated with peak-locking in PIV is introduced using an optical diffuser to avoid undersampled particle images during the recording of the raw images. This technique is evaluated against other a priori approaches using experimental data and is shown to perform favorably. Finally, a new a posteriori anti peak-locking filter (APLF) is developed and investigated, which shows promising results for both synthetic data and real measurements for very small particle image sizes. (paper)

  3. High performance liquid chromatography in pharmaceutical analyses

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Branko Nikolin

    2004-05-01

    serum contains numerous endogenous compounds often present in concentrations much greater than those of analyte. Analiyte concentrations are often low, and in the case of drugs, the endogenous compounds are sometimes structurally very similar to the drug to be measured. The binding of drugs to the plasma protein also may occur which decreases the amount of free compound that is measured. To undertake the analyses of drugs and metabolites in body fluids the analyst is facet with several problems. The first problem is due to the complex nature of the body fluid, the drugs must be isolated by an extraction technique, which ideally should provide a relatively clean extract, and the separation system must be capable of resolving the drugs of interest from co extractives. All mentioned when we are using high performance liquid chromatography require good selections of detectors, good stationary phase, eluents and adequate program during separation. UV/VIS detector is the most versatile detector used in high performance liquid chromatography it is not always ideal since it is lack of specificity means high resolution of the analyte that may be required. UV detection is preferred since it offers excellent linearity and rapid quantitative analyses can be performed against a single standard of the drug being determined. Diode array and rapid scanning detector are useful for peak identification and monitoring peak purity but they are somewhat less sensitive then single wavelength detectors. In liquid chromatography some components may have a poor UV chromophores if UV detection is being used or be completely retained on the liquid chromatography column. Fluorescence and electrochemical detector are not only considerably more sensitive towed appropriate analytes but also more selective than UV detectors for many compounds. If at all possible fluorescence detectors are sensitive, stable, selective and easy to operate. It is selectivity shows itself in the lack of frontal

  4. Performance capabilities of EDM of high carbon high chromium steel with copper and brass electrodes

    Science.gov (United States)

    Surekha, B.; Swain, Sudiptha; Suleman, Abu Jafar; Choudhury, Suvan Dev

    2017-07-01

    The paper address the statistical modeling of input-output relationships of electric discharge machining. In the present work, peak current (I) pulse on time (T) and gap voltage of electric discharge machining (EDM) process are chosen as control parameters to analyze the performance of the process. The output characteristics, namely radial overcut, electrode wear rate (EWR) and metal removal rate (MRR) are treated as the responses. A full factorial design (FFD) of experiments has been used to conduct the experiments and linear regression models are developed for different process characteristics. While conducting the experiments, high carbon and high chromium steel is considered as work piece material and brass and copper are used as electrode material. It is important to note that the experimental conditions are kept similar while machining with the help of different electrode materials. The data obtained from the experiments has been used to develop the regression models for three process parameters for two electrode materials.

  5. Osteoporosis: Peak Bone Mass in Women

    Science.gov (United States)

    ... bone density are seen even during childhood and adolescence. Hormonal factors. The hormone estrogen has an effect on peak bone mass. For example, women who had their first menstrual cycle at an early age and those who use oral contraceptives, which contain estrogen, often have high bone mineral ...

  6. The influence of peak shock stress on the high pressure phase transformation in Zr

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Cerreta, E K; Addessio, F L; Bronkhorst, C A; Brown, D W; Escobedo, J P; Fensin, S J; Gray, G T III; Lookman, T; Rigg, P A; Trujillo, C P

    2014-01-01

    At high pressures zirconium is known to undergo a phase transformation from the hexagonal close packed (HCP) alpha phase to the simple hexagonal omega phase. Under conditions of shock loading, a significant volume fraction of high-pressure omega phase is retained upon release. However, the hysteresis in this transformation is not well represented by equilibrium phase diagrams and the multi-phase plasticity under shock conditions is not well understood. For these reasons, the influence of peak shock stress and temperature on the retention of omega phase in Zr has been explored. VISAR and PDV measurements along with post-mortem metallographic and neutron diffraction characterization of soft recovered specimens have been utilized to quantify the volume fraction of retained omega phase and qualitatively understand the kinetics of this transformation. In turn, soft recovered specimens with varying volume fractions of retained omega phase have been utilized to understand the contribution of omega and alpha phases to strength in shock loaded Zr.

  7. Structural performance of the DOE's Idaho National Engineering Laboratory during the 1983 Borah Peak Earthquake

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Guenzler, R.C.; Gorman, V.W.

    1985-01-01

    The 1983 Borah Peak Earthquake (7.3 Richter magnitude) was the largest earthquake ever experienced by the DOE's Idaho National Engineering Laboratory (INEL). Reactor and plant facilities are generally located about 90 to 110 km (60 miles) from the epicenter. Several reactors were operating normally at the time of the earthquake. Based on detailed inspections, comparisons of measured accelerations with design levels, and instrumental seismograph information, it was concluded that the 1983 Borah Peak Earthquake created no safety problems for INEL reactors or other facilities. 10 references, 16 figures, 2 tables

  8. Automatic fitting of Gaussian peaks using abductive machine learning

    Science.gov (United States)

    Abdel-Aal, R. E.

    1998-02-01

    Analytical techniques have been used for many years for fitting Gaussian peaks in nuclear spectroscopy. However, the complexity of the approach warrants looking for machine-learning alternatives where intensive computations are required only once (during training), while actual analysis on individual spectra is greatly simplified and quickened. This should allow the use of simple portable systems for fast and automated analysis of large numbers of spectra, particularly in situations where accuracy may be traded for speed and simplicity. This paper proposes the use of abductive networks machine learning for this purpose. The Abductory Induction Mechanism (AIM) tool was used to build models for analyzing both single and double Gaussian peaks in the presence of noise depicting statistical uncertainties in collected spectra. AIM networks were synthesized by training on 1000 representative simulated spectra and evaluated on 500 new spectra. A classifier network determines the multiplicity of single/double peaks with an accuracy of 5.8%. With statistical uncertainties corresponding to a peak count of 100, average percentage absolute errors for the height, position, and width of single peaks are 4.9, 2.9, and 4.2%, respectively. For double peaks, these average errors are within 7.0, 3.1, and 5.9%, respectively. Models have been developed which account for the effect of a linear background on a single peak. Performance is compared with a neural network application and with an analytical curve-fitting routine, and the new technique is applied to actual data of an alpha spectrum.

  9. Automatic fitting of Gaussian peaks using abductive machine learning

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Abdel-Aal, R.E.

    1998-01-01

    Analytical techniques have been used for many years for fitting Gaussian peaks in nuclear spectroscopy. However, the complexity of the approach warrants looking for machine-learning alternatives where intensive computations are required only once (during training), while actual analysis on individual spectra is greatly simplified and quickened. This should allow the use of simple portable systems for fast and automated analysis of large numbers of spectra, particularly in situations where accuracy may be traded for speed and simplicity. This paper proposes the use of abductive networks machine learning for this purpose. The Abductory Induction Mechanism (AIM) tool was used to build models for analyzing both single and double Gaussian peaks in the presence of noise depicting statistical uncertainties in collected spectra. AIM networks were synthesized by training on 1,000 representative simulated spectra and evaluated on 500 new spectra. A classifier network determines the multiplicity of single/double peaks with an accuracy of 98%. With statistical uncertainties corresponding to a peak count of 100, average percentage absolute errors for the height, position, and width of single peaks are 4.9, 2.9, and 4.2%, respectively. For double peaks, these average errors are within 7.0, 3.1, and 5.9%, respectively. Models have been developed which account for the effect of a linear background on a single peak. Performance is compared with a neural network application and with an analytical curve-fitting routine, and the new technique is applied to actual data of an alpha spectrum

  10. Automatic Peak Selection by a Benjamini-Hochberg-Based Algorithm

    KAUST Repository

    Abbas, Ahmed; Kong, Xin-Bing; Liu, Zhi; Jing, Bing-Yi; Gao, Xin

    2013-01-01

    A common issue in bioinformatics is that computational methods often generate a large number of predictions sorted according to certain confidence scores. A key problem is then determining how many predictions must be selected to include most of the true predictions while maintaining reasonably high precision. In nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR)-based protein structure determination, for instance, computational peak picking methods are becoming more and more common, although expert-knowledge remains the method of choice to determine how many peaks among thousands of candidate peaks should be taken into consideration to capture the true peaks. Here, we propose a Benjamini-Hochberg (B-H)-based approach that automatically selects the number of peaks. We formulate the peak selection problem as a multiple testing problem. Given a candidate peak list sorted by either volumes or intensities, we first convert the peaks into p-values and then apply the B-H-based algorithm to automatically select the number of peaks. The proposed approach is tested on the state-of-the-art peak picking methods, including WaVPeak [1] and PICKY [2]. Compared with the traditional fixed number-based approach, our approach returns significantly more true peaks. For instance, by combining WaVPeak or PICKY with the proposed method, the missing peak rates are on average reduced by 20% and 26%, respectively, in a benchmark set of 32 spectra extracted from eight proteins. The consensus of the B-H-selected peaks from both WaVPeak and PICKY achieves 88% recall and 83% precision, which significantly outperforms each individual method and the consensus method without using the B-H algorithm. The proposed method can be used as a standard procedure for any peak picking method and straightforwardly applied to some other prediction selection problems in bioinformatics. The source code, documentation and example data of the proposed method is available at http://sfb.kaust.edu.sa/pages/software.aspx. © 2013

  11. Automatic Peak Selection by a Benjamini-Hochberg-Based Algorithm

    KAUST Repository

    Abbas, Ahmed

    2013-01-07

    A common issue in bioinformatics is that computational methods often generate a large number of predictions sorted according to certain confidence scores. A key problem is then determining how many predictions must be selected to include most of the true predictions while maintaining reasonably high precision. In nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR)-based protein structure determination, for instance, computational peak picking methods are becoming more and more common, although expert-knowledge remains the method of choice to determine how many peaks among thousands of candidate peaks should be taken into consideration to capture the true peaks. Here, we propose a Benjamini-Hochberg (B-H)-based approach that automatically selects the number of peaks. We formulate the peak selection problem as a multiple testing problem. Given a candidate peak list sorted by either volumes or intensities, we first convert the peaks into p-values and then apply the B-H-based algorithm to automatically select the number of peaks. The proposed approach is tested on the state-of-the-art peak picking methods, including WaVPeak [1] and PICKY [2]. Compared with the traditional fixed number-based approach, our approach returns significantly more true peaks. For instance, by combining WaVPeak or PICKY with the proposed method, the missing peak rates are on average reduced by 20% and 26%, respectively, in a benchmark set of 32 spectra extracted from eight proteins. The consensus of the B-H-selected peaks from both WaVPeak and PICKY achieves 88% recall and 83% precision, which significantly outperforms each individual method and the consensus method without using the B-H algorithm. The proposed method can be used as a standard procedure for any peak picking method and straightforwardly applied to some other prediction selection problems in bioinformatics. The source code, documentation and example data of the proposed method is available at http://sfb.kaust.edu.sa/pages/software.aspx. © 2013

  12. Impacts of Using Distributed Energy Resources to Reduce Peak Loads in Vermont

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Ruth, Mark F. [National Renewable Energy Lab. (NREL), Golden, CO (United States); Lunacek, Monte S. [National Renewable Energy Lab. (NREL), Golden, CO (United States); Jones, Birk [Univ. of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM (United States); Sandia National Lab. (SNL-NM), Albuquerque, NM (United States)

    2017-11-28

    To help the United States develop a modern electricity grid that provides reliable power from multiple resources as well as resiliency under extreme conditions, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) is leading the Grid Modernization Initiative (GMI) to help shape the future of the nation's grid. Under the GMI, DOE funded the Vermont Regional Initiative project to provide the technical support and analysis to utilities that need to mitigate possible impacts of increasing renewable generation required by statewide goals. Advanced control of distributed energy resources (DER) can both support higher penetrations of renewable energy by balancing controllable loads to wind and photovoltaic (PV) solar generation and reduce peak demand by shedding noncritical loads. This work focuses on the latter. This document reports on an experiment that evaluated and quantified the potential benefits and impacts of reducing the peak load through demand response (DR) using centrally controllable electric water heaters (EWHs) and batteries on two Green Mountain Power (GMP) feeders. The experiment simulated various hypothetical scenarios that varied the number of controllable EWHs, the amount of distributed PV systems, and the number of distributed residential batteries. The control schemes were designed with several objectives. For the first objective, the primary simulations focused on reducing the load during the independent system operator (ISO) peak when capacity charges were the primary concern. The second objective was to mitigate DR rebound to avoid new peak loads and high ramp rates. The final objective was to minimize customers' discomfort, which is defined by the lack of hot water when it is needed. We performed the simulations using the National Renewable Energy Laboratory's (NREL's) Integrated Energy System Model (IESM) because it can simulate both electric power distribution feeder and appliance end use performance and it includes the ability to simulate

  13. Economic effects of peak oil

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lutz, Christian; Lehr, Ulrike; Wiebe, Kirsten S.

    2012-01-01

    Assuming that global oil production peaked, this paper uses scenario analysis to show the economic effects of a possible supply shortage and corresponding rise in oil prices in the next decade on different sectors in Germany and other major economies such as the US, Japan, China, the OPEC or Russia. Due to the price-inelasticity of oil demand the supply shortage leads to a sharp increase in oil prices in the second scenario, with high effects on GDP comparable to the magnitude of the global financial crises in 2008/09. Oil exporting countries benefit from high oil prices, whereas oil importing countries are negatively affected. Generally, the effects in the third scenario are significantly smaller than in the second, showing that energy efficiency measures and the switch to renewable energy sources decreases the countries' dependence on oil imports and hence reduces their vulnerability to oil price shocks on the world market. - Highlights: ► National and sectoral economic effects of peak oil until 2020 are modelled. ► The price elasticity of oil demand is low resulting in high price fluctuations. ► Oil shortage strongly affects transport and indirectly all other sectors. ► Global macroeconomic effects are comparable to the 2008/2009 crisis. ► Country effects depend on oil imports and productivity, and economic structures.

  14. Hollow fiber optics with improved durability for high-peak-power pulses of Q-switched Nd:YAG lasers.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Matsuura, Yuji; Tsuchiuchi, Akio; Noguchi, Hiroshi; Miyagi, Mitsunobu

    2007-03-10

    To improve the damage threshold of hollow optical waveguides for transmitting Q-switched Nd:YAG laser pulses, we optimize the metallization processes for the inner coating of fibers. For silver-coated hollow fiber as the base, second, and third Nd:YAG lasers, drying silver films at a moderate temperature and with inert gas flow is found to be effective. By using this drying process, the resistance to high-peak-power optical pulse radiation is drastically improved for fibers fabricated with and without the sensitizing process. The maximum peak power transmitted in the fiber is greater than 20 MW. To improve the energy threshold of aluminum-coated hollow fibers for the fourth and fifth harmonics of Nd:YAG lasers, a thin silver film is added between the aluminum film and the glass substrate to increase adhesion of the aluminum coating. By using this primer layer, the power threshold improves to 3 MW for the fourth harmonics of a Q-switched Nd:YAG laser light.

  15. Peak load arrangements : Assessment of Nordel guidelines

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    2009-07-01

    Two Nordic countries, Sweden and Finland, have legislation that empowers the TSO to acquire designated peak load resources to mitigate the risk for shortage situations during the winter. In Denmark, the system operator procures resources to maintain a satisfactory level of security of supply. In Norway the TSO has set up a Regulation Power Option Market (RKOM) to secure a satisfactory level of operational reserves at all times, also in winter with high load demand. Only the arrangements in Finland and Sweden fall under the heading of Peak Load Arrangements defined in Nordel Guidelines. NordREG has been invited by the Electricity Market Group (EMG) to evaluate Nordel's proposal for 'Guidelines for transitional Peak Load Arrangements'. The EMG has also financed a study made by EC Group to support NordREG in the evaluation of the proposal. The study has been taken into account in NordREG's evaluation. In parallel to the EMG task, the Swedish regulator, the Energy Markets Inspectorate, has been given the task by the Swedish government to investigate a long term solution of the peak load issue. The Swedish and Finnish TSOs have together with Nord Pool Spot worked on finding a harmonized solution for activation of the peak load reserves in the market. An agreement accepted by the relevant authorities was reached in early January 2009, and the arrangement has been implemented since 19th January 2009. NordREG views that the proposed Nordel guidelines have served as a starting point for the presently agreed procedure. However, NordREG does not see any need to further develop the Nordel guidelines for peak load arrangements. NordREG agrees with Nordel that the market should be designed to solve peak load problems through proper incentives to market players. NordREG presumes that the relevant authorities in each country will take decisions on the need for any peak load arrangement to ensure security of supply. NordREG proposes that such decisions should be

  16. Thermal design studies in superconducting rf cavities: Phonon peak and Kapitza conductance

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    A. Aizaz

    2010-09-01

    Full Text Available Thermal design studies of superconducting radio frequency (SRF cavities involve two thermal parameters, namely the temperature dependent thermal conductivity of Nb at low temperatures and the heat transfer coefficient at the Nb-He II interface, commonly known as the Kapitza conductance. During the fabrication process of the SRF cavities, Nb sheet is plastically deformed through a deep drawing process to obtain the desired shape. The effect of plastic deformation on low temperature thermal conductivity as well as Kapitza conductance has been studied experimentally. Strain induced during the plastic deformation process reduces the thermal conductivity in its phonon transmission regime (disappearance of phonon peak by 80%, which may explain the performance limitations of the defect-free SRF cavities during their high field operations. Low temperature annealing of the deformed Nb sample could not recover the phonon peak. However, moderate temperature annealing during the titanification process recovered the phonon peak in the thermal conductivity curve. Kapitza conductance measurements for the Nb-He II interface for various surface topologies have also been carried out before and after the annealing. These measurements reveal consistently increased Kapitza conductance after the annealing process was carried out in the two temperature regimes.

  17. Rotational and peak torque stiffness of rugby shoes.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ballal, Moez S; Usuelli, Federico Giuseppe; Montrasio, Umberto Alfieri; Molloy, Andy; La Barbera, Luigi; Villa, Tomaso; Banfi, Giuseppe

    2014-09-01

    Sports people always strive to avoid injury. Sports shoe designs in many sports have been shown to affect traction and injury rates. The aim of this study is to demonstrate the differing stiffness and torque in rugby boots that are designed for the same effect. Five different types of rugby shoes commonly worn by scrum forwards were laboratory tested for rotational stiffness and peak torque on a natural playing surface generating force patterns that would be consistent with a rugby scrum. The overall internal rotation peak torque was 57.75±6.26 Nm while that of external rotation was 56.55±4.36 Nm. The Peak internal and external rotational stiffness were 0.696±0.1 and 0.708±0.06 Nm/deg respectively. Our results, when compared to rotational stiffness and peak torques of football shoes published in the literature, show that shoes worn by rugby players exert higher rotational and peak torque stiffness compared to football shoes when tested on the same natural surfaces. There was significant difference between the tested rugby shoes brands. In our opinion, to maximize potential performance and lower the potential of non-contact injury, care should be taken in choosing boots with stiffness appropriate to the players main playing role. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  18. Identification and quantitation of asparagine and citrulline using high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC).

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bai, Cheng; Reilly, Charles C; Wood, Bruce W

    2007-03-28

    High-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) analysis was used for identification of two problematic ureides, asparagine and citrulline. We report here a technique that takes advantage of the predictable delay in retention time of the co-asparagine/citrulline peak to enable both qualitative and quantitative analysis of asparagine and citrulline using the Platinum EPS reverse-phase C18 column (Alltech Associates). Asparagine alone is eluted earlier than citrulline alone, but when both of them are present in biological samples they may co-elute. HPLC retention times for asparagine and citrulline were influenced by other ureides in the mixture. We found that at various asparagines and citrulline ratios [= 3:1, 1:1, and 1:3; corresponding to 75:25, 50:50, and 25:75 (microMol ml(-1)/microMol ml(-1))], the resulting peak exhibited different retention times. Adjustment of ureide ratios as internal standards enables peak identification and quantification. Both chemicals were quantified in xylem sap samples of pecan [Carya illinoinensis (Wangenh.) K. Koch] trees. Analysis revealed that tree nickel nutrition status affects relative concentrations of Urea Cycle intermediates, asparagine and citrulline, present in sap. Consequently, we concluded that the HPLC methods are presented to enable qualitative and quantitative analysis of these metabolically important ureides.

  19. Identification and Quantitation of Asparagine and Citrulline Using High-Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Cheng Bai

    2007-01-01

    Full Text Available High-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC analysis was used for identification of two problematic ureides, asparagine and citrulline. We report here a technique that takes advantage of the predictable delay in retention time of the co-asparagine/citrulline peak to enable both qualitative and quantitative analysis of asparagine and citrulline using the Platinum EPS reverse-phase C18 column (Alltech Associates. Asparagine alone is eluted earlier than citrulline alone, but when both of them are present in biological samples they may co-elute. HPLC retention times for asparagine and citrulline were influenced by other ureides in the mixture. We found that at various asparagines and citrulline ratios [= 3:1, 1:1, and 1:3; corresponding to 75:25, 50:50, and 25:75 (μMol ml–1/μMol ml–1], the resulting peak exhibited different retention times. Adjustment of ureide ratios as internal standards enables peak identification and quantification. Both chemicals were quantified in xylem sap samples of pecan [Carya illinoinensis (Wangenh. K. Koch] trees. Analysis revealed that tree nickel nutrition status affects relative concentrations of Urea Cycle intermediates, asparagine and citrulline, present in sap. Consequently, we concluded that the HPLC methods are presented to enable qualitative and quantitative analysis of these metabolically important ureides.

  20. A High Performance Delta-Sigma Modulator for Neurosensing.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Xu, Jian; Zhao, Menglian; Wu, Xiaobo; Islam, Md Kafiul; Yang, Zhi

    2015-08-07

    Recorded neural data are frequently corrupted by large amplitude artifacts that are triggered by a variety of sources, such as subject movements, organ motions, electromagnetic interferences and discharges at the electrode surface. To prevent the system from saturating and the electronics from malfunctioning due to these large artifacts, a wide dynamic range for data acquisition is demanded, which is quite challenging to achieve and would require excessive circuit area and power for implementation. In this paper, we present a high performance Delta-Sigma modulator along with several design techniques and enabling blocks to reduce circuit area and power. The modulator was fabricated in a 0.18-µm CMOS process. Powered by a 1.0-V supply, the chip can achieve an 85-dB peak signal-to-noise-and-distortion ratio (SNDR) and an 87-dB dynamic range when integrated over a 10-kHz bandwidth. The total power consumption of the modulator is 13 µW, which corresponds to a figure-of-merit (FOM) of 45 fJ/conversion step. These competitive circuit specifications make this design a good candidate for building high precision neurosensors.

  1. Performance of the PHIN High Charge Photo Injector

    CERN Document Server

    Petrarca, M; Doebert, S; Dabrowski, A; Divall, M; Fedoseev, V; Lebas, N; Lefevre, T; Losito, R; Egger, D; Mete, O

    2010-01-01

    The high charge PHIN photo injector is studied at CERN as an electron source for the CLIC Test Facility (CTF3) drive beam as an alternative to the present thermionic gun. The objective of PHIN is to demonstrate the feasibility of a laser-based electron source for CLIC. The photo injector operates with a 2.5 cell, 3 GHz RF gun using a Cs2Te photocathode illuminated by UV laser pulses generated by amplifying and frequency quadrupling the signal from a Nd:YLF oscillator running at 1.5GHz. The challenge is to generate a beam structure of 1908 micro bunches with 2.33nC per micro bunch at 1.5GHz leading to a high integrated train charge of 4446nC and nominal beam energy of 5.5MeV with current stability below 1%. In this paper we report and discuss the time resolved transverse and longitudinal beam parameters measurements. The performance of the photo cathodes made at CERN with a peak quantum efficiency of 18 % is shown as well. Laser pointing and amplitude stability results are discussed taking into account correla...

  2. Revisiting the Correlations of Peak Luminosity with Spectral Lag and Peak Energy of the Observed Gamma-ray Bursts

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Yun-A Jo

    2016-12-01

    Full Text Available An analysis of light curves and spectra of observed gamma-ray bursts in gamma-ray ranges is frequently demanded because the prompt emission contains immediate details regarding the central engine of gamma-ray bursts (GRBs. We have revisited the relationship between the collimation-corrected peak luminosity and the spectral lag, investigating the lag-luminosity relationships in great detail by focusing on spectral lags resulting from all possible combinations of channels. Firstly, we compiled the opening angle data and demonstrated that the distribution of opening angles of 205 long GRBs is represented by a double Gaussian function having maxima at ~ 0.1 and ~ 0.3 radians. We confirmed that the peak luminosity and the spectral lag are anti-correlated, both in the observer frame and in the source frame. We found that, in agreement with our previous conclusion, the correlation coefficient improves significantly in the source frame. It should be noted that spectral lags involving channel 2 (25-50 keV yield high correlation coefficients, where Swift/Burst Alert Telescope (BAT has four energy channels (channel 1: 15-25 keV, channel 2: 25-50 keV, channel 3: 50-100 keV, channel 4: 100-200 keV. We also found that peak luminosity is positively correlated with peak energy.

  3. High Performance Building Facade Solutions - PIER Final Project Report

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Lee, Eleanor; Selkowitz, Stephen

    2009-12-31

    Building facades directly influence heating and cooling loads and indirectly influence lighting loads when daylighting is considered, and are therefore a major determinant of annual energy use and peak electric demand. Facades also significantly influence occupant comfort and satisfaction, making the design optimization challenge more complex than many other building systems.This work focused on addressing significant near-term opportunities to reduce energy use in California commercial building stock by a) targeting voluntary, design-based opportunities derived from the use of better design guidelines and tools, and b) developing and deploying more efficient glazings, shading systems, daylighting systems, facade systems and integrated controls. This two-year project, supported by the California Energy Commission PIER program and the US Department of Energy, initiated a collaborative effort between The Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL) and major stakeholders in the facades industry to develop, evaluate, and accelerate market deployment of emerging, high-performance, integrated facade solutions. The LBNL Windows Testbed Facility acted as the primary catalyst and mediator on both sides of the building industry supply-user business transaction by a) aiding component suppliers to create and optimize cost effective, integrated systems that work, and b) demonstrating and verifying to the owner, designer, and specifier community that these integrated systems reliably deliver required energy performance. An industry consortium was initiated amongst approximately seventy disparate stakeholders, who unlike the HVAC or lighting industry, has no single representative, multi-disciplinary body or organized means of communicating and collaborating. The consortium provided guidance on the project and more importantly, began to mutually work out and agree on the goals, criteria, and pathways needed to attain the ambitious net zero energy goals defined by California and

  4. High-performance and flexible thermoelectric films by screen printing solution-processed nanoplate crystals.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Varghese, Tony; Hollar, Courtney; Richardson, Joseph; Kempf, Nicholas; Han, Chao; Gamarachchi, Pasindu; Estrada, David; Mehta, Rutvik J; Zhang, Yanliang

    2016-09-12

    Screen printing allows for direct conversion of thermoelectric nanocrystals into flexible energy harvesters and coolers. However, obtaining flexible thermoelectric materials with high figure of merit ZT through printing is an exacting challenge due to the difficulties to synthesize high-performance thermoelectric inks and the poor density and electrical conductivity of the printed films. Here, we demonstrate high-performance flexible films and devices by screen printing bismuth telluride based nanocrystal inks synthesized using a microwave-stimulated wet-chemical method. Thermoelectric films of several tens of microns thickness were screen printed onto a flexible polyimide substrate followed by cold compaction and sintering. The n-type films demonstrate a peak ZT of 0.43 along with superior flexibility, which is among the highest reported ZT values in flexible thermoelectric materials. A flexible thermoelectric device fabricated using the printed films produces a high power density of 4.1 mW/cm(2) with 60 °C temperature difference between the hot side and cold side. The highly scalable and low cost process to fabricate flexible thermoelectric materials and devices demonstrated here opens up many opportunities to transform thermoelectric energy harvesting and cooling applications.

  5. A simple sub-nanosecond ultraviolet light pulse generator with high repetition rate and peak power.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Binh, P H; Trong, V D; Renucci, P; Marie, X

    2013-08-01

    We present a simple ultraviolet sub-nanosecond pulse generator using commercial ultraviolet light-emitting diodes with peak emission wavelengths of 290 nm, 318 nm, 338 nm, and 405 nm. The generator is based on step recovery diode, short-circuited transmission line, and current-shaping circuit. The narrowest pulses achieved have 630 ps full width at half maximum at repetition rate of 80 MHz. Optical pulse power in the range of several hundreds of microwatts depends on the applied bias voltage. The bias voltage dependences of the output optical pulse width and peak power are analysed and discussed. Compared to commercial UV sub-nanosecond generators, the proposed generator can produce much higher pulse repetition rate and peak power.

  6. Mask effects on cosmological studies with weak-lensing peak statistics

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Liu, Xiangkun; Pan, Chuzhong; Fan, Zuhui; Wang, Qiao

    2014-01-01

    With numerical simulations, we analyze in detail how the bad data removal, i.e., the mask effect, can influence the peak statistics of the weak-lensing convergence field reconstructed from the shear measurement of background galaxies. It is found that high peak fractions are systematically enhanced because of the presence of masks; the larger the masked area is, the higher the enhancement is. In the case where the total masked area is about 13% of the survey area, the fraction of peaks with signal-to-noise ratio ν ≥ 3 is ∼11% of the total number of peaks, compared with ∼7% of the mask-free case in our considered cosmological model. This can have significant effects on cosmological studies with weak-lensing convergence peak statistics, inducing a large bias in the parameter constraints if the effects are not taken into account properly. Even for a survey area of 9 deg 2 , the bias in (Ω m , σ 8 ) is already intolerably large and close to 3σ. It is noted that most of the affected peaks are close to the masked regions. Therefore, excluding peaks in those regions in the peak statistics can reduce the bias effect but at the expense of losing usable survey areas. Further investigations find that the enhancement of the number of high peaks around the masked regions can be largely attributed to the smaller number of galaxies usable in the weak-lensing convergence reconstruction, leading to higher noise than that of the areas away from the masks. We thus develop a model in which we exclude only those very large masks with radius larger than 3' but keep all the other masked regions in peak counting statistics. For the remaining part, we treat the areas close to and away from the masked regions separately with different noise levels. It is shown that this two-noise-level model can account for the mask effect on peak statistics very well, and the bias in cosmological parameters is significantly reduced if this model is applied in the parameter fitting.

  7. High Performance Marine Vessels

    CERN Document Server

    Yun, Liang

    2012-01-01

    High Performance Marine Vessels (HPMVs) range from the Fast Ferries to the latest high speed Navy Craft, including competition power boats and hydroplanes, hydrofoils, hovercraft, catamarans and other multi-hull craft. High Performance Marine Vessels covers the main concepts of HPMVs and discusses historical background, design features, services that have been successful and not so successful, and some sample data of the range of HPMVs to date. Included is a comparison of all HPMVs craft and the differences between them and descriptions of performance (hydrodynamics and aerodynamics). Readers will find a comprehensive overview of the design, development and building of HPMVs. In summary, this book: Focuses on technology at the aero-marine interface Covers the full range of high performance marine vessel concepts Explains the historical development of various HPMVs Discusses ferries, racing and pleasure craft, as well as utility and military missions High Performance Marine Vessels is an ideal book for student...

  8. High performance parallel computers for science: New developments at the Fermilab advanced computer program

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Nash, T.; Areti, H.; Atac, R.

    1988-08-01

    Fermilab's Advanced Computer Program (ACP) has been developing highly cost effective, yet practical, parallel computers for high energy physics since 1984. The ACP's latest developments are proceeding in two directions. A Second Generation ACP Multiprocessor System for experiments will include $3500 RISC processors each with performance over 15 VAX MIPS. To support such high performance, the new system allows parallel I/O, parallel interprocess communication, and parallel host processes. The ACP Multi-Array Processor, has been developed for theoretical physics. Each $4000 node is a FORTRAN or C programmable pipelined 20 MFlops (peak), 10 MByte single board computer. These are plugged into a 16 port crossbar switch crate which handles both inter and intra crate communication. The crates are connected in a hypercube. Site oriented applications like lattice gauge theory are supported by system software called CANOPY, which makes the hardware virtually transparent to users. A 256 node, 5 GFlop, system is under construction. 10 refs., 7 figs

  9. Automatic identification approach for high-performance liquid chromatography-multiple reaction monitoring fatty acid global profiling.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tie, Cai; Hu, Ting; Jia, Zhi-Xin; Zhang, Jin-Lan

    2015-08-18

    Fatty acids (FAs) are a group of lipid molecules that are essential to organisms. As potential biomarkers for different diseases, FAs have attracted increasing attention from both biological researchers and the pharmaceutical industry. A sensitive and accurate method for globally profiling and identifying FAs is required for biomarker discovery. The high selectivity and sensitivity of high-performance liquid chromatography-multiple reaction monitoring (HPLC-MRM) gives it great potential to fulfill the need to identify FAs from complicated matrices. This paper developed a new approach for global FA profiling and identification for HPLC-MRM FA data mining. Mathematical models for identifying FAs were simulated using the isotope-induced retention time (RT) shift (IRS) and peak area ratios between parallel isotope peaks for a series of FA standards. The FA structures were predicated using another model based on the RT and molecular weight. Fully automated FA identification software was coded using the Qt platform based on these mathematical models. Different samples were used to verify the software. A high identification efficiency (greater than 75%) was observed when 96 FA species were identified in plasma. This FAs identification strategy promises to accelerate FA research and applications.

  10. Simulations of KSTAR high performance steady state operation scenarios

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Na, Yong-Su; Kessel, C.E.; Park, J.M.; Yi, Sumin; Kim, J.Y.; Becoulet, A.; Sips, A.C.C.

    2009-01-01

    We report the results of predictive modelling of high performance steady state operation scenarios in KSTAR. Firstly, the capabilities of steady state operation are investigated with time-dependent simulations using a free-boundary plasma equilibrium evolution code coupled with transport calculations. Secondly, the reproducibility of high performance steady state operation scenarios developed in the DIII-D tokamak, of similar size to that of KSTAR, is investigated using the experimental data taken from DIII-D. Finally, the capability of ITER-relevant steady state operation is investigated in KSTAR. It is found that KSTAR is able to establish high performance steady state operation scenarios; β N above 3, H 98 (y, 2) up to 2.0, f BS up to 0.76 and f NI equals 1.0. In this work, a realistic density profile is newly introduced for predictive simulations by employing the scaling law of a density peaking factor. The influence of the current ramp-up scenario and the transport model is discussed with respect to the fusion performance and non-inductive current drive fraction in the transport simulations. As observed in the experiments, both the heating and the plasma current waveforms in the current ramp-up phase produce a strong effect on the q-profile, the fusion performance and also on the non-inductive current drive fraction in the current flattop phase. A criterion in terms of q min is found to establish ITER-relevant steady state operation scenarios. This will provide a guideline for designing the current ramp-up phase in KSTAR. It is observed that the transport model also affects the predictive values of fusion performance as well as the non-inductive current drive fraction. The Weiland transport model predicts the highest fusion performance as well as non-inductive current drive fraction in KSTAR. In contrast, the GLF23 model exhibits the lowest ones. ITER-relevant advanced scenarios cannot be obtained with the GLF23 model in the conditions given in this work

  11. Evaluation of peaking factors uncertainty for CASMO-3

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Kim, Kang Suk; Song, Jae Seung; Kim, Yong Rae; Ji, Seong Kyun [Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute, Taejon (Korea, Republic of)

    1996-02-01

    This document evaluates the pin-to-box factor uncertainty based on using the CASMO-3 with 40-group J-library. Five CE criticals performed by Westinghouse, two by B and W and four RPI criticals were analyzed, using cross sections by CASMO-3. DOT was used for the core calculation. THis is one hof series of efforts to verify ADONIS procedure which is a new core design package under development by KAERI. The expected outcome of this analysis is CASMO-3 pin peak uncertainty applicable to CE type fuel assembly design. The evaluated uncertainty of peaking factors for CASMO-3 was 1.863%. 21 tabs., 23 figs., 12 refs. (Author) .new.

  12. Peak Detection Method Evaluation for Ion Mobility Spectrometry by Using Machine Learning Approaches

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Hauschild, Anne-Christin; Kopczynski, Dominik; D'Addario, Marianna

    2013-01-01

    machine learning methods exist, an inevitable preprocessing step is reliable and robust peak detection without manual intervention. In this work we evaluate four state-of-the-art approaches for automated IMS-based peak detection: local maxima search, watershed transformation with IPHEx, region......-merging with VisualNow, and peak model estimation (PME).We manually generated Metabolites 2013, 3 278 a gold standard with the aid of a domain expert (manual) and compare the performance of the four peak calling methods with respect to two distinct criteria. We first utilize established machine learning methods...

  13. Effects of β-alanine supplementation and high-intensity interval training on endurance performance and body composition in men; a double-blind trial

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Beck Travis W

    2009-02-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background Intermittent bouts of high-intensity exercise result in diminished stores of energy substrates, followed by an accumulation of metabolites, promoting chronic physiological adaptations. In addition, β-alanine has been accepted has an effective physiological hydrogen ion (H+ buffer. Concurrent high-intensity interval training (HIIT and β-alanine supplementation may result in greater adaptations than HIIT alone. The purpose of the current study was to evaluate the effects of combining β-alanine supplementation with high-intensity interval training (HIIT on endurance performance and aerobic metabolism in recreationally active college-aged men. Methods Forty-six men (Age: 22.2 ± 2.7 yrs; Ht: 178.1 ± 7.4 cm; Wt: 78.7 ± 11.9; VO2peak: 3.3 ± 0.59 l·min-1 were assessed for peak O2 utilization (VO2peak, time to fatigue (VO2TTE, ventilatory threshold (VT, and total work done at 110% of pre-training VO2peak (TWD. In a double-blind fashion, all subjects were randomly assigned into one either a placebo (PL – 16.5 g dextrose powder per packet; n = 18 or β-alanine (BA – 1.5 g β-alanine plus 15 g dextrose powder per packet; n = 18 group. All subjects supplemented four times per day (total of 6 g/day for the first 21-days, followed by two times per day (3 g/day for the subsequent 21 days, and engaged in a total of six weeks of HIIT training consisting of 5–6 bouts of a 2:1 minute cycling work to rest ratio. Results Significant improvements in VO2peak, VO2TTE, and TWD after three weeks of training were displayed (p 2peak, VO2TTE, TWD and lean body mass were only significant for the BA group after the second three weeks of training. Conclusion The use of HIIT to induce significant aerobic improvements is effective and efficient. Chronic BA supplementation may further enhance HIIT, improving endurance performance and lean body mass.

  14. Improved Peak Detection and Deconvolution of Native Electrospray Mass Spectra from Large Protein Complexes.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lu, Jonathan; Trnka, Michael J; Roh, Soung-Hun; Robinson, Philip J J; Shiau, Carrie; Fujimori, Danica Galonic; Chiu, Wah; Burlingame, Alma L; Guan, Shenheng

    2015-12-01

    Native electrospray-ionization mass spectrometry (native MS) measures biomolecules under conditions that preserve most aspects of protein tertiary and quaternary structure, enabling direct characterization of large intact protein assemblies. However, native spectra derived from these assemblies are often partially obscured by low signal-to-noise as well as broad peak shapes because of residual solvation and adduction after the electrospray process. The wide peak widths together with the fact that sequential charge state series from highly charged ions are closely spaced means that native spectra containing multiple species often suffer from high degrees of peak overlap or else contain highly interleaved charge envelopes. This situation presents a challenge for peak detection, correct charge state and charge envelope assignment, and ultimately extraction of the relevant underlying mass values of the noncovalent assemblages being investigated. In this report, we describe a comprehensive algorithm developed for addressing peak detection, peak overlap, and charge state assignment in native mass spectra, called PeakSeeker. Overlapped peaks are detected by examination of the second derivative of the raw mass spectrum. Charge state distributions of the molecular species are determined by fitting linear combinations of charge envelopes to the overall experimental mass spectrum. This software is capable of deconvoluting heterogeneous, complex, and noisy native mass spectra of large protein assemblies as demonstrated by analysis of (1) synthetic mononucleosomes containing severely overlapping peaks, (2) an RNA polymerase II/α-amanitin complex with many closely interleaved ion signals, and (3) human TriC complex containing high levels of background noise. Graphical Abstract ᅟ.

  15. Storage Operation for Peak Shaving of Distributed PV and Wind Generation

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Nykamp, Stefan; Molderink, Albert; Hurink, Johann L.; Smit, Gerardus Johannes Maria

    2013-01-01

    The integration of fluctuating power generation based on renewable energy systems (RES-E) in distribution grids require grid reinforcement resulting from high feed-in peaks. Introducing storage assets can decrease these peaks. For this, storage technologies need to be chosen and dimensioned

  16. Group Elevator Peak Scheduling Based on Robust Optimization Model

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    ZHANG, J.

    2013-08-01

    Full Text Available Scheduling of Elevator Group Control System (EGCS is a typical combinatorial optimization problem. Uncertain group scheduling under peak traffic flows has become a research focus and difficulty recently. RO (Robust Optimization method is a novel and effective way to deal with uncertain scheduling problem. In this paper, a peak scheduling method based on RO model for multi-elevator system is proposed. The method is immune to the uncertainty of peak traffic flows, optimal scheduling is realized without getting exact numbers of each calling floor's waiting passengers. Specifically, energy-saving oriented multi-objective scheduling price is proposed, RO uncertain peak scheduling model is built to minimize the price. Because RO uncertain model could not be solved directly, RO uncertain model is transformed to RO certain model by elevator scheduling robust counterparts. Because solution space of elevator scheduling is enormous, to solve RO certain model in short time, ant colony solving algorithm for elevator scheduling is proposed. Based on the algorithm, optimal scheduling solutions are found quickly, and group elevators are scheduled according to the solutions. Simulation results show the method could improve scheduling performances effectively in peak pattern. Group elevators' efficient operation is realized by the RO scheduling method.

  17. High-Performance Vanadium Redox Flow Batteries with Graphite Felt Electrodes

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Trevor J. Davies

    2018-01-01

    Full Text Available A key objective in the development of vanadium redox flow batteries (VRFBs is the improvement of cell power density. At present, most commercially available VRFBs use graphite felt electrodes under relatively low compression. This results in a large cell ohmic resistance and limits the maximum power density. To date, the best performing VRFBs have used carbon paper electrodes, with high active area compression pressures, similar to that used in fuel cells. This article investigates the use of felt electrodes at similar compression pressures. Single cells are assembled using compression pressures of 0.2–7.5 bar and tested in a VRFB system. The highest cell compression pressure, combined with a thin Nafion membrane, achieved a peak power density of 669 mW cm−2 at a flow rate of 3.2 mL min−1 per cm2 of active area, more than double the previous best performance from a felt-VRFB. The results suggest that felt electrodes can compete with paper electrodes in terms of performance when under similar compression pressures, which should help guide electrode development and cell optimization in this important energy storage technology.

  18. Do peak torque angles of muscles change following anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction using hamstring or patellar tendon graft?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yosmaoğlu, Hayri Baran; Baltacı, Gül; Sönmezer, Emel; Özer, Hamza; Doğan, Deha

    2017-12-01

    This study aims to compare the effects of anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) reconstruction using autogenous hamstring or patellar tendon graft on the peak torque angle. The study included 132 patients (103 males, 29 females; mean age 29±9 year) who were performed ACL reconstruction with autogenous hamstring or patellar tendon graft. The peak torque angles in the quadriceps and hamstring muscles were recorded using an isokinetic dynamometer. Angle of peak knee flexion torque occurred significantly earlier within the range of motion on the operated side than nonoperated side at 180°/second in the hamstring tendon group. Angle of peak knee extension torque occurred significantly earlier within the range of motion on the operated side than nonoperated side at 180°/second in the patellar tendon group. There were no statistically significant differences in the flexion and extension peak torque angles between the operated and nonoperated knees at 60°/second in both groups. The angle of peak torque at relatively high angular velocities is affected after ACL reconstruction in patients with hamstring or patellar tendon grafts. The graft donor site directly influences this parameter. This finding may be important for clinicians in terms of preventing re-injury.

  19. Robustness of a Neural Network Model for Power Peak Factor Estimation in Protection Systems

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Souza, Rose Mary G.P.; Moreira, Joao M.L.

    2006-01-01

    This work presents results of robustness verification of artificial neural network correlations that improve the real time prediction of the power peak factor for reactor protection systems. The input variables considered in the correlation are those available in the reactor protection systems, namely, the axial power differences obtained from measured ex-core detectors, and the position of control rods. The correlations, based on radial basis function (RBF) and multilayer perceptron (MLP) neural networks, estimate the power peak factor, without faulty signals, with average errors between 0.13%, 0.19% and 0.15%, and maximum relative error of 2.35%. The robustness verification was performed for three different neural network correlations. The results show that they are robust against signal degradation, producing results with faulty signals with a maximum error of 6.90%. The average error associated to faulty signals for the MLP network is about half of that of the RBF network, and the maximum error is about 1% smaller. These results demonstrate that MLP neural network correlation is more robust than the RBF neural network correlation. The results also show that the input variables present redundant information. The axial power difference signals compensate the faulty signal for the position of a given control rod, and improves the results by about 10%. The results show that the errors in the power peak factor estimation by these neural network correlations, even in faulty conditions, are smaller than the current PWR schemes which may have uncertainties as high as 8%. Considering the maximum relative error of 2.35%, these neural network correlations would allow decreasing the power peak factor safety margin by about 5%. Such a reduction could be used for operating the reactor with a higher power level or with more flexibility. The neural network correlation has to meet requirements of high integrity software that performs safety grade actions. It is shown that the

  20. Predictors of the peak width for networks with exponential links

    Science.gov (United States)

    Troutman, B.M.; Karlinger, M.R.

    1989-01-01

    We investigate optimal predictors of the peak (S) and distance to peak (T) of the width function of drainage networks under the assumption that the networks are topologically random with independent and exponentially distributed link lengths. Analytical results are derived using the fact that, under these assumptions, the width function is a homogeneous Markov birth-death process. In particular, exact expressions are derived for the asymptotic conditional expectations of S and T given network magnitude N and given mainstream length H. In addition, a simulation study is performed to examine various predictors of S and T, including N, H, and basin morphometric properties; non-asymptotic conditional expectations and variances are estimated. The best single predictor of S is N, of T is H, and of the scaled peak (S divided by the area under the width function) is H. Finally, expressions tested on a set of drainage basins from the state of Wyoming perform reasonably well in predicting S and T despite probable violations of the original assumptions. ?? 1989 Springer-Verlag.

  1. Quantitative analysis of phylloquinone (vitamin K1) in soy bean oils by high-performance liquid chromatography.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zonta, F; Stancher, B

    1985-07-19

    A high-performance liquid chromatographic method for determining phylloquinone (vitamin K1) in soy bean oils is described. Resolution of vitamin K1 from interfering peaks of the matrix was obtained after enzymatic digestion, extraction and liquid-solid chromatography on alumina. An isocratic reversed-phase chromatography with UV detection was used in the final stage. The quantitation was carried out by the standard addition method, and the recovery of the whole procedure was 88.2%.

  2. PeakSeeker: a program for interpreting genotypes of mononucleotide repeats

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Salipante Stephen J

    2009-02-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background Mononucleotide repeat microsatellites are abundant, highly polymorphic DNA sequences, having the potential to serve as valuable genetic markers. Use of mononucleotide microsatellites has been limited by their tendency to produce "stutter", confounding signals from insertions and deletions within the mononucleotide tract that occur during PCR, which complicates interpretation of genotypes by masking the true position of alleles. Consequently, microsatellites with larger repeating subunits (dinucleotide and trinucleotide motifs are used, which produce less stutter but are less genetically heterogeneous and less informative. A method to interpret the genotypes of mononucleotide repeats would permit the widespread use of those highly informative microsatellites in genetic research. Findings We have developed an approach to interpret genotypes of mononucleotide repeats using a software program, named PeakSeeker. PeakSeeker interprets experimental electropherograms as the most likely product of signals from individual alleles. Because mononucleotide tracts demonstrate locus-specific patterns of stutter peaks, this approach requires that the genotype pattern from a single allele is defined for each marker, which can be approximated by genotyping single DNA molecules or homozygotes. We have evaluated the program's ability to discriminate various types of homozygous and heterozygous mononucleotide loci using simulated and experimental data. Conclusion Mononucleotide tracts offer significant advantages over di- and tri-nucleotide microsatellite markers traditionally employed in genetic research. The PeakSeeker algorithm provides a high-throughput means to type mononucleotide tracts using conventional and widely implemented fragment length polymorphism genotyping. Furthermore, the PeakSeeker algorithm could potentially be adapted to improve, and perhaps to standardize, the analysis of conventional microsatellite genotypes.

  3. PolyaPeak: Detecting Transcription Factor Binding Sites from ChIP-seq Using Peak Shape Information

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wu, Hao; Ji, Hongkai

    2014-01-01

    ChIP-seq is a powerful technology for detecting genomic regions where a protein of interest interacts with DNA. ChIP-seq data for mapping transcription factor binding sites (TFBSs) have a characteristic pattern: around each binding site, sequence reads aligned to the forward and reverse strands of the reference genome form two separate peaks shifted away from each other, and the true binding site is located in between these two peaks. While it has been shown previously that the accuracy and resolution of binding site detection can be improved by modeling the pattern, efficient methods are unavailable to fully utilize that information in TFBS detection procedure. We present PolyaPeak, a new method to improve TFBS detection by incorporating the peak shape information. PolyaPeak describes peak shapes using a flexible Pólya model. The shapes are automatically learnt from the data using Minorization-Maximization (MM) algorithm, then integrated with the read count information via a hierarchical model to distinguish true binding sites from background noises. Extensive real data analyses show that PolyaPeak is capable of robustly improving TFBS detection compared with existing methods. An R package is freely available. PMID:24608116

  4. Optimization of a Compton-suppression system by escape-peak ratio

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Niu, H.; Chao, J.H.; Wu, S.-C.

    1996-01-01

    A Compton-suppression system consisting of an HPGe central detector surrounded by eight BGO scintillators in an annular geometry was assembled. This system is dedicated to in-beam γ-ray measurements. The ratios of full-energy to single-escape peak and full-energy of double-escape peak, at γ-rays of 2754, 4443 and 6130 keV, were used to derive associated suppression factors in order to optimize detection conditions of the system. The suppression factors derived both from the escape peak ratios and the corresponding peak-to-Compton ratios of the γ-ray spectra are compared and discussed. This optimization technique may be of great significance for analyzing complicated spectra, where high-energy γ-rays are considered for analytical use. (Author)

  5. Periodic transmission peak splitting in one dimensional disordered photonic structures

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kriegel, Ilka; Scotognella, Francesco

    2016-08-01

    In the present paper we present ways to modulate the periodic transmission peaks arising in disordered one dimensional photonic structures with hundreds of layers. Disordered structures in which the optical length nd (n is the refractive index and d the layer thickness) is the same for each layer show regular peaks in their transmission spectra. A proper variation of the optical length of the layers leads to a splitting of the transmission peaks. Notably, the variation of the occurrence of high and low refractive index layers, gives a tool to tune also the width of the peaks. These results are of highest interest for optical application, such as light filtering, where the manifold of parameters allows a precise design of the spectral transmission ranges.

  6. Peak detection method evaluation for ion mobility spectrometry by using machine learning approaches.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hauschild, Anne-Christin; Kopczynski, Dominik; D'Addario, Marianna; Baumbach, Jörg Ingo; Rahmann, Sven; Baumbach, Jan

    2013-04-16

    Ion mobility spectrometry with pre-separation by multi-capillary columns (MCC/IMS) has become an established inexpensive, non-invasive bioanalytics technology for detecting volatile organic compounds (VOCs) with various metabolomics applications in medical research. To pave the way for this technology towards daily usage in medical practice, different steps still have to be taken. With respect to modern biomarker research, one of the most important tasks is the automatic classification of patient-specific data sets into different groups, healthy or not, for instance. Although sophisticated machine learning methods exist, an inevitable preprocessing step is reliable and robust peak detection without manual intervention. In this work we evaluate four state-of-the-art approaches for automated IMS-based peak detection: local maxima search, watershed transformation with IPHEx, region-merging with VisualNow, and peak model estimation (PME).We manually generated Metabolites 2013, 3 278 a gold standard with the aid of a domain expert (manual) and compare the performance of the four peak calling methods with respect to two distinct criteria. We first utilize established machine learning methods and systematically study their classification performance based on the four peak detectors' results. Second, we investigate the classification variance and robustness regarding perturbation and overfitting. Our main finding is that the power of the classification accuracy is almost equally good for all methods, the manually created gold standard as well as the four automatic peak finding methods. In addition, we note that all tools, manual and automatic, are similarly robust against perturbations. However, the classification performance is more robust against overfitting when using the PME as peak calling preprocessor. In summary, we conclude that all methods, though small differences exist, are largely reliable and enable a wide spectrum of real-world biomedical applications.

  7. Detection of argan oil adulteration with vegetable oils by high-performance liquid chromatography-evaporative light scattering detection.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Salghi, Rachid; Armbruster, Wolfgang; Schwack, Wolfgang

    2014-06-15

    Triacylglycerol profiles were selected as indicator of adulteration of argan oils to carry out a rapid screening of samples for the evaluation of authenticity. Triacylglycerols were separated by high-performance liquid chromatography-evaporative light scattering detection. Different peak area ratios were defined to sensitively detect adulteration of argan oil with vegetable oils such as sunflower, soy bean, and olive oil up to the level of 5%. Based on four reference argan oils, mean limits of detection and quantitation were calculated to approximately 0.4% and 1.3%, respectively. Additionally, 19 more argan oil reference samples were analysed by high-performance liquid chromatography-refractive index detection, resulting in highly comparative results. The overall strategy demonstrated a good applicability in practise, and hence a high potential to be transferred to routine laboratories. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  8. High performance systems

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Vigil, M.B. [comp.

    1995-03-01

    This document provides a written compilation of the presentations and viewgraphs from the 1994 Conference on High Speed Computing given at the High Speed Computing Conference, {open_quotes}High Performance Systems,{close_quotes} held at Gleneden Beach, Oregon, on April 18 through 21, 1994.

  9. Peak Wind Tool for General Forecasting

    Science.gov (United States)

    Barrett, Joe H., III

    2010-01-01

    The expected peak wind speed of the day is an important forecast element in the 45th Weather Squadron's (45 WS) daily 24-Hour and Weekly Planning Forecasts. The forecasts are used for ground and space launch operations at the Kennedy Space Center (KSC) and Cape Canaveral Air Force Station (CCAFS). The 45 WS also issues wind advisories for KSC/CCAFS when they expect wind gusts to meet or exceed 25 kt, 35 kt and 50 kt thresholds at any level from the surface to 300 ft. The 45 WS forecasters have indicated peak wind speeds are challenging to forecast, particularly in the cool season months of October - April. In Phase I of this task, the Applied Meteorology Unit (AMU) developed a tool to help the 45 WS forecast non-convective winds at KSC/CCAFS for the 24-hour period of 0800 to 0800 local time. The tool was delivered as a Microsoft Excel graphical user interface (GUI). The GUI displayed the forecast of peak wind speed, 5-minute average wind speed at the time of the peak wind, timing of the peak wind and probability the peak speed would meet or exceed 25 kt, 35 kt and 50 kt. For the current task (Phase II ), the 45 WS requested additional observations be used for the creation of the forecast equations by expanding the period of record (POR). Additional parameters were evaluated as predictors, including wind speeds between 500 ft and 3000 ft, static stability classification, Bulk Richardson Number, mixing depth, vertical wind shear, temperature inversion strength and depth and wind direction. Using a verification data set, the AMU compared the performance of the Phase I and II prediction methods. Just as in Phase I, the tool was delivered as a Microsoft Excel GUI. The 45 WS requested the tool also be available in the Meteorological Interactive Data Display System (MIDDS). The AMU first expanded the POR by two years by adding tower observations, surface observations and CCAFS (XMR) soundings for the cool season months of March 2007 to April 2009. The POR was expanded

  10. Petrographic Analysis and Geochemical Source Correlation of Pigeon Peak, Sutter Buttes, CA

    Science.gov (United States)

    Novotny, N. M.; Hausback, B. P.

    2013-12-01

    The Sutter Buttes are a volcanic complex located in the center of the Great Valley north of Sacramento. They are comprised of numerous inter-intruding andesite and rhyolite lava domes of varying compositions surrounded by a shallow rampart of associated tephras. The Pigeon Peak block-and-ash flow sequence is located in the rampart and made up of a porphyritic Biotite bearing Hornblende Andesite. The andesite blocks demonstrate a high degree of propylization in hornblende crystals, highly zoned plagioclase, trace olivine, and display a red to gray color gradation. DAR is an andesite dome located less than one mile from Pigeon Peak. Of the 15 to 25 andesite lava domes within four miles from Pigeon Peak, only DAR displays trace olivine, red to grey color stratification, low biotite content, and propylitized hornblende. These characteristic similarities suggest that DAR may be the source for Pigeon Peak. My investigation used microprobe analysis of the DAR and Pigeon Peak feldspar crystals to identify the magmatic history of the magma body before emplacement. Correlation of the anorthite zoning within the feldspars from both locations support my hypothesis that DAR is the source of the Pigeon Peak block-and-ash flow.

  11. Martial arts striking hand peak acceleration, accuracy and consistency.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Neto, Osmar Pinto; Marzullo, Ana Carolina De Miranda; Bolander, Richard P; Bir, Cynthia A

    2013-01-01

    The goal of this paper was to investigate the possible trade-off between peak hand acceleration and accuracy and consistency of hand strikes performed by martial artists of different training experiences. Ten male martial artists with training experience ranging from one to nine years volunteered to participate in the experiment. Each participant performed 12 maximum effort goal-directed strikes. Hand acceleration during the strikes was obtained using a tri-axial accelerometer block. A pressure sensor matrix was used to determine the accuracy and consistency of the strikes. Accuracy was estimated by the radial distance between the centroid of each subject's 12 strikes and the target, whereas consistency was estimated by the square root of the 12 strikes mean squared distance from their centroid. We found that training experience was significantly correlated to hand peak acceleration prior to impact (r(2)=0.456, p =0.032) and accuracy (r(2)=0. 621, p=0.012). These correlations suggest that more experienced participants exhibited higher hand peak accelerations and at the same time were more accurate. Training experience, however, was not correlated to consistency (r(2)=0.085, p=0.413). Overall, our results suggest that martial arts training may lead practitioners to achieve higher striking hand accelerations with better accuracy and no change in striking consistency.

  12. Targeting high-performance liquid chromatography-high-resolution mass spectrometry-solid-phase extraction-nuclear magnetic resonance analysis with high-resolution radical scavenging profiles - bioactive secondary metabolites from the endophytic fungus Penicillium namyslowskii

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Wubshet, Sileshi Gizachew; Nyberg, Nils; Tejesvi, Mysore V.

    2013-01-01

    The high-resolution radical scavenging profile of an extract of the endophytic fungus Penicillium namyslowskii was used to target analysis by high-performance liquid chromatography-high-resolution mass spectrometry-solid-phase extraction-nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy, i.e., HPLC...... NMR probe designed for 1.7-mm NMR tubes. To further explore the potential of the above HPLC-HRMS-SPE-NMR platform for analysis of endophytic extracts, six peaks displaying no radical scavenging activity were also analyzed. This allowed unambiguous identification of six metabolites, i...... and griseofulvin, directly from crude extract via HPLC-HRMS-SPE-NMR. Dechlorodehydrogriseofulvin was reported for the first time from nature....

  13. Polarized training has greater impact on key endurance variables than threshold, high intensity or high volume training

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Thomas eStöggl

    2014-02-01

    Full Text Available Endurance athletes integrate four conditioning concepts in their training programs: high-volume training (HVT, ‘threshold-training’ (THR, high-intensity interval training (HIIT and a combination of these aforementioned concepts known as polarized training (POL. The purpose of this study was to explore which of these four training concepts provides the greatest response on key components of endurance performance in well-trained endurance athletes. Methods: Forty eight runners, cyclists, triathletes and cross-country skiers (peak oxygen uptake: (VO2peak: 62.6±7.1 mL∙min-1∙kg-1 were randomly assigned to one of four groups performing over nine weeks. An incremental test, work economy and a VO2peak tests were performed. Training intensity was heart rate controlled. Results: POL demonstrated the greatest increase in VO2peak (+6.8 ml∙min∙kg-1 or 11.7%, P0.05. Conclusion: POL resulted in the greatest improvements in most key variables of endurance performance in well-trained endurance athletes. THR or HVT did not lead to further improvements in performance related variables.

  14. An Evaluation of Peak Finding for DVR Classification of Biological Data

    KAUST Repository

    Knoll, Aaron

    2012-01-01

    In medicine and the life sciences, volume data are frequently entropic, containing numerous features at different scales as well as significant noise from the scan source. Conventional transfer function approaches for direct volume rendering have difficulty handling such data, resulting in poor classification or undersampled rendering. Peak finding addresses issues in classifying noisy data by explicitly solving for isosurfaces at desired peaks in a transfer function. As a result, one can achieve better classification and visualization with fewer samples and correspondingly higher performance. This paper applies peak finding to several medical and biological data sets, particularly examining its potential in directly rendering unfiltered and unsegmented data.

  15. A prospective population study of resting heart rate and peak oxygen uptake (the HUNT Study, Norway.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Javaid Nauman

    Full Text Available OBJECTIVES: We assessed the prospective association of resting heart rate (RHR at baseline with peak oxygen uptake (VO(2peak 23 years later, and evaluated whether physical activity (PA could modify this association. BACKGROUND: Both RHR and VO(2peak are strong and independent predictors of cardiovascular morbidity and mortality. However, the association of RHR with VO(2peak and modifying effect of PA have not been prospectively assessed in population studies. METHODS: In 807 men and 810 women free from cardiovascular disease both at baseline (1984-86 and follow-up 23 years later, RHR was recorded at both occasions, and VO(2peak was measured by ergospirometry at follow-up. We used Generalized Linear Models to assess the association of baseline RHR with VO(2peak, and to study combined effects of RHR and self-reported PA on later VO(2peak. RESULTS: There was an inverse association of RHR at baseline with VO(2peak (p<0.01. Men and women with baseline RHR greater than 80 bpm had 4.6 mL.kg(-1.min(-1 (95% confidence interval [CI], 2.8 to 6.3 and 1.4 mL.kg(-1.min(-1 (95% CI, -0.4 to 3.1 lower VO(2peak at follow-up compared with men and women with RHR below 60 bpm at baseline. We found a linear association of change in RHR with VO(2peak (p=0.03, suggesting that a decrease in RHR over time is likely to be beneficial for cardiovascular fitness. Participants with low RHR and high PA at baseline had higher VO(2peak than inactive people with relatively high RHR. However, among participants with relatively high RHR and high PA at baseline, VO(2peak was similar to inactive people with relatively low RHR. CONCLUSION: RHR is an important predictor of VO(2peak, and serial assessments of RHR may provide useful and inexpensive information on cardiovascular fitness. The results suggest that high levels of PA may compensate for the lower VO(2peak associated with a high RHR.

  16. Early and extraordinary peaks in physical performance come with a longevity cost

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    van de Vijver, Paul L; van Bodegom, David; Westendorp, Rudi G J

    2016-01-01

    Life history theory postulates a trade-off between development and maintenance. This trade-off is observed when comparing life histories of different animal species. In humans, however, it is debated if variation in longevity is explained by differences in developmental traits. Observational...... studies found a trade-off between early and high fecundity and longevity in women. Development encompasses more than fecundity and also concerns growth and physical performance. Here, we show a life history trade-off between early and above average physical performance and longevity in male Olympic...... suffered a 4.7-year longevity cost. (95% CI 2.1-7.5 years, p=0.001). This is the first time a life history trade-off between physical performance and longevity has been found in humans. This finding deepens our understanding of early developmental influences on the variation of longevity in humans....

  17. Climate change and peak demand for electricity: Evaluating policies for reducing peak demand under different climate change scenarios

    Science.gov (United States)

    Anthony, Abigail Walker

    This research focuses on the relative advantages and disadvantages of using price-based and quantity-based controls for electricity markets. It also presents a detailed analysis of one specific approach to quantity based controls: the SmartAC program implemented in Stockton, California. Finally, the research forecasts electricity demand under various climate scenarios, and estimates potential cost savings that could result from a direct quantity control program over the next 50 years in each scenario. The traditional approach to dealing with the problem of peak demand for electricity is to invest in a large stock of excess capital that is rarely used, thereby greatly increasing production costs. Because this approach has proved so expensive, there has been a focus on identifying alternative approaches for dealing with peak demand problems. This research focuses on two approaches: price based approaches, such as real time pricing, and quantity based approaches, whereby the utility directly controls at least some elements of electricity used by consumers. This research suggests that well-designed policies for reducing peak demand might include both price and quantity controls. In theory, sufficiently high peak prices occurring during periods of peak demand and/or low supply can cause the quantity of electricity demanded to decline until demand is in balance with system capacity, potentially reducing the total amount of generation capacity needed to meet demand and helping meet electricity demand at the lowest cost. However, consumers need to be well informed about real-time prices for the pricing strategy to work as well as theory suggests. While this might be an appropriate assumption for large industrial and commercial users who have potentially large economic incentives, there is not yet enough research on whether households will fully understand and respond to real-time prices. Thus, while real-time pricing can be an effective tool for addressing the peak load

  18. Peak expiratory flow mediates the relationship between handgrip strength and timed up and go performance in elderly women, but not men.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ritti-Dias, Raphael Mendes; Cucato, Gabriel Grizzo; de Mello Franco, Fábio Gazelato; Cendoroglo, Maysa Seabra; Nasri, Fábio; Monteiro-Costa, Maria Luiza; de Carvalho, José Antonio Maluf; de Matos, Luciana Diniz Nagem Janot

    2016-09-01

    The aim of the present study was to verify if there is sex difference in the associations among handgrip strength, peak expiratory flow (PEF) and timed up and go (TUG) test results. The sample included 288 consecutive elderly men (n=93) and women (n=195). Functional capacity was measured using the TUG test, and muscle strength was measured based on handgrip. Moreover, as a measure of current health status, PEF was evaluated. Linear regression procedures were performed to analyze the relationships between handgrip and both PEF and TUG test results, with adjustment for confounders, and to identify the possible mediating role of PEF in the association between handgrip strength and TUG test results. In men, handgrip strength was associated with both PEF and TUG performance (prelationship between handgrip strength and TUG performance remained significant. In women, handgrip strength was also associated with both PEF and TUG performance (prelationship between handgrip strength and TUG performance was no longer significant. Mobility in the elderly is sex dependent. In particular, PEF mediates the relationship between handgrip strength and TUG performance in women, but not in men.

  19. The influence of whole-body vs. torso pre-cooling on physiological strain and performance of high-intensity exercise in the heat.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sleivert, G G; Cotter, J D; Roberts, W S; Febbraio, M A

    2001-04-01

    Little research has been reported examining the effects of pre-cooling on high-intensity exercise performance, particularly when combined with strategies to keep the working muscle warm. This study used nine active males to determine the effects of pre-cooling the torso and thighs (LC), pre-cooling the torso (ice-vest in 3 degrees C air) while keeping the thighs warm (LW), or no cooling (CON: 31 degrees C air), on physiological strain and high-intensity (45-s) exercise performance (33 degrees C, 60% rh). Furthermore, we sought to determine whether performance after pre-cooling was influenced by a short exercise warm-up. The 45-s test was performed at different (PForearm blood flow prior to exercise was also lower in LC (3.1+/-2.0 ml 100 ml tissue(-1) x min(-1)) than CON (8.2+/-2.5, P=0.01) but not LW (4.3+/-2.6, P=0.46). After an exercise warm-up, muscle temperature (Tm) was not significantly different between conditions (CON: 37.3+/-1.5, LW: 37.3+/-1.2, LC: 36.6+/-0.7 degrees C, P=0.16) but when warm-up was excluded, T(m) was lower in LC (34.5+/-1.9 degrees C, P=0.02) than in CON (37.3+/-1.0) and LW (37.1+/-0.9). Even when a warm-up was performed, torso+thigh pre-cooling decreased both peak (-3.4+/-3.8%, P=0.04) and mean power output (-4.1+/-3.8%, P=0.01) relative to the control, but this effect was markedly larger when warm-up was excluded (peak power -7.7+/-2.5%, P=0.01; mean power -7.6+/-1.2%, P=0.01). Torso-only pre-cooling did not reduce peak or mean power, either with or without warm-up. These data indicate that pre-cooling does not improve 45-s high-intensity exercise performance, and can impair performance if the working muscles are cooled. A short exercise warm-up largely removes any detrimental effects of a cold muscle on performance by increasing Tm.

  20. MR spectroscopy of intracranial tuberculomas: A singlet peak at 3.8 ppm as potential marker to differentiate them from malignant tumors.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Morales, Humberto; Alfaro, David; Martinot, Carlos; Fayed, Nicolas; Gaskill-Shipley, Mary

    2015-06-01

    The diagnosis of intracranial tuberculomas is often challenging. Our purpose is to describe the most common metabolic patterns of tuberculomas by MR spectroscopy (MRS) with emphasis on potential specific markers. Single-voxel MRS short echo time was performed in 13 cases of tuberculomas proven by histology and/or response to anti-mycobacterial therapy. For comparison MRS was also performed in 19 biopsy-proven malignant tumors (13 high-grade gliomas and six metastasis). Presence of metabolic peaks was assessed visually and categorical variables between groups were compared using chi-square. Metabolite ratios were compared using Mann-Whitney test and diagnostic accuracy of the metabolite ratios was compared using receiver-operating characteristic (ROC) curves analysis. Spectroscopic peaks representing lipids and glutamate/glutamine (Glx) as well as a peak at ∼3.8 ppm were well defined in 77% (10/13), 77% (10/13) and 69% (nine of 13) of tuberculomas, respectively. Lipid and Glx peaks were also present in most of the malignant lesions, 79% (15/19) and 74% (14/19) respectively. However, a peak at ∼3.8 ppm was present in only 10% (two of 19) of the tumor cases (p values between 1.7-1.9 for Cho/Cr and 0.8-0.9 for mI/Cr provided high specificity (91% for both metabolites) and adequate sensitivity (75% and 80%, respectively) for discrimination of malignant lesions. A singlet peak at ∼3.8 ppm is present in the majority of tuberculomas and absent in most malignant tumors, potentially a marker to differentiate these lesions. The assignment of the peak is difficult from our analysis; however, guanidinoacetate (Gua) is a possibility. Higher Cho/Cr and mI/Cr ratios should favor malignant lesions over tuberculomas. The presence of lipids and Glx is non-specific. © The Author(s) 2015.

  1. Left ventricular performance at rest and during peak exercise in never-treated hypertensive female - an assessment with radionuclide ventriculography

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Topuzovic, N.; Karner, I.; Rusic, A.; Krstonosic, B.

    2002-01-01

    Aim: The aim of this study was to investigate left ventricular performance and exercise tolerance in never-treated female hypertensive patients. Materials and Methods: Seventeen female patients with newly established, uncomplicated essential hypertension (aged 25 to 57 years) were evaluated with rest-stress radionuclide gated ventriculography, and were compared to 23 age-matched normotensive female volunteers. Results: Mean blood pressure was significantly higher in patients at rest and during exercise than in controls (121±13 vs. 89±7 mm Hg, and 143±11 vs. 122±9 mm Hg, respectively, p 2 , respectively, p<0.01), while ESV was similar in both groups. Ejection fraction (EF) at rest and stress did not differ significantly (54±10 vs. 55±8%, and 70±10 vs. 66±8%, respectively), but % rise in EF during exercise was significantly higher in patients. At rest and during exercise, there were no significant difference in peak ejection rate (PER) and time to PER (TPER) between patients and controls. Patients had similar peak filling rate (PFR) at rest (2.88±0.79 vs. 2.76±0.76 EDV/s) and during exercise (5.85±1.86 vs. 6.21±1.97 EDV/s), in addition to nonsignificant difference in time to PFR (at rest 143±62 vs. 146±42 ms at rest, and 97±20 vs. 91±19 ms during exercise). Conclusion: Female patients with newly diagnosed, never-treated hypertension have preserved maximal exercise performance, systolic function and diastolic function, but they have significant enlargement of EDV and elevated cardiac output during exercise

  2. Identifying functional reorganization of spelling networks: an individual peak probability comparison approach

    Science.gov (United States)

    Purcell, Jeremy J.; Rapp, Brenda

    2013-01-01

    Previous research has shown that damage to the neural substrates of orthographic processing can lead to functional reorganization during reading (Tsapkini et al., 2011); in this research we ask if the same is true for spelling. To examine the functional reorganization of spelling networks we present a novel three-stage Individual Peak Probability Comparison (IPPC) analysis approach for comparing the activation patterns obtained during fMRI of spelling in a single brain-damaged individual with dysgraphia to those obtained in a set of non-impaired control participants. The first analysis stage characterizes the convergence in activations across non-impaired control participants by applying a technique typically used for characterizing activations across studies: Activation Likelihood Estimate (ALE) (Turkeltaub et al., 2002). This method was used to identify locations that have a high likelihood of yielding activation peaks in the non-impaired participants. The second stage provides a characterization of the degree to which the brain-damaged individual's activations correspond to the group pattern identified in Stage 1. This involves performing a Mahalanobis distance statistics analysis (Tsapkini et al., 2011) that compares each of a control group's peak activation locations to the nearest peak generated by the brain-damaged individual. The third stage evaluates the extent to which the brain-damaged individual's peaks are atypical relative to the range of individual variation among the control participants. This IPPC analysis allows for a quantifiable, statistically sound method for comparing an individual's activation pattern to the patterns observed in a control group and, thus, provides a valuable tool for identifying functional reorganization in a brain-damaged individual with impaired spelling. Furthermore, this approach can be applied more generally to compare any individual's activation pattern with that of a set of other individuals. PMID:24399981

  3. Head-to-head comparison of peak supine bicycle exercise echocardiography and treadmill exercise echocardiography at peak and at post-exercise for the detection of coronary artery disease.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Peteiro, Jesús; Bouzas-Mosquera, Alberto; Estevez, Rodrigo; Pazos, Pablo; Piñeiro, Miriam; Castro-Beiras, Alfonso

    2012-03-01

    echocardiography diagnosed multivessel disease in 27 of the 40 patients with stenoses in more than one coronary artery, in contrast to 17 patients with peak SBE imaging and 12 with post-TME imaging (P peak TME imaging and the other modalities). Image quality was similar with the three techniques. The duration of the test was longer with SBE echocardiography (9.5 ± 3.8 vs 7.6 ± 2.5 min, P peak TME, which makes peak TME a more valuable exercise echocardiographic modality to increase sensitivity. However, peak SBE should be preferred to TME if the latter is performed with postexercise imaging acquisition. Copyright © 2012 American Society of Echocardiography. Published by Mosby, Inc. All rights reserved.

  4. Post-synthetic modification of MIL-101(Cr) with pyridine for high-performance liquid chromatographic separation of tocopherols.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yang, Fang; Yang, Cheng-Xiong; Yan, Xiu-Ping

    2015-05-01

    Effective separation of tocopherols is challenging and significant due to their structural similarity and important biological role. Here we report the post-synthetic modification of metal-organic framework (MOF) MIL-101(Cr) with pyridine for high-performance liquid chromatographic (HPLC) separation of tocopherols. Baseline separation of four tocopherols was achieved on a pyridine-grafted MIL-101(Cr) packed column within 10 min using hexane/isopropanol (96:4, v/v) as the mobile phase at a flow rate of 0.5 mL min(-1). The pyridine-grafted MIL-101(Cr) packed column gave high column efficiency (85,000 plates m(-1) for δ-tocopherol) and good precision (0.2-0.3% for retention time, 1.8-3.4% for peak area, 2.6-2.7% for peak height), and also offered much better performance than unmodified MIL-101(Cr) and commercial amino-bonded silica packed column for HPLC separation of tocopherols. The results not only show the promising application of pyridine-grafted MIL-101(Cr) as a novel stationary phase for HPLC separation of tocopherols, but also reveal a facile post-modification of MOFs to expand the application of MOFs in separation sciences. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  5. Peak-by-peak correction of Ge(Li) gamma-ray spectra for photopeaks from background

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Cutshall, N H; Larsen, I L [Oak Ridge National Lab., TN (USA)

    1980-12-01

    Background photopeaks can interfere with accurate measurement of low levels of radionuclides by gamma-ray spectrometry. A flowchart for peak-by-peak correction of sample spectra to produce accurate results is presented.

  6. Enhanced performance on high current discharges in JET produced by ICRF heating during the current rise

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Bures, M.; Bhatnagar, V.; Cotrell, G.; Corti, S.; Christiansen, J.P.; Hellsten, T.; Jacquinot, J.; Lallia, P.; Lomas, P.; O'Rourke, J.; Taroni, A.; Tibone, F.; Start, D.F.H.

    1989-01-01

    The performance of high current discharges can be increased by applying central ICRF heating before or shortly after the onset of sawtooth activity in the plasma current rise phase. Sawtooth-free periods have been obtained resulting in the enhanced discharge performance. High T e (0) 9 - 10.5 keV with peaked profiles T e (0)/ e > = 3 - 4 were obtained giving values of n e (0)T e (0) up to 6x10 20 (keV m -3 ). Improvements in T i (0) and neutron production are observed. A 60 % enhancement in D-D reaction rate from 2nd harmonic deuterium (2ω CD ) heating appears to be present. In all current rise (CR) discharges radiation amounts to 25-50 % of total power. (author) 4 refs., 6 figs

  7. Standardization of I-125. Sum-Peak Coincidence Counting

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Grau Carles, A.; Grau Malonda, A.

    2011-01-01

    I-125 is a nuclide which presents difficulties for standardization. The sum-peak method is one of the procedures used to standardize this radionuclide. Initially NaI (Tl)detectors and then the semiconductor detectors with higher resolution have been used.This paper describes the different methods based on the sum-peak procedure and the different expressions used to calculate the activity are deduced. We describe a general procedure for obtaining all of the above equations and many more. We analyze the influence of uncertainties in the used parameters in the uncertainty of the activity. We give a complete example of the transmission of uncertainty and the effects of correlations in the uncertainty of the activity of the sample. High-resolution spectra show an unresolved doublet of 62.0 keV and 62.8 keV. The paper presents two approaches to solve this problem. One is based on the calculation of area ratio and the sum of peak areas obtained from atomic and nuclear data, in the other we modify the equations so that the sum of the peak areas doublet, rather than its components, is present. (Author) 19 refs.

  8. Standardization of I-125. Sum-Peak Coincidence Counting

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Grau Carles, A.; Grau Malonda, A.

    2011-07-01

    I-125 is a nuclide which presents difficulties for standardization. The sum-peak method is one of the procedures used to standardize this radionuclide. Initially NaI (Tl)detectors and then the semiconductor detectors with higher resolution have been used.This paper describes the different methods based on the sum-peak procedure and the different expressions used to calculate the activity are deduced. We describe a general procedure for obtaining all of the above equations and many more. We analyze the influence of uncertainties in the used parameters in the uncertainty of the activity. We give a complete example of the transmission of uncertainty and the effects of correlations in the uncertainty of the activity of the sample. High-resolution spectra show an unresolved doublet of 62.0 keV and 62.8 keV. The paper presents two approaches to solve this problem. One is based on the calculation of area ratio and the sum of peak areas obtained from atomic and nuclear data, in the other we modify the equations so that the sum of the peak areas doublet, rather than its components, is present. (Author) 19 refs.

  9. Bifurcation and chaos in high-frequency peak current mode Buck converter

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chang-Yuan, Chang; Xin, Zhao; Fan, Yang; Cheng-En, Wu

    2016-07-01

    Bifurcation and chaos in high-frequency peak current mode Buck converter working in continuous conduction mode (CCM) are studied in this paper. First of all, the two-dimensional discrete mapping model is established. Next, reference current at the period-doubling point and the border of inductor current are derived. Then, the bifurcation diagrams are drawn with the aid of MATLAB. Meanwhile, circuit simulations are executed with PSIM, and time domain waveforms as well as phase portraits in i L-v C plane are plotted with MATLAB on the basis of simulation data. After that, we construct the Jacobian matrix and analyze the stability of the system based on the roots of characteristic equations. Finally, the validity of theoretical analysis has been verified by circuit testing. The simulation and experimental results show that, with the increase of reference current I ref, the corresponding switching frequency f is approaching to low-frequency stage continuously when the period-doubling bifurcation happens, leading to the converter tending to be unstable. With the increase of f, the corresponding I ref decreases when the period-doubling bifurcation occurs, indicating the stable working range of the system becomes smaller. Project supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant No. 61376029), the Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities, China, and the College Graduate Research and Innovation Program of Jiangsu Province, China (Grant No. SJLX15_0092).

  10. Peaking-factor of PWR

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Morioka, Noboru; Kato, Yasuji; Yokoi, M.

    1975-01-01

    Output peaking factor often plays an important role in the safety and operation of nuclear reactors. The meaning of the peaking factor of PWRs is categorized into two features or the peaking factor in core (FQ-core) and the peaking factor on the basis of accident analysis (or FQ-limit). FQ-core is the actual peaking factor realized in nuclear core at the time of normal operation, and FQ-limit should be evaluated from loss of coolant accident and other abnormal conditions. If FQ-core is lower than FQ-limit, the reactor may be operated at full load, but if FQ-core is larger than FQ-limit, reactor output should be controlled lower than FQ-limit. FQ-core has two kinds of values, or the one on the basis of nuclear design, and the other actually measured in reactor operation. The first FQ-core should be named as FQ-core-design and the latter as FQ-core-measured. The numerical evaluation of FQ-core-design is as follows; FQ-core-design of three-dimensions is synthesized with FQ-core horizontal value (X-Y) and FQ-core vertical value, the former one is calculated with ASSY-CORE code, and the latter one with one dimensional diffusion code. For the evaluation of FQ-core-measured, on-site data observation from nuclear reactor instrumentation or off-site data observation is used. (Iwase, T.)

  11. Peak Dose Assessment for Proposed DOE-PPPO Authorized Limits

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Maldonado, Delis

    2012-01-01

    The Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education (ORISE), a U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) prime contractor, was contracted by the DOE Portsmouth/Paducah Project Office (DOE-PPPO) to conduct a peak dose assessment in support of the Authorized Limits Request for Solid Waste Disposal at Landfill C-746-U at the Paducah Gaseous Diffusion Plant (DOE-PPPO 2011a). The peak doses were calculated based on the DOE-PPPO Proposed Single Radionuclides Soil Guidelines and the DOE-PPPO Proposed Authorized Limits (AL) Volumetric Concentrations available in DOE-PPPO 2011a. This work is provided as an appendix to the Dose Modeling Evaluations and Technical Support Document for the Authorized Limits Request for the C-746-U Landfill at the Paducah Gaseous Diffusion Plant, Paducah, Kentucky (ORISE 2012). The receptors evaluated in ORISE 2012 were selected by the DOE-PPPO for the additional peak dose evaluations. These receptors included a Landfill Worker, Trespasser, Resident Farmer (onsite), Resident Gardener, Recreational User, Outdoor Worker and an Offsite Resident Farmer. The RESRAD (Version 6.5) and RESRAD-OFFSITE (Version 2.5) computer codes were used for the peak dose assessments. Deterministic peak dose assessments were performed for all the receptors and a probabilistic dose assessment was performed only for the Offsite Resident Farmer at the request of the DOE-PPPO. In a deterministic analysis, a single input value results in a single output value. In other words, a deterministic analysis uses single parameter values for every variable in the code. By contrast, a probabilistic approach assigns parameter ranges to certain variables, and the code randomly selects the values for each variable from the parameter range each time it calculates the dose (NRC 2006). The receptor scenarios, computer codes and parameter input files were previously used in ORISE 2012. A few modifications were made to the parameter input files as appropriate for this effort. Some of these changes

  12. Peak-by-peak correction of Ge(Li) gamma-ray spectra for photopeaks from background

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Cutshall, N.H.; Larsen, I.L.

    1980-01-01

    Background photopeaks can interfere with accurate measurement of low levels of radionuclides by gamma-ray spectrometry. A flowchart for peak-by-peak correction of sample spectra to produce accurate results is presented. (orig.)

  13. Ship Analysis and Detection in High-resolution Pol-SAR Imagery Based on Peak Zone

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Xu Cheng-bin

    2015-06-01

    Full Text Available To deal with the problem of false alarm in the ship detection, a method base on proportion of spiral scattering in the peak zone is proposed. By comparing the proportion of spiral scattering in the peak zone, which is available from Krogager decomposition, the ships and interfering targets are identified and analyzed. The effectiveness of this method is justified with C-band full-polarization data from RADARSAT-2. The result show that this method can discriminate ships from interfering targets such as island, water-break, nautical platforms and bridges, thus reducing the false alarm rate of ship targets detection in SAR images.

  14. The fascicular anatomy and peak force capabilities of the sternocleidomastoid muscle.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kennedy, Ewan; Albert, Michael; Nicholson, Helen

    2017-06-01

    The fascicular morphology of the sternocleidomastoid (SCM) is not well described in modern anatomical texts, and the biomechanical forces it exerts on individual cervical motion segments are not known. The purpose of this study is to investigate the fascicular anatomy and peak force capabilities of the SCM combining traditional dissection and modern imaging. This study is comprised of three parts: Dissection, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and biomechanical modelling. Dissection was performed on six embalmed cadavers: three males of age 73-74 years and three females of age 63-93 years. The fascicular arrangement and morphologic data were recorded. MRIs were performed on six young, healthy volunteers: three males of age 24-37 and three females of age 26-28. In vivo volumes of the SCM were calculated using the Cavalieri method. Modelling of the SCM was performed on five sets of computed tomography (CT) scans. This mapped the fascicular arrangement of the SCM with relation to the cervical motion segments, and used volume data from the MRIs to calculate realistic peak force capabilities. Dissection showed the SCM has four parts; sterno-mastoid, sterno-occipital, cleido-mastoid and cleido-occipital portions. Force modelling shows that peak torque capacity of the SCM is higher at lower cervical levels, and minimal at higher levels. Peak shear forces are higher in the lower cervical spine, while compression is consistent throughout. The four-part SCM is capable of producing forces that vary across the cervical motion segments. The implications of these findings are discussed with reference to models of neck muscle function and dysfunction.

  15. Peak picking multidimensional NMR spectra with the contour geometry based algorithm CYPICK

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Würz, Julia M.; Güntert, Peter

    2017-01-01

    The automated identification of signals in multidimensional NMR spectra is a challenging task, complicated by signal overlap, noise, and spectral artifacts, for which no universally accepted method is available. Here, we present a new peak picking algorithm, CYPICK, that follows, as far as possible, the manual approach taken by a spectroscopist who analyzes peak patterns in contour plots of the spectrum, but is fully automated. Human visual inspection is replaced by the evaluation of geometric criteria applied to contour lines, such as local extremality, approximate circularity (after appropriate scaling of the spectrum axes), and convexity. The performance of CYPICK was evaluated for a variety of spectra from different proteins by systematic comparison with peak lists obtained by other, manual or automated, peak picking methods, as well as by analyzing the results of automated chemical shift assignment and structure calculation based on input peak lists from CYPICK. The results show that CYPICK yielded peak lists that compare in most cases favorably to those obtained by other automated peak pickers with respect to the criteria of finding a maximal number of real signals, a minimal number of artifact peaks, and maximal correctness of the chemical shift assignments and the three-dimensional structure obtained by fully automated assignment and structure calculation.

  16. Peak picking multidimensional NMR spectra with the contour geometry based algorithm CYPICK

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Würz, Julia M.; Güntert, Peter, E-mail: guentert@em.uni-frankfurt.de [Goethe University Frankfurt am Main, Institute of Biophysical Chemistry, Center for Biomolecular Magnetic Resonance (Germany)

    2017-01-15

    The automated identification of signals in multidimensional NMR spectra is a challenging task, complicated by signal overlap, noise, and spectral artifacts, for which no universally accepted method is available. Here, we present a new peak picking algorithm, CYPICK, that follows, as far as possible, the manual approach taken by a spectroscopist who analyzes peak patterns in contour plots of the spectrum, but is fully automated. Human visual inspection is replaced by the evaluation of geometric criteria applied to contour lines, such as local extremality, approximate circularity (after appropriate scaling of the spectrum axes), and convexity. The performance of CYPICK was evaluated for a variety of spectra from different proteins by systematic comparison with peak lists obtained by other, manual or automated, peak picking methods, as well as by analyzing the results of automated chemical shift assignment and structure calculation based on input peak lists from CYPICK. The results show that CYPICK yielded peak lists that compare in most cases favorably to those obtained by other automated peak pickers with respect to the criteria of finding a maximal number of real signals, a minimal number of artifact peaks, and maximal correctness of the chemical shift assignments and the three-dimensional structure obtained by fully automated assignment and structure calculation.

  17. High-performance liquid chromatographic radioenzymatic assay for plasma catecyholamines

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Klaniecki, T.S.; Corder, C.N.; McDonald, R.H. Jr.; Feldman, J.A.

    1977-01-01

    A new assay method for plasma catecholamimes (CA) requiring only 50 μl has been developed, which uses high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). The norepinephrine (NE), dopamine (D), and epinephrine (E) compounds found in plasma are radioactively o-methylated with S-[methyl- 3 H]-adenosyl-L-methionine ( 3 H-SAM) 3 H-SAM by the reaction of catechol-o-methyl transferase (COMT). The reaction is terminated and a standard mixture of nonradioactive o-methylated analogues of NE, D, and E is added to act as a carrier. Following separation by HPLC, the D,L-normetanephrine (NMN), 3-methoxy-4-hydroxyphenylethyl-amine or 3-methoxytyramine (3-MOT), and metanephrine (MN) radioactive peaks are collected which represent NE, D, and E, respectively. Then MNM and MN are oxidized to vanillin, and 3-MOT is acetylated. The products are subsequently separated by solvent extraction. This is necessary in order to avoid high radioactive blanks and to allow quantitation of the radioactivity by liquid scintillation spectrometry. The mean supine levels of NE, D, and E in normal subjects were respectively 182, 33, and 87 pg/ml of plasma. Similar assays on patients with pheochromocytoma revealed 797, 80, and 470 pg/ml

  18. Application of a clustering-based peak alignment algorithm to analyze various DNA fingerprinting data.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ishii, Satoshi; Kadota, Koji; Senoo, Keishi

    2009-09-01

    DNA fingerprinting analysis such as amplified ribosomal DNA restriction analysis (ARDRA), repetitive extragenic palindromic PCR (rep-PCR), ribosomal intergenic spacer analysis (RISA), and denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE) are frequently used in various fields of microbiology. The major difficulty in DNA fingerprinting data analysis is the alignment of multiple peak sets. We report here an R program for a clustering-based peak alignment algorithm, and its application to analyze various DNA fingerprinting data, such as ARDRA, rep-PCR, RISA, and DGGE data. The results obtained by our clustering algorithm and by BioNumerics software showed high similarity. Since several R packages have been established to statistically analyze various biological data, the distance matrix obtained by our R program can be used for subsequent statistical analyses, some of which were not previously performed but are useful in DNA fingerprinting studies.

  19. Comprehensive two-dimensional gas chromatography/time-of-flight mass spectrometry peak sorting algorithm.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Oh, Cheolhwan; Huang, Xiaodong; Regnier, Fred E; Buck, Charles; Zhang, Xiang

    2008-02-01

    We report a novel peak sorting method for the two-dimensional gas chromatography/time-of-flight mass spectrometry (GC x GC/TOF-MS) system. The objective of peak sorting is to recognize peaks from the same metabolite occurring in different samples from thousands of peaks detected in the analytical procedure. The developed algorithm is based on the fact that the chromatographic peaks for a given analyte have similar retention times in all of the chromatograms. Raw instrument data are first processed by ChromaTOF (Leco) software to provide the peak tables. Our algorithm achieves peak sorting by utilizing the first- and second-dimension retention times in the peak tables and the mass spectra generated during the process of electron impact ionization. The algorithm searches the peak tables for the peaks generated by the same type of metabolite using several search criteria. Our software also includes options to eliminate non-target peaks from the sorting results, e.g., peaks of contaminants. The developed software package has been tested using a mixture of standard metabolites and another mixture of standard metabolites spiked into human serum. Manual validation demonstrates high accuracy of peak sorting with this algorithm.

  20. Cranial Indicators Identified for Peak Incidence of Otitis Media.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pagano, Anthony S; Wang, Eugene; Yuan, Derek; Fischer, Daniel; Bluestone, Charles; Marquez, Samuel; Laitman, Jeffrey

    2017-10-01

    Acute otitis media (AOM) is one of the most common pediatric conditions worldwide. Peak age of occurrence for AOM has been identified within the first postnatal year and it remains frequent until approximately six postnatal years. Morphological differences between adults and infants in the cartilaginous Eustachian tube (CET) and associated structures may be responsible for development of this disease yet few have investigated normal growth trajectories. We tested hypotheses on coincidence of skeletal growth changes and known ages of peak AOM occurrence. Growth was divided into five dental eruption stages ranging from edentulous neonates (Stage 1) to adults with erupted third maxillary molars (Stage 5). A total of 32 three-dimensional landmarks were used and Generalized Procrustes Analysis was performed. Next, we performed principal components analysis and calculated univariate measures. It was found that growth change in Stage 1 was the most rapid and comprised the largest amount of overall growth in upper respiratory tract proportions (where time is represented by the natural logarithmic transformation of centroid size). The analysis of univariate measures showed that Stage 1 humans did indeed possess the relatively shortest and most horizontally oriented CET's with the greatest amount of growth change occurring at the transition to Stage 2 (eruption of deciduous dentition at five postnatal months, commencing peak AOM incidence) and ceasing by Stage 3 (approximately six postnatal years). Skeletal indicators appear related to peak ages of AOM incidence and may contribute to understanding of a nearly ubiquitous human disease. Anat Rec, 2017. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Anat Rec, 300:1721-1740, 2017. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

  1. Acquisition of peak responding: what is learned?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Balci, Fuat; Gallistel, Charles R; Allen, Brian D; Frank, Krystal M; Gibson, Jacqueline M; Brunner, Daniela

    2009-01-01

    We investigated how the common measures of timing performance behaved in the course of training on the peak procedure in C3H mice. Following fixed interval (FI) pre-training, mice received 16 days of training in the peak procedure. The peak time and spread were derived from the average response rates while the start and stop times and their relative variability were derived from a single-trial analysis. Temporal precision (response spread) appeared to improve in the course of training. This apparent improvement in precision was, however, an averaging artifact; it was mediated by the staggered appearance of timed stops, rather than by the delayed occurrence of start times. Trial-by-trial analysis of the stop times for individual subjects revealed that stops appeared abruptly after three to five sessions and their timing did not change as training was prolonged. Start times and the precision of start and stop times were generally stable throughout training. Our results show that subjects do not gradually learn to time their start or stop of responding. Instead, they learn the duration of the FI, with robust temporal control over the start of the response; the control over the stop of response appears abruptly later.

  2. Enhancement of evaporative light scattering detection in high-performance liquid chromatographic determination of neomycin based on highly volatile mobile phase, high-molecular-mass ion-pairing reagents and controlled peak shape.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Megoulas, Nikolaos C; Koupparis, Michael A

    2004-11-19

    In the frame of the development of a novel HPLC-ELSD (evaporative light scattering detection) method for the determination of the aminoglycoside antibiotic neomycin sulfate, the influence of mobile phase composition and peak broadening on ELSD response was evaluated. ELSD response was enhanced by: (a) increase of mobile phase volatility (solvents examined: water, acetonitrile, methanol and acetone), (b) increase of molecular mass of ion-pairing species [acidic reagents tested: formic, acetic, trifluoroacetic, trichloroacetic and heptafluorobutyric acid (HFBA)], and (c) decrease of peak width and asymmetry obtained by controlling the concentration of the ion-pairing acidic reagent (HFBA). Utilizing a Waters ODS-2 C18 Spherisorb column, evaporation temperature of 45 degrees C and nitrogen pressure of 3.5 bar, the optimized mobile phase was water-acetone (50:50), containing 11.6 mM HFBA, in an isocratic mode at a rate of 1.0 ml/min. Neomycin was eluted at 4.9 min, with asymmetry factor 1.3. Logarithmic calibration curve was obtained from 2 to 50 microg/ml (r > 0.9997). Limit of detection (LOD) was 0.6 microg/ml and R.S.D. = 1.7% (n = 3, 3.3 microg/ml). In raw materials, the simultaneous determination of sulfate (LOD = 3 microg/ml, R.S.D. = 1.7%, r> 0.9998) and of minor impurities was feasible. The developed method was also applied for the determination of neomycin in pharmaceutical formulations (powder, aerosol and cream) without any interference from excipients (recovery from spiked samples ranged from 99 to 102%) and a %R.S.D. of <2.1 (n = 3). The HPLC-ELSD method was also found applicable in the determination of neomycin in animal feeds (LOQ=0.2%) without any interference from the feed matrices.

  3. Peak Velocity as an Alternative Method for Training Prescription in Mice.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Picoli, Caroline de Carvalho; Romero, Paulo Vitor da Silva; Gilio, Gustavo R; Guariglia, Débora A; Tófolo, Laize P; de Moraes, Solange M F; Machado, Fabiana A; Peres, Sidney B

    2018-01-01

    Purpose: To compare the efficiency of an aerobic physical training program prescribed according to either velocity associated with maximum oxygen uptake (vVO 2max ) or peak running speed obtained during an incremental treadmill test (V peak_K ) in mice. Methods: Twenty male Swiss mice, 60 days old, were randomly divided into two groups with 10 animals each: 1. group trained by vVO 2max (GVO 2 ), 2. group trained by V peak_K (GVP). After the adaptation training period, an incremental test was performed at the beginning of each week to adjust training load and to determine the amount of VO 2 and VCO 2 fluxes consumed, energy expenditure (EE) and run distance during the incremental test. Mice were submitted to 4 weeks of aerobic exercise training of moderate intensity (velocity referring to 70% of vVO 2max and V peak_K ) in a programmable treadmill. The sessions lasted from 30 to 40 min in the first week, to reach 60 min in the fourth week, in order to provide the mice with a moderate intensity exercise, totaling 20 training sessions. Results: Mice demonstrated increases in VO 2max (ml·kg -1 ·min -1 ) (GVO 2 = 49.1% and GVP = 56.2%), V peak_K (cm·s -1 ) (GVO 2 = 50.9% and GVP = 22.3%), EE (ml·kg -0,75 ·min -1 ) (GVO 2 = 39.9% and GVP = 51.5%), and run distance (cm) (GVO 2 = 43.5% and GVP = 33.4%), after 4 weeks of aerobic training (time effect, P < 0.05); there were no differences between the groups. Conclusions: V peak_K , as well as vVO 2max , can be adopted as an alternative test to determine the performance and correct prescription of systemized aerobic protocol training to mice.

  4. Simultaneous high-throughput determination of interaction kinetics for drugs and cyclodextrins by high performance affinity chromatography with mass spectrometry detection.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wang, Caifen; Wang, Xiaobo; Xu, Xiaonan; Liu, Botao; Xu, Xu; Sun, Lixin; Li, Haiyan; Zhang, Jiwen

    2016-02-25

    The individual determination of the apparent dissociation rate constant (kd,app) using high performance affinity chromatography (HPAC) is a tedious process requiring numerous separate tests and massive data fitting, unable to provide the apparent association rate constant (ka) and equilibrium binding constant (Ka). In this study, a HPAC with mass spectrometry detection (HPAC-MS/MS) was employed to determine the drug-cyclodextrin (CD) interaction kinetics with low sample loading quantity (drugs determined in one injection. The kd,app measured by HPAC-MS/MS approach were 0.89 ± 0.07, 4.34 ± 0.01, 1.48 ± 0.01 and 7.77 ± 0.04 s(-1) for ketoprofen, trimethoprim, indapamide and acetaminophen, with kd,app for acetaminophen consistent with that from the HPAC method with UV detector in our previous studies. For twenty drugs with diverse structures and chemical properties, good correlationship was found between kd,app measured by single compound analysis method and high-throughput HPAC-MS/MS approach, with the correlation coefficient of 0.987 and the significance F less than 0.001. Comprehensive quantification of ka,app, kd,app and Ka values was further performed based on the measurement of kd,app by peak profiling method and Ka by the peak fitting method. And the investigation of the drug-CD interaction kinetics under different conditions indicated that the column temperature and mobile phase composition significantly affected the determination of ka,app, kd,app and Ka while also dependent on the acidity and basicity of drugs. In summary, the high-throughput HPAC-MS/MS approach has been demonstrated high efficiency in determination of the drug-CD primary interaction kinetic parameter, especially, kd,app, being proven as a novel tool in screening the right CD for the solubilization of the right drug. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  5. Performance analysis of AlGaAs/GaAs tunnel junctions for ultra-high concentration photovoltaics

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    García, I; Rey-Stolle, I; Algora, C

    2012-01-01

    An n ++ -GaAs/p ++ -AlGaAs tunnel junction with a peak current density of 10 100 A cm -2 is developed. This device is a tunnel junction for multijunction solar cells, grown lattice-matched on standard GaAs or Ge substrates, with the highest peak current density ever reported. The voltage drop for a current density equivalent to the operation of the multijunction solar cell up to 10 000 suns is below 5 mV. Trap-assisted tunnelling is proposed to be behind this performance, which cannot be justified by simple band-to-band tunnelling. The metal-organic vapour-phase epitaxy growth conditions, which are in the limits of the transport-limited regime, and the heavy tellurium doping levels are the proposed origins of the defects enabling trap-assisted tunnelling. The hypothesis of trap-assisted tunnelling is supported by the observed annealing behaviour of the tunnel junctions, which cannot be explained in terms of dopant diffusion or passivation. For the integration of these tunnel junctions into a triple-junction solar cell, AlGaAs barrier layers are introduced to suppress the formation of parasitic junctions, but this is found to significantly degrade the performance of the tunnel junctions. However, the annealed tunnel junctions with barrier layers still exhibit a peak current density higher than 2500 A cm -2 and a voltage drop at 10 000 suns of around 20 mV, which are excellent properties for tunnel junctions and mean they can serve as low-loss interconnections in multijunction solar cells working at ultra-high concentrations. (paper)

  6. Automated asteroseismic peak detections

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    de Montellano, Andres Garcia Saravia Ortiz; Hekker, S.; Themessl, N.

    2018-01-01

    Space observatories such as Kepler have provided data that can potentially revolutionize our understanding of stars. Through detailed asteroseismic analyses we are capable of determining fundamental stellar parameters and reveal the stellar internal structure with unprecedented accuracy. However......, such detailed analyses, known as peak bagging, have so far been obtained for only a small percentage of the observed stars while most of the scientific potential of the available data remains unexplored. One of the major challenges in peak bagging is identifying how many solar-like oscillation modes are visible...... of detected oscillation modes. The algorithm presented here opens the possibility for detailed and automated peak bagging of the thousands of solar-like oscillators observed by Kepler....

  7. Application of high-performance liquid chromatography to the determination of glyoxylate synthesis in chick embryo liver.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Qureshi, A A; Elson, C E; Lebeck, L A

    1982-11-19

    The isolation and identification of three major alpha-keto end products (glyoxylate, pyruvate, alpha-ketoglutarate) of the isocitrate lyase reaction in 18-day chick embryo liver have been described. This was accomplished by the separation of these alpha-keto acids as their 2,4-dinitrophenylhydrazones (DNPHs) by high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). The DNPHs of alpha-keto acids were eluted with an isocratic solvent system of methanol-water-acetic acid (60:38.5:1.5) containing 5 mM tetrabutylammonium phosphate from a reversed-phase ultrasphere C18 (IP) and from a radial compression C18 column. The separation can be completed on the radial compression column within 15-20 min as compared to 30-40 min with a conventional reversed-phase column. Retention times and peak areas were integrated for both the assay samples and reference compounds. A relative measure of alpha-keto acid in the peak was calculated by comparison with the standard. The identification of each peak was done on the basis of retention time matching, co-chromatography with authentic compounds, and stopped flow UV-VIS scanning between 240 and 440 nm. Glyoxylate represented 5% of the total product of the isocitrate lyase reaction. Day 18 parallels the peak period of embryonic hepatic glycogenesis which occurs at a time when the original egg glucose reserve has been depleted.

  8. Peak pressures from hydrogen deflagrations in the PFP thermal stabilization glovebox

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Van Keuren, J.C.

    1998-01-01

    This document describes the calculations of the peak pressures due to hydrogen deflagrations in the glovebox used for thermal stabilization (glovebox HC-21A) in PFP. Two calculations were performed. The first considered the burning of hydrogen released from a 7 inch Pu can in the Inert Atmosphere Confinement (IAC) section of the glovebox. The peak pressure increase was 12400 Pa (1.8 psi). The second calculation considered burning of the hydrogen from 25 g of plutonium hydride in the airlock leading to the main portion of the glovebox. Since the glovebox door exposes most of the airlock when open, the deflagration was assumed to pressurize the entire glovebox. The peak pressure increase was 3860 Pa (0.56 psi)

  9. Four Weeks of Off-Season Training Improves Peak Oxygen Consumption in Female Field Hockey Players

    OpenAIRE

    Lindsey T. Funch; Erik Lind; Larissa True; Deborah Van Langen; John T. Foley; James F. Hokanson

    2017-01-01

    The purpose of the study was to examine the changes in peak oxygen consumption ( V ˙O2peak) and running economy (RE) following four-weeks of high intensity training and concurrent strength and conditioning during the off-season in collegiate female field hockey players. Fourteen female student-athletes (age 19.29 ± 0.91 years) were divided into two training groups, matched from baseline V ˙O2peak: High Intensity Training (HITrun; n = 8) and High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT; ...

  10. High performance vertical tunneling diodes using graphene/hexagonal boron nitride/graphene hetero-structure

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Hwan Lee, Seung; Lee, Jia; Ho Ra, Chang; Liu, Xiaochi; Hwang, Euyheon [Samsung-SKKU Graphene Center (SSGC), Sungkyunkwan University, 2066, Seobu-ro, Jangan-gu, Suwon, Gyeonggi-do 440-746 (Korea, Republic of); Department of Nano Science and Technology, SKKU Advanced Institute of Nano-Technology (SAINT), Sungkyunkwan University, 2066, Seobu-ro, Jangan-gu, Suwon, Gyeonggi-do 440-746 (Korea, Republic of); Sup Choi, Min [Department of Nano Science and Technology, SKKU Advanced Institute of Nano-Technology (SAINT), Sungkyunkwan University, 2066, Seobu-ro, Jangan-gu, Suwon, Gyeonggi-do 440-746 (Korea, Republic of); Center for Human Interface Nano Technology (HINT), Sungkyunkwan University, 2066, Seobu-ro, Jangan-gu, Suwon, Gyeonggi-do 440-746 (Korea, Republic of); Hee Choi, Jun [Frontier Research Laboratory, Samsung Advanced Institute of Technology, Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd., Yongin, Gyeonggi-do 446-711 (Korea, Republic of); Zhong, Jianqiang; Chen, Wei [Department of Physics, National University of Singapore, 2 Science Drive 3, Singapore 117542 (Singapore); Department of Chemistry, National University of Singapore, 3 Science Drive 3, Singapore 117543 (Singapore); Jong Yoo, Won, E-mail: yoowj@skku.edu [Samsung-SKKU Graphene Center (SSGC), Sungkyunkwan University, 2066, Seobu-ro, Jangan-gu, Suwon, Gyeonggi-do 440-746 (Korea, Republic of); Department of Nano Science and Technology, SKKU Advanced Institute of Nano-Technology (SAINT), Sungkyunkwan University, 2066, Seobu-ro, Jangan-gu, Suwon, Gyeonggi-do 440-746 (Korea, Republic of); Center for Human Interface Nano Technology (HINT), Sungkyunkwan University, 2066, Seobu-ro, Jangan-gu, Suwon, Gyeonggi-do 440-746 (Korea, Republic of)

    2014-02-03

    A tunneling rectifier prepared from vertically stacked two-dimensional (2D) materials composed of chemically doped graphene electrodes and hexagonal boron nitride (h-BN) tunneling barrier was demonstrated. The asymmetric chemical doping to graphene with linear dispersion property induces rectifying behavior effectively, by facilitating Fowler-Nordheim tunneling at high forward biases. It results in excellent diode performances of a hetero-structured graphene/h-BN/graphene tunneling diode, with an asymmetric factor exceeding 1000, a nonlinearity of ∼40, and a peak sensitivity of ∼12 V{sup −1}, which are superior to contending metal-insulator-metal diodes, showing great potential for future flexible and transparent electronic devices.

  11. Do individuals with intellectual disability have a lower peak heart rate and maximal oxygen uptake?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hilgenkamp, Thessa Irena Maria; Baynard, Tracy

    2017-12-12

    Individuals with intellectual disability (ID) have very low physical activity and low peak oxygen uptake (VO 2peak ), potentially explained by physiologically lower peak heart rates (HR peak ). The present authors performed a retrospective analysis of a large data set of individuals with intellectual disability (n = 100), with Down syndrome (DS) (n = 48) and without intellectual disability (n = 224) using multiple linear regression analyses, to determine if individuals with intellectual disability exhibit lower HR peak and VO 2peak than individuals without intellectual disability, controlling for age, sex and body mass index (BMI). Individuals with intellectual disability on average have significantly lower HR peak and VO 2peak than individuals without intellectual disability, even when controlling VO 2peak for the lower HR peak . This study suggests potential physiological differences in individuals with intellectual disability and warrants further investigation to determine their relevance to physical activity promotion and exercise testing in individuals with intellectual disability. © 2017 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

  12. High rate performance of the carbon encapsulated Li4Ti5O12 for lithium ion battery

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Qi Cheng

    Full Text Available Li4Ti5O12 (LTO is attractive alternative anode material with excellent cyclic performance and high rate after coating modifications of the conductive materials. Anatase TiO2 and glucose were applied of the synthesis of the carbon coated LTO (C@LTO. XRD results showed that all the major diffractions from the spinel structure of LTO can be found in the C@LTO such as (111, (311, (400 but there are no observations of the Carbon diffraction peaks. Electrochemical Impedance Spectroscopy (EIS data shows C@LTO resistance was nearly half of the LTO value. Rate performance showed that capacity of C@LTO was higher than that of the pure LTO from 0.1 C, 0.2 C, 1 C, 2 C, 5 C and 10 C, which indicates that this is a promising approach to prepare the high performance LTO anode. Keywords: Li-ion batteries, Rate performance, Carbon materials, Li4Ti5O12 anode

  13. Coexistence Performance of High-Altitude Platform and Terrestrial Systems Using Gigabit Communication Links to Serve Specialist Users

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    D. Grace

    2008-10-01

    Full Text Available This paper presents three feasible methods to serve specialist users within a service area of up to 150 km diameter by using spot-beam gigabit wireless communication links from high-altitude platforms (HAPs. A single HAP serving multiple spot beams coexists with terrestrial systems, all sharing a common frequency band. The schemes provided in the paper are used to adjust the pointing direction of aperture antennas operating in the mm-wave bands, such that the peak carrier to interference plus noise ratio (CINR is delivered directly toward the location of the specialist users; the schemes include the small step size scheme, half distance scheme, and beam switch scheme. The pointing process is controlled iteratively using the mean distance between the peak CINR locations and user positions. The paper shows that both the small step size and half distance schemes significantly enhance the CINR at the user, but performance is further improved if beams with adverse performance below a specific threshold are switched off, or are assigned another channel.

  14. Coexistence Performance of High-Altitude Platform and Terrestrial Systems Using Gigabit Communication Links to Serve Specialist Users

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Peng Z

    2008-01-01

    Full Text Available Abstract This paper presents three feasible methods to serve specialist users within a service area of up to 150 km diameter by using spot-beam gigabit wireless communication links from high-altitude platforms (HAPs. A single HAP serving multiple spot beams coexists with terrestrial systems, all sharing a common frequency band. The schemes provided in the paper are used to adjust the pointing direction of aperture antennas operating in the mm-wave bands, such that the peak carrier to interference plus noise ratio (CINR is delivered directly toward the location of the specialist users; the schemes include the small step size scheme, half distance scheme, and beam switch scheme. The pointing process is controlled iteratively using the mean distance between the peak CINR locations and user positions. The paper shows that both the small step size and half distance schemes significantly enhance the CINR at the user, but performance is further improved if beams with adverse performance below a specific threshold are switched off, or are assigned another channel.

  15. High performance thin layer chromatography profile of Cassytha filiformis

    Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

    Mythili Sathiavelu; Sathiavelu Arunachalam

    2012-01-01

    Objective: To study the phenols, flavonoids, saponin profile of the medicinal plant Cassytha filiformis (C. filiformis) using high performance thin layer chromatography (HPTLC). Methods:The extracts were tested to determine the presence of various phytochmeicals like alkaloids, phenolic compounds, flavonoids, carbohydrates, glycosides, saponins, terpenoids, tannins, fixed oils, fats and protein and aminoacids (Harborne and Harborne, 1998). HPTLC studies were carried out by Harborne and Wagner et al method. Different compositions of the mobile phase for HPTLC analysis were tested in order to obtain high resolution and reproducible peaks. Results: The results of the preliminary phytochemical studies confirm the presence of phenols, alkaloids, carbohydrates, saponins, flavanoids, terpenoids and tannins in the methanolic extracts of C. filiformis. The methanolic extracts of C. filiformis displayed the presence of 13 types of phenolic substances with 13 different Rf values ranging from 0.01 to 0.96. The results illustrated the presence of 9 different types of flavonoides with 9 different Rf values ranging from 0.01 to 0.97. The results of HPTLC analysis of saponins demonstrated the presence of 11 different types of saponins with 11 different Rf values ranging from 0.04 to 0.92. Conclusions: In the present study we observed the phenols, flavonoids, saponin profile of the medicinal plant C. filiformis using high performance thin layer chromatography (HPTLC). Hence it was concluded that the phenolic compounds present in the methonolic extract could be responsible for antioxidant activities. Plant derived antioxidants, especially phenols and flavonoids, have been described to have various properties like anticancer, antiaging and prevention of cardiovascular diseases. Furthur, separation and characterization of the bioactive compound from the plant is to be evaluated and reported in near future.

  16. Drivers of peak sales for pharmaceutical brands

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Fischer, Marc; Leeflang, Peter S. H.; Verhoef, Peter C.

    2010-01-01

    Peak sales are an important metric in the pharmaceutical industry. Specifically, managers are focused on the height-of-peak-sales and the time required achieving peak sales. We analyze how order of entry and quality affect the level of peak sales and the time-to-peak-sales of pharmaceutical brands.

  17. Attenuated Increase in Maximal Force of Rat Medial Gastrocnemius Muscle after Concurrent Peak Power and Endurance Training

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Regula Furrer

    2013-01-01

    Full Text Available Improvement of muscle peak power and oxidative capacity are generally presumed to be mutually exclusive. However, this may not be valid by using fibre type-specific recruitment. Since rat medial gastrocnemius muscle (GM is composed of high and low oxidative compartments which are recruited task specifically, we hypothesised that the adaptive responses to peak power training were unaffected by additional endurance training. Thirty rats were subjected to either no training (control, peak power training (PT, or both peak power and endurance training (PET, which was performed on a treadmill 5 days per week for 6 weeks. Maximal running velocity increased 13.5% throughout the training and was similar in both training groups. Only after PT, GM maximal force was 10% higher than that of the control group. In the low oxidative compartment, mRNA levels of myostatin and MuRF-1 were higher after PT as compared to those of control and PET groups, respectively. Phospho-S6 ribosomal protein levels remained unchanged, suggesting that the elevated myostatin levels after PT did not inhibit mTOR signalling. In conclusion, even by using task-specific recruitment of the compartmentalized rat GM, additional endurance training interfered with the adaptive response of peak power training and attenuated the increase in maximal force after power training.

  18. Physical activity as a long-term predictor of peak oxygen uptake: the HUNT Study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Aspenes, Stian Thoresen; Nauman, Javaid; Nilsen, Tom Ivar Lund; Vatten, Lars Johan; Wisløff, Ulrik

    2011-09-01

    A physically active lifestyle and a relatively high level of cardiorespiratory fitness are important for longevity and long-term health. No population-based study has prospectively assessed the association of physical activity levels with long-term peak oxygen uptake (VO(2peak)). 1843 individuals (906 women and 937 men) who were between 18 and 66 yr at baseline and were free from known lung or heart diseases at both baseline (1984-1986) and follow-up (2006-2008) were included in the study. Self-reported physical activity was recorded at both occasions, and VO(2peak) was measured at follow-up. The association of physical activity levels and VO(2peak) was adjusted for age, level of education, smoking status, and weight change from baseline to follow-up, using ANCOVA statistics. The level of physical activity at baseline was strongly associated with VO(2peak) at follow-up 23 yr later in both men and women (Ptrends active at baseline had higher (3.3 and 4.6 mL·kg(-1)·min(-1)) VO(2peak) at follow-up. Women who were inactive at baseline but highly active at follow-up had 3.7 mL·kg(-1)·min(-1) higher VO(2peak) compared with women who were inactive both at baseline and at follow-up. The corresponding comparison in men showed a difference of 5.2 mL·kg(-1)·min(-1) (95% confidence interval = 3.1-7.3) in VO(2peak). Physical activity level at baseline was positively associated with directly measured cardiorespiratory fitness (VO(2peak)) 23 yr later. People who changed from low to high activity during the observation period had substantially higher V˙O(2peak) at follow-up compared with people whose activity remained low.

  19. Effects of beta-alanine supplementation and high-intensity interval training on endurance performance and body composition in men; a double-blind trial.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Smith, Abbie E; Walter, Ashley A; Graef, Jennifer L; Kendall, Kristina L; Moon, Jordan R; Lockwood, Christopher M; Fukuda, David H; Beck, Travis W; Cramer, Joel T; Stout, Jeffrey R

    2009-02-11

    Intermittent bouts of high-intensity exercise result in diminished stores of energy substrates, followed by an accumulation of metabolites, promoting chronic physiological adaptations. In addition, beta-alanine has been accepted has an effective physiological hydrogen ion (H+) buffer. Concurrent high-intensity interval training (HIIT) and beta-alanine supplementation may result in greater adaptations than HIIT alone. The purpose of the current study was to evaluate the effects of combining beta-alanine supplementation with high-intensity interval training (HIIT) on endurance performance and aerobic metabolism in recreationally active college-aged men. Forty-six men (Age: 22.2 +/- 2.7 yrs; Ht: 178.1 +/- 7.4 cm; Wt: 78.7 +/- 11.9; VO2peak: 3.3 +/- 0.59 l.min-1) were assessed for peak O2 utilization (VO2peak), time to fatigue (VO2TTE), ventilatory threshold (VT), and total work done at 110% of pre-training VO2peak (TWD). In a double-blind fashion, all subjects were randomly assigned into one either a placebo (PL - 16.5 g dextrose powder per packet; n = 18) or beta-alanine (BA - 1.5 g beta-alanine plus 15 g dextrose powder per packet; n = 18) group. All subjects supplemented four times per day (total of 6 g/day) for the first 21-days, followed by two times per day (3 g/day) for the subsequent 21 days, and engaged in a total of six weeks of HIIT training consisting of 5-6 bouts of a 2:1 minute cycling work to rest ratio. Significant improvements in VO2peak, VO2TTE, and TWD after three weeks of training were displayed (p body mass were only significant for the BA group after the second three weeks of training. The use of HIIT to induce significant aerobic improvements is effective and efficient. Chronic BA supplementation may further enhance HIIT, improving endurance performance and lean body mass.

  20. IDENTIFICATIONS PEAK HOURS ON INTERSECTIONS SET IN BIELSKO-BIAŁA CITY

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Marcin KŁOS

    2016-03-01

    Full Text Available Traffic flow in cities is usually examined locally. This method is not effective for through traffic analysis. The paper discusses the problem of determining peak traffic hours taking into account vehicle distributions. Peak hours represent time periods of traffic flow which demand special treatment by traffic control systems. This is particularly important in the case of ITS. High values of traffic flow require relieving actions not only at the junctions but preferably along the transit routes. The north-south transit route in Bielsko-Biała was chosen for analysis. Instead of the usual two distinct peaks it is determined that the traffic flow is characterised by five peaks. This pattern is the result of specific location of the route, which links residential areas, industrial zones and shopping centres besides carrying through traffic. This multi peak graph more accurately models the traffic flow.

  1. Analysis of Peak-to-Peak Current Ripple Amplitude in Seven-Phase PWM Voltage Source Inverters

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Gabriele Grandi

    2013-08-01

    Full Text Available Multiphase systems are nowadays considered for various industrial applications. Numerous pulse width modulation (PWM schemes for multiphase voltage source inverters with sinusoidal outputs have been developed, but no detailed analysis of the impact of these modulation schemes on the output peak-to-peak current ripple amplitude has been reported. Determination of current ripple in multiphase PWM voltage source inverters is important for both design and control purposes. This paper gives the complete analysis of the peak-to-peak current ripple distribution over a fundamental period for multiphase inverters, with particular reference to seven-phase VSIs. In particular, peak-to-peak current ripple amplitude is analytically determined as a function of the modulation index, and a simplified expression to get its maximum value is carried out. Although reference is made to the centered symmetrical PWM, being the most simple and effective solution to maximize the DC bus utilization, leading to a nearly-optimal modulation to minimize the RMS of the current ripple, the analysis can be readily extended to either discontinuous or asymmetrical modulations, both carrier-based and space vector PWM. A similar approach can be usefully applied to any phase number. The analytical developments for all different sub-cases are verified by numerical simulations.

  2. Development of a high performance eigensolver on the peta-scale next generation supercomputer system

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Imamura, Toshiyuki; Yamada, Susumu; Machida, Masahiko

    2010-01-01

    For the present supercomputer systems, a multicore and multisocket processors are necessary to build a system, and choice of interconnection is essential. In addition, for effective development of a new code, high performance, scalable, and reliable numerical software is one of the key items. ScaLAPACK and PETSc are well-known software on distributed memory parallel computer systems. It is needless to say that highly tuned software towards new architecture like many-core processors must be chosen for real computation. In this study, we present a high-performance and high-scalable eigenvalue solver towards the next-generation supercomputer system, so called 'K-computer' system. We have developed two versions, the standard version (eigen s) and enhanced performance version (eigen sx), which are developed on the T2K cluster system housed at University of Tokyo. Eigen s employs the conventional algorithms; Householder tridiagonalization, divide and conquer (DC) algorithm, and Householder back-transformation. They are carefully implemented with blocking technique and flexible two-dimensional data-distribution to reduce the overhead of memory traffic and data transfer, respectively. Eigen s performs excellently on the T2K system with 4096 cores (theoretical peak is 37.6 TFLOPS), and it shows fine performance 3.0 TFLOPS with a two hundred thousand dimensional matrix. The enhanced version, eigen sx, uses more advanced algorithms; the narrow-band reduction algorithm, DC for band matrices, and the block Householder back-transformation with WY-representation. Even though this version is still on a test stage, it shows 4.7 TFLOPS with the same dimensional matrix on eigen s. (author)

  3. S-band 45 MW peak power test facility at RRCAT

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Wanmode, A. Yashwant; Reddy, Sivananda; Mulchandani, J.; Mohania, Praveen; Shrivastava, B. Purushottam

    2015-01-01

    RRCAT is engaged in the design and development of high energy electron LINAC as future injectors for the Booster Synchrotron for Indus-1 and Indus-2 SRS. The high energy LINAC will need microwave power over 30 MW depending on the number of structures to be energized. In order to have advance preparations for this development a 45 MW S-Band test facility has been designed and developed at RRCAT. The test stand is built around a 45 MW peak power S-band pulsed klystron, A conventional pulse forming network based modulator for klystron has been designed and developed. The WR-284 waveguide transmission system consisting of dual directional couplers, SF 6 gas pressurization unit, high power waveguide load and arc sensor has been developed and interfaced with the klystron. The klystron has been successfully tested up to 30 MW peak power at 2856 MHz on SF 6 pressurized waveguide line. A solid state S Band driver amplifier up to 1 kW output power was designed developed for driving the klystron. This paper describes the results of 30 MW peak power test of this facility. (author)

  4. Forecasting monthly peak demand of electricity in India—A critique

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Rallapalli, Srinivasa Rao; Ghosh, Sajal

    2012-01-01

    The nature of electricity differs from that of other commodities since electricity is a non-storable good and there have been significant seasonal and diurnal variations of demand. Under such condition, precise forecasting of demand for electricity should be an integral part of the planning process as this enables the policy makers to provide directions on cost-effective investment and on scheduling the operation of the existing and new power plants so that the supply of electricity can be made adequate enough to meet the future demand and its variations. Official load forecasting in India done by Central Electricity Authority (CEA) is often criticized for being overestimated due to inferior techniques used for forecasting. This paper tries to evaluate monthly peak demand forecasting performance predicted by CEA using trend method and compare it with those predicted by Multiplicative Seasonal Autoregressive Integrated Moving Average (MSARIMA) model. It has been found that MSARIMA model outperforms CEA forecasts both in-sample static and out-of-sample dynamic forecast horizons in all five regional grids in India. For better load management and grid discipline, this study suggests employing sophisticated techniques like MSARIMA for peak load forecasting in India. - Highlights: ► This paper evaluates monthly peak demand forecasting performance by CEA. ► Compares CEA forecasts it with those predicted by MSARIMA model. ► MSARIMA model outperforms CEA forecasts in all five regional grids in India. ► Opportunity exists to improve the performance of CEA forecasts.

  5. How to use your peak flow meter

    Science.gov (United States)

    ... meter - how to use; Asthma - peak flow meter; Reactive airway disease - peak flow meter; Bronchial asthma - peak ... 2014:chap 55. National Asthma Education and Prevention Program website. How to use a peak flow meter. ...

  6. A beam-synchronous gated peak-detector for the LHC beam observation system

    CERN Document Server

    Levens, T E; Wehrle, U

    2013-01-01

    Measurements of the bunch peak amplitude using the longitudinal wideband wall-current monitor are a vital tool used in the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) beam observation system. These peak-detected measurements can be used to diagnose bunch shape oscillations, for example coherent quadrupole oscillations, that occur at injection and during beam manipulations. Peak-detected Schottky diagnostics can also be used to obtain the synchrotron frequency distribution and other parameters from a bunched beam under stable conditions. For the LHC a beam-synchronous gated peak detector has been developed to allow individual bunches to be monitored without the influence of other bunches circulating in the machine. The requirement for the observation of both low intensity pilot bunches and high intensity bunches for physics requires a detector front-end with a high bandwidth and a large dynamic range while the usage for Schottky measurements requires low noise electronics. This paper will present the design of this detector s...

  7. High rate performance of the carbon encapsulated Li4Ti5O12 for lithium ion battery

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cheng, Qi; Tang, Shun; Liang, Jiyuan; Zhao, Jinxing; Lan, Qian; Liu, Chang; Cao, Yuan-Cheng

    Li4Ti5O12 (LTO) is attractive alternative anode material with excellent cyclic performance and high rate after coating modifications of the conductive materials. Anatase TiO2 and glucose were applied of the synthesis of the carbon coated LTO (C@LTO). XRD results showed that all the major diffractions from the spinel structure of LTO can be found in the C@LTO such as (1 1 1), (3 1 1), (4 0 0) but there are no observations of the Carbon diffraction peaks. Electrochemical Impedance Spectroscopy (EIS) data shows C@LTO resistance was nearly half of the LTO value. Rate performance showed that capacity of C@LTO was higher than that of the pure LTO from 0.1 C, 0.2 C, 1 C, 2 C, 5 C and 10 C, which indicates that this is a promising approach to prepare the high performance LTO anode.

  8. Peak MSC—Are We There Yet?

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Timothy R. Olsen

    2018-06-01

    Full Text Available Human mesenchymal stem cells (hMSCs are a critical raw material for many regenerative medicine products, including cell-based therapies, engineered tissues, or combination products, and are on the brink of radically changing how the world of medicine operates. Their unique characteristics, potential to treat many indications, and established safety profile in more than 800 clinical trials have contributed to their current consumption and will only fuel future demand. Given the large target patient populations with typical dose sizes of 10's to 100's of millions of cells per patient, and engineered tissues being constructed with 100's of millions to billions of cells, an unprecedented demand has been created for hMSCs. The fulfillment of this demand faces an uphill challenge in the limited availability of large quantities of pharmaceutical grade hMSCs for the industry—fueling the need for parallel rapid advancements in the biomanufacturing of this living critical raw material. Simply put, hMSCs are no different than technologies like transistors, as they are a highly technical and modular product that requires stringent control over manufacturing that can allow for high quality and consistent performance. As hMSC manufacturing processes are optimized, it predicts a future time of abundance for hMSCs, where scientists and researchers around the world will have access to a consistent and readily available supply of high quality, standardized, and economical pharmaceutical grade product to buy off the shelf for their applications and drive product development—this is “Peak MSC.”

  9. Multi-resonance peaks fiber Bragg gratings based on largely-chirped structure

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chen, Chao; Zhang, Xuan-Yu; Wei, Wei-Hua; Chen, Yong-Yi; Qin, Li; Ning, Yong-Qiang; Yu, Yong-Sen

    2018-04-01

    A composite fiber Bragg grating (FBG) with multi-resonance peaks (MRPs) has been realized by using femtosecond (fs) laser point-by-point inscription in single-mode fiber. This device contains a segment of largely-chirped gratings with the ultrahigh chirp coefficients and a segment of uniform high-order gratings. The observed MRPs are distributed in an ultra-broadband wavelength range from 1200 nm to 1700 nm in the form of quasi-period or multi-peak-group. For the 8th-order MRPs-FBG, we studied the axial strain and high-temperature sensing characteristics of different resonance peaks experimentally. Moreover, we have demonstrated a multi-wavelength fiber lasers with three-wavelength stable output by using a 9th-order MRPs-FBG as the wavelength selector. This work is significant for the fabrication and functionalization of FBGs with complicated spectra characteristics.

  10. High Performance Hydrogen/Bromine Redox Flow Battery for Grid-Scale Energy Storage

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Cho, KT; Ridgway, P; Weber, AZ; Haussener, S; Battaglia, V; Srinivasan, V

    2012-01-01

    The electrochemical behavior of a promising hydrogen/bromine redox flow battery is investigated for grid-scale energy-storage application with some of the best redox-flow-battery performance results to date, including a peak power of 1.4 W/cm(2) and a 91% voltaic efficiency at 0.4 W/cm(2) constant-power operation. The kinetics of bromine on various materials is discussed, with both rotating-disk-electrode and cell studies demonstrating that a carbon porous electrode for the bromine reaction can conduct platinum-comparable performance as long as sufficient surface area is realized. The effect of flow-cell designs and operating temperature is examined, and ohmic and mass-transfer losses are decreased by utilizing a flow-through electrode design and increasing cell temperature. Charge/discharge and discharge-rate tests also reveal that this system has highly reversible behavior and good rate capability. (C) 2012 The Electrochemical Society. [DOI: 10.1149/2.018211jes] All rights reserved.

  11. Individual Alpha Peak Frequency Predicts 10 Hz Flicker Effects on Selective Attention.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gulbinaite, Rasa; van Viegen, Tara; Wieling, Martijn; Cohen, Michael X; VanRullen, Rufin

    2017-10-18

    Rhythmic visual stimulation ("flicker") is primarily used to "tag" processing of low-level visual and high-level cognitive phenomena. However, preliminary evidence suggests that flicker may also entrain endogenous brain oscillations, thereby modulating cognitive processes supported by those brain rhythms. Here we tested the interaction between 10 Hz flicker and endogenous alpha-band (∼10 Hz) oscillations during a selective visuospatial attention task. We recorded EEG from human participants (both genders) while they performed a modified Eriksen flanker task in which distractors and targets flickered within (10 Hz) or outside (7.5 or 15 Hz) the alpha band. By using a combination of EEG source separation, time-frequency, and single-trial linear mixed-effects modeling, we demonstrate that 10 Hz flicker interfered with stimulus processing more on incongruent than congruent trials (high vs low selective attention demands). Crucially, the effect of 10 Hz flicker on task performance was predicted by the distance between 10 Hz and individual alpha peak frequency (estimated during the task). Finally, the flicker effect on task performance was more strongly predicted by EEG flicker responses during stimulus processing than during preparation for the upcoming stimulus, suggesting that 10 Hz flicker interfered more with reactive than proactive selective attention. These findings are consistent with our hypothesis that visual flicker entrained endogenous alpha-band networks, which in turn impaired task performance. Our findings also provide novel evidence for frequency-dependent exogenous modulation of cognition that is determined by the correspondence between the exogenous flicker frequency and the endogenous brain rhythms. SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT Here we provide novel evidence that the interaction between exogenous rhythmic visual stimulation and endogenous brain rhythms can have frequency-specific behavioral effects. We show that alpha-band (10 Hz) flicker impairs stimulus

  12. Time-resolved measurement of emission profiles in pulsed radiofrequency glow discharge optical emission spectroscopy: Investigation of the pre-peak

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Alberts, D.; Horvath, P.; Nelis, Th.; Pereiro, R.; Bordel, N.; Michler, J.; Sanz-Medel, A.

    2010-01-01

    Radiofrequency glow discharge coupled to optical emission spectroscopy has been used in pulsed mode in order to perform a detailed study of the measured temporal emission profiles for a wide range of copper transitions. Special attention has been paid to the early emission peak (or so-called pre-peak), observed at the beginning of the emission pulse profile. The effects of the important pulse parameters such as frequency, duty cycle, pulse width and power-off time, have been studied upon the Cu pulse emission profiles. The influence of discharge parameters, such as pressure and power, was studied as well. Results have shown that the intensity observed in the pre-peak can be 10 times as large as the plateau value for resonant lines and up to 5 times in case of transitions to the metastable levels. Increasing pressure or power increased the pre-peak intensity while its appearance in time changed. The pre-peak decreased when the discharge off-time was shorter than 100 μs. According to such results, the presence of the pre-peak could be probably due to the lack of self-absorption during the first 50 μs, and not to the ignition of the plasma. Under the selected operation conditions, the use of the pre-peak emission as analytical signals increases the linearity of calibration curves for resonant lines subjected to self-absorption at high concentrations.

  13. Time-resolved measurement of emission profiles in pulsed radiofrequency glow discharge optical emission spectroscopy: Investigation of the pre-peak

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Alberts, D. [Department of Physical and Analytical Chemistry, Faculty of Chemistry, University of Oviedo, Julian Claveria 8, 33006 Oviedo (Spain); Horvath, P. [Swiss Federal Laboratories for Materials Testing and Research (EMPA), Feuerwerkerstrasse 39, 3602 Thun (Switzerland); Nelis, Th. [LAPLACE, Universite Paul Sabatier, 118 rte de Narbonne, Bat3R2, 31062 Toulouse Cedex (France); CU Jean Francois Champollion, Place de Verdun 81012 Albi Cedex 9 (France); Pereiro, R. [Department of Physical and Analytical Chemistry, Faculty of Chemistry, University of Oviedo, Julian Claveria 8, 33006 Oviedo (Spain); Bordel, N. [Department of Physics, Faculty of Science, University of Oviedo, Calvo Sotelo, 33007 Oviedo (Spain); Michler, J. [Swiss Federal Laboratories for Materials Testing and Research (EMPA), Feuerwerkerstrasse 39, 3602 Thun (Switzerland); Sanz-Medel, A., E-mail: asm@uniovi.e [Department of Physical and Analytical Chemistry, Faculty of Chemistry, University of Oviedo, Julian Claveria 8, 33006 Oviedo (Spain)

    2010-07-15

    Radiofrequency glow discharge coupled to optical emission spectroscopy has been used in pulsed mode in order to perform a detailed study of the measured temporal emission profiles for a wide range of copper transitions. Special attention has been paid to the early emission peak (or so-called pre-peak), observed at the beginning of the emission pulse profile. The effects of the important pulse parameters such as frequency, duty cycle, pulse width and power-off time, have been studied upon the Cu pulse emission profiles. The influence of discharge parameters, such as pressure and power, was studied as well. Results have shown that the intensity observed in the pre-peak can be 10 times as large as the plateau value for resonant lines and up to 5 times in case of transitions to the metastable levels. Increasing pressure or power increased the pre-peak intensity while its appearance in time changed. The pre-peak decreased when the discharge off-time was shorter than 100 {mu}s. According to such results, the presence of the pre-peak could be probably due to the lack of self-absorption during the first 50 {mu}s, and not to the ignition of the plasma. Under the selected operation conditions, the use of the pre-peak emission as analytical signals increases the linearity of calibration curves for resonant lines subjected to self-absorption at high concentrations.

  14. Sub-Hour X-Ray Variability of High-Energy Peaked BL Lacertae Objects

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Bidzina Kapanadze

    2018-03-01

    Full Text Available The study of multi-wavelength flux variability in BL Lacertae objects is very important to discern unstable processes and emission mechanisms underlying their extreme observational features. While the innermost regions of these objects are not accessible from direct observations, we may draw conclusions about their internal structure via the detection of flux variations on various timescales, based on the light-travel argument. In this paper, we review the sub-hour X-ray variability in high-energy peaked BL Lacertae sources (HBLs that are bright at X-rays and provide us with an effective tool to study the details related to the physics of the emitting particles. The X-ray emission of these sources is widely accepted to be a synchrotron radiation from the highest-energy electrons, and the complex spectral variability observed in this band reflects the injection and radiative evolution of freshly-accelerated particles. The detection of sub-hour X-ray flux variability is very important since it can be related to the small-scale jet turbulent structures or triggered by unstable processes occurring in the vicinity of a central supermassive black hole. We summarize the fastest X-ray variability instances detected in bright HBLs and discuss their physical implications.

  15. Evaluation of the impact of peak description on the quantitative capabilities of comprehensive two-dimensional liquid chromatography.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Place, Benjamin J; Morris, Mallory J; Phillips, Melissa M; Sander, Lane C; Rimmer, Catherine A

    2014-11-14

    Comprehensive, two-dimensional liquid chromatography (LC × LC) is a powerful technique for the separation of complex mixtures. Most studies using LC × LC are focused on qualitative efforts, such as increasing peak capacity. The present study examined the use of LC × LC-UV/vis for the separation and quantitation of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). More specifically, this study evaluated the impact of different peak integration approaches on the quantitative performance of the LC × LC method. For well-resolved three-dimensional peaks, parameters such as baseline definition, peak base shape, and peak width determination did not have a significant impact on accuracy and precision. For less-resolved peaks, a dropped baseline and the summation of all slices in the peak improved the accuracy and precision of the integration methods. The computational approaches to three-dimensional peak integration are provided, including fully descriptive, select slice, and summed heights integration methods, each with its own strengths and weaknesses. Overall, the integration methods presented quantify each of the PAHs within acceptable precision and accuracy ranges and have comparable performance to that of single dimension liquid chromatography. Published by Elsevier B.V.

  16. Optimisation of high-performance liquid chromatography with diode array detection using an automatic peak tracking procedure based on augmented iterative target transformation factor analysis

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    van Zomeren, Paul; Hoogvorst, A.; Coenegracht, P.M J; de Jong, G.J.

    2004-01-01

    An automated method for the optimisation of high-performance liquid chromatography is developed. First of all, the sample of interest is analysed with various eluent compositions. All obtained data are combined into one augmented data matrix. Subsequently, augmented iterative target transformation

  17. The Performance of the Robo-AO Laser Guide Star Adaptive Optics System at the Kitt Peak 2.1 m Telescope

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jensen-Clem, Rebecca; Duev, Dmitry A.; Riddle, Reed; Salama, Maïssa; Baranec, Christoph; Law, Nicholas M.; Kulkarni, S. R.; Ramprakash, A. N.

    2018-01-01

    Robo-AO is an autonomous laser guide star adaptive optics (AO) system recently commissioned at the Kitt Peak 2.1 m telescope. With the ability to observe every clear night, Robo-AO at the 2.1 m telescope is the first dedicated AO observatory. This paper presents the imaging performance of the AO system in its first 18 months of operations. For a median seeing value of 1.″44, the average Strehl ratio is 4% in the i\\prime band. After post processing, the contrast ratio under sub-arcsecond seeing for a 2≤slant i\\prime ≤slant 16 primary star is five and seven magnitudes at radial offsets of 0.″5 and 1.″0, respectively. The data processing and archiving pipelines run automatically at the end of each night. The first stage of the processing pipeline shifts and adds the rapid frame rate data using techniques optimized for different signal-to-noise ratios. The second “high-contrast” stage of the pipeline is eponymously well suited to finding faint stellar companions. Currently, a range of scientific programs, including the synthetic tracking of near-Earth asteroids, the binarity of stars in young clusters, and weather on solar system planets are being undertaken with Robo-AO.

  18. Development and validation of high-performance liquid chromatography and high-performance thin-layer chromatography methods for the quantification of khellin in Ammi visnaga seed

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kamal, Abid; Khan, Washim; Ahmad, Sayeed; Ahmad, F. J.; Saleem, Kishwar

    2015-01-01

    Objective: The present study was used to design simple, accurate and sensitive reversed phase-high-performance liquid chromatography RP-HPLC and high-performance thin-layer chromatography (HPTLC) methods for the development of quantification of khellin present in the seeds of Ammi visnaga. Materials and Methods: RP-HPLC analysis was performed on a C18 column with methanol: Water (75: 25, v/v) as a mobile phase. The HPTLC method involved densitometric evaluation of khellin after resolving it on silica gel plate using ethyl acetate: Toluene: Formic acid (5.5:4.0:0.5, v/v/v) as a mobile phase. Results: The developed HPLC and HPTLC methods were validated for precision (interday, intraday and intersystem), robustness and accuracy, limit of detection and limit of quantification. The relationship between the concentration of standard solutions and the peak response was linear in both HPLC and HPTLC methods with the concentration range of 10–80 μg/mL in HPLC and 25–1,000 ng/spot in HPTLC for khellin. The % relative standard deviation values for method precision was found to be 0.63–1.97%, 0.62–2.05% in HPLC and HPTLC for khellin respectively. Accuracy of the method was checked by recovery studies conducted at three different concentration levels and the average percentage recovery was found to be 100.53% in HPLC and 100.08% in HPTLC for khellin. Conclusions: The developed HPLC and HPTLC methods for the quantification of khellin were found simple, precise, specific, sensitive and accurate which can be used for routine analysis and quality control of A. visnaga and several formulations containing it as an ingredient. PMID:26681890

  19. High performance work practices, innovation and performance

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Jørgensen, Frances; Newton, Cameron; Johnston, Kim

    2013-01-01

    Research spanning nearly 20 years has provided considerable empirical evidence for relationships between High Performance Work Practices (HPWPs) and various measures of performance including increased productivity, improved customer service, and reduced turnover. What stands out from......, and Africa to examine these various questions relating to the HPWP-innovation-performance relationship. Each paper discusses a practice that has been identified in HPWP literature and potential variables that can facilitate or hinder the effects of these practices of innovation- and performance...

  20. Sodium bicarbonate intake improves high-intensity intermittent exercise performance in trained young men.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Krustrup, Peter; Ermidis, Georgios; Mohr, Magni

    2015-01-01

    Sodium bicarbonate intake has been shown to improve exercise tolerance, but the effects on high-intensity intermittent exercise are less clear. Thus, the aim of the present study was to determine the effect of sodium bicarbonate intake on Yo-Yo intermittent recovery test level 2 performance in trained young men. Thirteen men aged 23 ± 1 year (height: 180 ± 2 cm, weight: 78 ± 3 kg; VO2max: 61.3 ± 3.3 mlO2 · kg(-1) · min(-1); means ± SEM) performed the Yo-Yo intermittent recovery test level 2 (Yo-Yo IR2) on two separate occasions in randomized order with (SBC) and without (CON) prior intake of sodium bicarbonate (0.4 g · kg(-1) body weight). Heart rate and rating of perceived exertion (RPE) were measured during the test and venous blood samples were taken frequently. Yo-Yo IR2 performance was 14 % higher (P = 0.04) in SBC than in CON (735 ± 61 vs 646 ± 46 m, respectively). Blood pH and bicarbonate were similar between trials at baseline, but higher (P = 0.003) immediately prior to the Yo-Yo IR2 test in SBC than in CON (7.44 ± 0.01 vs 7.32 ± 0.01 and 33.7 ± 3.2 vs 27.3 ± 0.6 mmol · l(-1), respectively). Blood lactate was 0.9 ± 0.1 and 0.8 ± 0.1 mmol · l(-1) at baseline and increased to 11.3 ± 1.4 and 9.4 ± 0.8 mmol · l(-1) at exhaustion in SBC and CON, respectively, being higher (P = 0.03) in SBC. Additionally, peak blood lactate was higher (P = 0.02) in SBC than in CON (11.7 ± 1.2 vs 10.2 ± 0.7 mmol · l(-1)). Blood glucose, plasma K(+) and Na(+) were not different between trials. Peak heart rate reached at exhaustion was 197 ± 3 and 195 ± 3 bpm in SBC and CON, respectively, with no difference between conditions. RPE was 7% lower (P = 0.003) in SBC than in CON after 440 m, but similar at exhaustion (19.3 ± 0.2 and 19.5 ± 0.2). In conclusion, high-intensity intermittent exercise performance is improved by prior

  1. PEAK SHIFTS PRODUCED BY CORRELATED RESPONSE TO SELECTION.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Price, Trevor; Turelli, Michael; Slatkin, Montgomery

    1993-02-01

    Traits may evolve both as a consequence of direct selection and also as a correlated response to selection on other traits. While correlated response may be important for both the production of evolutionary novelty and in the build-up of complex characters, its potential role in peak shifts has been neglected empirically and theoretically. We use a quantitative genetic model to investigate the conditions under which a character, Y, which has two alternative optima, can be dragged from one optimum to the other as a correlated response to selection on a second character, X. High genetic correlations between the two characters make the transition, or peak shift, easier, as does weak selection tending to restore Y to the optimum from which it is being dragged. When selection on Y is very weak, the conditions for a peak shift depend only on the location of the new optimum for X and are independent of the strength of selection moving it there. Thus, if the "adaptive valley" for Y is very shallow, little reduction in mean fitness is needed to produce a shift. If the selection acts strongly to keep Y at its current optimum, very intense directional selection on X, associated with a dramatic drop in mean fitness, is required for a peak shift. When strong selection is required, the conditions for peak shifts driven by correlated response might occur rarely, but still with sufficient frequency on a geological timescale to be evolutionarily important. © 1993 The Society for the Study of Evolution.

  2. The psychotropic education and knowledge test for nurses in nursing homes : Striving for PEAK performance

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Perehudoff, Katrina; Azermai, Majda; Wauters, Maarten; Van Acker, Sandra; Versluys, Karen; Steeman, Els; Petrovic, Mirko

    2016-01-01

    Objectives: The psychotropic education and knowledge test for nurses in acute geriatric care (PEAK-AC) measures knowledge of psychotropic indications, doses and adverse drug reactions in older inpatients. Given the low internal consistency and poor discrimination of certain items, this study aims to

  3. Effects of Sodium Bicarbonate on High-Intensity Endurance Performance in Cyclists: A Double-Blind, Randomized Cross-Over Trial.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Florian Egger

    Full Text Available While the ergogenic effect of sodium bicarbonate (BICA on short-term, sprint-type performance has been repeatedly demonstrated, little is known about its effectiveness during prolonged high-intensity exercise in well-trained athletes. Therefore, this study aims to examine the influence of BICA on performance during exhaustive, high-intensity endurance cycling.This was a single-center, double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled cross-over study. Twenty-one well-trained cyclists (mean ± SD: age 24±8 y, BMI 21.3±1.7, VO2peak 67.3±9.8 ml·kg-1·min-1 were randomly allocated to sequences of following interventions: oral ingestion of 0.3 g·kg-1 BICA or 4 g of sodium chloride (placebo, respectively. One h after ingestion subjects exercised for 30 min at 95% of the individual anaerobic threshold (IAT followed by 110% IAT until exhaustion. Prior to these constant load tests stepwise incremental exercise tests were conducted under both conditions to determine IAT and VO2peak. Analysis of blood gas parameters, blood lactate (BLa and gas exchange measurements were conducted before, during and after the tests. The main outcome measure was the time to exhaustion in the constant load test.Cycling time to exhaustion was improved (p<0.05 under BICA (49.5±11.5 min compared with placebo (45.0±9.5 min. No differences in maximal or sub-maximal measures of performance were observed during stepwise incremental tests. BICA ingestion resulted in an increased pH, bicarbonate concentration and BLa before, throughout and after both exercise testing modes.The results suggest that ingestion of BICA may improve prolonged, high-intensity cycling performance.German Clinical Trials Register (DRKS DRKS00006198.

  4. High-intensity interval training has positive effects on performance in ice hockey players.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Naimo, M A; de Souza, E O; Wilson, J M; Carpenter, A L; Gilchrist, P; Lowery, R P; Averbuch, B; White, T M; Joy, J

    2015-01-01

    In spite of the well-known benefits that have been shown, few studies have looked at the practical applications of high-intensity interval training (HIIT) on athletic performance. This study investigated the effects of a HIIT program compared to traditional continuous endurance exercise training. 24 hockey players were randomly assigned to either a continuous or high-intensity interval group during a 4-week training program. The interval group (IG) was involved in a periodized HIIT program. The continuous group (CG) performed moderate intensity cycling for 45-60 min at an intensity that was 65% of their calculated heart rate reserve. Body composition, muscle thickness, anaerobic power, and on-ice measures were assessed pre- and post-training. Muscle thickness was significantly greater in IG (p=0.01) when compared to CG. The IG had greater values for both ∆ peak power (p<0.003) and ∆ mean power (p<0.02). Additionally, IG demonstrated a faster ∆ sprint (p<0.02) and a trend (p=0.08) for faster ∆ endurance test time to completion for IG. These results indicate that hockey players may utilize short-term HIIT to elicit positive effects in muscle thickness, power and on-ice performance. © Georg Thieme Verlag KG Stuttgart · New York.

  5. Peak oxygen uptake in a sprint interval testing protocol vs. maximal oxygen uptake in an incremental testing protocol and their relationship with cross-country mountain biking performance.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hebisz, Rafał; Hebisz, Paulina; Zatoń, Marek; Michalik, Kamil

    2017-04-01

    In the literature, the exercise capacity of cyclists is typically assessed using incremental and endurance exercise tests. The aim of the present study was to confirm whether peak oxygen uptake (V̇O 2peak ) attained in a sprint interval testing protocol correlates with cycling performance, and whether it corresponds to maximal oxygen uptake (V̇O 2max ) determined by an incremental testing protocol. A sample of 28 trained mountain bike cyclists executed 3 performance tests: (i) incremental testing protocol (ITP) in which the participant cycled to volitional exhaustion, (ii) sprint interval testing protocol (SITP) composed of four 30 s maximal intensity cycling bouts interspersed with 90 s recovery periods, (iii) competition in a simulated mountain biking race. Oxygen uptake, pulmonary ventilation, work, and power output were measured during the ITP and SITP with postexercise blood lactate and hydrogen ion concentrations collected. Race times were recorded. No significant inter-individual differences were observed in regards to any of the ITP-associated variables. However, 9 individuals presented significantly increased oxygen uptake, pulmonary ventilation, and work output in the SITP compared with the remaining cyclists. In addition, in this group of 9 cyclists, oxygen uptake in SITP was significantly higher than in ITP. After the simulated race, this group of 9 cyclists achieved significantly better competition times (99.5 ± 5.2 min) than the other cyclists (110.5 ± 6.7 min). We conclude that mountain bike cyclists who demonstrate higher peak oxygen uptake in a sprint interval testing protocol than maximal oxygen uptake attained in an incremental testing protocol demonstrate superior competitive performance.

  6. Automated asteroseismic peak detections

    Science.gov (United States)

    García Saravia Ortiz de Montellano, Andrés; Hekker, S.; Themeßl, N.

    2018-05-01

    Space observatories such as Kepler have provided data that can potentially revolutionize our understanding of stars. Through detailed asteroseismic analyses we are capable of determining fundamental stellar parameters and reveal the stellar internal structure with unprecedented accuracy. However, such detailed analyses, known as peak bagging, have so far been obtained for only a small percentage of the observed stars while most of the scientific potential of the available data remains unexplored. One of the major challenges in peak bagging is identifying how many solar-like oscillation modes are visible in a power density spectrum. Identification of oscillation modes is usually done by visual inspection that is time-consuming and has a degree of subjectivity. Here, we present a peak-detection algorithm especially suited for the detection of solar-like oscillations. It reliably characterizes the solar-like oscillations in a power density spectrum and estimates their parameters without human intervention. Furthermore, we provide a metric to characterize the false positive and false negative rates to provide further information about the reliability of a detected oscillation mode or the significance of a lack of detected oscillation modes. The algorithm presented here opens the possibility for detailed and automated peak bagging of the thousands of solar-like oscillators observed by Kepler.

  7. High-Performance Single Nanowire Tunnel Diodes

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Wallentin, Jesper; Persson, Johan Mikael; Wagner, Jakob Birkedal

    2010-01-01

    We demonstrate single nanowire tunnel diodes with room temperature peak current densities of up to 329 A/cm(2). Despite the large surface to volume ratio of the type-II InP-GaAs axial heterostructure nanowires, we measure peak to valley current ratios (PVCR) of up to 8.2 at room temperature and 27...

  8. Sodium bicarbonate intake improves high-intensity intermittent exercise performance in trained young men

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Krustrup, Peter; Ermidis, Georgios; Mohr, Magni

    2015-01-01

    Background Sodium bicarbonate intake has been shown to improve exercise tolerance, but the effects on high-intensity intermittent exercise are less clear. Thus, the aim of the present study was to determine the effect of sodium bicarbonate intake on Yo-Yo intermittent recovery level 2 test......) prior intake of sodium bicarbonate (0.4 g · kg−1 body weight). Heart rate and rating of perceived exertion (RPE) were measured during the test and venous blood samples were taken frequently. Results Yo-Yo IR2 performance was 14 % higher (P = 0.04) in SBC than in CON (735 ± 61 vs 646 ± 46 m, respectively......-intensity intermittent exercise performance is improved by prior intake of sodium bicarbonate in trained young men, with concomitant elevations in blood alkalosis and peak blood lactate levels, as well as lowered rating of perceived exertion....

  9. An Adaptive and Time-Efficient ECG R-Peak Detection Algorithm.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Qin, Qin; Li, Jianqing; Yue, Yinggao; Liu, Chengyu

    2017-01-01

    R-peak detection is crucial in electrocardiogram (ECG) signal analysis. This study proposed an adaptive and time-efficient R-peak detection algorithm for ECG processing. First, wavelet multiresolution analysis was applied to enhance the ECG signal representation. Then, ECG was mirrored to convert large negative R-peaks to positive ones. After that, local maximums were calculated by the first-order forward differential approach and were truncated by the amplitude and time interval thresholds to locate the R-peaks. The algorithm performances, including detection accuracy and time consumption, were tested on the MIT-BIH arrhythmia database and the QT database. Experimental results showed that the proposed algorithm achieved mean sensitivity of 99.39%, positive predictivity of 99.49%, and accuracy of 98.89% on the MIT-BIH arrhythmia database and 99.83%, 99.90%, and 99.73%, respectively, on the QT database. By processing one ECG record, the mean time consumptions were 0.872 s and 0.763 s for the MIT-BIH arrhythmia database and QT database, respectively, yielding 30.6% and 32.9% of time reduction compared to the traditional Pan-Tompkins method.

  10. Superoxide dismutase levels and peak expiratory flow in asthmatic children

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Arie Kurniasih

    2016-11-01

    Full Text Available Background Asthma is a chronic inflammatory process which involve variety of cells such as inflammatory mediators, reactive oxygen species (ROS, and cytokines. The inflammatory process would be exacerbated in the presence of oxidative stress. Superoxide dismutase (SOD is the first important enzyme to protect the respiratory tract against oxidative stress. The decreased of SOD has a correlation with increased of airway obstruction and bronchospasm. Objective To assess for a correlation between superoxide dismutase (SOD levels and peak expiratory flow, as well as to determine the impact of SOD levels for predicting asthma attacks. Methods We conducted a prospective cohort study at Dr. Sardjito Hospital, Yogyakarta, between February and April 2011 involving asthmatic children aged 5-18 years. Subjects’ serum SOD levels and peak expiratory flow were measured at the same time point. We then performed a prospective study following up on the same subjects to find out if they had a recurrent asthma attack within one month of the tests. We also reassessed their peak expiratory flow one month after blood specimens were obtained. Results Thirty-nine patients were enrolled in this study. There was no significant correlation between SOD level and peak expiratory flow [r=0.289; 95%CI -0.025 to 0.47; P=0.074]. However, older age was significantly associated with higher peak expiratory flow (=0.5; 95%CI 3.10 to 11.57; P=0.01. Lower levels of SOD increased the risk of asthma attacks in a month following the initial measurements (RR=5.5; 95%CI 1.6 to 18.9; P=0.009. Conclusion Superoxide dismutase (SOD level is not significantly associated with peak expiratory flow. However, we find a relationship between older age and higher peak expiratory flow and a relationship between lower SOD levels and risk of asthma attacks within one month following the tests.

  11. Climate Change Impacts on Peak Electricity Consumption: US vs. Europe.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Auffhammer, M.

    2016-12-01

    It has been suggested that climate change impacts on the electric sector will account for the majority of global economic damages by the end of the current century and beyond. This finding is at odds with the relatively modest increase in climate driven impacts on consumption. Comprehensive high frequency load balancing authority level data have not been used previously to parameterize the relationship between electric demand and temperature for any major economy. Using statistical models we analyze multi-year data from load balancing authorities in the United States of America and the European Union, which are responsible for more than 90% of the electricity delivered to residential, industrial, commercial and agricultural customers. We couple the estimated response functions between total daily consumption and daily peak load with an ensemble of downscaled GCMs from the CMIP5 archive to simulate climate change driven impacts on both outcomes. We show moderate and highly spatially heterogeneous changes in consumption. The results of our peak load simulations, however, suggest significant changes in the intensity and frequency of peak events throughout the United States and Europe. As the electricity grid is built to endure maximum load, which usually occurs on the hottest day of the year, our findings have significant implications for the construction of costly peak generating and transmission capacity.

  12. Optimizing ChIP-seq peak detectors using visual labels and supervised machine learning.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hocking, Toby Dylan; Goerner-Potvin, Patricia; Morin, Andreanne; Shao, Xiaojian; Pastinen, Tomi; Bourque, Guillaume

    2017-02-15

    Many peak detection algorithms have been proposed for ChIP-seq data analysis, but it is not obvious which algorithm and what parameters are optimal for any given dataset. In contrast, regions with and without obvious peaks can be easily labeled by visual inspection of aligned read counts in a genome browser. We propose a supervised machine learning approach for ChIP-seq data analysis, using labels that encode qualitative judgments about which genomic regions contain or do not contain peaks. The main idea is to manually label a small subset of the genome, and then learn a model that makes consistent peak predictions on the rest of the genome. We created 7 new histone mark datasets with 12 826 visually determined labels, and analyzed 3 existing transcription factor datasets. We observed that default peak detection parameters yield high false positive rates, which can be reduced by learning parameters using a relatively small training set of labeled data from the same experiment type. We also observed that labels from different people are highly consistent. Overall, these data indicate that our supervised labeling method is useful for quantitatively training and testing peak detection algorithms. Labeled histone mark data http://cbio.ensmp.fr/~thocking/chip-seq-chunk-db/ , R package to compute the label error of predicted peaks https://github.com/tdhock/PeakError. toby.hocking@mail.mcgill.ca or guil.bourque@mcgill.ca. Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online. © The Author 2016. Published by Oxford University Press.

  13. Emissions Scenarios and Fossil-fuel Peaking

    Science.gov (United States)

    Brecha, R.

    2008-12-01

    Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) emissions scenarios are based on detailed energy system models in which demographics, technology and economics are used to generate projections of future world energy consumption, and therefore, of greenhouse gas emissions. Built into the assumptions for these scenarios are estimates for ultimately recoverable resources of various fossil fuels. There is a growing chorus of critics who believe that the true extent of recoverable fossil resources is much smaller than the amounts taken as a baseline for the IPCC scenarios. In a climate optimist camp are those who contend that "peak oil" will lead to a switch to renewable energy sources, while others point out that high prices for oil caused by supply limitations could very well lead to a transition to liquid fuels that actually increase total carbon emissions. We examine a third scenario in which high energy prices, which are correlated with increasing infrastructure, exploration and development costs, conspire to limit the potential for making a switch to coal or natural gas for liquid fuels. In addition, the same increasing costs limit the potential for expansion of tar sand and shale oil recovery. In our qualitative model of the energy system, backed by data from short- and medium-term trends, we have a useful way to gain a sense of potential carbon emission bounds. A bound for 21st century emissions is investigated based on two assumptions: first, that extractable fossil-fuel resources follow the trends assumed by "peak oil" adherents, and second, that little is done in the way of climate mitigation policies. If resources, and perhaps more importantly, extraction rates, of fossil fuels are limited compared to assumptions in the emissions scenarios, a situation can arise in which emissions are supply-driven. However, we show that even in this "peak fossil-fuel" limit, carbon emissions are high enough to surpass 550 ppm or 2°C climate protection guardrails. Some

  14. Simultaneous collection method of on-peak window image and off-peak window image in Tl-201 imaging

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Murakami, Tomonori; Noguchi, Yasushi; Kojima, Akihiro; Takagi, Akihiro; Matsumoto, Masanori

    2007-01-01

    Tl-201 imaging detects the photopeak (71 keV, in on-peak window) of characteristic X-rays of Hg-201 formed from Tl-201 decay. The peak is derived from 4 rays of different energy and emission intensity and does not follow in Gaussian distribution. In the present study, authors made an idea for the method in the title to attain the more effective single imaging, which was examined for its accuracy and reliability with phantoms and applied clinically to Tl-201 scintigraphy in a patient. The authors applied the triple energy window method for data acquisition: the energy window setting was made on Hg-201 X-rays photopeak in three of the lower (3%, L), main (72 keV, M) and upper (14%, U) windows with the gamma camera with 2-gated detector (Toshiba E. CAM/ICON). L, M and U images obtained simultaneously were then constructed to images of on-peak (L+M, Mock on-peak) and off-peak (M+U) window settings for evaluation. Phantoms for line source with Tl-201-containing swab and for multi-defect with acrylic plate containing Tl-201 solution were imaged in water. The female patient with thyroid cancer was subjected to preoperative scintigraphy under the defined conditions. Mock on-, off-peak images were found to be equivalent to the true (ordinary, clinical) on-, off-peak ones, and the present method was thought usable for evaluation of usefulness of off-peak window data. (R.T.)

  15. RavenDB high performance

    CERN Document Server

    Ritchie, Brian

    2013-01-01

    RavenDB High Performance is comprehensive yet concise tutorial that developers can use to.This book is for developers & software architects who are designing systems in order to achieve high performance right from the start. A basic understanding of RavenDB is recommended, but not required. While the book focuses on advanced topics, it does not assume that the reader has a great deal of prior knowledge of working with RavenDB.

  16. High-performance liquid chromatography analysis methods developed for quantifying enzymatic esterification of flavonoids in ionic liquids

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Lue, Bena-Marie; Guo, Zheng; Xu, X.B.

    2008-01-01

    Methods using reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography (RP-HPLC) with ELSD were investigated to quantify enzymatic reactions of flavonoids with fatty acids in the presence of diverse room temperature ionic liquids (RTILs). A buffered salt (preferably triethylamine-acetate) was found...... essential for separation of flavonoids from strongly polar RTILs, whereby RTILs were generally visible as two major peaks identified based on an ion-pairing/exchanging hypothesis. C8 and C12 stationary phases were optimal while mobile phase pH (3-7) had only a minor influence on separation. The method...

  17. Random walkers with extreme value memory: modelling the peak-end rule

    Science.gov (United States)

    Harris, Rosemary J.

    2015-05-01

    Motivated by the psychological literature on the ‘peak-end rule’ for remembered experience, we perform an analysis within a random walk framework of a discrete choice model where agents’ future choices depend on the peak memory of their past experiences. In particular, we use this approach to investigate whether increased noise/disruption always leads to more switching between decisions. Here extreme value theory illuminates different classes of dynamics indicating that the long-time behaviour is dependent on the scale used for reflection; this could have implications, for example, in questionnaire design.

  18. The duration of pubertal growth peak among three skeletal classes

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Waqar Jeelani

    Full Text Available ABSTRACT Introduction: Pubertal growth peak is closely associated with a rapid increase in mandibular length and offers a wide range of therapeutic modifiability. Objective: The aim of the present study was to determine and compare the mean ages of onset and duration of pubertal growth peak among three skeletal classes. Methods: A retrospective cross-sectional study was conducted using lateral cephalograms of 230 subjects with growth potential (110 males, 120 females. Subjects were categorized into three classes (Class I = 81, Class II = 82, Class III = 67, according to the sagittal relationship established between the maxilla and the mandible. The cervical vertebral maturation stage was recorded by means of Baccetti's method. The mean ages at CS3 and CS4 and the CS3-CS4 age interval were compared between boys and girls and among three skeletal classes. Results: Pubertal growth peak occurred on average four months earlier in girls than boys (p = 0.050. The average duration of pubertal growth peak was 11 months in Class I, seven months in Class II and 17 months in Class III subjects. Interclass differences were highly significant (Cohen's d > 0.08. However, no significant difference was found in the timing of pubertal growth peak onset among three skeletal classes (p = 0.126 in boys, p = 0.262 in girls. Conclusions: Girls enter pubertal growth peak on average four months earlier than boys. Moreover, the duration of pubertal growth peak is on average four months shorter in Class II and six months longer in Class III subjects as compared to Class I subjects.

  19. Extreme daily increases in peak electricity demand: Tail-quantile estimation

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Sigauke, Caston; Verster, Andréhette; Chikobvu, Delson

    2013-01-01

    A Generalized Pareto Distribution (GPD) is used to model extreme daily increases in peak electricity demand. The model is fitted to years 2000–2011 recorded data for South Africa to make a comparative analysis with the Generalized Pareto-type (GP-type) distribution. Peak electricity demand is influenced by the tails of probability distributions as well as by means or averages. At times there is a need to depart from the average thinking and exploit information provided by the extremes (tails). Empirical results show that both the GP-type and the GPD are a good fit to the data. One of the main advantages of the GP-type is the estimation of only one parameter. Modelling of extreme daily increases in peak electricity demand helps in quantifying the amount of electricity which can be shifted from the grid to off peak periods. One of the policy implications derived from this study is the need for day-time use of electricity billing system similar to the one used in the cellular telephone/and fixed line-billing technology. This will result in the shifting of electricity demand on the grid to off peak time slots as users try to avoid high peak hour charges. - Highlights: ► Policy makers should design demand response strategies to save electricity. ► Peak electricity demand is influenced by tails of probability distributions. ► Both the GSP and the GPD are a good fit to the data. ► Accurate assessment of level and frequency of extreme load forecasts is important.

  20. Process stabilization by peak current regulation in reactive high-power impulse magnetron sputtering of hafnium nitride

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Shimizu, T; Villamayor, M; Helmersson, U; Lundin, D

    2016-01-01

    A simple and cost effective approach to stabilize the sputtering process in the transition zone during reactive high-power impulse magnetron sputtering (HiPIMS) is proposed. The method is based on real-time monitoring and control of the discharge current waveforms. To stabilize the process conditions at a given set point, a feedback control system was implemented that automatically regulates the pulse frequency, and thereby the average sputtering power, to maintain a constant maximum discharge current. In the present study, the variation of the pulse current waveforms over a wide range of reactive gas flows and pulse frequencies during a reactive HiPIMS process of Hf-N in an Ar–N 2 atmosphere illustrates that the discharge current waveform is a an excellent indicator of the process conditions. Activating the reactive HiPIMS peak current regulation, stable process conditions were maintained when varying the N 2 flow from 2.1 to 3.5 sccm by an automatic adjustment of the pulse frequency from 600 Hz to 1150 Hz and consequently an increase of the average power from 110 to 270 W. Hf–N films deposited using peak current regulation exhibited a stable stoichiometry, a nearly constant power-normalized deposition rate, and a polycrystalline cubic phase Hf-N with (1 1 1)-preferred orientation over the entire reactive gas flow range investigated. The physical reasons for the change in the current pulse waveform for different process conditions are discussed in some detail. (paper)

  1. Statistical analysis of the low-temperature dislocation peak of internal friction (Bordoni peak) in nanostructured copper

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Vatazhuk, E.N.; Natsik, V.D.

    2011-01-01

    The temperature-frequency dependence of internal friction in the nanostructured samples of Cu and fibred composite C-32 vol.%Nb with the sizes of structure fragments approx 200 nm is analyzed. Experiments are used as initial information for such analysis. The characteristic for the heavily deformed copper Bordoni peak, located nearby a temperature 90 K, was recorded on temperature dependence of vibration decrement (frequencies 73-350 kHz) in previous experiments. The peak is due to the resonance interaction of sound with the system of thermal activated relaxators, and its width considerably greater in comparison with the width of standard internal friction peak with the single relaxation time. Statistical analysis of the peak is made in terms of assumption that the reason of broadening is random activation energy dispersion of relaxators as a result of intense distortion of copper crystal structure. Good agreement of experimental data and Seeger theory considers thermal activated paired kinks at linear segments of dislocation lines, placed in potential Peierls relief valley, as relaxators of Bordoni peak, was established. It is shown that the registered peak height in experiment correspond to presence at the average one dislocation segment in the interior of crystalline grain with size of 200 nm. Empirical estimates for the critical Peierls stress σp ∼ 2x10 7 Pa and integrated density of the interior grain dislocations ρ d ∼ 10 13 m -2 are made. Nb fibers in the composite Cu-Nb facilitate to formation of nanostructured copper, but do not influence evidently on the Bordoni peak.

  2. High Performance Li4Ti5O12/Si Composite Anodes for Li-Ion Batteries

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Chunhui Chen

    2015-08-01

    Full Text Available Improving the energy capacity of spinel Li4Ti5O12 (LTO is very important to utilize it as a high-performance Li-ion battery (LIB electrode. In this work, LTO/Si composites with different weight ratios were prepared and tested as anodes. The anodic and cathodic peaks from both LTO and silicon were apparent in the composites, indicating that each component was active upon Li+ insertion and extraction. The composites with higher Si contents (LTO:Si = 35:35 exhibited superior specific capacity (1004 mAh·g−1 at lower current densities (0.22 A·g−1 but the capacity deteriorated at higher current densities. On the other hand, the electrodes with moderate Si contents (LTO:Si = 50:20 were able to deliver stable capacity (100 mAh·g−1 with good cycling performance, even at a very high current density of 7 A·g−1. The improvement in specific capacity and rate performance was a direct result of the synergy between LTO and Si; the former can alleviate the stresses from volumetric changes in Si upon cycling, while Si can add to the capacity of the composite. Therefore, it has been demonstrated that the addition of Si and concentration optimization is an easy yet an effective way to produce high performance LTO-based electrodes for lithium-ion batteries.

  3. Forecasting Strategies for Predicting Peak Electric Load Days

    Science.gov (United States)

    Saxena, Harshit

    Academic institutions spend thousands of dollars every month on their electric power consumption. Some of these institutions follow a demand charges pricing structure; here the amount a customer pays to the utility is decided based on the total energy consumed during the month, with an additional charge based on the highest average power load required by the customer over a moving window of time as decided by the utility. Therefore, it is crucial for these institutions to minimize the time periods where a high amount of electric load is demanded over a short duration of time. In order to reduce the peak loads and have more uniform energy consumption, it is imperative to predict when these peaks occur, so that appropriate mitigation strategies can be developed. The research work presented in this thesis has been conducted for Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT), where the demand charges are decided based on a 15 minute sliding window panned over the entire month. This case study makes use of different statistical and machine learning algorithms to develop a forecasting strategy for predicting the peak electric load days of the month. The proposed strategy was tested for a whole year starting May 2015 to April 2016 during which a total of 57 peak days were observed. The model predicted a total of 74 peak days during this period, 40 of these cases were true positives, hence achieving an accuracy level of 70 percent. The results obtained with the proposed forecasting strategy are promising and demonstrate an annual savings potential worth about $80,000 for a single submeter of RIT.

  4. C-Window Peaks on CE-HPLC are Extremely Rare in Northern India, and Only Infrequently Represent HbC.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Dass, Jasmita; Mittal, Suchi; Saraf, Amrita; Kotwal, Jyoti

    2018-01-01

    Hemoglobin C (HbC, HBB:c.19G > A) is a structural variant that has been reported rarely from India. This was a retrospective review of all high performance liquid chromatography (HPLCs) submitted over a 14 year period to a tertiary care center in North India with an aim of finding hemoglobins that elute in the C-window. Of the 32,364 HPLCs screened, 6 cases showed peaks in the C-window. Of these 6 cases, only two cases contained hemoglobin C. These was one case each of HbC/β thalassemia and compound heterozygosity for HbC and HbD. There were 4 cases which showed very similar red cell indices and chromatograms with multiple peaks eluting in D-window, C-window and an additional peak with a retention time of 4.74 min. These four cases were compound heterozygous for an α chain variant HbQ-India and a β-chain variant HbD.

  5. Multiple UV reflectance peaks in the iridescent neck feathers of pigeons

    Science.gov (United States)

    McGraw, Kevin J.

    Recent studies of colorful plumage signals in birds have been aided by the finding that birds can see ultraviolet (UV) light and thus may communicate using colors invisible to humans. Some of the pioneering and more pivotal work on avian color vision was performed with domestic pigeons (Columba livia), yet surprisingly there have been few detailed reports of the UV-reflecting properties of pigeon feathers. Here, I use UV-VIS fiber-optic spectrometry to document the full-spectrum reflectance characteristics of iridescent purple and green neck plumage in pigeons. Neck feathers that appear purple to the human eye exhibit four reflectance peaks-two in the UV and one in the blue and red regions-and thus exhibit a UV-purple hue. Neck feathers that appear green to the human eye are characterized by five spectral peaks: two in the UV (UVA and UVB), a predominant green peak, and secondary violet and red peaks, conferring a UV-purple-green color. Such elaborate UV coloration suggests that birds may use an even more complex and `hidden' UV signaling system than previously thought.

  6. A channel-by-channel method of reducing the errors associated with peak area integration

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Luedeke, T.P.; Tripard, G.E.

    1996-01-01

    A new method of reducing the errors associated with peak area integration has been developed. This method utilizes the signal content of each channel as an estimate of the overall peak area. These individual estimates can then be weighted according to the precision with which each estimate is known, producing an overall area estimate. Experimental measurements were performed on a small peak sitting on a large background, and the results compared to those obtained from a commercial software program. Results showed a marked decrease in the spread of results around the true value (obtained by counting for a long period of time), and a reduction in the statistical uncertainty associated with the peak area. (orig.)

  7. Analysis of metalaxyl racemate using high performance liquid chromatography coupled with four kinds of detectors.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chen, Tao; Fan, Jun; Gao, Ruiqi; Wang, Tai; Yu, Ying; Zhang, Weiguang

    2016-10-07

    Chiral stationary phase-high performance liquid chromatography coupled with various detectors has been one of most commonly used methods for analysis and separation of chiral compounds over the past decades. Various detectors exhibit different characteristics in qualitative and quantitative studies under different chromatographic conditions. Herein, a comparative evaluation of HPLC coupled with ultraviolet, optical rotation, refractive index, and evaporative light scattering detectors has been conducted for qualitative and quantitative analyses of metalaxyl racemate. Effects of separation conditions on the peak area ratio between two enantiomers, including sample concentration, column temperature, mobile phase composition, as well as flow rate, have been investigated in detail. In addition, the limits of detection, the limits of quantitation, quantitative range and precision for these two enantiomers by using four detectors have been also studied. As indicated, the chromatographic separation conditions have been slight effects on ultraviolet and refractive index detections and the peak area ratio between two enantiomers remains almost unchanged, but the evaporative light scattering detection has been significantly affected by the above-mentioned chromatographic conditions and the corresponding peak area ratios varied greatly. Moreover, the limits of detection, the limits of quantitation, and the quantitative ranges of two enantiomers with UV detection were remarkably lower by 1-2 magnitudes than the others. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  8. High Performance Polar Decomposition on Distributed Memory Systems

    KAUST Repository

    Sukkari, Dalal E.

    2016-08-08

    The polar decomposition of a dense matrix is an important operation in linear algebra. It can be directly calculated through the singular value decomposition (SVD) or iteratively using the QR dynamically-weighted Halley algorithm (QDWH). The former is difficult to parallelize due to the preponderant number of memory-bound operations during the bidiagonal reduction. We investigate the latter scenario, which performs more floating-point operations but exposes at the same time more parallelism, and therefore, runs closer to the theoretical peak performance of the system, thanks to more compute-bound matrix operations. Profiling results show the performance scalability of QDWH for calculating the polar decomposition using around 9200 MPI processes on well and ill-conditioned matrices of 100K×100K problem size. We study then the performance impact of the QDWH-based polar decomposition as a pre-processing step toward calculating the SVD itself. The new distributed-memory implementation of the QDWH-SVD solver achieves up to five-fold speedup against current state-of-the-art vendor SVD implementations. © Springer International Publishing Switzerland 2016.

  9. The peak in neutron powder diffraction

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Laar, B. van; Yelon, W.B.

    1984-01-01

    For the application of Rietveld profile analysis to neutron powder diffraction data a precise knowledge of the peak profile, in both shape and position, is required. The method now in use employs a Gaussian shaped profile with a semi-empirical asymmetry correction for low-angle peaks. The integrated intensity is taken to be proportional to the classical Lorentz factor calculated for the X-ray case. In this paper an exact expression is given for the peak profile based upon the geometrical dimensions of the diffractometer. It is shown that the asymmetry of observed peaks is well reproduced by this expression. The angular displacement of the experimental profile with respect to the nominal Bragg angle value is larger than expected. Values for the correction to the classical Lorentz factor for the integrated intensity are given. The exact peak profile expression has been incorporated into a Rietveld profile analysis refinement program. (Auth.)

  10. Spectrum-effect relationships between high performance liquid ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    liquid chromatography fingerprint and analgesic property of Anisodus .... AT roots (10 g/batch) were ground into powder and extracted 6 times by .... multipoint correction and peak matching (Figure. 1). .... phase to obtain good peak shapes and.

  11. Calibration of nuclides by gamma-gamma sum peak coincidence counting

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Guevara, E.A.

    1986-01-01

    The feasibility of extending sum peak coincidence counting to the direct calibration of gamma-ray emitters having particular decay schemes was investigated, also checkings of the measurement accuracy, by comparing with more precise beta-gamma coincidence counting have been performed. New theoretical studies and experiments were developed, demonstrating the reliability of the procedure. Uncertainties of less than one percent were obtained when certain radioactive sources were measured. The application of the procedure to 60 Co, 22 Na, 47 Ca and 148 Pm was studied. Theoretical bases of sum peak coincidence counting were set in order to extend it as an alternative method for absolute activity determination. In this respect, theoretical studies were performed for positive and negative beta decay, and electron capture, either accompanied or unaccompanied by coincident gamma rays. They include decay schemes containing up to three daughter nuclide excited levels, for different geometrical configurations. Equations are proposed for a possible generalization of the procedure. (M.E.L.) [es

  12. High-performance computing using FPGAs

    CERN Document Server

    Benkrid, Khaled

    2013-01-01

    This book is concerned with the emerging field of High Performance Reconfigurable Computing (HPRC), which aims to harness the high performance and relative low power of reconfigurable hardware–in the form Field Programmable Gate Arrays (FPGAs)–in High Performance Computing (HPC) applications. It presents the latest developments in this field from applications, architecture, and tools and methodologies points of view. We hope that this work will form a reference for existing researchers in the field, and entice new researchers and developers to join the HPRC community.  The book includes:  Thirteen application chapters which present the most important application areas tackled by high performance reconfigurable computers, namely: financial computing, bioinformatics and computational biology, data search and processing, stencil computation e.g. computational fluid dynamics and seismic modeling, cryptanalysis, astronomical N-body simulation, and circuit simulation.     Seven architecture chapters which...

  13. Structure determination of disease associated peak AAA from l-Tryptophan implicated in the eosinophilia-myalgia syndrome.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Klarskov, Klaus; Gagnon, Hugo; Boudreault, Pierre-Luc; Normandin, Chad; Plancq, Baptiste; Marsault, Eric; Gleich, Gerald J; Naylor, Stephen

    2018-01-05

    The eosinophilia-myalgia syndrome (EMS) outbreak of 1989 that occurred in the USA and elsewhere was caused by the ingestion of l-Tryptophan (L-Trp) solely manufactured by the Japanese company Showa Denko K.K. (SD). Six compounds present in the SD L-Trp were reported to be case-associated contaminants. However, "one" of these compounds, Peak AAA has remained structurally uncharacterized, despite the fact that it was described as "the only statistically significant (p=0.0014) contaminant". Here, we employ on-line microcapillary-high performance liquid chromatography-electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (LC-MS), and tandem mass spectrometry (MS/MS) to determine that Peak AAA is in fact two structurally related isomers. Peak AAA 1 and Peak AAA 2 differed in LC retention times, and were determined by accurate mass-LC-MS to both have a protonated molecular ion (MH +) of mass 343.239Da (Da), corresponding to a molecular formula of C 21 H 30 N 2 O 2, and possessing eight degrees of unsaturation (DoU) for the non-protonated molecule. By comparing the LC-MS and LC-MS-MS retention times and spectra with authentic synthetic standards, Peak AAA 1 was identified as the intermolecular condensation product of L-Trp with anteiso 7-methylnonanoic acid, to afford (S)-2-amino-3-(2-((S,E)-7-methylnon-1-en-1-yl)-1H-indol-3-yl)propanoic acid. Peak AAA 2 was determined to be a condensation product of L-Trp with decanoic acid, which produced (S)-2-amino-3-(2-((E)-dec-1-en-1-yl)-1H-indol-3-yl)propanoic acid. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  14. Comparative LC-MS: A landscape of Peaks and Valleys

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    America, A.H.P.; Cordewener, J.H.G.

    2008-01-01

    Quantitative proteomics approaches using stable isotopes are well-known and used in many labs nowadays. More recently, high resolution quantitative approaches are reported that rely on LC-MS quantitation of peptide concentrations by comparing peak intensities between multiple runs obtained by

  15. Comparative Analysis of Mass Spectral Similarity Measures on Peak Alignment for Comprehensive Two-Dimensional Gas Chromatography Mass Spectrometry

    Science.gov (United States)

    2013-01-01

    Peak alignment is a critical procedure in mass spectrometry-based biomarker discovery in metabolomics. One of peak alignment approaches to comprehensive two-dimensional gas chromatography mass spectrometry (GC×GC-MS) data is peak matching-based alignment. A key to the peak matching-based alignment is the calculation of mass spectral similarity scores. Various mass spectral similarity measures have been developed mainly for compound identification, but the effect of these spectral similarity measures on the performance of peak matching-based alignment still remains unknown. Therefore, we selected five mass spectral similarity measures, cosine correlation, Pearson's correlation, Spearman's correlation, partial correlation, and part correlation, and examined their effects on peak alignment using two sets of experimental GC×GC-MS data. The results show that the spectral similarity measure does not affect the alignment accuracy significantly in analysis of data from less complex samples, while the partial correlation performs much better than other spectral similarity measures when analyzing experimental data acquired from complex biological samples. PMID:24151524

  16. Intermediate photovoltaic system application experiment operational performance. Executive summary. Volume 6 for Beverly High School, Beverly, MA

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    None

    1982-04-01

    Performance data are given for a 95 kW-peak grid connected flat panel photovoltaic power supply at a Massachusetts high school for the month of March 1982. Data presented include daily and monthly electrical energy produced by the photovoltaic system, daily and monthly solar energy incident in the plane of the array, efficiency of the solar cell array and of the power conditioner and of the system overall, the capacity factor, solar insolation, and the data acquisition mode and recording interval plot. (LEW)

  17. Cloud-based solution to identify statistically significant MS peaks differentiating sample categories.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ji, Jun; Ling, Jeffrey; Jiang, Helen; Wen, Qiaojun; Whitin, John C; Tian, Lu; Cohen, Harvey J; Ling, Xuefeng B

    2013-03-23

    Mass spectrometry (MS) has evolved to become the primary high throughput tool for proteomics based biomarker discovery. Until now, multiple challenges in protein MS data analysis remain: large-scale and complex data set management; MS peak identification, indexing; and high dimensional peak differential analysis with the concurrent statistical tests based false discovery rate (FDR). "Turnkey" solutions are needed for biomarker investigations to rapidly process MS data sets to identify statistically significant peaks for subsequent validation. Here we present an efficient and effective solution, which provides experimental biologists easy access to "cloud" computing capabilities to analyze MS data. The web portal can be accessed at http://transmed.stanford.edu/ssa/. Presented web application supplies large scale MS data online uploading and analysis with a simple user interface. This bioinformatic tool will facilitate the discovery of the potential protein biomarkers using MS.

  18. High-Performance Silicon-Germanium-Based Thermoelectric Modules for Gas Exhaust Energy Scavenging

    Science.gov (United States)

    Romanjek, K.; Vesin, S.; Aixala, L.; Baffie, T.; Bernard-Granger, G.; Dufourcq, J.

    2015-06-01

    Some of the energy used in transportation and industry is lost as heat, often at high-temperatures, during conversion processes. Thermoelectricity enables direct conversion of heat into electricity, and is an alternative to the waste-heat-recovery technology currently used, for example turbines and other types of thermodynamic cycling. The performance of thermoelectric (TE) materials and modules has improved continuously in recent decades. In the high-temperature range ( T hot side > 500°C), silicon-germanium (SiGe) alloys are among the best TE materials reported in the literature. These materials are based on non-toxic elements. The Thermoelectrics Laboratory at CEA (Commissariat à l'Energie Atomique et aux Energies Alternatives) has synthesized n and p-type SiGe pellets, manufactured TE modules, and integrated these into thermoelectric generators (TEG) which were tested on a dedicated bench with hot air as the source of heat. SiGe TE samples of diameter 60 mm were created by spark-plasma sintering. For n-type SiGe doped with phosphorus the peak thermoelectric figure of merit reached ZT = 1.0 at 700°C whereas for p-type SiGe doped with boron the peak was ZT = 0.75 at 700°C. Thus, state-of-the-art conversion efficiency was obtained while also achieving higher production throughput capacity than for competing processes. A standard deviation high reproducibility. A silver-paste-based brazing technique was used to assemble the TE elements into modules. This assembly technique afforded low and repeatable electrical contact resistance (high temperatures (up to 600°C), and thirty 20 mm × 20 mm TE modules were produced and tested. The results revealed the performance was reproducible, with power output reaching 1.9 ± 0.2 W for a 370 degree temperature difference. When the temperature difference was increased to 500°C, electrical power output increased to >3.6 W. An air-water heat exchanger was developed and 30 TE modules were clamped and connected electrically

  19. High-Performance Networking

    CERN Multimedia

    CERN. Geneva

    2003-01-01

    The series will start with an historical introduction about what people saw as high performance message communication in their time and how that developed to the now to day known "standard computer network communication". It will be followed by a far more technical part that uses the High Performance Computer Network standards of the 90's, with 1 Gbit/sec systems as introduction for an in depth explanation of the three new 10 Gbit/s network and interconnect technology standards that exist already or emerge. If necessary for a good understanding some sidesteps will be included to explain important protocols as well as some necessary details of concerned Wide Area Network (WAN) standards details including some basics of wavelength multiplexing (DWDM). Some remarks will be made concerning the rapid expanding applications of networked storage.

  20. Development of an electron gun for high power CW electron linac (1). Beam experiment for basic performance of electron gun

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Yamazaki, Yoshio; Nomura, Masahiro; Komata, Tomoki

    1999-05-01

    Presently, the Beam Group of Oarai Engineering Center in Japan Nuclear Cycle Development Institute (JNC) completed the high power CW electron linac. Then we started full-scale beam experiments after the government permission for a radiation equipment had given last January. Measurements of basic performance for the mesh-grid type electron gun have been done to launch stable beam at 300 mA peak current downstream of the accelerator. These experiments disclosed to increase beam loss in the electron gun in some cases of voltage supplied the mesh-grid in spite of same beam current from gun. Consequently, we could find the best condition for mesh-grid voltage and heater current to supply stable beam at 300 mA peak current for accelerator study. (author)

  1. Performance enhancement of high-field asymmetric waveform ion mobility spectrometry by applying differential-RF-driven operation mode.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zeng, Yue; Tang, Fei; Zhai, Yadong; Wang, Xiaohao

    2017-09-01

    The traditional operation mode of high-field Asymmetric Waveform Ion Mobility Spectrometry (FAIMS) uses a one-way radio frequency (RF) voltage input as the dispersion voltage. This requires a high voltage input and limits power consumption reduction and miniaturization of instruments. With higher dispersion voltages or larger compensation voltages, there also exist problems such as low signal intensity or the fact that the dispersion voltage is no longer much larger than the compensation voltage. In this paper, a differential-RF-driven operation mode of FAIMS is proposed. The two-way RF is used to generate the dispersion field, and a phase difference is added between the two RFs to generate a single step waveform field. Theoretical analysis, and experimental results from an ethanol sample, showed that the peak positions of the ion spectra changed linearly (R 2 = 0.9992) with the phase difference of the two RFs in the differential-RF-driven mode and that the peak intensity of the ion spectrum could be enhanced by more than eight times for ethanol ions. In this way, it is possible to convert the ion spectrum peaks outside the separation or compensation voltage range into a detectable range, by changing the phase difference. To produce the same separation electric field, the high-voltage direct current input voltage can be maximally reduced to half of that in the traditional operation mode. Without changing the drift region size or drift condition, the differential-RF-driven operation mode can reduce power consumption, increase signal-to-noise ratio, extend the application range of the dispersion voltage and compensation voltage, and improve FAIMS detection performance.

  2. Gamma-ray escape peak characteristics of radiation-damaged reverse-electrode germanium coaxial detectors

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Pehl, R.H.; Hull, E.L.; Madden, N.W.; Xing Jingshu; Friesel, D.L.

    1996-01-01

    A comparison of the characteristics of full-energy gamma-ray peaks and their corresponding escape peaks when high energy photons interact in radiation damaged reverse-electrode (n-type) germanium coaxial detectors is presented. Coaxial detector geometry is the dominant factor, causing charge collection to be dramatically better for interactions occurring near the outer periphery of the detector as well as increasing of the probability of escape events occurring in this region. It follows that the resolution of escape peaks is better than that of ordinary gamma-ray peaks. This is experimentally verified. A nearly identical but undamaged detector exhibited significant Doppler broadening of single escape peaks. Because double escape events preferentially occur at outer radii, energy shifts of double escape reflect extremely small amounts of charge trapping in undamaged detectors. (orig.)

  3. Non-contact acquisition of respiration and heart rates using Doppler radar with time domain peak-detection algorithm.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Xiaofeng Yang; Guanghao Sun; Ishibashi, Koichiro

    2017-07-01

    The non-contact measurement of the respiration rate (RR) and heart rate (HR) using a Doppler radar has attracted more attention in the field of home healthcare monitoring, due to the extremely low burden on patients, unconsciousness and unconstraint. Most of the previous studies have performed the frequency-domain analysis of radar signals to detect the respiration and heartbeat frequency. However, these procedures required long period time (approximately 30 s) windows to obtain a high-resolution spectrum. In this study, we propose a time-domain peak detection algorithm for the fast acquisition of the RR and HR within a breathing cycle (approximately 5 s), including inhalation and exhalation. Signal pre-processing using an analog band-pass filter (BPF) that extracts respiration and heartbeat signals was performed. Thereafter, the HR and RR were calculated using a peak position detection method, which was carried out via LABVIEW. To evaluate the measurement accuracy, we measured the HR and RR of seven subjects in the laboratory. As a reference of HR and RR, the persons wore contact sensors i.e., an electrocardiograph (ECG) and a respiration band. The time domain peak-detection algorithm, based on the Doppler radar, exhibited a significant correlation coefficient of HR of 0.92 and a correlation coefficient of RR of 0.99, between the ECG and respiration band, respectively.

  4. Fatigue affects peak joint torque angle in hamstrings but not in quadriceps.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Coratella, Giuseppe; Bellin, Giuseppe; Beato, Marco; Schena, Federico

    2015-01-01

    Primary aim of this study was to investigate peak joint torque angle (i.e. the angle of peak torque) changes recorded during an isokinetic test before and after a fatiguing soccer match simulation. Secondarily we want to investigate functional Hecc:Qconc and conventional Hconc:Qconc ratio changes due to fatigue. Before and after a standardised soccer match simulation, twenty-two healthy male amateur soccer players performed maximal isokinetic strength tests both for hamstrings and for quadriceps muscles at 1.05 rad · s(‒1), 3.14 rad · s(‒1) and 5.24 rad · s(‒1). Peak joint torque angle, peak torque and both functional Hecc:Qconc and conventional Hconc:Qconc ratios were examined. Both dominant and non-dominant limbs were tested. Peak joint torque angle significantly increased only in knee flexors. Both eccentric and concentric contractions resulted in such increment, which occurred in both limbs. No changes were found in quadriceps peak joint torque angle. Participants experienced a significant decrease in torque both in hamstrings and in quadriceps. Functional Hecc:Qconc ratio was lower only in dominant limb at higher velocities, while Hconc:Qconc did not change. This study showed after specific fatiguing task changes in hamstrings only torque/angle relationship. Hamstrings injury risk could depend on altered torque when knee is close to extension, coupled with a greater peak torque decrement compared to quadriceps. These results suggest the use eccentric based training to prevent hamstrings shift towards shorter length.

  5. High Performance Concrete

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Traian Oneţ

    2009-01-01

    Full Text Available The paper presents the last studies and researches accomplished in Cluj-Napoca related to high performance concrete, high strength concrete and self compacting concrete. The purpose of this paper is to raid upon the advantages and inconveniences when a particular concrete type is used. Two concrete recipes are presented, namely for the concrete used in rigid pavement for roads and another one for self-compacting concrete.

  6. Allometric scaling of peak oxygen uptake in male roller hockey players under 17 years old

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Valente-dos-Santos, J.; Sherar, L.; Coelho-e-Silva, MJ; Pereira, J.R.; Vaz, V.; Cupido-dos-Santos, A.; Baxter-Jones, A.; Visscher, C.; Elferink-Gemser, M.T.; Malina, R.M.

    Peak oxygen uptake ((V) over dotO(2peak)) is routinely expressed in litres per minute and by unit of body mass (mL.kg(-1).min(-1)) despite the theoretical and statistical limitations of using ratios. Allometric modeling is an effective approach for partitioning body-size effects in a performance

  7. Time-frequency peak filtering for random noise attenuation of magnetic resonance sounding signal

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lin, Tingting; Zhang, Yang; Yi, Xiaofeng; Fan, Tiehu; Wan, Ling

    2018-05-01

    When measuring in a geomagnetic field, the method of magnetic resonance sounding (MRS) is often limited because of the notably low signal-to-noise ratio (SNR). Most current studies focus on discarding spiky noise and power-line harmonic noise cancellation. However, the effects of random noise should not be underestimated. The common method for random noise attenuation is stacking, but collecting multiple recordings merely to suppress random noise is time-consuming. Moreover, stacking is insufficient to suppress high-level random noise. Here, we propose the use of time-frequency peak filtering for random noise attenuation, which is performed after the traditional de-spiking and power-line harmonic removal method. By encoding the noisy signal with frequency modulation and estimating the instantaneous frequency using the peak of the time-frequency representation of the encoded signal, the desired MRS signal can be acquired from only one stack. The performance of the proposed method is tested on synthetic envelope signals and field data from different surveys. Good estimations of the signal parameters are obtained at different SNRs. Moreover, an attempt to use the proposed method to handle a single recording provides better results compared to 16 stacks. Our results suggest that the number of stacks can be appropriately reduced to shorten the measurement time and improve the measurement efficiency.

  8. Supplementation with a Polyphenol-Rich Extract, PerfLoad®, Improves Physical Performance during High-Intensity Exercise: A Randomized, Double Blind, Crossover Trial

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Julien Cases

    2017-04-01

    Full Text Available Workout capacity is energy-production driven. To produce peak metabolic power outputs, the organism predominantly relies more on anaerobic metabolism, but this undoubtedly has a negative and limiting impact on muscle function and performance. The aim of the study was to evaluate if an innovative polyphenol-based food supplement, PerfLoad®, was able to improve metabolic homeostasis and physical performance during high-intensity exercises under anaerobic conditions. The effect of a supplementation has been investigated on fifteen recreationally-active male athletes during a randomized, double-blind and crossover clinical investigation. The Wingate test, an inducer of an unbalanced metabolism associated to oxidative stress, was used to assess maximum anaerobic power during a high-intensity exercise on a cycle ergometer. Supplementation with PerfLoad® correlated with a significant increase in total power output (5%, maximal peak power output (3.7%, and average power developed (5%, without inducing more fatigue or greater heart rate. Instead, oxidative homeostasis was stabilized in supplemented subjects. Such results demonstrated that PerfLoad® is a natural and efficient solution capable of, similarly to training benefits, helping athletes to improve their physical performance, while balancing their metabolism and reducing exercise-induced oxidative stress.

  9. High resolution NMR imaging using a high field yokeless permanent magnet.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kose, Katsumi; Haishi, Tomoyuki

    2011-01-01

    We measured the homogeneity and stability of the magnetic field of a high field (about 1.04 tesla) yokeless permanent magnet with 40-mm gap for high resolution nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) imaging. Homogeneity was evaluated using a 3-dimensional (3D) lattice phantom and 3D spin-echo imaging sequences. In the central sphere (20-mm diameter), peak-to-peak magnetic field inhomogeneity was about 60 ppm, and the root-mean-square was 8 ppm. We measured room temperature, magnet temperature, and NMR frequency of the magnet simultaneously every minute for about 68 hours with and without the thermal insulator of the magnet. A simple mathematical model described the magnet's thermal property. Based on magnet performance, we performed high resolution (up to [20 µm](2)) imaging with internal NMR lock sequences of several biological samples. Our results demonstrated the usefulness of the high field small yokeless permanent magnet for high resolution NMR imaging.

  10. High resolution NMR imaging using a high field yokeless permanent magnet

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kose, Katsumi; Haishi, Tomoyuki

    2011-01-01

    We measured the homogeneity and stability of the magnetic field of a high field (about 1.04 tesla) yokeless permanent magnet with 40-mm gap for high resolution nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) imaging. Homogeneity was evaluated using a 3-dimensional (3D) lattice phantom and 3D spin-echo imaging sequences. In the central sphere (20-mm diameter), peak-to-peak magnetic field inhomogeneity was about 60 ppm, and the root-mean-square was 8 ppm. We measured room temperature, magnet temperature, and NMR frequency of the magnet simultaneously every minute for about 68 hours with and without the thermal insulator of the magnet. A simple mathematical model described the magnet's thermal property. Based on magnet performance, we performed high resolution (up to [20 μm] 2 ) imaging with internal NMR lock sequences of several biological samples. Our results demonstrated the usefulness of the high field small yokeless permanent magnet for high resolution NMR imaging. (author)

  11. HPTA: High-Performance Text Analytics

    OpenAIRE

    Vandierendonck, Hans; Murphy, Karen; Arif, Mahwish; Nikolopoulos, Dimitrios S.

    2017-01-01

    One of the main targets of data analytics is unstructured data, which primarily involves textual data. High-performance processing of textual data is non-trivial. We present the HPTA library for high-performance text analytics. The library helps programmers to map textual data to a dense numeric representation, which can be handled more efficiently. HPTA encapsulates three performance optimizations: (i) efficient memory management for textual data, (ii) parallel computation on associative dat...

  12. MCNP Simulations of End Flux Peaking in ACR-1000, 2.4 wt % {sup 235}U Fuel Bundles

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Hill, Ian; Donnelly, Jim [Atomic Energy of Canada Limited (AECL), 2251 Speakman Drive, Mississauga, ON, L5K 1B2 (Canada)

    2008-07-01

    This paper examines the end flux peaking in ACR-1000 fuel bundles. Reactor physics simulations are performed with MCNP to assess the steady state end-flux peaking in an infinite lattice of ACR fuel, as well as to quantify the peaking that occurs during refuelling. 3-dimensional MCNP models are created based on the detailed geometry of the fuel bundle. Detailed position-dependent fuel compositions are obtained from MONTEBURNS which couples MCNP and ORIGIN2.2. Axial and radial power profiles are obtained for both fresh and mid-burnup fuel bundles in an infinite lattice. Subsequently an assessment of the impact of a refuelling transient on the power profiles is performed. The refuelling transient is found to increase the end flux peaking in the region adjacent to light water. (authors)

  13. High Intensity High Volume Interval Training Improves Endurance Performance and Induces a Nearly Complete Slow-to-Fast Fiber Transformation on the mRNA Level

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Julian Eigendorf

    2018-05-01

    Full Text Available We present here a longitudinal study determining the effects of two 3 week-periods of high intensity high volume interval training (HIHVT (90 intervals of 6 s cycling at 250% maximum power, Pmax/24 s on a cycle ergometer. HIHVT was evaluated by comparing performance tests before and after the entire training (baseline, BSL, and endpoint, END and between the two training sets (intermediate, INT. The mRNA expression levels of myosin heavy chain (MHC isoforms and markers of energy metabolism were analyzed in M. vastus lateralis biopsies by quantitative real-time PCR. In incremental tests peak power (Ppeak was increased, whereas V˙O2peak was unaltered. Prolonged time-to-exhaustion was found in endurance tests with 65 and 80% Pmax at INT and END. No changes in blood levels of lipid metabolites were detected. Training-induced decreases of hematocrit indicate hypervolemia. A shift from slow MHCI/β to fast MHCIIa mRNA expression occurred after the first and second training set. The mRNA expression of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma coactivator 1α (PGC-1α, a master regulator of oxidative energy metabolism, decreased after the second training set. In agreement, a significant decrease was also found for citrate synthase mRNA after the second training set, indicating reduced oxidative capacity. However, mRNA expression levels of glycolytic marker enzyme glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase did not change after the first and second training set. HIHVT induced a nearly complete slow-to-fast fiber type transformation on the mRNA level, which, however, cannot account for the improvements of performance parameters. The latter might be explained by the well-known effects of hypervolemia on exercise performance.

  14. Cosmology constraints from shear peak statistics in Dark Energy Survey Science Verification data

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kacprzak, T.; Kirk, D.; Friedrich, O.; Amara, A.; Refregier, A.

    2016-01-01

    Shear peak statistics has gained a lot of attention recently as a practical alternative to the two-point statistics for constraining cosmological parameters. We perform a shear peak statistics analysis of the Dark Energy Survey (DES) Science Verification (SV) data, using weak gravitational lensing measurements from a 139 deg"2 field. We measure the abundance of peaks identified in aperture mass maps, as a function of their signal-to-noise ratio, in the signal-to-noise range 0 4 would require significant corrections, which is why we do not include them in our analysis. We compare our results to the cosmological constraints from the two-point analysis on the SV field and find them to be in good agreement in both the central value and its uncertainty. Lastly, we discuss prospects for future peak statistics analysis with upcoming DES data.

  15. Hubbert's Peak -- A Physicist's View

    Science.gov (United States)

    McDonald, Richard

    2011-04-01

    Oil, as used in agriculture and transportation, is the lifeblood of modern society. It is finite in quantity and will someday be exhausted. In 1956, Hubbert proposed a theory of resource production and applied it successfully to predict peak U.S. oil production in 1970. Bartlett extended this work in publications and lectures on the finite nature of oil and its production peak and depletion. Both Hubbert and Bartlett place peak world oil production at a similar time, essentially now. Central to these analyses are estimates of total ``oil in place'' obtained from engineering studies of oil reservoirs as this quantity determines the area under the Hubbert's Peak. Knowing the production history and the total oil in place allows us to make estimates of reserves, and therefore future oil availability. We will then examine reserves data for various countries, in particular OPEC countries, and see if these data tell us anything about the future availability of oil. Finally, we will comment on synthetic oil and the possibility of carbon-neutral synthetic oil for a sustainable future.

  16. The geomorphic structure of the runoff peak

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    R. Rigon

    2011-06-01

    Full Text Available This paper develops a theoretical framework to investigate the core dependence of peak flows on the geomorphic properties of river basins. Based on the theory of transport by travel times, and simple hydrodynamic characterization of floods, this new framework invokes the linearity and invariance of the hydrologic response to provide analytical and semi-analytical expressions for peak flow, time to peak, and area contributing to the peak runoff. These results are obtained for the case of constant-intensity hyetograph using the Intensity-Duration-Frequency (IDF curves to estimate extreme flow values as a function of the rainfall return period. Results show that, with constant-intensity hyetographs, the time-to-peak is greater than rainfall duration and usually shorter than the basin concentration time. Moreover, the critical storm duration is shown to be independent of rainfall return period as well as the area contributing to the flow peak. The same results are found when the effects of hydrodynamic dispersion are accounted for. Further, it is shown that, when the effects of hydrodynamic dispersion are negligible, the basin area contributing to the peak discharge does not depend on the channel velocity, but is a geomorphic propriety of the basin. As an example this framework is applied to three watersheds. In particular, the runoff peak, the critical rainfall durations and the time to peak are calculated for all links within a network to assess how they increase with basin area.

  17. Design and implementation of a high performance network security processor

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wang, Haixin; Bai, Guoqiang; Chen, Hongyi

    2010-03-01

    The last few years have seen many significant progresses in the field of application-specific processors. One example is network security processors (NSPs) that perform various cryptographic operations specified by network security protocols and help to offload the computation intensive burdens from network processors (NPs). This article presents a high performance NSP system architecture implementation intended for both internet protocol security (IPSec) and secure socket layer (SSL) protocol acceleration, which are widely employed in virtual private network (VPN) and e-commerce applications. The efficient dual one-way pipelined data transfer skeleton and optimised integration scheme of the heterogenous parallel crypto engine arrays lead to a Gbps rate NSP, which is programmable with domain specific descriptor-based instructions. The descriptor-based control flow fragments large data packets and distributes them to the crypto engine arrays, which fully utilises the parallel computation resources and improves the overall system data throughput. A prototyping platform for this NSP design is implemented with a Xilinx XC3S5000 based FPGA chip set. Results show that the design gives a peak throughput for the IPSec ESP tunnel mode of 2.85 Gbps with over 2100 full SSL handshakes per second at a clock rate of 95 MHz.

  18. Pressurized planar electrochromatography, high-performance thin-layer chromatography and high-performance liquid chromatography--comparison of performance.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Płocharz, Paweł; Klimek-Turek, Anna; Dzido, Tadeusz H

    2010-07-16

    Kinetic performance, measured by plate height, of High-Performance Thin-Layer Chromatography (HPTLC), High-Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC) and Pressurized Planar Electrochromatography (PPEC) was compared for the systems with adsorbent of the HPTLC RP18W plate from Merck as the stationary phase and the mobile phase composed of acetonitrile and buffer solution. The HPLC column was packed with the adsorbent, which was scrapped from the chromatographic plate mentioned. An additional HPLC column was also packed with adsorbent of 5 microm particle diameter, C18 type silica based (LiChrosorb RP-18 from Merck). The dependence of plate height of both HPLC and PPEC separating systems on flow velocity of the mobile phase and on migration distance of the mobile phase in TLC system was presented applying test solute (prednisolone succinate). The highest performance, amongst systems investigated, was obtained for the PPEC system. The separation efficiency of the systems investigated in the paper was additionally confirmed by the separation of test component mixture composed of six hormones. 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  19. 18F-FET PET prior to recurrent high-grade glioma re-irradiation-additional prognostic value of dynamic time-to-peak analysis and early static summation images?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Fleischmann, Daniel F; Unterrainer, Marcus; Bartenstein, Peter; Belka, Claus; Albert, Nathalie L; Niyazi, Maximilian

    2017-04-01

    Most high-grade gliomas (HGG) recur after initial multimodal therapy and re-irradiation (Re-RT) has been shown to be a valuable re-treatment option in selected patients. We evaluated the prognostic value of dynamic time-to-peak analysis and early static summation images in O-(2- 18 F-fluoroethyl)-l-tyrosine ( 18 F-FET) PET for patients treated with Re-RT ± concomitant bevacizumab. We retrospectively analyzed 72 patients suffering from recurrent HGG with 18 F-FET PET prior to Re-RT. PET analysis revealed the maximal tumor-to-background-ratio (TBR max ), the biological tumor volume, the number of PET-foci and pattern of time-activity-curves (TACs; increasing vs. decreasing). Furthermore, the novel PET parameters early TBR max (at 5-15 min post-injection) and minimal time-to-peak (TTP min ) were evaluated. Additional analysis was performed for gender, age, KPS, O6-methylguanine-DNA methyltransferase methylation status, isocitrate dehydrogenase 1 mutational status, WHO grade and concomitant bevacizumab therapy. The influence of PET and clinical parameters on post-recurrence survival (PRS) was investigated. Shorter TTP min was related to shorter PRS after Re-RT with 6 months for TTP min  25 min (p = 0.027). TTP min had a significant impact on PRS both on univariate (p = 0.027; continuous) and multivariate analysis (p = 0.011; continuous). Other factors significantly related to PRS on multivariate analysis were increasing vs. decreasing TACs (p = 0.008) and Karnofsky Performance Score (p = 0.015; PET parameters were not significantly related to PRS on univariate analysis. Dynamic 18 F-FET PET with TTP min provides a high prognostic value for recurrent HGG prior to Re-RT, whereas early TBR max does not. Dynamic 18 F-FET PET using TTP min might help to personalize Re-RT treatment regimens in future through voxelwise TTP min analysis for dose painting purposes and PET-guided dose escalation.

  20. Peak-locking centroid bias in Shack-Hartmann wavefront sensing

    Science.gov (United States)

    Anugu, Narsireddy; Garcia, Paulo J. V.; Correia, Carlos M.

    2018-05-01

    Shack-Hartmann wavefront sensing relies on accurate spot centre measurement. Several algorithms were developed with this aim, mostly focused on precision, i.e. minimizing random errors. In the solar and extended scene community, the importance of the accuracy (bias error due to peak-locking, quantization, or sampling) of the centroid determination was identified and solutions proposed. But these solutions only allow partial bias corrections. To date, no systematic study of the bias error was conducted. This article bridges the gap by quantifying the bias error for different correlation peak-finding algorithms and types of sub-aperture images and by proposing a practical solution to minimize its effects. Four classes of sub-aperture images (point source, elongated laser guide star, crowded field, and solar extended scene) together with five types of peak-finding algorithms (1D parabola, the centre of gravity, Gaussian, 2D quadratic polynomial, and pyramid) are considered, in a variety of signal-to-noise conditions. The best performing peak-finding algorithm depends on the sub-aperture image type, but none is satisfactory to both bias and random errors. A practical solution is proposed that relies on the antisymmetric response of the bias to the sub-pixel position of the true centre. The solution decreases the bias by a factor of ˜7 to values of ≲ 0.02 pix. The computational cost is typically twice of current cross-correlation algorithms.

  1. Acute Whole-Body Vibration does not Facilitate Peak Torque and Stretch Reflex in Healthy Adults

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ella W. Yeung

    2013-03-01

    Full Text Available The acute effect of whole-body vibration (WBV training may enhance muscular performance via neural potentiation of the stretch reflex. The purpose of this study was to investigate if acute WBV exposure affects the stretch induced knee jerk reflex [onset latency and electromechanical delay (EMD] and the isokinetic knee extensor peak torque performance. Twenty-two subjects were randomly assigned to the intervention or control group. The intervention group received WBV in a semi-squat position at 30° knee flexion with an amplitude of 0.69 mm, frequency of 45 Hz, and peak acceleration of 27.6 m/s2 for 3 minutes. The control group underwent the same semii-squatting position statically without exposure of WBV. Two-way mixed repeated measures analysis of variance revealed no significant group effects differences on reflex latency of rectus femoris (RF and vastus lateralis (VL; p = 0.934 and 0.935, respectively EMD of RF and VL (p = 0.474 and 0.551, respectively and peak torque production (p = 0.483 measured before and after the WBV. The results of this study indicate that a single session of WBV exposure has no potentiation effect on the stretch induced reflex and peak torque performance in healthy young adults.

  2. WaVPeak: Picking NMR peaks through wavelet-based smoothing and volume-based filtering

    KAUST Repository

    Liu, Zhi

    2012-02-10

    Motivation: Nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) has been widely used as a powerful tool to determine the 3D structures of proteins in vivo. However, the post-spectra processing stage of NMR structure determination usually involves a tremendous amount of time and expert knowledge, which includes peak picking, chemical shift assignment and structure calculation steps. Detecting accurate peaks from the NMR spectra is a prerequisite for all following steps, and thus remains a key problem in automatic NMR structure determination. Results: We introduce WaVPeak, a fully automatic peak detection method. WaVPeak first smoothes the given NMR spectrum by wavelets. The peaks are then identified as the local maxima. The false positive peaks are filtered out efficiently by considering the volume of the peaks. WaVPeak has two major advantages over the state-of-the-art peak-picking methods. First, through wavelet-based smoothing, WaVPeak does not eliminate any data point in the spectra. Therefore, WaVPeak is able to detect weak peaks that are embedded in the noise level. NMR spectroscopists need the most help isolating these weak peaks. Second, WaVPeak estimates the volume of the peaks to filter the false positives. This is more reliable than intensity-based filters that are widely used in existing methods. We evaluate the performance of WaVPeak on the benchmark set proposed by PICKY (Alipanahi et al., 2009), one of the most accurate methods in the literature. The dataset comprises 32 2D and 3D spectra from eight different proteins. Experimental results demonstrate that WaVPeak achieves an average of 96%, 91%, 88%, 76% and 85% recall on 15N-HSQC, HNCO, HNCA, HNCACB and CBCA(CO)NH, respectively. When the same number of peaks are considered, WaVPeak significantly outperforms PICKY. The Author(s) 2012. Published by Oxford University Press.

  3. Effects of sample injection amount and time-of-flight mass spectrometric detection dynamic range on metabolome analysis by high-performance chemical isotope labeling LC-MS.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhou, Ruokun; Li, Liang

    2015-04-06

    The effect of sample injection amount on metabolome analysis in a chemical isotope labeling (CIL) liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS) platform was investigated. The performance of time-of-flight (TOF) mass spectrometers with and without a high-dynamic-range (HD) detection system was compared in the analysis of (12)C2/(13)C2-dansyl labeled human urine samples. An average of 1635 ± 21 (n = 3) peak pairs or putative metabolites was detected using the HD-TOF-MS, compared to 1429 ± 37 peak pairs from a conventional or non-HD TOF-MS. In both instruments, signal saturation was observed. However, in the HD-TOF-MS, signal saturation was mainly caused by the ionization process, while in the non-HD TOF-MS, it was caused by the detection process. To extend the MS detection range in the non-HD TOF-MS, an automated switching from using (12)C to (13)C-natural abundance peaks for peak ratio calculation when the (12)C peaks are saturated has been implemented in IsoMS, a software tool for processing CIL LC-MS data. This work illustrates that injecting an optimal sample amount is important to maximize the metabolome coverage while avoiding the sample carryover problem often associated with over-injection. A TOF mass spectrometer with an enhanced detection dynamic range can also significantly increase the number of peak pairs detected. In chemical isotope labeling (CIL) LC-MS, relative metabolite quantification is done by measuring the peak ratio of a (13)C2-/(12)C2-labeled peak pair for a given metabolite present in two comparative samples. The dynamic range of peak ratio measurement does not need to be very large, as only subtle changes of metabolite concentrations are encountered in most metabolomic studies where relative metabolome quantification of different groups of samples is performed. However, the absolute concentrations of different metabolites can be very different, requiring a technique to provide a wide detection dynamic range to allow the detection of as

  4. Assessment of high temperature nuclear energy storage systems for the production of intermediate and peak-load electric power

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Fox, E.C.; Fuller, L.C.; Silverman, M.D.

    1977-01-01

    Increased cost of energy, depletion of domestic supplies of oil and natural gas, and dependence on foreign suppliers, have led to an investigation of energy storage as a means to displace the use of oil and gas presently being used to generate intermediate and peak-load electricity. Dedicated nuclear thermal energy storage is investigated as a possible alternative. An evaluation of thermal storage systems is made for several reactor concepts and economic comparisons are presented with conventional storage and peak power producing systems. It is concluded that dedicated nuclear storage has a small but possible useful role in providing intermediate and peak-load electric power

  5. Feature selection using angle modulated simulated Kalman filter for peak classification of EEG signals.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Adam, Asrul; Ibrahim, Zuwairie; Mokhtar, Norrima; Shapiai, Mohd Ibrahim; Mubin, Marizan; Saad, Ismail

    2016-01-01

    In the existing electroencephalogram (EEG) signals peak classification research, the existing models, such as Dumpala, Acir, Liu, and Dingle peak models, employ different set of features. However, all these models may not be able to offer good performance for various applications and it is found to be problem dependent. Therefore, the objective of this study is to combine all the associated features from the existing models before selecting the best combination of features. A new optimization algorithm, namely as angle modulated simulated Kalman filter (AMSKF) will be employed as feature selector. Also, the neural network random weight method is utilized in the proposed AMSKF technique as a classifier. In the conducted experiment, 11,781 samples of peak candidate are employed in this study for the validation purpose. The samples are collected from three different peak event-related EEG signals of 30 healthy subjects; (1) single eye blink, (2) double eye blink, and (3) eye movement signals. The experimental results have shown that the proposed AMSKF feature selector is able to find the best combination of features and performs at par with the existing related studies of epileptic EEG events classification.

  6. Glow-peak stability in 6LiF:Mg, Ti (TLD-600) exposed to a Fe-ion beam

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Yasuda, Hiroshi

    2001-01-01

    The stability of glow peaks in 6 LiF:Mg, Ti (TLD-600) exposed to a high-energy Fe-ion beam was examined in comparison to 137 Cs γ-ray irradiation under changing annealing conditions. The peak areas induced by the Fe ions were much smaller than those by γ-rays. The sizes and positions of peaks 3-5 in Fe-ion irradiated samples were hardly changed after post-annealing at 100 deg C x 30 min, regardless of the pre-annealing conditions (fast quenching or subsequent pre-annealing at 100 deg C x 2 h). Whereas, the peaks in γ-ray irradiated samples were notably affected by post-annealing; the peak positions and peak-area sizes changed in different ways depending on the pre-annealing conditions. The effects of post-annealing on peak 6 were identical for Fe ions and γ-rays. These facts suggest that peaks 3-5 in TLD-600 comprised both stable and unstable luminescent centers, and that the latter part would be easily depleted in highly dense ionization. (author)

  7. High Performance Computing in Science and Engineering '15 : Transactions of the High Performance Computing Center

    CERN Document Server

    Kröner, Dietmar; Resch, Michael

    2016-01-01

    This book presents the state-of-the-art in supercomputer simulation. It includes the latest findings from leading researchers using systems from the High Performance Computing Center Stuttgart (HLRS) in 2015. The reports cover all fields of computational science and engineering ranging from CFD to computational physics and from chemistry to computer science with a special emphasis on industrially relevant applications. Presenting findings of one of Europe’s leading systems, this volume covers a wide variety of applications that deliver a high level of sustained performance. The book covers the main methods in high-performance computing. Its outstanding results in achieving the best performance for production codes are of particular interest for both scientists and engineers. The book comes with a wealth of color illustrations and tables of results.

  8. High Performance Computing in Science and Engineering '17 : Transactions of the High Performance Computing Center

    CERN Document Server

    Kröner, Dietmar; Resch, Michael; HLRS 2017

    2018-01-01

    This book presents the state-of-the-art in supercomputer simulation. It includes the latest findings from leading researchers using systems from the High Performance Computing Center Stuttgart (HLRS) in 2017. The reports cover all fields of computational science and engineering ranging from CFD to computational physics and from chemistry to computer science with a special emphasis on industrially relevant applications. Presenting findings of one of Europe’s leading systems, this volume covers a wide variety of applications that deliver a high level of sustained performance.The book covers the main methods in high-performance computing. Its outstanding results in achieving the best performance for production codes are of particular interest for both scientists and engineers. The book comes with a wealth of color illustrations and tables of results.

  9. High-Performance Operating Systems

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Sharp, Robin

    1999-01-01

    Notes prepared for the DTU course 49421 "High Performance Operating Systems". The notes deal with quantitative and qualitative techniques for use in the design and evaluation of operating systems in computer systems for which performance is an important parameter, such as real-time applications......, communication systems and multimedia systems....

  10. NOISY WEAK-LENSING CONVERGENCE PEAK STATISTICS NEAR CLUSTERS OF GALAXIES AND BEYOND

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Fan Zuhui; Shan Huanyuan; Liu Jiayi

    2010-01-01

    Taking into account noise from intrinsic ellipticities of source galaxies, in this paper, we study the peak statistics in weak-lensing convergence maps around clusters of galaxies and beyond. We emphasize how the noise peak statistics is affected by the density distribution of nearby clusters, and also how cluster-peak signals are changed by the existence of noise. These are the important aspects to be thoroughly understood in weak-lensing analyses for individual clusters as well as in cosmological applications of weak-lensing cluster statistics. We adopt Gaussian smoothing with the smoothing scale θ G = 0.5arcmin in our analyses. It is found that the noise peak distribution near a cluster of galaxies sensitively depends on the density profile of the cluster. For a cored isothermal cluster with the core radius R c , the inner region with R ≤ R c appears noisy containing on average ∼2.4 peaks with ν ≥ 5 for R c = 1.7arcmin and the true peak height of the cluster ν = 5.6, where ν denotes the convergence signal-to-noise ratio. For a Navarro-Frenk-White (NFW) cluster of the same mass and the same central ν, the average number of peaks with ν ≥ 5 within R ≤ R c is ∼1.6. Thus a high peak corresponding to the main cluster can be identified more cleanly in the NFW case. In the outer region with R c c , the number of high noise peaks is considerably enhanced in comparison with that of the pure noise case without the nearby cluster. For ν ≥ 4, depending on the treatment of the mass-sheet degeneracy in weak-lensing analyses, the enhancement factor f is in the range of ∼5 to ∼55 for both clusters as their outer density profiles are similar. The properties of the main-cluster-peak identified in convergence maps are also significantly affected by the presence of noise. Scatters as well as a systematic shift for the peak height are present. The height distribution is peaked at ν ∼ 6.6, rather than at ν = 5.6, corresponding to a shift of Δν ∼ 1

  11. Study of the performance of HPGe detectors operating in very high magnetic fields

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Agnello, M.; Botta, E.; Bressani, T.; Bruschi, M.; Bufalino, S.; De Napoli, M.; Feliciello, A.; Fontana, A.; Giacobbe, B.; Lavezzi, L.; Raciti, G.; Rapisarda, E.; Rotondi, A.; Sbarra, C.; Sfienti, C.; Zoccoli, A.

    2009-01-01

    A new generation of high-resolution hypernuclear γ-spectroscopy experiments using high-purity germanium (HPGe) detectors is presently designed for the FINUDA spectrometer at DAΦNE, the Frascati Φ-factory, and for PANDA, the p-p-bar hadron spectrometer at the future FAIR facility. In both spectrometers the HPGe detectors have to be operated in strong magnetic fields. In this paper we report on a series of measurements performed on a HPGe detector inserted in a magnetic field of intensity up to 2.5 T, the highest ever reached for operations with a HPGe, and with different orientations of the detector's axis with respect to field direction. A significant worsening of the energy resolution was found, but with a moderate loss of the efficiency. The most relevant features of the peak shapes, described by bi-Gaussian functions, are parametrized in terms of field intensity and energy: this allows to correct the spectra measured in magnetic field and to recover the energy resolution almost completely.

  12. Design flood hydrographs from the relationship between flood peak and volume

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    L. Mediero

    2010-12-01

    Full Text Available Hydrological frequency analyses are usually focused on flood peaks. Flood volumes and durations have not been studied as extensively, although there are many practical situations, such as when designing a dam, in which the full hydrograph is of interest. A flood hydrograph may be described by a multivariate function of the peak, volume and duration. Most standard bivariate and trivariate functions do not produce univariate three-parameter functions as marginal distributions, however, three-parameter functions are required to fit highly skewed data, such as flood peak and flood volume series. In this paper, the relationship between flood peak and hydrograph volume is analysed to overcome this problem. A Monte Carlo experiment was conducted to generate an ensemble of hydrographs that maintain the statistical properties of marginal distributions of the peaks, volumes and durations. This ensemble can be applied to determine the Design Flood Hydrograph (DFH for a reservoir, which is not a unique hydrograph, but rather a curve in the peak-volume space. All hydrographs on that curve have the same return period, which can be understood as the inverse of the probability to exceed a certain water level in the reservoir in any given year. The procedure can also be applied to design the length of the spillway crest in terms of the risk of exceeding a given water level in the reservoir.

  13. Normal-Gamma-Bernoulli Peak Detection for Analysis of Comprehensive Two-Dimensional Gas Chromatography Mass Spectrometry Data.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kim, Seongho; Jang, Hyejeong; Koo, Imhoi; Lee, Joohyoung; Zhang, Xiang

    2017-01-01

    Compared to other analytical platforms, comprehensive two-dimensional gas chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry (GC×GC-MS) has much increased separation power for analysis of complex samples and thus is increasingly used in metabolomics for biomarker discovery. However, accurate peak detection remains a bottleneck for wide applications of GC×GC-MS. Therefore, the normal-exponential-Bernoulli (NEB) model is generalized by gamma distribution and a new peak detection algorithm using the normal-gamma-Bernoulli (NGB) model is developed. Unlike the NEB model, the NGB model has no closed-form analytical solution, hampering its practical use in peak detection. To circumvent this difficulty, three numerical approaches, which are fast Fourier transform (FFT), the first-order and the second-order delta methods (D1 and D2), are introduced. The applications to simulated data and two real GC×GC-MS data sets show that the NGB-D1 method performs the best in terms of both computational expense and peak detection performance.

  14. Relative thermoluminescent efficiencies proton/gamma and helium/gamma of peaks of high temperature in TLD-100 dosemeters; Eficiencias termoluminiscentes relativas proton/gamma y helio/gamma de picos de alta temperatura en dosimetros TLD-100

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Flores M, E. [UNAM, Facultad de Ciencias, 04510 Mexico D.F. (Mexico)

    2007-07-01

    The increase of the applications of ion beams in radiotherapy treatments has generated interest in the study of the thermoluminescent materials (TL) that allow to determine the applied doses. A way to quantify the TL response from these materials to ions is by means of the relative thermoluminescent efficiency. In the group of Thermoluminescent dosimetry of the Institute of Physics of the UNAM (IFUNAM) the thermoluminescent response of the TLD-100 dosemeters has been studied, which present a glow curve characteristic with several peaks that correspond to traps and luminescent centers in the material. The stable peaks know each other as 4, 5, 6a, 6b, 7, 8, 9 and 10. The efficiencies should be measured using the response so much to the radiation of interest (in this case protons and helium ions) as the response to gamma radiation. In previous works with ions of low energy taken place in the Pelletron accelerator of the IFUNAM was only measured the TL efficiency for the peak 5 and the total signal. It had not been possible to measure the efficiency of the peaks of high temperature (6a-10) because, for the gamma radiation, the peaks of high temperature show very small signals; however, recently Massillon carries out measures of efficiency TL of peaks of high temperature for ions of intermediate energy using a protocol special of reading and of deconvolution that allows to measure the signals coming from the peaks of high temperature. In this work is implemented this same protocol to complete the study of TL efficiencies at low energy of protons and helium and to determine if the values of efficiency depend on the used reading protocol. For it is reported it measures of the relative efficiency of the peaks of high temperature from the TLD-100 exposed to protons of 1.5 MeV and nuclei of helium of 3 and 7.5 MeV. (Author)

  15. The Nature of Double-peaked [O III] Active Galactic Nuclei

    Science.gov (United States)

    Fu, Hai; Yan, Lin; Myers, Adam D.; Stockton, Alan; Djorgovski, S. G.; Aldering, G.; Rich, Jeffrey A.

    2012-01-01

    Active galactic nuclei (AGNs) with double-peaked [O III] lines are suspected to be sub-kpc or kpc-scale binary AGNs. However, pure gas kinematics can produce the same double-peaked line profile in spatially integrated spectra. Here we combine integral-field spectroscopy and high-resolution imaging of 42 double-peaked [O III] AGNs from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey to investigate the constituents of the population. We find two binary AGNs where the line splitting is driven by the orbital motion of the merging nuclei. Such objects account for only ~2% of the double-peaked AGNs. Almost all (~98%) of the double-peaked AGNs were selected because of gas kinematics; and half of those show spatially resolved narrow-line regions that extend 4-20 kpc from the nuclei. Serendipitously, we find two spectrally unresolved binary AGNs where gas kinematics produced the double-peaked [O III] lines. The relatively frequent serendipitous discoveries indicate that only ~1% of binary AGNs would appear double-peaked in Sloan spectra and 2.2+2.5 -0.8% of all Sloan AGNs are binary AGNs. Therefore, the double-peaked sample does not offer much advantage over any other AGN samples in finding binary AGNs. The binary AGN fraction implies an elevated AGN duty cycle (8+8 -3%), suggesting galaxy interactions enhance nuclear accretion. We illustrate that integral-field spectroscopy is crucial for identifying binary AGNs: several objects previously classified as "binary AGNs" with long-slit spectra are most likely single AGNs with extended narrow-line regions (ENLRs). The formation of ENLRs driven by radiation pressure is also discussed. Some of the data presented herein were obtained at the W.M. Keck Observatory, which is operated as a scientific partnership among the California Institute of Technology, the University of California, and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration. The Observatory was made possible by the generous financial support of the W. M. Keck Foundation.

  16. MR spectroscopy of intracranial tuberculomas: A singlet peak at 3.8 ppm as potential marker to differentiate them from malignant tumors

    Science.gov (United States)

    Alfaro, David; Martinot, Carlos; Fayed, Nicolas; Gaskill-Shipley, Mary

    2015-01-01

    Purpose The diagnosis of intracranial tuberculomas is often challenging. Our purpose is to describe the most common metabolic patterns of tuberculomas by MR spectroscopy (MRS) with emphasis on potential specific markers. Methods Single-voxel MRS short echo time was performed in 13 cases of tuberculomas proven by histology and/or response to anti-mycobacterial therapy. For comparison MRS was also performed in 19 biopsy-proven malignant tumors (13 high-grade gliomas and six metastasis). Presence of metabolic peaks was assessed visually and categorical variables between groups were compared using chi-square. Metabolite ratios were compared using Mann-Whitney test and diagnostic accuracy of the metabolite ratios was compared using receiver-operating characteristic (ROC) curves analysis. Results Spectroscopic peaks representing lipids and glutamate/glutamine (Glx) as well as a peak at ∼3.8 ppm were well defined in 77% (10/13), 77% (10/13) and 69% (nine of 13) of tuberculomas, respectively. Lipid and Glx peaks were also present in most of the malignant lesions, 79% (15/19) and 74% (14/19) respectively. However, a peak at ∼3.8 ppm was present in only 10% (two of 19) of the tumor cases (p < 0.001). Higher Cho/Cr and mI/Cr ratios helped discriminate malignant lesions with an area under the ROC curve of 0.86 (SE: 0.078, p < 0.002, CI: 0.7–1) and 0.8 (SE: 0.1, p < 0.009, CI: 0.6–1), respectively. Threshold values between 1.7–1.9 for Cho/Cr and 0.8–0.9 for mI/Cr provided high specificity (91% for both metabolites) and adequate sensitivity (75% and 80%, respectively) for discrimination of malignant lesions. Conclusion A singlet peak at ∼3.8 ppm is present in the majority of tuberculomas and absent in most malignant tumors, potentially a marker to differentiate these lesions. The assignment of the peak is difficult from our analysis; however, guanidinoacetate (Gua) is a possibility. Higher Cho/Cr and mI/Cr ratios should favor malignant lesions

  17. Study and development of 22 kW peak power fiber coupled short pulse Nd:YAG laser for cleaning applications

    Science.gov (United States)

    Choubey, Ambar; Vishwakarma, S. C.; Vachhani, D. M.; Singh, Ravindra; Misra, Pushkar; Jain, R. K.; Arya, R.; Upadhyaya, B. N.; Oak, S. M.

    2014-11-01

    Free running short pulse Nd:YAG laser of microsecond pulse duration and high peak power has a unique capability to ablate material from the surface without heat propagation into the bulk. Applications of short pulse Nd:YAG lasers include cleaning and restoration of marble, stones, and a variety of metals for conservation. A study on the development of high peak power short pulses from Nd:YAG laser along with its cleaning and conservation applications has been performed. A pulse energy of 1.25 J with 55 μs pulse duration and a maximum peak power of 22 kW has been achieved. Laser beam has an M2 value of ~28 and a pulse-to-pulse stability of ±2.5%. A lower value of M2 means a better beam quality of the laser in multimode operation. A top hat spatial profile of the laser beam was achieved at the exit end of 200 μm core diameter optical fiber, which is desirable for uniform cleaning. This laser system has been evaluated for efficient cleaning of surface contaminations on marble, zircaloy, and inconel materials for conservation with cleaning efficiency as high as 98%. Laser's cleaning quality and efficiency have been analysed by using a microscope, a scanning electron microscope (SEM), and X-ray photon spectroscopy (XPS) measurements.

  18. Chemometric strategy for automatic chromatographic peak detection and background drift correction in chromatographic data.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yu, Yong-Jie; Xia, Qiao-Ling; Wang, Sheng; Wang, Bing; Xie, Fu-Wei; Zhang, Xiao-Bing; Ma, Yun-Ming; Wu, Hai-Long

    2014-09-12

    Peak detection and background drift correction (BDC) are the key stages in using chemometric methods to analyze chromatographic fingerprints of complex samples. This study developed a novel chemometric strategy for simultaneous automatic chromatographic peak detection and BDC. A robust statistical method was used for intelligent estimation of instrumental noise level coupled with first-order derivative of chromatographic signal to automatically extract chromatographic peaks in the data. A local curve-fitting strategy was then employed for BDC. Simulated and real liquid chromatographic data were designed with various kinds of background drift and degree of overlapped chromatographic peaks to verify the performance of the proposed strategy. The underlying chromatographic peaks can be automatically detected and reasonably integrated by this strategy. Meanwhile, chromatograms with BDC can be precisely obtained. The proposed method was used to analyze a complex gas chromatography dataset that monitored quality changes in plant extracts during storage procedure. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  19. [Detection of the preservative chlorphenesin in cosmetics by high-performance liquid chromatography].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ikarashi, Yoshiaki; Miyazawa, Norimasa; Shimamura, Kimio; Sato, Nobuo; Yoshizawa, Ken-ichi; Hayashi, Masahito; Takano, Katsuhiro; Miyamoto, Michiko; Kojima, Takashi; Sakaguchi, Hiroshi; Fujiio, Makiko

    2009-01-01

    A simple determination method for preservative chlorphenesin in cosmetics was developed. Cosmetic samples were dissolved in methanol. The sample solution was analyzed by high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) with ODS column, using water-methanol (55:45) or water-acetonitrile (3:1) adjusted to pH 2.5 with phosphoric acid as the mobile phase. Chlorphenesin was detected with ultraviolet light detection at 280 nm. A linear relation was obtained between the peak areas and the concentrations of chlorphenesin in the range of 1-500 microg/ml. The determination limit of chlorphenesin was 1-2 microg/ml. Recoveries of chlorphenesin spiked in lotion and milky lotion at the levels of 0.03% and 0.3% were 98.8-100.0%. This method was applied for cosmetics including 0.03% and 0.3% of chlorphenesin and their content corresponded with the determined values.

  20. [Analysis of the preservative chlorphenesin in cosmetics by high performance liquid chromatography].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhu, Huijuan; Zhang, Weiqiang; Yang, Yanwei; Zhu, Ying

    2014-01-01

    An analytical method was developed for the determination of the preservative of chlorphenesin in cosmetics by high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). A C18 column (250 mm x 4.6 mm, 5 microm) and a photodiode array detector were used. The mobile phase was methanol-water (55:45, v/v) with a flow rate of 1.0 mL/min. The detection wavelength was set at 280 nm and the column temperature was 25 degrees C. The limit of detection was 3 ng. A good linear relationship was obtained between the peak area and the mass concentration of chlorphenesin in the range of 1 - 500 mg/L and the correlation coefficient was 1.000 0. The recoveries of chlorphenesin at different spiked levels were 99.0% - 103% with the relative standard deviations (RSD) chlorphenesin in cosmetics.

  1. High performance fuel technology development

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Koon, Yang Hyun; Kim, Keon Sik; Park, Jeong Yong; Yang, Yong Sik; In, Wang Kee; Kim, Hyung Kyu [KAERI, Daejeon (Korea, Republic of)

    2012-01-15

    {omicron} Development of High Plasticity and Annular Pellet - Development of strong candidates of ultra high burn-up fuel pellets for a PCI remedy - Development of fabrication technology of annular fuel pellet {omicron} Development of High Performance Cladding Materials - Irradiation test of HANA claddings in Halden research reactor and the evaluation of the in-pile performance - Development of the final candidates for the next generation cladding materials. - Development of the manufacturing technology for the dual-cooled fuel cladding tubes. {omicron} Irradiated Fuel Performance Evaluation Technology Development - Development of performance analysis code system for the dual-cooled fuel - Development of fuel performance-proving technology {omicron} Feasibility Studies on Dual-Cooled Annular Fuel Core - Analysis on the property of a reactor core with dual-cooled fuel - Feasibility evaluation on the dual-cooled fuel core {omicron} Development of Design Technology for Dual-Cooled Fuel Structure - Definition of technical issues and invention of concept for dual-cooled fuel structure - Basic design and development of main structure components for dual- cooled fuel - Basic design of a dual-cooled fuel rod.

  2. Comparison of the two relaxation peaks in the Ti50Ni48Fe2 alloy

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Fan Genlian; Zhou Yumei; Otsuka, Kazuhiro; Ren Xiaobing; Suzuki, Tetsuro; Yin Fuxing

    2009-01-01

    The internal friction (tan δ) and storage modulus of Ti 50 Ni 48 Fe 2 alloy were studied by dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA). On cooling, a broad relaxation peak with tan δ value as high as 0.2 was detected in R-phase. On heating, another relaxation peak with tan δ value of 0.06 was found in B19' martensite. Both relaxation peaks disappeared when the alloy was dehydrogenated in a dynamic vacuum furnace. Thus, the origin of both relaxation peaks was attributed to the interaction between twin boundaries and hydrogen atoms, as recently proved in Ti-Ni-Cu alloy. The direct comparison of these two relaxation peaks in the same sample indicates that the height of relaxation peaks increases with the decreasing of twinning shear.

  3. Four Weeks of Off-Season Training Improves Peak Oxygen Consumption in Female Field Hockey Players

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Lindsey T. Funch

    2017-11-01

    Full Text Available The purpose of the study was to examine the changes in peak oxygen consumption ( V ˙O2peak and running economy (RE following four-weeks of high intensity training and concurrent strength and conditioning during the off-season in collegiate female field hockey players. Fourteen female student-athletes (age 19.29 ± 0.91 years were divided into two training groups, matched from baseline V ˙O2peak: High Intensity Training (HITrun; n = 8 and High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT; n = 6. Participants completed 12 training sessions. HITrun consisted of 30 min of high-intensity running, while HIIT consisted of a series of whole-body high intensity Tabata-style intervals (75–85% of age predicted maximum heart rate for a total of four minutes. In addition to the interval training, the off-season training included six resistance training sessions, three team practices, and concluded with a team scrimmage. V ˙O2peak was measured pre- and post-training to determine the effectiveness of the training program. A two-way mixed (group × time ANOVA showed a main effect of time with a statistically significant difference in V ˙O2peak from pre- to post-testing, F(1, 12 = 12.657, p = 0.004, partial η2 = 0.041. Average (±SD V ˙O2peak increased from 44.64 ± 3.74 to 47.35 ± 3.16 mL·kg−1·min−1 for HIIT group and increased from 45.39 ± 2.80 to 48.22 ± 2.42 mL·kg−1·min−1 for HITrun group. Given the similar improvement in aerobic power, coaches and training staff may find the time saving element of HIIT-type conditioning programs attractive.

  4. Determination of Finasteride in Tablets by High Performance Liquid Chromatography

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    K. Basavaiah

    2007-01-01

    Full Text Available A rapid, highly sensitive high performance liquid chromatographic method has been developed for the determination of finasteride(FNS in bulk drug and in tablets. FNS was eluted from a ODS C18 reversed phase column at laboratory temperature (30 ± 2°C with a mobile phase consisting of methanol and water (80+20 at a flow rate of 1 mL min-1 with UV detection at 225 nm. The retention time was ∼ 6.1 min and each analysis took not more than 10 min. Quantitation was achieved by measurement of peak area without using any internal standard. Calibration graph was linear from 2.0 to 30 μg mL-1 with limits of detection (LOD and quantification (LOQ being 0.2 and 0.6 μg mL-1, respectively. The method was validated according to the current ICH guidelines. Within-day co efficients of variation (CV ranged from 0.31 to 0.69% and between-day CV were in the range 1.2-3.2%. Recovery of FNS from the pharmaceutical dosage forms ranged from 97.89 – 102.9 with CV of 1.41-4.13%. The developed method was compared with the official method for FNS determination in its tablet forms.

  5. Chinese emissions peak: Not when, but how

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Spencer, Thomas; Colombier, Michel; Wang, Xin; Sartor, Oliver; Waisman, Henri

    2016-07-01

    It seems highly likely that China will overachieve its 2020 and 2030 targets, and peak its emissions before 2030 and possibly at a lower level than often assumed. This paper argues that the debate on the timing of the peak is misplaced: what matters is not when by why. For the peak to be seen as a harbinger of deep transformation, it needs to be based on significant macro-economic reform and restructuring, with attendant improvement in energy intensity. The Chinese economic model has been extraordinarily investment and resource intensive, and has driven the growth in GHG emissions. That model is no longer economically or environmentally sustainable. Therefore Chinese policy-makers are faced with a trade-off between slower short-term growth and economic reform, versus supporting short-term growth but slowing economic reform. The outcome will be crucial for the transition to a low-carbon economy. Overall, the 13. FYP (2016-2020) gives the impression of a cautious reflection of the new normal paradigm on the economic front, and a somewhat conservative translation of this shift into the energy and climate targets. Nonetheless, the 13. FYP targets set China well on the way to overachieving its 2020 pledge undertaken at COP15 in Copenhagen, and to potentially overachieving its INDC. It thus seems likely that China will achieve its emissions peak before 2030. However, the crucial question is not when China peaks, but whether the underlying transformation of the Chinese economy and energy system lays the basis for deep decarbonization thereafter. Thorough assessments of the implications of the 'new normal' for Chinese emissions and energy system trajectories, taking into account the link with the Chinese macro-economy, are needed. Scenarios provide a useful framework and should focus on a number of short-term uncertainties. Most energy system and emissions scenarios published today assume a continuity of trends between 2010-2015 and 2015-2020, which is at odds with clear

  6. High performance homes

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Beim, Anne; Vibæk, Kasper Sánchez

    2014-01-01

    . Consideration of all these factors is a precondition for a truly integrated practice and as this chapter demonstrates, innovative project delivery methods founded on the manufacturing of prefabricated buildings contribute to the production of high performance homes that are cost effective to construct, energy...

  7. Study on the influence of lipid peak to the results of MR spectroscopy in the central gland of prostate

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Dong Yanjun; Wang Xiaoying; Li Feiyu; Jiang Xuexiang

    2007-01-01

    Objective: To study the influence of lipid peak to MRS in central gland of prostate gland. Methods: Seventeen patients performed transurethral resection of prostate (TURP) for benign prostate hyperplasia (BPH) were enrolled in this study. Three groups were divided according to the pathological findings: glandular-BPH (GBPH) (7 cases), stromal-BPH (SBPH) (6 cases), and incidentally detected prostate carcinoma (IDPC) (4 cases). The voxel with lipid peak in the field of volume was counted. Compared with pathology, the following studies were performed: (1) The location of the voxels that more frequently presented lipid peak in the central gland. (2) Whether the appearance of the lipid peak would obscure the identification of the peaks of the endogenous metabolites. Results: The ratio of voxels with lipid peak in central gland was about 22.8% (834/3567). There were 1477 (397 voxels with lipid peak), 1434(396 voxels with lipid peak), and 656(41 voxels with lipid peak) voxels in CBPH, SBPH, and IDPC groups, respectively. The percentage in GBPH, SBPH, and IDPC groups was 23.6%, 27.2%, and 6.4%, respectively. The percentage of voxels with lipid peak at the edge of the central gland (79.6%, 68.6% and 72.4%, respectively) was higher than that in other regions. The lipid peak in most of the voxels didn't influence the identification of the citrate and choline peak (82.8%, 98.0%, and 96.4%, respectively). Conclusion: The lipid peak in the central gland may result from the lipid tissues near the gland, and most lipid peak had no influence on the identification of endogenous metabolites. (authors)

  8. Sprint performance and propulsion asymmetries on an ergometer in trained high- and low-point wheelchair rugby players.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Goosey-Tolfrey, V L; Vegter, R J K; Mason, B S; Paulson, T A W; Lenton, J P; van der Scheer, J W; van der Woude, L H V

    2018-05-01

    The purpose of this study was to examine the propulsion asymmetries of wheelchair athletes while sprinting on an instrumented, dual-roller ergometer system. Eighteen experienced wheelchair rugby players (8 low point (LP) (class ≤1.5) and 10 high point (HP) (class ≥2.0)) performed a 15-second sprint in their sports wheelchair on the instrumented ergometer. Asymmetry was defined as the difference in distance and power output (PO) between left and right sides when the best side reached 28 m. Propulsion techniques were quantified based on torque and velocity data. HP players covered an average 3 m further than the LP players (P = .002) and achieved faster sprint times than LP players (6.95 ± 0.89 vs 8.03 ± 0.68 seconds, P = .005) and at the time the best player finished (5.96 seconds). Higher peak POs (667 ± 108 vs 357 ± 78 W, P = .0001) and greater peak speeds that were also evident were for HP players (4.80 ± 0.71 vs 4.09 ± 0.45 m/s, P = .011). Greater asymmetries were found in HP players for distance (1.86 ± 1.43 vs 0.70 ± 0.65 m, P = .016), absolute peak PO (P = .049), and speed (0.35 ± 0.25 vs 0.11 ± 0.10 m/s, P = .009). Although HP players had faster sprint times over 28 m (achieved by a higher PO), high standard deviations show the heterogeneity within the two groups (eg, some LP players were better than HP players). Quantification of asymmetries is important not only for classifiers but also for sports practitioners wishing to improve performance as they could be addressed through training and/or wheelchair configuration. © 2018 John Wiley & Sons A/S. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

  9. Optical timing receiver for the NASA Spaceborne Ranging System. Part I. Dual peak-sensing timing discriminator

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Leskovar, B.; Lo, C.C.; Zizka, G.

    1978-01-01

    Position-resolution capabilities of the NASA Spaceborne Laser Ranging System are essentially determined by the time-resolution capabilities of its optical timing receiver. The optical timing receiver consists of a fast photoelectric device; (e.g., photomultiplier or an avalanche photodiode detector), a timing discriminator, a high-precision event-timing digitizer, and a signal-processing system. The time-resolution capabilities of the receiver are determined by the photoelectron time spread of the photoelectric device, the time walk and resolution characteristics of the timing discriminator, and the resolution of the event-timing digitizer. It is thus necessary to evaluate available fast photoelectronic devices with respect to their time-resolution capabilities, to design a very low time walk timing discriminator and to develop a high-resolution event-timing digitizer which will be used in the high-resolution spaceborne laser ranging system receiver. The development of a new dual-peak sensing timing discriminator is described. The amplitude dependent time walk is less than +-150 psec for a 100:1 dynamic range of Gaussian-shaped input signals having pulse widths between 11 and 17 nsec. The unit produces 800 mV negative output pulses, each 10 nsec wide, and 3V positive pulses with widths of 15 nsec. The time delay through the discriminator is approximately 37 nsec. In this discriminator the input signal is processed by a peak-crossing circuit which produces a bipolar pulse having its zero-crossing point at the peak of the input signal. All essential functions in the discriminator are performed by means of tunnel diodes with backward diodes as nonlinear loads. The discriminator is designed to be CAMAC compatible to a conventional time-interval unit or a high-precision event timing digitizer. The adjustment procedure for obtaining minimum time walk is also given

  10. Distribution network planning method considering distributed generation for peak cutting

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ouyang Wu; Cheng Haozhong; Zhang Xiubin; Yao Liangzhong

    2010-01-01

    Conventional distribution planning method based on peak load brings about large investment, high risk and low utilization efficiency. A distribution network planning method considering distributed generation (DG) for peak cutting is proposed in this paper. The new integrated distribution network planning method with DG implementation aims to minimize the sum of feeder investments, DG investments, energy loss cost and the additional cost of DG for peak cutting. Using the solution techniques combining genetic algorithm (GA) with the heuristic approach, the proposed model determines the optimal planning scheme including the feeder network and the siting and sizing of DG. The strategy for the site and size of DG, which is based on the radial structure characteristics of distribution network, reduces the complexity degree of solving the optimization model and eases the computational burden substantially. Furthermore, the operation schedule of DG at the different load level is also provided.

  11. Performance of high-density-carbon (HDC) ablator implosion experiments on the National Ignition Facility (NIF)

    Science.gov (United States)

    MacKinnon, Andy

    2013-10-01

    A series of experiments on the National Ignition Facility (NIF) have been performed to measure high-density carbon (HDC) ablator performance for indirect drive inertial confinement fusion (ICF). HDC is a very promising ablator material; being 3x denser than plastic, it absorbs more hohlraum x-rays, leading to higher implosion efficiency. For the HDC experiments the NIF laser generated shaped laser pulses with peak power up to 410 TW and total energy of 1.3 MJ. Pulse shapes were designed to drive 2, 3 or 4 shocks in cryogenic layered implosions. The 2-shock pulse, with a designed fuel adiabat of ~3 is 6-7ns in duration, allowing use of near vacuum hohlraums, which greatly increases the coupling efficiency due to low backscatter losses. Excellent results were obtained for 2,3 and 4 shock pulses. In particular a deuterium-tritium gas filled HDC capsule driven by a 4-shock pulse in a gas-filled hohlraum produced a neutron yield of 1.6 × 1015, a record for a non-cryogenically layered capsule driven by a gas-filled hohlraum. The first 2-shock experiment used a vacuum hohlraum to drive a DD gas filled HDC capsule with a 6.5 ns, laser pulse. This hohlraum was 40% more efficient than the gas-filled counterpart used for 3 and 4 shock experiments, producing near 1D performance at 11 x convergence ratio, peak radiation temperature of 317 eV, 98% laser-hohlraum coupling, and DD neutron yield of 2.2e13, a record for a laser driven DD implosion. The HDC campaigns will be presented, including options for pushing towards the alpha dominated regime. This work was performed under the auspices of the U.S. Department of Energy by Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory under Contract DE-AC52-07NA27344.

  12. Peak experiences of psilocybin users and non-users.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cummins, Christina; Lyke, Jennifer

    2013-01-01

    Maslow (1970) defined peak experiences as the most wonderful experiences of a person's life, which may include a sense of awe, well-being, or transcendence. Furthermore, recent research has suggested that psilocybin can produce experiences subjectively rated as uniquely meaningful and significant (Griffiths et al. 2006). It is therefore possible that psilocybin may facilitate or change the nature of peak experiences in users compared to non-users. This study was designed to compare the peak experiences of psilocybin users and non-users, to evaluate the frequency of peak experiences while under the influence of psilocybin, and to assess the perceived degree of alteration of consciousness during these experiences. Participants were recruited through convenience and snowball sampling from undergraduate classes and at a musical event. Participants were divided into three groups, those who reported a peak experience while under the influence of psilocybin (psilocybin peak experience: PPE), participants who had used psilocybin but reported their peak experiences did not occur while they were under the influence of psilocybin (non-psilocybin peak experience: NPPE), and participants who had never used psilocybin (non-user: NU). A total of 101 participants were asked to think about their peak experiences and complete a measure evaluating the degree of alteration of consciousness during that experience. Results indicated that 47% of psilocybin users reported their peak experience occurred while using psilocybin. In addition, there were significant differences among the three groups on all dimensions of alteration of consciousness. Future research is necessary to identify factors that influence the peak experiences of psilocybin users in naturalistic settings and contribute to the different characteristics of peak experiences of psilocybin users and non-users.

  13. Individual vision and peak distribution in collective actions

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lu, Peng

    2017-06-01

    People make decisions on whether they should participate as participants or not as free riders in collective actions with heterogeneous visions. Besides of the utility heterogeneity and cost heterogeneity, this work includes and investigates the effect of vision heterogeneity by constructing a decision model, i.e. the revised peak model of participants. In this model, potential participants make decisions under the joint influence of utility, cost, and vision heterogeneities. The outcomes of simulations indicate that vision heterogeneity reduces the values of peaks, and the relative variance of peaks is stable. Under normal distributions of vision heterogeneity and other factors, the peaks of participants are normally distributed as well. Therefore, it is necessary to predict distribution traits of peaks based on distribution traits of related factors such as vision heterogeneity and so on. We predict the distribution of peaks with parameters of both mean and standard deviation, which provides the confident intervals and robust predictions of peaks. Besides, we validate the peak model of via the Yuyuan Incident, a real case in China (2014), and the model works well in explaining the dynamics and predicting the peak of real case.

  14. High-performance liquid chromatography of quinoidal imminium compounds derived from triphenylmethanes

    Science.gov (United States)

    Abidi, S.L.

    1983-01-01

    A series of eleven p-aminotriphenylmethane dyes have been studied by high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). The combined use of HPLC and spectrophotometry permits specific detection of these compounds in the visible range around 600 nm. As the high affinity of the imminium cations for the active sites of the hydrocarbonaceous stationary phase has presented difficulties for reversed-phase HPLC with pure solvents, organic electrolytes were added to the mobile phase to facilitate the elution of the components with improved selectivity, sensitivity (minimum detection limit, 0.1 μg/ml), and peak symmetry. The effects of chromatographic variables on the component retentivity were investigated. Retention times of the dye analytes decreased with increasing concentration of the added ionic reagent and with decreasing number of the hydrophobic alkyl substituents on the nitrogen atom. The influence of pH on the retention parameters appears to parallel that observed previously for cationic quaternary ammonium compounds. Among the acidic reagents employed, naphthalenesulfonic acid yielded the most satisfactory results. The use of binary electrolyte systems invariably improved the chromatographic behavior of the imminium solutes analyzed. Results obtained with two different octadecylsilica columns have been compared.

  15. Automatic Locking of Laser Frequency to an Absorption Peak

    Science.gov (United States)

    Koch, Grady J.

    2006-01-01

    An electronic system adjusts the frequency of a tunable laser, eventually locking the frequency to a peak in the optical absorption spectrum of a gas (or of a Fabry-Perot cavity that has an absorption peak like that of a gas). This system was developed to enable precise locking of the frequency of a laser used in differential absorption LIDAR measurements of trace atmospheric gases. This system also has great commercial potential as a prototype of means for precise control of frequencies of lasers in future dense wavelength-division-multiplexing optical communications systems. The operation of this system is completely automatic: Unlike in the operation of some prior laser-frequency-locking systems, there is ordinarily no need for a human operator to adjust the frequency manually to an initial value close enough to the peak to enable automatic locking to take over. Instead, this system also automatically performs the initial adjustment. The system (see Figure 1) is based on a concept of (1) initially modulating the laser frequency to sweep it through a spectral range that includes the desired absorption peak, (2) determining the derivative of the absorption peak with respect to the laser frequency for use as an error signal, (3) identifying the desired frequency [at the very top (which is also the middle) of the peak] as the frequency where the derivative goes to zero, and (4) thereafter keeping the frequency within a locking range and adjusting the frequency as needed to keep the derivative (the error signal) as close as possible to zero. More specifically, the system utilizes the fact that in addition to a zero crossing at the top of the absorption peak, the error signal also closely approximates a straight line in the vicinity of the zero crossing (see Figure 2). This vicinity is the locking range because the linearity of the error signal in this range makes it useful as a source of feedback for a proportional + integral + derivative control scheme that

  16. Strategy Guideline: High Performance Residential Lighting

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Holton, J.

    2012-02-01

    The Strategy Guideline: High Performance Residential Lighting has been developed to provide a tool for the understanding and application of high performance lighting in the home. The high performance lighting strategies featured in this guide are drawn from recent advances in commercial lighting for application to typical spaces found in residential buildings. This guide offers strategies to greatly reduce lighting energy use through the application of high quality fluorescent and light emitting diode (LED) technologies. It is important to note that these strategies not only save energy in the home but also serve to satisfy the homeowner's expectations for high quality lighting.

  17. MERGERS IN DOUBLE-PEAKED [O III] ACTIVE GALACTIC NUCLEI

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Fu Hai; Djorgovski, S. G.; Myers, Adam D.; Yan Lin

    2011-01-01

    As a natural consequence of galaxy mergers, binary active galactic nuclei (AGNs) should be commonplace. Nevertheless, observational confirmations are rare, especially for binaries with separations less than 10 kpc. Such a system may show two sets of narrow emission lines in a single spectrum owing to the orbital motion of the binary. We have obtained high-resolution near-infrared images of 50 double-peaked [O III]λ5007 AGNs with the Keck II laser guide star adaptive optics system. The Sloan Digital Sky Survey sample is compiled from the literature and consists of 17 type-1 AGNs between 0.18 BH -σ * relation because of overestimated stellar velocity dispersions, illustrating the importance of removing mergers from the samples defining the M BH -σ * relations. Finally, we find that the emission-line properties are indistinguishable for spatially resolved and unresolved sources, emphasizing that scenarios involving a single AGN can produce the same double-peaked line profiles and they account for at least 70% of the double-peaked [O III] AGNs.

  18. High performance conductometry

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Saha, B.

    2000-01-01

    Inexpensive but high performance systems have emerged progressively for basic and applied measurements in physical and analytical chemistry on one hand, and for on-line monitoring and leak detection in plants and facilities on the other. Salient features of the developments will be presented with specific examples

  19. Isotope resolution of the iron peak

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Henke, R.P.; Benton, E.V.

    1977-01-01

    A stack of Lexan detectors from the Apollo 17 mission has been analyzed to obtain Z measurements of sufficient accuracy to resolve the iron peak into its isotopic components. Within this distribution several peaks are present. With the centrally located, most populated peak assumed to be 56 Fe, the measurements imply that the abundances of 54 Fe and 58 Fe are appreciable fractions of the 56 Fe abundance. This result is in agreement with those of Webber et al. and Siegman et al. but in disagreement with the predictions of Tsao et al. (Auth.)

  20. Deciphering lead and cadmium stripping peaks for porous antimony deposited electrodes

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Taimoor Aqeel Ahmad

    2016-06-01

    Full Text Available Cadmium and lead are generally taken as model heavy metal ions in water to scale the detection limit of various electrode sensors, using electrochemical sensing techniques. These ions interact with the electrochemically deposited antimony electrodes depending on the diffusion limitations. The phenomenon acts differently for the in-situ and ex-situ deposition as well as for porous and non-porous electrodes. A method has been adopted in this study to discourage the stripping and deposition of the working ions (antimony to understand the principle of heavy metal ion detection. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS technique was used to establish the interaction between the working and dissolved ions. In addition to the distinct peaks for each analyte, researchers also observed a shoulder peak. A possible reason for the presence of this peak was provided. Different electrochemical tests were performed to ascertain the theory on the basis of the experimental observations.