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Sample records for low-frequency lf component

  1. The very low-frequency band of heart rate variability represents the slow recovery component after a mental stress task.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Usui, Harunobu; Nishida, Yusuke

    2017-01-01

    The very low-frequency (VLF) band of heart rate variability (HRV) has different characteristics compared with other HRV components. Here we investigated differences in HRV changes after a mental stress task. After the task, the high-frequency (HF) band and ratio of high- to low-frequency bands (LF/HF) immediately returned to baseline. We evaluated the characteristics of VLF band changes after a mental stress task. We hypothesized that the VLF band decreases during the Stroop color word task and there would be a delayed recovery for 2 h after the task (i.e., the VLF change would exhibit a "slow recovery"). Nineteen healthy, young subjects were instructed to rest for 10 min, followed by a Stroop color word task for 20 min. After the task, the subjects were instructed to rest for 120 min. For all subjects, R-R interval data were collected; analysis was performed for VLF, HF, and LF/HF ratio. HRV during the rest time and each 15-min interval of the recovery time were compared. An analysis of the covariance was performed to adjust for the HF band and LF/HF ratio as confounding variables of the VLF component. HF and VLF bands significantly decreased and the LF/HF ratio significantly increased during the task compared with those during rest time. During recovery, the VLF band was significantly decreased compared with the rest time. After the task, the HF band and LF/HF ratio immediately returned to baseline and were not significantly different from the resting values. After adjusting for HF and LF/HF ratio, the VLF band had significantly decreased compared with that during rest. The VLF band is the "slow recovery" component and the HF band and LF/HF ratio are the "quick recovery" components of HRV. This VLF characteristic may clarify the unexplained association of the VLF band in cardiovascular disease prevention.

  2. The very low-frequency band of heart rate variability represents the slow recovery component after a mental stress task.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Harunobu Usui

    Full Text Available The very low-frequency (VLF band of heart rate variability (HRV has different characteristics compared with other HRV components. Here we investigated differences in HRV changes after a mental stress task. After the task, the high-frequency (HF band and ratio of high- to low-frequency bands (LF/HF immediately returned to baseline. We evaluated the characteristics of VLF band changes after a mental stress task. We hypothesized that the VLF band decreases during the Stroop color word task and there would be a delayed recovery for 2 h after the task (i.e., the VLF change would exhibit a "slow recovery". Nineteen healthy, young subjects were instructed to rest for 10 min, followed by a Stroop color word task for 20 min. After the task, the subjects were instructed to rest for 120 min. For all subjects, R-R interval data were collected; analysis was performed for VLF, HF, and LF/HF ratio. HRV during the rest time and each 15-min interval of the recovery time were compared. An analysis of the covariance was performed to adjust for the HF band and LF/HF ratio as confounding variables of the VLF component. HF and VLF bands significantly decreased and the LF/HF ratio significantly increased during the task compared with those during rest time. During recovery, the VLF band was significantly decreased compared with the rest time. After the task, the HF band and LF/HF ratio immediately returned to baseline and were not significantly different from the resting values. After adjusting for HF and LF/HF ratio, the VLF band had significantly decreased compared with that during rest. The VLF band is the "slow recovery" component and the HF band and LF/HF ratio are the "quick recovery" components of HRV. This VLF characteristic may clarify the unexplained association of the VLF band in cardiovascular disease prevention.

  3. Low Frequency Turbulence as the Source of High Frequency Waves in Multi-Component Space Plasmas

    Science.gov (United States)

    Khazanov, George V.; Krivorutsky, Emmanuel N.; Uritsky, Vadim M.

    2011-01-01

    Space plasmas support a wide variety of waves, and wave-particle interactions as well as wavewave interactions are of crucial importance to magnetospheric and ionospheric plasma behavior. High frequency wave turbulence generation by the low frequency (LF) turbulence is restricted by two interconnected requirements: the turbulence should be strong enough and/or the coherent wave trains should have the appropriate length. These requirements are strongly relaxed in the multi-component plasmas, due to the heavy ions large drift velocity in the field of LF wave. The excitation of lower hybrid waves (LHWs), in particular, is a widely discussed mechanism of interaction between plasma species in space and is one of the unresolved questions of magnetospheric multi-ion plasmas. It is demonstrated that large-amplitude Alfven waves, in particular those associated with LF turbulence, may generate LHW s in the auroral zone and ring current region and in some cases (particularly in the inner magnetosphere) this serves as the Alfven wave saturation mechanism. We also argue that the described scenario can playa vital role in various parts of the outer magnetosphere featuring strong LF turbulence accompanied by LHW activity. Using the data from THEMIS spacecraft, we validate the conditions for such cross-scale coupling in the near-Earth "flow-braking" magnetotail region during the passage of sharp injection/dipolarization fronts, as well as in the turbulent outflow region of the midtail reconnection site.

  4. Dynamics of the Davydov–Scott soliton with location or velocity mismatch of its high-frequency component

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Blyakhman, L.G.; Gromov, E.M.; Onosova, I.V.; Tyutin, V.V., E-mail: vtyutin@hse.ru

    2017-05-03

    The dynamics of a two-component Davydov–Scott (DS) soliton with a small mismatch of the initial location or velocity of the high-frequency (HF) component was investigated within the framework of the Zakharov-type system of two coupled equations for the HF and low-frequency (LF) fields. In this system, the HF field is described by the linear Schrödinger equation with the potential generated by the LF component varying in time and space. The LF component in this system is described by the Korteweg–de Vries equation with a term of quadratic influence of the HF field on the LF field. The frequency of the DS soliton's component oscillation was found analytically using the balance equation. The perturbed DS soliton was shown to be stable. The analytical results were confirmed by numerical simulations. - Highlights: • The dynamics of the Davydov–Scott soliton with initial location or velocity mismatch of the HF component was investigated. • The study was performed within the framework of coupled linear Schrödinger and KdV equations for the HF and LF fields. • Analytical and numerical approaches were used. • The frequency of the DS soliton component oscillation was found. • Stability of the perturbed DS solitons was demonstrated.

  5. Stress Recovery Effects of High- and Low-Frequency Amplified Music on Heart Rate Variability.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nakajima, Yoshie; Tanaka, Naofumi; Mima, Tatsuya; Izumi, Shin-Ichi

    Sounds can induce autonomic responses in listeners. However, the modulatory effect of specific frequency components of music is not fully understood. Here, we examined the role of the frequency component of music on autonomic responses. Specifically, we presented music that had been amplified in the high- or low-frequency domains. Twelve healthy women listened to white noise, a stress-inducing noise, and then one of three versions of a piece of music: original, low-, or high-frequency amplified. To measure autonomic response, we calculated the high-frequency normalized unit (HFnu), low-frequency normalized unit, and the LF/HF ratio from the heart rate using electrocardiography. We defined the stress recovery ratio as the value obtained after participants listened to music following scratching noise, normalized by the value obtained after participants listened to white noise after the stress noise, in terms of the HFnu, low-frequency normalized unit, LF/HF ratio, and heart rate. Results indicated that high-frequency amplified music had the highest HFnu of the three versions. The stress recovery ratio of HFnu under the high-frequency amplified stimulus was significantly larger than that under the low-frequency stimulus. Our results suggest that the high-frequency component of music plays a greater role in stress relief than low-frequency components.

  6. Nonlinear low frequency (LF) waves - Comets and foreshock phenomena

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tsurutani, Bruce T.

    1991-01-01

    A review is conducted of LF wave nonlinear properties at comets and in the earth's foreshock, engaging such compelling questions as why there are no cometary cyclotron waves, the physical mechanism responsible for 'dispersive whiskers', and the character of a general description of linear waves. Attention is given to the nonlinear properties of LF waves, whose development is illustrated by examples of waves and their features at different distances from the comet, as well as by computer simulation results. Also discussed is a curious wave mode detected from Comet Giacobini-Zinner, both at and upstream of the bow shock/wave.

  7. EclipseMob: Results from a nation-wide citizen science experiment on the effects of the 2017 Solar Eclipse on Low-frequency (LF) Radio Propagation

    Science.gov (United States)

    Liles, W. C.; Lukes, L.; Nelson, J.; Henry, J.; Oputa, J.; Kerby-Patel, K. C.

    2017-12-01

    Early experiments to study the effects of a solar eclipse on radio wave propagation were done with either a limited number of sites before any theory of the ionosphere had been confirmed or involved collecting data that proved to be unusable because submissions were missing critical information such as date, time or location. This study used the 2017 solar eclipse over the continental U.S. to conduct the first wide-area (across the U.S.) low-frequency (LF) propagation study. The data collection process was crowdsourced through the engagement of students/educators, citizens, ham radio enthusiasts, and the scientific community. In order to accomplish data collection by geographically dispersed citizen scientists, the EclipseMob team designed and shared a low cost, low tool/skill DIY receiver system to collect LF data that leveraged existing cell phone technology and made the experiment more accessible to students and people with no prior experience constructing electronic systems. To support engagement, in addition to web guides (eclipsemob..org), EclipseMob supplied 150 DIY kits and provided build/Q&A webinars and events. For the experiment, participants constructed a simple receiver system consisting of a homemade antenna, a simple homemade receiver to convert the radio frequency (RF) signals to audio frequencies, and a smart phone app. Before, during, and after the eclipse, participants used their receiver systems to record transmitter signal data from WWVB located near Fort Collins, Colorado on 60.000 kHz (a U.S. frequency standard that is operated by NIST and transmits time codes). A second frequency, 55.500 kHz transmitted by a LF station in Dixon, CA was also used. By using the time, date and location features of the smart phone, the problems experienced in earlier experiments could be minimized. By crowdsourcing the observation sites across the U.S., data from a number of different short, medium and long- paths could be obtained as the total eclipse crossed

  8. The component structure of ERP subsequent memory effects in the Von Restorff paradigm and the word frequency effect in recall.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kamp, Siri-Maria; Brumback, Ty; Donchin, Emanuel

    2013-11-01

    We examined the degree to which ERP components elicited by items that are isolated from their context, either by their font size ("size isolates") or by their frequency of usage, are correlated with subsequent immediate recall. Study lists contained (a) 15 words including a size isolate, (b) 14 high frequency (HF) words with one low frequency word ("LF isolate"), or (c) 14 LF words with one HF word. We used spatiotemporal PCA to quantify ERP components. We replicated previously reported P300 subsequent memory effects for size isolates and found additional correlations with recall in the novelty P3, a right lateralized positivity, and a left lateralized slow wave that was distinct from the slow wave correlated with recall for nonisolates. LF isolates also showed evidence of a P300 subsequent memory effect and also elicited the left lateralized subsequent memory effect, supporting a role of distinctiveness in word frequency effects in recall. Copyright © 2013 Society for Psychophysiological Research.

  9. Effects of the major sudden stratospheric warming event of 2009 on the subionospheric very low frequency/low frequency radio signals

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pal, S.; Hobara, Y.; Chakrabarti, S. K.; Schnoor, P. W.

    2017-07-01

    This paper presents effects of the major sudden stratospheric warming (SSW) event of 2009 on the subionospheric very low frequency/low frequency (VLF/LF) radio signals propagating in the Earth-ionosphere waveguide. Signal amplitudes from four transmitters received by VLF/LF radio networks of Germany and Japan corresponding to the major SSW event are investigated for possible anomalies and atmospheric influence on the high- to middle-latitude ionosphere. Significant anomalous increase or decrease of nighttime and daytime amplitudes of VLF/LF signals by ˜3-5 dB during the SSW event have been found for all propagation paths associated with stratospheric temperature rise at 10 hPa level. Increase or decrease in VLF/LF amplitudes during daytime and nighttime is actually due to the modification of the lower ionospheric boundary conditions in terms of electron density and electron-neutral collision frequency profiles and associated modal interference effects between the different propagating waveguide modes during the SSW period. TIMED/SABER mission data are also used to investigate the upper mesospheric conditions over the VLF/LF propagation path during the same time period. We observe a decrease in neutral temperature and an increase in pressure at the height of 75-80 km around the peak time of the event. VLF/LF anomalies are correlated and in phase with the stratospheric temperature and mesospheric pressure variation, while minimum of mesospheric cooling shows a 2-3 day delay with maximum VLF/LF anomalies. Simulations of VLF/LF diurnal variation are performed using the well-known Long Wave Propagating Capability (LWPC) code within the Earth-ionosphere waveguide to explain the VLF/LF anomalies qualitatively.

  10. Low-frequency sound affects active micromechanics in the human inner ear

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kugler, Kathrin; Wiegrebe, Lutz; Grothe, Benedikt; Kössl, Manfred; Gürkov, Robert; Krause, Eike; Drexl, Markus

    2014-01-01

    Noise-induced hearing loss is one of the most common auditory pathologies, resulting from overstimulation of the human cochlea, an exquisitely sensitive micromechanical device. At very low frequencies (less than 250 Hz), however, the sensitivity of human hearing, and therefore the perceived loudness is poor. The perceived loudness is mediated by the inner hair cells of the cochlea which are driven very inadequately at low frequencies. To assess the impact of low-frequency (LF) sound, we exploited a by-product of the active amplification of sound outer hair cells (OHCs) perform, so-called spontaneous otoacoustic emissions. These are faint sounds produced by the inner ear that can be used to detect changes of cochlear physiology. We show that a short exposure to perceptually unobtrusive, LF sounds significantly affects OHCs: a 90 s, 80 dB(A) LF sound induced slow, concordant and positively correlated frequency and level oscillations of spontaneous otoacoustic emissions that lasted for about 2 min after LF sound offset. LF sounds, contrary to their unobtrusive perception, strongly stimulate the human cochlea and affect amplification processes in the most sensitive and important frequency range of human hearing. PMID:26064536

  11. Influence of the low-frequency source parameters on the plasma characteristics in a dual frequency capacitively coupled plasma reactor: Two dimensional simulations

    Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

    Xiang Xu; Hao Ge; Shuai Wang; Zhongling Dai; Younian Wang; Aimin Zhu

    2009-01-01

    A two-dimensional (2D) fluid model is presented to study the discharge of argon in a dual frequency capacitively coupled plasma (CCP) reactor. We are interested in the influence of low-frequency (LF) source parameters such as applied voltage amplitudes and low frequencies on the plasma characteristics. In this paper, the high frequency is set to 60 MHz with voltage 50 V. The simulations were carried out for low frequencies of 1, 2 and 6 MHz with LF voltage 100 V, and for LF voltages of 60, 90 and 120 V with low frequency 2 MHz. The results of 2D distributions of electric field and ion density, the ion flux impinging on the substrate and the ion energy on the powered electrode are shown. As the low frequency increases, two sources become from uncoupling to coupling, When two sources are uncoupling, the increase in LF has little impact on the plasma characteristics, but when two sources are coupling, the increase in LF decreases the uniformities of ion density and ion flux noticeably. It is also found that with the increase in LF voltage, the uniformities in the radial direction of ion density distribution and ion flux at the powered electrode decreases significantly, and the energy of ions bombarding on the powered electrode increases significantly.

  12. Low frequency steady-state brain responses modulate large scale functional networks in a frequency-specific means.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wang, Yi-Feng; Long, Zhiliang; Cui, Qian; Liu, Feng; Jing, Xiu-Juan; Chen, Heng; Guo, Xiao-Nan; Yan, Jin H; Chen, Hua-Fu

    2016-01-01

    Neural oscillations are essential for brain functions. Research has suggested that the frequency of neural oscillations is lower for more integrative and remote communications. In this vein, some resting-state studies have suggested that large scale networks function in the very low frequency range (frequency characteristics of brain networks because both resting-state studies and conventional frequency tagging approaches cannot simultaneously capture multiple large scale networks in controllable cognitive activities. In this preliminary study, we aimed to examine whether large scale networks can be modulated by task-induced low frequency steady-state brain responses (lfSSBRs) in a frequency-specific pattern. In a revised attention network test, the lfSSBRs were evoked in the triple network system and sensory-motor system, indicating that large scale networks can be modulated in a frequency tagging way. Furthermore, the inter- and intranetwork synchronizations as well as coherence were increased at the fundamental frequency and the first harmonic rather than at other frequency bands, indicating a frequency-specific modulation of information communication. However, there was no difference among attention conditions, indicating that lfSSBRs modulate the general attention state much stronger than distinguishing attention conditions. This study provides insights into the advantage and mechanism of lfSSBRs. More importantly, it paves a new way to investigate frequency-specific large scale brain activities. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

  13. MOSFET LF noise under Large Signal Excitation: Measurement, Modelling and Application

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    van der Wel, A.P.

    2005-01-01

    Regarding LF noise in MOSFETs, it is noted that the MOSFET is a surface channel device. Both n and p-channel devices exhibit similar low frequency (LF) noise behaviour that can be explained by a carrier number fluctuation model (section 3.5). LF noise in MOSFETs is predominantly caused by Random

  14. Autonomic nervous system activity in purebred Arabian horses evaluated according to the low frequency and high frequency spectrum versus racing performance

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Iwona Janczarek

    2016-01-01

    Full Text Available Emotional excitability influences horses’ performance in sports and races. The aim of the study was to analyse whether the balance of the autonomic system which can occur when sympathetic system activity is at various levels might impact the horses’ racing performance. The study was carried out on 67 purebred Arabian horses trained for racing. The following indices were analysed: low frequency (LF, high frequency (HF, and the ratio of spectrum power at low frequencies to high frequencies (LF/HF. The autonomic nervous system activity was measured × 3 during the training season, at three-month intervals. Each examination included a 30-min measurement at rest and after a training session. The racing performance indices in these horses were also analysed. Better racing results were found in horses with enhanced LF/HF. The worst racing results were determined in horses with low LF.

  15. Effects of Weekly Low-Frequency rTMS on Autonomic Measures in Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder

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    Manuel Fernando Casanova

    2014-10-01

    Full Text Available The term autism spectrum disorder (ASD describes a range of conditions characterized by impairments in social interactions, communication, and by restricted and repetitive behaviors. ASD may also present with symptoms suggestive of autonomic nervous system (ANS dysfunction. The objective of this study was to determine the effect of 18 sessions of low frequency repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS on autonomic function in children with ASD by recording electrocardiogram (EKG and electrodermal activity pre-, post- and during each rTMS session. The autonomic measures of interest in this study were R-R cardiointervals in EKG (R-R, time and frequency domain measures of heart rate variability (HRV and skin conductance level (SCL. HRV measures such as R-R intervals, standard deviation of cardiac intervals, pNN50 (percentage of cardiointervals>50 ms different from preceding interval, power of high frequency (HF and low frequency (LF components of HRV spectrum, LF/HF ratio, were then derived from the recorded EKG. We expected that the course of 18 weekly inhibitory low-frequency rTMS applied to the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC would enhance autonomic balance by facilitating frontal inhibition of limbic activity thus resulting in decreased overall heart rate, increased HRV (in a form of increased HF power, decreased LF power (resulting in decreased LF/HF ratio, and decreased SCL. Behavioral evaluations post-18 TMS showed decreased irritability, hyperactivity, stereotype behavior and compulsive behavior ratings while autonomic measures indicated a significant increase in cardiac interval variability and a decrease of tonic SCL. The results suggest that 18 sessions of low frequency rTMS in ASD results in increased cardiac vagal control and reduced sympathetic arousal.

  16. ANALYSIS OF LOW-FREQUENCY OSCILLATIONS FOR THE SOUTH CHINA SEA SUMMER MONSOON IN 1998

    Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

    徐国强; 朱乾根

    2003-01-01

    With NCEP/NCAR reanalysis daily data and SST for 1998, the paper investigates the features of summer monsoon low-frequency oscillation (LFO) over the South China Sea (SCS). Results show that SCS summer monsoon onset is enhanced because of its LFO. Low-frequency (LF) low-level convergence (divergence) region of SCS is in the LF positive (negative) rainfall area. LFO of the SCS region migrates from south to north in the meridian and from west to east in zonal direction. LF divergence of SCS is vertically compensating to each other between high and low level.

  17. The effect of dielectric top lids on materials processing in a low frequency inductively coupled plasma (LF-ICP) reactor

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lim, J.W.M.; Chan, C.S.; Xu, L.; Xu, S.

    2014-01-01

    The advent of the plasma revolution began in the 1970's with the exploitation of plasma sources for anisotropic etching and processing of materials. In recent years, plasma processing has gained popularity, with research institutions adopting projects in the field and industries implementing dry processing in their production lines. The advantages of utilizing plasma sources would be uniform processing over a large exposed surface area, and the reduction of toxic emissions. This leads to reduced costs borne by manufacturers which could be passed down as consumer savings, and a reduction in negative environmental impacts. Yet, one constraint that plagues the industry would be the control of contaminants in a plasma reactor which becomes evident when reactions are conducted in a clean vacuum environment. In this work, amorphous silicon (a-Si) thin films were grown on glass substrates in a low frequency inductively coupled plasma (LF-ICP) reactor with a top lid made of quartz. Even though the chamber was kept at high vacuum (~10 −4 Pa), it was evident through secondary ion mass spectroscopy (SIMS) and Fourier-transform infra-red spectroscopy (FTIR) that oxygen contaminants were present. With the aid of optical emission spectroscopy (OES) the contaminant species were identified. The design of the LF-ICP reactor was then modified to incorporate an Alumina (Al 2 O 3 ) lid. Results indicate that there were reduced amounts of contaminants present in the reactor, and that an added benefit of increased power transfer to the plasma, improving deposition rate of thin films was realized. The results of this study is conclusive in showing that Al 2 O 3 is a good alternative as a top-lid of an LF-ICP reactor, and offers industries a solution in improving quality and rate of growth of thin films. (author)

  18. Low frequency sounds in dwellings : A case control study

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    van den Berg, Frits (G P)

    2000-01-01

    The purpose of this study is to systematically assess the level and spectral distribution of low frequency (LF) sounds in dwellings. Measurements of broad and narrow hand sound levels have been made in 36 Dutch dwellings in 1998. In 19 dwellings there were complaints about LF noise, in 17 others no

  19. Measurement of the Low Frequency Noise of MOSFETs under Large Signal RF Excitation

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    van der Wel, A.P.; Klumperink, Eric A.M.; Nauta, Bram

    2002-01-01

    A measurement technique [1] is presented that allows measurement of MOSFET low frequency (LF) noise under large signal RF (Radio Frequency) excitation. Measurements indicate that MOSFETS exhibit a reduction in LF noise when they are cycled from inversion to accummulation and that this reduction does

  20. Dielectric properties of gadolinium molybdate in low- and infralow frequency electric fields

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Galiyarova, N.M.; Gorin, S.V.; Dontsova, L.I.; Shil'nikov, A.V.; Shuvalov, L.A.; AN SSSR, Moscow

    1992-01-01

    Temperature dependences of complex dielectric permittivity of gadolinium molybdate (GMO) in low- (LF) and infralow-frequency (ILF) electric fields with 0.1 V·cm -1 amplitude within 0.25-10 4 Hz frequency range are studied. Substantial effect of the crystal prehistory on LF and ILF dielectric properties and domain structure state is revealed. An anomalous reduction of complex dielectric permittivity accompanied by the occurrence of the Debye LF-dispersion of permittivity is detected under the sample cooling from a nonpolar phase

  1. VLF/LF Radio Sounding of Ionospheric Perturbations Associated with Earthquakes

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    Masashi Hayakawa

    2007-07-01

    Full Text Available It is recently recognized that the ionosphere is very sensitive to seismic effects,and the detection of ionospheric perturbations associated with earthquakes, seems to bevery promising for short-term earthquake prediction. We have proposed a possible use ofVLF/LF (very low frequency (3-30 kHz /low frequency (30-300 kHz radio sounding ofthe seismo-ionospheric perturbations. A brief history of the use of subionospheric VLF/LFpropagation for the short-term earthquake prediction is given, followed by a significantfinding of ionospheric perturbation for the Kobe earthquake in 1995. After showingprevious VLF/LF results, we present the latest VLF/LF findings; One is the statisticalcorrelation of the ionospheric perturbation with earthquakes and the second is a case studyfor the Sumatra earthquake in December, 2004, indicating the spatical scale and dynamicsof ionospheric perturbation for this earthquake.

  2. Crowdsourcing a Spatial Temporal Study of Low Frequency (LF) Propagation Effects Due to a Total Solar Eclipse: Engaging Students and Citizens in STEM

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lumsden, N. A.; Lukes, L.; Nelson, J.; Liles, W. C.; Kerby, K. C.; Crowov, F.; Rockway, J.

    2015-12-01

    The first experiments to study the effects of a solar eclipse on radio wave propagation were done in 1912 utilizing Low Frequency (LF; 30 - 300 kHz) radio waves at a handful of sites across Europe before any theory of the ionosphere had been confirmed and even before the word "ionosphere" existed. In the 1920s, a large cooperative experiment was promoted in the U.S. by Scientific American magazine. They collected over 2000 reports of AM broadcast stations from throughout the U.S. Unfortunately, many of the submissions were unusable because they lacked critical information such as date, time or location. We propose to use the 2017 solar eclipse over the continental U.S. to conduct the first wide-area LF propagation study. To perform this study, we plan to crowdsource the collection of the data by engaging student groups, citizens, and the scientific community. The tools for the different collection stations will consist of a simple homemade antenna, a simple receiver to convert the radio frequency (RF) signals to audio frequencies and a smart phone app. By using the time, date and location features of the smart phone, the problems experienced in the Scientific American experiment will be minimized. By crowdsourcing the observation sites, a number of different short, medium and long-paths studies can be obtained as the total eclipse crosses the continental U.S. The transmitter for this experiment will be WWVB located near Fort Collins, Colorado on 60.000 kHz. This is a U.S. frequency standard that is operated by NIST and transmits time codes. A second frequency, 55.500 kHz transmitted by a LF station in Dixon, CA is also being considered for this experiment. We will present an overall strategy for recruiting participants/crowdsourcing the RF collections during the 2017 total solar eclipse. Preliminary coverage calculations will be presented for WWVB and Dixon, as well as path loss calculations that can be expected during the solar eclipse condition. We will also

  3. Synthesis of High-Frequency Ground Motion Using Information Extracted from Low-Frequency Ground Motion

    Science.gov (United States)

    Iwaki, A.; Fujiwara, H.

    2012-12-01

    Broadband ground motion computations of scenario earthquakes are often based on hybrid methods that are the combinations of deterministic approach in lower frequency band and stochastic approach in higher frequency band. Typical computation methods for low-frequency and high-frequency (LF and HF, respectively) ground motions are the numerical simulations, such as finite-difference and finite-element methods based on three-dimensional velocity structure model, and the stochastic Green's function method, respectively. In such hybrid methods, LF and HF wave fields are generated through two different methods that are completely independent of each other, and are combined at the matching frequency. However, LF and HF wave fields are essentially not independent as long as they are from the same event. In this study, we focus on the relation among acceleration envelopes at different frequency bands, and attempt to synthesize HF ground motion using the information extracted from LF ground motion, aiming to propose a new method for broad-band strong motion prediction. Our study area is Kanto area, Japan. We use the K-NET and KiK-net surface acceleration data and compute RMS envelope at four frequency bands: 0.5-1.0 Hz, 1.0-2.0 Hz, 2.0-4.0 Hz, .0-8.0 Hz, and 8.0-16.0 Hz. Taking the ratio of the envelopes of adjacent bands, we find that the envelope ratios have stable shapes at each site. The empirical envelope-ratio characteristics are combined with low-frequency envelope of the target earthquake to synthesize HF ground motion. We have applied the method to M5-class earthquakes and a M7 target earthquake that occurred in the vicinity of Kanto area, and successfully reproduced the observed HF ground motion of the target earthquake. The method can be applied to a broad band ground motion simulation for a scenario earthquake by combining numerically-computed low-frequency (~1 Hz) ground motion with the empirical envelope ratio characteristics to generate broadband ground motion

  4. Experimental and numerical assessment of low-frequency current distributions from UMTS and GSM mobile phones

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Gosselin, Marie-Christine; Kühn, Sven; Kuster, Niels

    2013-01-01

    The evaluation of the exposure from mobile communication devices requires consideration of electromagnetic fields (EMFs) over a broad frequency range from dc to GHz. Mobile phones in operation have prominent spectral components in the low-frequency (LF) and radio-frequency (RF) ranges. While the exposure to RF fields from mobile phones has been comprehensively assessed in the past, the LF fields have received much less attention. In this study, LF fields from mobile phones are assessed experimentally and numerically for the global system for mobile (GSM) and universal mobile telecommunications system (UMTS) communication systems and conclusions about the global (LF and RF) EMF exposure from both systems are drawn. From the measurements of the time-domain magnetic fields, it was found that the contribution from the audio signal at a normal speech level, i.e., −16 dBm0, is the same order of magnitude as the fields induced by the current bursts generated from the implementation of the GSM communication system at maximum RF output level. The B-field induced by currents in phones using the UMTS is two orders of magnitude lower than that induced by GSM. Knowing that the RF exposure from the UMTS is also two orders of magnitude lower than from GSM, it is now possible to state that there is an overall reduction of the exposure from this communication system. (paper)

  5. Experimental and numerical assessment of low-frequency current distributions from UMTS and GSM mobile phones

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gosselin, Marie-Christine; Kühn, Sven; Kuster, Niels

    2013-12-01

    The evaluation of the exposure from mobile communication devices requires consideration of electromagnetic fields (EMFs) over a broad frequency range from dc to GHz. Mobile phones in operation have prominent spectral components in the low-frequency (LF) and radio-frequency (RF) ranges. While the exposure to RF fields from mobile phones has been comprehensively assessed in the past, the LF fields have received much less attention. In this study, LF fields from mobile phones are assessed experimentally and numerically for the global system for mobile (GSM) and universal mobile telecommunications system (UMTS) communication systems and conclusions about the global (LF and RF) EMF exposure from both systems are drawn. From the measurements of the time-domain magnetic fields, it was found that the contribution from the audio signal at a normal speech level, i.e., -16 dBm0, is the same order of magnitude as the fields induced by the current bursts generated from the implementation of the GSM communication system at maximum RF output level. The B-field induced by currents in phones using the UMTS is two orders of magnitude lower than that induced by GSM. Knowing that the RF exposure from the UMTS is also two orders of magnitude lower than from GSM, it is now possible to state that there is an overall reduction of the exposure from this communication system.

  6. Effect of Radio-Frequency and Low-Frequency Bias Voltage on the Formation of Amorphous Carbon Films Deposited by Plasma Enhanced Chemical Vapor Deposition

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Manis-Levy, Hadar; Mintz, Moshe H.; Livneh, Tsachi; Zukerman Ido; Raveh, Avi

    2014-01-01

    The effect of radio-frequency (RF) or low-frequency (LF) bias voltage on the formation of amorphous hydrogenated carbon (a-C:H) films was studied on silicon substrates with a low methane (CH 4 ) concentration (2–10 vol.%) in CH 4 +Ar mixtures. The bias substrate was applied either by RF (13.56 MHz) or by LF (150 kHz) power supply. The highest hardness values (∼18–22 GPa) with lower hydrogen content in the films (∼20 at.%) deposited at 10 vol.% CH 4 , was achieved by using the RF bias. However, the films deposited using the LF bias, under similar RF plasma generation power and CH 4 concentration (50 W and 10 vol.%, respectively), displayed lower hardness (∼6–12 GPa) with high hydrogen content (∼40 at.%). The structures analyzed by Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) and Raman scattering measurements provide an indication of trans-polyacetylene structure formation. However, its excessive formation in the films deposited by the LF bias method is consistent with its higher bonded hydrogen concentration and low level of hardness, as compared to the film prepared by the RF bias method. It was found that the effect of RF bias on the film structure and properties is stronger than the effect of the low-frequency (LF) bias under identical radio-frequency (RF) powered electrode and identical PECVD (plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition) system configuration. (plasma technology)

  7. Multiscale energy reallocation during low-frequency steady-state brain response.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wang, Yifeng; Chen, Wang; Ye, Liangkai; Biswal, Bharat B; Yang, Xuezhi; Zou, Qijun; Yang, Pu; Yang, Qi; Wang, Xinqi; Cui, Qian; Duan, Xujun; Liao, Wei; Chen, Huafu

    2018-05-01

    Traditional task-evoked brain activations are based on detection and estimation of signal change from the mean signal. By contrast, the low-frequency steady-state brain response (lfSSBR) reflects frequency-tagging activity at the fundamental frequency of the task presentation and its harmonics. Compared to the activity at these resonant frequencies, brain responses at nonresonant frequencies are largely unknown. Additionally, because the lfSSBR is defined by power change, we hypothesize using Parseval's theorem that the power change reflects brain signal variability rather than the change of mean signal. Using a face recognition task, we observed power increase at the fundamental frequency (0.05 Hz) and two harmonics (0.1 and 0.15 Hz) and power decrease within the infra-slow frequency band ( .955) of their spatial distribution and brain-behavior relationship at all frequency bands. Additionally, the reallocation of finite energy was observed across various brain regions and frequency bands, forming a particular spatiotemporal pattern. Overall, results from this study strongly suggest that frequency-specific power and variability may measure the same underlying brain activity and that these results may shed light on different mechanisms between lfSSBR and brain activation, and spatiotemporal characteristics of energy reallocation induced by cognitive tasks. © 2018 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

  8. Measurement of LF Standard-Frequency Waves JJY along the track of Shirase, the Japanese Antarctic Research Icebreaker, during JARE53-JARE54

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kitauchi, H.; Nozaki, K.; Ito, H.; Tsuchiya, S.; Imamura, K.; Nagatsuma, T.

    2013-12-01

    We first obtained a strong evidence of reception of the low frequency (LF) radio waves, 40 kHz and 60 kHz, of the call sign JJY by use of a newly developed, highly sensitive receiving system on board the Japanese Antarctic research icebreaker Shirase offshore East Ongul Island, East Antarctica--about 14,000 km away from those transmitting stations in Japan. The measured data sets of the electric field intensity and phase of those signals are to be analysed to examine and/or improve numerical prediction methods of field strength for long-distance propagation of LF radio waves, contributing to the Recommendation 'Prediction of field strength at frequencies below about 150 kHz' made by International Telecommunication Union Radiocommunication Sector (ITU-R). The call sign JJY of standard frequency and time signals (SFTS) of LF 40 kHz and 60 kHz are emitted from the transmitting stations, respectively, Ohtakadoya-yama 37° 22‧ 21″ N, 140° 50‧ 56″ E in Fukushima Prefecture (eastern Japan) and Hagane-yama 33° 27‧ 56″ N, 130° 10‧ 32″ E in Saga/Fukuoka Prefecture (western Japan) by NICT. Those are widely used for calibrating frequency standard oscillators and radio-controlled clocks in Japan. Since low signal attenuation in LF radio band allows long distance communication, kilometre waves have been utilized for operations such as SFTS and military communications around the world. Therefore, there is a need to give guidance to engineers for the planning of radio services in LF band so as to avoid interference. ITU-R recommends the guidance 'Prediction of field strength at frequencies below about 150 kHz', in which a numerical prediction method is proposed to compute the electric field intensity, up to 16,000 km of long-distance propagation, away from the transmitting station. Since reliable data sets are limited for the long-distance propagation, in this study we tried to measure the field strength and phase of the LF SFTS JJY of 40 kHz and 60 kHz over 14

  9. The driving frequency effects on the atmospheric pressure corona jet plasmas from low frequency to radio frequency

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kim, Dan Bee; Jung, H.; Gweon, B.; Rhee, J. K.; Choe, W.; Moon, S. Y.

    2011-01-01

    Lately, the atmospheric pressure jet type corona plasma, which has been typically driven by dc to low frequency (LF: several tens of kHz), is often generated by using radio frequency of 13.56 MHz. Yet, the relationship between the plasma and its driving frequency has seldom been investigated. Hence, in this study, dependence of the atmospheric pressure corona plasma characteristics on the driving frequency was explored experimentally from LF to rf (5 kHz-13.56 MHz). The plasmas generated by the driving frequency under 2 MHz were cylindrical shape of several tens of millimeters long while the 13.56 MHz plasma is spherical and a few millimeters long. As the driving frequency was increased, the plasma length became shortened. At the lower driving frequencies (below 2 MHz), the plasmas existed as positive streamer and negative glow for each half period of the applied voltage, but the discharge was more continuous in time for the 13.56 MHz plasma. It was inferred from the measured I-V curves that the higher driving frequency induced higher discharge currents, and the gas temperature was increased as the driving frequency was increased.

  10. Equivalent magnetic vector potential model for low-frequency magnetic exposure assessment

    Science.gov (United States)

    Diao, Y. L.; Sun, W. N.; He, Y. Q.; Leung, S. W.; Siu, Y. M.

    2017-10-01

    In this paper, a novel source model based on a magnetic vector potential for the assessment of induced electric field strength in a human body exposed to the low-frequency (LF) magnetic field of an electrical appliance is presented. The construction of the vector potential model requires only a single-component magnetic field to be measured close to the appliance under test, hence relieving considerable practical measurement effort—the radial basis functions (RBFs) are adopted for the interpolation of discrete measurements; the magnetic vector potential model can then be directly constructed by summing a set of simple algebraic functions of RBF parameters. The vector potentials are then incorporated into numerical calculations as the equivalent source for evaluations of the induced electric field in the human body model. The accuracy and effectiveness of the proposed model are demonstrated by comparing the induced electric field in a human model to that of the full-wave simulation. This study presents a simple and effective approach for modelling the LF magnetic source. The result of this study could simplify the compliance test procedure for assessing an electrical appliance regarding LF magnetic exposure.

  11. Wavelet low- and high-frequency components as features for predicting stock prices with backpropagation neural networks

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Salim Lahmiri

    2014-07-01

    Full Text Available This paper presents a forecasting model that integrates the discrete wavelet transform (DWT and backpropagation neural networks (BPNN for predicting financial time series. The presented model first uses the DWT to decompose the financial time series data. Then, the obtained approximation (low-frequency and detail (high-frequency components after decomposition of the original time series are used as input variables to forecast future stock prices. Indeed, while high-frequency components can capture discontinuities, ruptures and singularities in the original data, low-frequency components characterize the coarse structure of the data, to identify the long-term trends in the original data. As a result, high-frequency components act as a complementary part of low-frequency components. The model was applied to seven datasets. For all of the datasets, accuracy measures showed that the presented model outperforms a conventional model that uses only low-frequency components. In addition, the presented model outperforms both the well-known auto-regressive moving-average (ARMA model and the random walk (RW process.

  12. Low-Frequency Acoustic Noise Mitigation Characteristics of Metamaterials-Inspired Vibro-Impact Structures

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rekhy, Anuj

    Acoustic absorbers like foams, fiberglass or liners have been used commonly in structures for infrastructural, industrial, automotive and aerospace applications to mitigate noise. However, these conventional materials have limited effectiveness to mitigate low-frequency (LF) acoustic waves with frequency less than 400 Hz owing to the need for impractically large mass or volume. LF acoustic waves contribute significantly towards environmental noise pollution as well as unwanted structural responses. Therefore, there is a need to develop lightweight, compact, structurally-integrated solutions to mitigate LF noise in several applications. Inspired by metamaterials, which are man-made structural materials that derive their unique dynamic behavior not just from material constituents but more so from engineered configurations, tuned mass-loaded membranes as vibro-impact attachments on a baseline structure are investigated to determine their performance as a LF acoustic barrier. The hypothesis is that the LF incident waves are up-converted via impact to higher modes in the baseline structure which are far more evanescent and may then be effectively mitigated using conventional means. Such Metamaterials-Inspired Vibro-Impact Structures (MIVIS) could be tuned to match the dominant frequency content of LF acoustic sources in specific applications. Prototype MIVIS unit cells were designed and tested to study the energy transfer mechanism via impact-induced frequency up-conversion, and the consequent sound transmission loss. Structural acoustic simulations were done to predict responses using models based on normal incidence transmission loss tests. Experimental proof-of-concept was achieved and further correlations to simulations were utilized to optimize the energy up-conversion mechanism using parametric studies. Up to 36 dB of sound transmission loss increase is obtained at the anti-resonance frequency (326 Hz) within a tunable LF bandwidth of about 200 Hz while impact

  13. Low frequency noise peak near magnon emission energy in magnetic tunnel junctions

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Liu, Liang; Xiang, Li; Guo, Huiqiang; Wei, Jian, E-mail: weijian6791@pku.edu.cn [International Center for Quantum Materials, School of Physics, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China and Collaborative Innovation Center of Quantum Matter, Beijing (China); Li, D. L.; Yuan, Z. H.; Feng, J. F., E-mail: jiafengfeng@iphy.ac.cn; Han, X. F. [Beijing National Laboratory of Condensed Matter Physics, Institute of Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100190 (China); Coey, J. M. D. [CRANN and School of Physics, Trinity College, Dublin 2 (Ireland)

    2014-12-15

    We report on the low frequency (LF) noise measurements in magnetic tunnel junctions (MTJs) below 4 K and at low bias, where the transport is strongly affected by scattering with magnons emitted by hot tunnelling electrons, as thermal activation of magnons from the environment is suppressed. For both CoFeB/MgO/CoFeB and CoFeB/AlO{sub x}/CoFeB MTJs, enhanced LF noise is observed at bias voltage around magnon emission energy, forming a peak in the bias dependence of noise power spectra density, independent of magnetic configurations. The noise peak is much higher and broader for unannealed AlO{sub x}-based MTJ, and besides Lorentzian shape noise spectra in the frequency domain, random telegraph noise (RTN) is visible in the time traces. During repeated measurements the noise peak reduces and the RTN becomes difficult to resolve, suggesting defects being annealed. The Lorentzian shape noise spectra can be fitted with bias-dependent activation of RTN, with the attempt frequency in the MHz range, consistent with magnon dynamics. These findings suggest magnon-assisted activation of defects as the origin of the enhanced LF noise.

  14. Low frequency noise peak near magnon emission energy in magnetic tunnel junctions

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Liang Liu

    2014-12-01

    Full Text Available We report on the low frequency (LF noise measurements in magnetic tunnel junctions (MTJs below 4 K and at low bias, where the transport is strongly affected by scattering with magnons emitted by hot tunnelling electrons, as thermal activation of magnons from the environment is suppressed. For both CoFeB/MgO/CoFeB and CoFeB/AlOx/CoFeB MTJs, enhanced LF noise is observed at bias voltage around magnon emission energy, forming a peak in the bias dependence of noise power spectra density, independent of magnetic configurations. The noise peak is much higher and broader for unannealed AlOx-based MTJ, and besides Lorentzian shape noise spectra in the frequency domain, random telegraph noise (RTN is visible in the time traces. During repeated measurements the noise peak reduces and the RTN becomes difficult to resolve, suggesting defects being annealed. The Lorentzian shape noise spectra can be fitted with bias-dependent activation of RTN, with the attempt frequency in the MHz range, consistent with magnon dynamics. These findings suggest magnon-assisted activation of defects as the origin of the enhanced LF noise.

  15. A low-frequency versatile wireless power transfer technology for biomedical implants.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jiang, Hao; Zhang, Junmin; Lan, Di; Chao; Liou, Shyshenq; Shahnasser, Hamid; Fechter, Richard; Hirose, Shinjiro; Harrison, Michael; Roy, Shuvo

    2013-08-01

    Implantable biomedical sensors and actuators are highly desired in modern medicine. In many cases, the implant's electrical power source profoundly determines its overall size and performance . The inductively coupled coil pair operating at the radio-frequency (RF) has been the primary method for wirelessly delivering electrical power to implants for the last three decades . Recent designs significantly improve the power delivery efficiency by optimizing the operating frequency, coil size and coil distance . However, RF radiation hazard and tissue absorption are the concerns in the RF wireless power transfer technology (RF-WPTT) , . Also, it requires an accurate impedance matching network that is sensitive to operating environments between the receiving coil and the load for efficient power delivery . In this paper, a novel low-frequency wireless power transfer technology (LF-WPTT) using rotating rare-earth permanent magnets is demonstrated. The LF-WPTT is able to deliver 2.967 W power at  ∼ 180 Hz to an 117.1 Ω resistor over 1 cm distance with 50% overall efficiency. Because of the low operating frequency, RF radiation hazard and tissue absorption are largely avoided, and the power delivery efficiency from the receiving coil to the load is independent of the operating environment. Also, there is little power loss observed in the LF-WPTT when the receiving coil is enclosed by non-magnetic implant-grade stainless steel.

  16. Comparing low frequency heart rate variability and preejection period: Two sides of a different coin.

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Goedhart, A.D.; Willemsen, G.; Houtveen, J.H.; Boomsma, D.I.; de Geus, E.J.C.

    2008-01-01

    It has been hypothesized that the ratio of heart rate variability in the low- (LF) and high- (HF) frequency bands may capture variation in cardiac sympathetic control. Here we tested the temporal stability of the LF/HF ratio in 24-h ambulatory recordings and compared this ratio to the preejection

  17. The forgotten role of central volume in low frequency oscillations of heart rate variability.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Manuela Ferrario

    Full Text Available The hypothesis that central volume plays a key role in the source of low frequency (LF oscillations of heart rate variability (HRV was tested in a population of end stage renal disease patients undergoing conventional hemodialysis (HD treatment, and thus subject to large fluid shifts and sympathetic activation. Fluid overload (FO in 58 chronic HD patients was assessed by whole body bioimpedance measurements before the midweek HD session. Heart Rate Variability (HRV was measured using 24-hour Holter electrocardiogram recordings starting before the same HD treatment. Time domain and frequency domain analyses were performed on HRV signals. Patients were retrospectively classified in three groups according to tertiles of FO normalized to the extracellular water (FO/ECW%. These groups were also compared after stratification by diabetes mellitus. Patients with the low to medium hydration status before the treatment (i.e. 1st and 2nd FO/ECW% tertiles showed a significant increase in LF power during last 30 min of HD compared to dialysis begin, while no significant change in LF power was seen in the third group (i.e. those with high pre-treatment hydration values. In conclusion, several mechanisms can generate LF oscillations in the cardiovascular system, including baroreflex feedback loops and central oscillators. However, the current results emphasize the role played by the central volume in determining the power of LF oscillations.

  18. The forgotten role of central volume in low frequency oscillations of heart rate variability.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ferrario, Manuela; Moissl, Ulrich; Garzotto, Francesco; Cruz, Dinna N; Tetta, Ciro; Signorini, Maria G; Ronco, Claudio; Grassmann, Aileen; Cerutti, Sergio; Guzzetti, Stefano

    2015-01-01

    The hypothesis that central volume plays a key role in the source of low frequency (LF) oscillations of heart rate variability (HRV) was tested in a population of end stage renal disease patients undergoing conventional hemodialysis (HD) treatment, and thus subject to large fluid shifts and sympathetic activation. Fluid overload (FO) in 58 chronic HD patients was assessed by whole body bioimpedance measurements before the midweek HD session. Heart Rate Variability (HRV) was measured using 24-hour Holter electrocardiogram recordings starting before the same HD treatment. Time domain and frequency domain analyses were performed on HRV signals. Patients were retrospectively classified in three groups according to tertiles of FO normalized to the extracellular water (FO/ECW%). These groups were also compared after stratification by diabetes mellitus. Patients with the low to medium hydration status before the treatment (i.e. 1st and 2nd FO/ECW% tertiles) showed a significant increase in LF power during last 30 min of HD compared to dialysis begin, while no significant change in LF power was seen in the third group (i.e. those with high pre-treatment hydration values). In conclusion, several mechanisms can generate LF oscillations in the cardiovascular system, including baroreflex feedback loops and central oscillators. However, the current results emphasize the role played by the central volume in determining the power of LF oscillations.

  19. Low-Frequency Interlayer Breathing Modes in Few-Layer Black Phosphorus.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ling, Xi; Liang, Liangbo; Huang, Shengxi; Puretzky, Alexander A; Geohegan, David B; Sumpter, Bobby G; Kong, Jing; Meunier, Vincent; Dresselhaus, Mildred S

    2015-06-10

    As a new two-dimensional layered material, black phosphorus (BP) is a very promising material for nanoelectronics and optoelectronics. We use Raman spectroscopy and first-principles theory to characterize and understand the low-frequency (LF) interlayer breathing modes (<100 cm(-1)) in few-layer BP for the first time. Using a laser polarization dependence study and group theory analysis, the breathing modes are assigned to Ag symmetry. Compared to the high-frequency (HF) Raman modes, the LF breathing modes are considerably more sensitive to interlayer coupling and, thus, their frequencies show a stronger dependence on the number of layers. Hence, they constitute an effective means to probe both the crystalline orientation and thickness of few-layer BP. Furthermore, the temperature dependence shows that in the temperature range -150 to 30 °C, the breathing modes have a weak anharmonic behavior, in contrast to the HF Raman modes that exhibit strong anharmonicity.

  20. Experimental investigation of standing wave effect in dual-frequency capacitively coupled argon discharges: role of a low-frequency source

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhao, Kai; Liu, Yong-Xin; Kawamura, E.; Wen, De-Qi; Lieberman, M. A.; Wang, You-Nian

    2018-05-01

    It is well known that the plasma non-uniformity caused by the standing wave effect has brought about great challenges for plasma material processing. To improve the plasma uniformity, a low-frequency (LF) power source is introduced into a 100 MHz very-high-frequency (VHF) capacitively coupled argon plasma reactor. The effect of the LF parameters (LF voltage amplitude ϕ L and LF source f L) on the radial profile of plasma density has been investigated by utilizing a hairpin probe. The result at a low pressure (1 Pa) is compared to the one obtained by a 2D fluid-analytical capacitively coupled plasma model, showing good agreement in the plasma density radial profile. The experimental results show that the plasma density profile exhibits different dependences on ϕ L and f L at different gas pressures/electrode driven types (i.e., the two rf sources are applied on one electrode (case I) and separate electrodes (case II)). At low pressures (e.g., 8 Pa), the pronounced standing wave effect revealed in a VHF discharge can be suppressed at a relatively high ϕ L or a low f L in case I, because the HF sheath heating is largely weakened due to strong modulation by the LF source. By contrast, ϕ L and f L play insignificant roles in suppressing the standing wave effect in case II. At high pressures (e.g., 20 Pa), the opposite is true. The plasma density radial profile is more sensitive to ϕ L and f L in case II than in case I. In case II, the standing wave effect is surprisingly enhanced with increasing ϕ L at higher pressures; however, the center-high density profile caused by the standing wave effect can be compensated by increasing f L due to the enhanced electrostatic edge effect dominated by the LF source. In contrast, the density radial profile shows a much weaker dependence on ϕ L and f L in case I at higher pressures. To understand the different roles of ϕ L and f L, the electron excitation dynamics in each case are analyzed based on the measured spatio

  1. High- and low-frequency transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation does not reduce experimental pain in elderly individuals

    OpenAIRE

    Bergeron-V?zina, Kayla; Corriveau, H?l?ne; Martel, Marylie; Harvey, Marie-Philippe; L?onard, Guillaume

    2015-01-01

    Abstract Despite its widespread clinical use, the efficacy of transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS) remains poorly documented in elderly individuals. In this randomized, double-blind crossover study, we compared the efficacy of high-frequency (HF), low-frequency (LF), and placebo (P) TENS in a group of 15 elderly adults (mean age: 67 ? 5 years). The effect of HF-, LF-, and P-TENS was also evaluated in a group of 15 young individuals (26 ? 5 years; same study design) to validate t...

  2. Magnetoliposomes for controlled drug release in the presence of low-frequency magnetic field

    KAUST Repository

    Nappini, Silvia

    2010-01-01

    In this work we have studied the effect of a low-frequency alternating magnetic field (LF-AMF) on the permeability of magnetoliposomes, i.e. liposomes including magnetic nanoparticles within their water pool. Large unilamellar liposomes loaded with magnetic cobalt ferrite nanoparticles (CoFe 2O4) have been prepared and characterized. Structural characterization of the liposomal dispersion has been performed by dynamic light scattering (DLS). The enhancement of liposome permeability upon exposure to LF-AMF has been measured as the self-quenching decrease of a fluorescent hydrophilic molecule (carboxyfluorescein, CF) entrapped in the liposome pool. Liposome leakage has been monitored as a function of field frequency, time of exposure and concentration, charge and size of the embedded nanoparticles. The results show that CF release from magnetoliposomes is strongly promoted by LF-AMF, reasonably as a consequence of nanoparticle motions in the liposome pool at the applied frequency. CF release as a function of time in magnetoliposomes unexposed to magnetic field follows Fickian diffusion, while samples exposed to LF-AMF show zero-order kinetics, consistently with an anomalous transport, due to an alteration of the bilayer permeability. These preliminary results open up new perspectives in the use of these systems as carriers in targeted and controlled release of drugs. © The Royal Society of Chemistry 2010.

  3. A novel heart rate control model provides insights linking LF-HRV behavior to the open-loop gain.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Dvir, Hila; Bobrovsky, Ben Zion; Gabbay, Uri

    2013-09-20

    Low-frequency heart rate variability (LF-HRV) at rest has already been successfully modeled as self-sustained oscillations in a nonlinear control loop, but these models fail to simulate LF-HRV decreases either during aerobic exercise or in heart failure patients. Following control engineering practices, we assume the existence of a biological excitation (dither) within the heart rate control loop that softens the nonlinearity and studied LF-HRV behavior in a dither-embedded model. We adopted the Ottesen model with some revisions and induced a dither of high-frequency stochastic perturbations. We simulated scenarios of a healthy subject at rest and during aerobic exercise (by decreasing peripheral vascular resistance) and a heart failure patient (by decreasing stroke volume). The simulations resembled physiological LF-HRV behavior, i.e., LF-HRV decreased during aerobic exercise and in the heart failure patient. The simulations exhibited LF-HRV dependency on the open-loop gain, which is related to the product of the feedback gain and the feed forward gain. We are the first to demonstrate that LF-HRV may be dependent on the open-loop gain. Accordingly, reduced open-loop gain results in decreased LF-HRV, and vice versa. Our findings explain a well-known but unexplained observed phenomenon of reduced LF-HRV both in heart failure patients and in healthy subjects performing aerobic exercise. These findings have implications on how changes in LF-HRV can be interpreted physiologically, a necessary step towards the clinical utilization of LF-HRV. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

  4. Low-Frequency Components in Rat Pial Arteriolar Rhythmic Diameter Changes.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lapi, Dominga; Mastantuono, Teresa; Di Maro, Martina; Varanini, Maurizio; Colantuoni, Antonio

    2017-01-01

    This study aimed to analyze the frequency components present in spontaneous rhythmic diameter changes in rat pial arterioles. Pial microcirculation was visualized by fluorescence microscopy. Rhythmic luminal variations were evaluated via computer-assisted methods. Spectral analysis was carried out on 30-min recordings under baseline conditions and after administration of acetylcholine (Ach), papaverine (Pap), Nω-nitro-L-arginine (L-NNA) prior to Ach, indomethacin (INDO), INDO prior to Ach, charybdotoxin and apamin, and charybdotoxin and apamin prior to Ach. Under baseline conditions all arteriolar orders showed 3 frequency components in the ranges of 0.0095-0.02, 0.02-0.06, and 0.06-0.2 Hz, another 2 in the ranges of 0.2-2.0 and 2.5-4.5 Hz, and another ultra-low-frequency component in the range of 0.001-0.0095 Hz. Ach caused a significant increase in the spectral density of the frequency components in the range of 0.001-0.2 Hz. Pap was able to slightly increase spectral density in the ranges of 0.001-0.0095 and 0.0095-0.02 Hz. L-NNA mainly attenuated arteriolar responses to Ach. INDO prior to Ach did not affect the endothelial response to Ach. Charybdotoxin and apamin, suggested as endothelium-derived hyperpolarizing factor inhibitors, reduced spectral density in the range of 0.001-0.0095 Hz before and after Ach administration. In conclusion, regulation of the blood flow distribution is due to several mechanisms, one of which is affected by charibdotoxin and apamin, modulating the vascular tone. © 2017 S. Karger AG, Basel.

  5. Design considerations for large field particle image velocimetery (LF-PIV)

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Pol, S U; Balakumar, B J

    2013-01-01

    We discuss the challenges and limitations associated with the development of a large field of view particle image velocimetry (LF-PIV) diagnostic, capable of resolving large-scale motions (>1 m per camera) in gas phase laboratory and field experiments. While this diagnostic is developed for the measurement of wakes and local inflow conditions around research wind turbines, the design considerations provided here are also relevant for the application of LF-PIV to atmospheric boundary layer, rotorcraft dynamics and large-scale wind tunnel flows. Measurements over an area of 0.75 m × 1.0 m on a confined vortex were obtained using a standard 2MP camera, with the potential for increasing this area significantly using 11MP cameras. The cameras in this case were oriented orthogonal to the measurement plane receiving only the side-scattered component of light from the particles. Scaling laws associated with LF-PIV systems are also presented along with the performance analysis of low-density, large diameter Expancel particles, that appear to be promising candidates for LF-PIV seeding. (paper)

  6. Dielectric properties of gadolinium molybdate in low- and infralow frequency electric fields. Diehlektricheskie svojstva molibdata gadoliniya v nizko- i infranizkochastotnykh ehlektricheskikh polyakh

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Galiyarova, N M; Gorin, S V; Dontsova, L I; Shil' nikov, A V; Shuvalov, L A [Volgogradskij Inzhenerno-Stroitel' nyj Inst., Volgograd (Russian Federation) AN SSSR, Moscow (Russian Federation). Inst. Kristallografii

    1992-10-01

    Temperature dependences of complex dielectric permittivity of gadolinium molybdate (GMO) in low- (LF) and infralow-frequency (ILF) electric fields with 0.1 V[center dot]cm[sup -1] amplitude within 0.25-10[sup 4] Hz frequency range are studied. Substantial effect of the crystal prehistory on LF and ILF dielectric properties and domain structure state is revealed. An anomalous reduction of complex dielectric permittivity accompanied by the occurrence of the Debye LF-dispersion of permittivity is detected under the sample cooling from a nonpolar phase.

  7. Ho:YLF & Ho:LuLF slab amplifier system delivering 200 mJ, 2 µm single-frequency pulses

    CSIR Research Space (South Africa)

    Strauss, HJ

    2011-07-01

    Full Text Available A single-frequency single-pass amplifier based on Ho:YLF and Ho:LuLF in a scalable slab architecture delivering up to 210 mJ at 2064 nm is demonstrated. The amplifier was end-pumped by a 1890 nm Tm:YLF slab laser and was seeded with a 69 mJ single...

  8. Plasma rotation effect on interaction of low frequency fields with plasmas at the rational surfaces in tokamaks

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Rondan, E.R.; Elfimov, A.G.; Galvao, R.M.O.; Pires, C.J.A.

    2006-01-01

    The effect of plasma rotation on low frequency (LF) field penetration, absorption and ponderomotive forces in TEXTOR and in Tokamak Chauffage Alfven Bresilien (TCABR) is investigated in the frequency band of 1-10 kHz. The LF fields are driven by the dynamic ergodic divertor in TEXTOR and the ergodic magnetic limiter in TCABR. Alfven wave mode conversion is responsible for the LF field absorption at the rational magnetic surface where q = -M/N is the integer. Analytical and numerical calculations show the maxima of the LF field absorption at the local Alfven wave resonance ω - k · U = k parallel c A , where ω and k are the frequency and the wave vector, respectively, and c A is the Alfven velocity at the rational magnetic surface q = 2, 3 in TEXTOR and TCABR. The rotation velocity U along the magnetic surfaces, taken into account in the dielectric tensor, can strongly modify the LF field and dissipated power profiles. The absorption in the local AW resonances begins to be non-symmetric in relation to the resonance surface. Calculations show that coil impedance has a maximum related to excitation of some stable (possibly Suydam) modes for waves travelling in the direction of plasma rotation

  9. Controlled drug release under a low frequency magnetic field: effect of the citrate coating on magnetoliposomes stability

    KAUST Repository

    Nappini, Silvia; Bonini, Massimo; Bombelli, Francesca Baldelli; Pineider, Francesco; Sangregorio, Claudio; Baglioni, Piero; Nordè n, Bengt

    2011-01-01

    The paper describes the effect of a low-frequency alternating magnetic field (LF-AMF) on the permeability and release properties of large (LUVs) and giant (GUVs) unilamellar vesicles loaded with citrate coated cobalt ferrite nanoparticles (NPs). The citrate shell allows a high loading of NPs in lipid vesicles without modifying their magnetic properties. The increase of magnetic LUVs permeability upon exposure to LF-AMF has been evaluated as the fluorescence self-quenching of carboxyfluorescein (CF) entrapped inside the liposome aqueous pool. Liposome leakage has been monitored as a function of field frequency, time exposure and concentration of the citrate coated NPs. Confocal Laser Scanning Microscopy (CLSM) experiments performed on magnetic GUVs labeled with the fluorescent probe DiIC18 and loaded with Alexa 488-C5-maleimide fluorescent dye provided insights on the release mechanism induced by LF-AMF. The results show that LF-AMF strongly affects vesicles permeability, suggesting the formation of pores in the lipid bilayer due to both hyperthermic effects and nanoparticle oscillations in the vesicles pool at the applied frequency. The behaviour of these magnetic vesicles in the presence of LF-AMF makes this system a good candidate for controlled drug delivery. © 2011 The Royal Society of Chemistry.

  10. Study of the low-frequency Raman scattering in NaNbO{sub 3} crystal

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Bouziane, E [Laboratoire Materiaux Optiques, Photonique et Systemes, FRE CNRS 2304, Universite de Metz et Supelec, 2 Rue E Belin, 57070 Metz Cedex (France); Fontana, M D [Laboratoire Materiaux Optiques, Photonique et Systemes, FRE CNRS 2304, Universite de Metz et Supelec, 2 Rue E Belin, 57070 Metz Cedex (France); Ayadi, M [Laboratoire de Physique des Materiaux et d' Electronique, Faculte des Sciences I, Ain Chock, Universite Hassan II, Casablanca (Morocco)

    2003-03-12

    The Raman scattering spectrum of the sodium niobate crystal, in both P and R phases, has been investigated from room temperature up to 440{sup d}eg C. The dependence of the low-frequency (LF) spectrum clearly reveals, for the first time, over a wide temperature range, the presence of a strong quasi-elastic scattering below a LF zone centre phonon. The phase transition mechanism is discussed, considering an order-disorder process induced by the relaxation of the Nb ions.

  11. Trend extraction of rail corrugation measured dynamically based on the relevant low-frequency principal components reconstruction

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Li, Yanfu; Liu, Hongli; Ma, Ziji

    2016-01-01

    Rail corrugation dynamic measurement techniques are critical to guarantee transport security and guide rail maintenance. During the inspection process, low-frequency trends caused by rail fluctuation are usually superimposed on rail corrugation and seriously affect the assessment of rail maintenance quality. In order to extract and remove the nonlinear and non-stationary trends from original mixed signals, a hybrid model based ensemble empirical mode decomposition (EEMD) and modified principal component analysis (MPCA) is proposed in this paper. Compared with the existing de-trending methods based on EMD, this method first considers low-frequency intrinsic mode functions (IMFs) thought to be underlying trend components that maybe contain some unrelated components, such as white noise and low-frequency signal itself, and proposes to use PCA to accurately extract the pure trends from the IMFs containing multiple components. On the other hand, due to the energy contribution ratio between trends and mixed signals is prior unknown, and the principal components (PCs) decomposed by PCA are arranged in order of energy reduction without considering frequency distribution, the proposed method modifies traditional PCA and just selects relevant low-frequency PCs to reconstruct the trends based on the zero-crossing numbers (ZCN) of each PC. Extensive tests are presented to illustrate the effectiveness of the proposed method. The results show the proposed EEMD-PCA-ZCN is an effective tool for trend extraction of rail corrugation measured dynamically. (paper)

  12. Low to high frequency ratio of heart rate variability spectra fails to describe sympatho-vagal balance in cardiac patients.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Milicević, Goran

    2005-06-01

    Heart rate variability (HRV) reflects an influence of autonomic nervous system on heart work. In healthy subjects, ratio between low and high frequency components (LF/HF ratio) of HRV spectra represents a measure of sympatho-vagal balance. The ratio was defined by the authorities as an useful clinical tool, but it seems that it fails to summarise sympatho-vagal balance in a clinical setting. Value of the method was re-evaluated in several categories of cardiac patients. HRV was analysed from 24-hour Holter ECGs in 132 healthy subjects, and 2159 cardiac patients dichotomised by gender, median of age, diagnosis of myocardial infarction or coronary artery surgery, left ventricular systolic function and divided by overall HRV into several categories. In healthy subjects, LF/HF ratio correlated with overall HRV negatively, as expected. The paradoxical finding was obtained in cardiac patients; the lower the overall HRV and the time-domain indices of vagal modulation activity were the lower the LF/HF ratio was. If used as a measure of sympatho-vagal balance, long-term recordings of LF/HF ratio contradict to clinical finding and time-domain HRV indices in cardiac patients. The ratio cannot therefore be used as a reliable marker of autonomic activity in a clinical setting.

  13. Indium zinc oxide films deposited on PET by LF magnetron sputtering

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kim, Eun Lyoung; Jung, Sang Kooun; Sohn, Sang Ho; Park, Duck Kyu

    2007-01-01

    Indium zinc oxide (IZO) has attracted much attention recently for use in transparent oxide films compared with the ITO film. We carried out the deposition of IZO on a polyethylene terapthalate (PET) substrate at room temperature by a low-frequency (LF) magnetron sputtering system. These films have amorphous structures with excellent electrical stability, surface uniformity and high optical transmittance. The effects of LF applied voltage and O 2 flow rate were investigated. The electrical and optical properties were studied. At optimal deposition conditions, thin films of IZO with a sheet resistance of 32 Ω/sq and an optical transmittance of over 80% in the visible spectrum range were achieved. The IZO thin films fabricated by this method do not require substrate heating during the film preparation of any additional post-deposition annealing treatment. The experimental results show that films with good qualities of surface morphology, transmittance and electrical conduction can be grown by the LF magnetron sputtering method on PET which is recommendable

  14. Low-frequency scaling of the standard and mixed magnetic field and Müller integral equations

    KAUST Repository

    Bogaert, Ignace; Cools, Kristof; Andriulli, Francesco P.; Bagci, Hakan

    2014-01-01

    The standard and mixed discretizations for the magnetic field integral equation (MFIE) and the Müller integral equation (MUIE) are investigated in the context of low-frequency (LF) scattering problems involving simply connected scatterers

  15. Measurement of MOSFET LF Noise Under Large Signal RF Excitation

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    van der Wel, A.P.; Klumperink, Eric A.M.; Nauta, Bram

    A new measurement technique is presented that allows measurement of MOSFET LF noise under large signal RF excitation. Measurements indicate that MOSFETS exhibit a reduction in LF noise when they are cycled from inversion to accummulation and that this reduction does not depend on the frequency of

  16. Assessment of high to low frequency variations of isoprene emission rates using a neural network approach

    Science.gov (United States)

    Boissard, C.; Chervier, F.; Dutot, A. L.

    2007-08-01

    Using a statistical approach based on artificial neural networks, an emission algorithm (ISO_LF) accounting for high (instantaneous) to low (seasonal) frequency variations was developed for isoprene. ISO_LF was optimised using an isoprene emission data base (ISO-DB) specifically designed for this work. ISO-DB consists of 1321 emission rates collected in the literature, together with 34 environmental variables, measured or assessed using NCDC (National Climatic Data Center) or NCEP (National Centers for Environmental Predictions) meteorological databases. ISO-DB covers a large variety of emitters (25 species) and environmental conditions (10° S to 60° N). When only instantaneous environmental regressors (air temperature and photosynthetic active radiation, PAR) were used, a maximum of 60% of the overall isoprene variability was assessed and the highest emissions were underestimated. Considering a total of 9 high (instantaneous) to low (up to 3 weeks) frequency regressors, ISO_LF accounts for up to 91% of the isoprene emission variability, whatever the emission range, species or climate. Diurnal and seasonal variations are correctly reproduced for textit{Ulex europaeus} with a maximum factor of discrepancy of 4. ISO-LF was found to be mainly sensitive to air temperature cumulated over 3 weeks T21 and to instantaneous light L0 and air temperature T0 variations. T21, T0 and L0 only accounts for 76% of the overall variability. The use of ISO-LF for non stored monoterpene emissions was shown to give poor results.

  17. Wavelet analysis of the LF radio signals collected by the European VLF/LF network from July 2009 to April 2011

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Michael E. Contadakis

    2012-04-01

    Full Text Available

    In 2008, a radio receiver that works in very low frequency (VLF; 20-60 kHz and LF (150-300 kHz bands was developed by an Italian factory. The receiver can monitor 10 frequencies distributed in these bands, with the measurement for each of them of the electric field intensity. Since 2009, to date, six of these radio receivers have been installed throughout Europe to establish a ‘European VLF/LF Network’. At present, two of these are into operation in Italy, and the remaining four are located in Greece, Turkey, Portugal and Romania. For the present study, the LF radio data collected over about two years were analysed. At first, the day-time data and the night-time data were separated for each radio signal. Taking into account that the LF signals are characterized by ground-wave and sky-wave propagation modes, the day-time data are related to the ground wave and the night-time data to the sky wave. In this framework, the effects of solar activity and storm activity were defined in the different trends. Then, the earthquakes with M ≥5.0 that occurred over the same period were selected, as those located in a 300-km radius around each receiver/transmitter and within the 5th Fresnel zone related to each transmitter-receiver path. Where possible, the wavelet analysis was applied on the time series of the radio signal intensity, and some anomalies related to previous earthquakes were revealed. Except for some doubt in one case, success appears to have been obtained in all of the cases related to the 300 km circles in for the ground waves and the sky waves. For the Fresnel cases, success in two cases and one failure were seen in analysing the sky waves. The failure occurred in August/September, and might be related to the disturbed conditions of the ionosphere in summer.

     

  18. Investigation of Capacitively Coupled Argon Plasma Driven by Dual-Frequency with Different Frequency Configurations

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Yu Yiqing; Xin Yu; Ning Zhaoyuan; Lu Wenqi

    2011-01-01

    Low pressure argon dual-frequency (DF) capacitively coupled plasma (CCP) is generated by using different frequency configurations, such as 13.56/2, 27/2, 41/2, and 60/2 MHz. Characteristics of the plasma are investigated by using a floating double electrical probe and optical emission spectroscopy (OES). It is shown that in the DF-CCPs, the electron temperature T e decreases with the increase in exciting frequency, while the onset of 2 MHz induces a sudden increase in T e and the electron density increases basically with the increase in low frequency (LF) power. The intensity of 750.4 nm emission line increases with the LF power in the case of 13.56/2 MHz, while different tendencies of line intensity with the LF power appear for other configurations. The reason for this is also discussed.

  19. Removal of Escherichia coli via low frequency electromagnetic field in riverbank filtration system.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Selamat, Rossitah; Abustan, Ismail; Rizal Arshad, Mohd; Mokhtar Kamal, Nurul Hana

    2018-04-01

    The removal of Escherichia coli (E. coli) via low frequency of electromagnetic field (LF-EMF) with different magnetic field was studied. LF-EMF is known as a high magnetic susceptibility method, which could affect E. coli growth without the usage of chemicals. The aim of this study was to investigate the removal of E. coli by using LF-EMF in water abstraction for the riverbank filtration (RBF) application. The effect of LF-EMF with the intensity of 2 to 10mT and 50Hz on coiled column of 1mm copper wire at 1 to 6 hours was assessed. The removal of E. coli after exposing to LF-EMF on the column model was measured using most probable number (MPN/100mL) and colonies forming unit (CFU/100mL) methods. Water flows into the column were varied up to 6 hours and with flowrate of 100 mL/min. Experimental results demonstrate that 100% of E. coli was removed at 8mT after 6 hours exposure. The magnetic field at 10mT removed 100% of E. coli after 4 hours exposure. The results obtained in this study proved that the LF-EMF was efficient in E. coli removal from RBF system. These finding indicated that the LF-EMF intensities and time of exposure can affect the removal of E. coli.

  20. Effect of low frequency magnetic fields on melanoma: tumor inhibition and immune modulation

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Nie, Yunzhong; Du, Leilei; Mou, Yongbin; Xu, Zhenjun; Weng, Leihua; Du, Youwei; Zhu, Yanan; Hou, Yayi; Wang, Tingting

    2013-01-01

    We previously found that the low frequency magnetic fields (LF-MF) inhibited gastric and lung cancer cell growth. We suppose that exposure to LF-MF may modulate immune function so as to inhibit tumor. We here investigated whether LF-MF can inhibit the proliferation and metastasis of melanoma and influence immune function. The effect of MF on the proliferation, cell cycle and ultrastracture of B16-F10 in vitro was detected by cell counting Kit-8 assay, flow cytometry, and transmission electron microscopy. Lung metastasis mice were prepared by injection of 2 × 10 5 B16-F10 melanoma cells into the tail vein in C57BL/6 mice. The mice were then exposed to an LF-MF (0.4 T, 7.5 Hz) for 43 days. Survival rate, tumor markers and the innate and adaptive immune parameters were measured. The growth of B16-F10 cells was inhibited after exposure to the LF-MF. The inhibition was related to induction of cell cycle arrest and decomposition of chromatins. Moreover, the LF-MF prolonged the mouse survival rate and inhibited the proliferation of B16-F10 in melanoma metastasis mice model. Furthermore, the LF-MF modulated the immune response via regulation of immune cells and cytokine production. In addition, the number of Treg cells was decreased in mice with the LF-MF exposure, while the numbers of T cells as well as dendritic cells were significantly increased. LF-MF inhibited the growth and metastasis of melanoma cancer cells and improved immune function of tumor-bearing mice. This suggests that the inhibition may be attributed to modulation of LF-MF on immune function and LF-MF may be a potential therapy for treatment of melanoma

  1. Characteristics of low-frequency components of the near-bottom current in the Chinese Pioneer Area

    Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

    LIANG Chujin; HOU Yijun; CHEN Qi; DONG Ruzhou; DONG Lixian

    2004-01-01

    Two deep-sea moorings were deployed respectively in the east area and the west area of Chinese Pioneer Area (CPA) in the tropic east Pacific to monitor the regional deep-sea dynamics below 600 meters above bottom (mab) from July 1997 to Oct. 1999. Results of statistics, spectral estimate and correlation analysis of the low-passed velocity data show that time scales of low-frequency components of the near-bottom currents are 25~120 days, in which 51-day period dominates the lower band of the frequency domain. Topographic features have obvious effect on low-frequency currents below 50 mab; modulations of the bottom-intensified sheared mean flow to the low-frequency currents are the dynamic mechanism of the frequency shift that occurs in both the east-area and the west-area.

  2. Suppression of motor cortical excitability in anesthetized rats by low frequency repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Paul A Muller

    Full Text Available Repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS is a widely-used method for modulating cortical excitability in humans, by mechanisms thought to involve use-dependent synaptic plasticity. For example, when low frequency rTMS (LF rTMS is applied over the motor cortex, in humans, it predictably leads to a suppression of the motor evoked potential (MEP, presumably reflecting long-term depression (LTD -like mechanisms. Yet how closely such rTMS effects actually match LTD is unknown. We therefore sought to (1 reproduce cortico-spinal depression by LF rTMS in rats, (2 establish a reliable animal model for rTMS effects that may enable mechanistic studies, and (3 test whether LTD-like properties are evident in the rat LF rTMS setup. Lateralized MEPs were obtained from anesthetized Long-Evans rats. To test frequency-dependence of LF rTMS, rats underwent rTMS at one of three frequencies, 0.25, 0.5, or 1 Hz. We next tested the dependence of rTMS effects on N-methyl-D-aspartate glutamate receptor (NMDAR, by application of two NMDAR antagonists. We find that 1 Hz rTMS preferentially depresses unilateral MEP in rats, and that this LTD-like effect is blocked by NMDAR antagonists. These are the first electrophysiological data showing depression of cortical excitability following LF rTMS in rats, and the first to demonstrate dependence of this form of cortical plasticity on the NMDAR. We also note that our report is the first to show that the capacity for LTD-type cortical suppression by rTMS is present under barbiturate anesthesia, suggesting that future neuromodulatory rTMS applications under anesthesia may be considered.

  3. Waves of change: immunomodulation of the innate immune response by low frequency electromagnetic field exposure

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Golbach, L.A.

    2015-01-01

    In this thesis we investigated possible modulatory roles of low frequency electromagnetic fields (LF EMFs) exposure on the innate immune system. Recent decades have seen a huge increase in the use of electronic devices that nowadays enable us to communicate with distant family, enjoy

  4. In situ monitoring of cocrystals in formulation development using low-frequency Raman spectroscopy.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Otaki, Takashi; Tanabe, Yuta; Kojima, Takashi; Miura, Masaru; Ikeda, Yukihiro; Koide, Tatsuo; Fukami, Toshiro

    2018-05-05

    In recent years, to guarantee a quality-by-design approach to the development of pharmaceutical products, it is important to identify properties of raw materials and excipients in order to determine critical process parameters and critical quality attributes. Feedback obtained from real-time analyses using various process analytical technology (PAT) tools has been actively investigated. In this study, in situ monitoring using low-frequency (LF) Raman spectroscopy (10-200 cm -1 ), which may have higher discriminative ability among polymorphs than near-infrared spectroscopy and conventional Raman spectroscopy (200-1800 cm -1 ), was investigated as a possible application to PAT. This is because LF-Raman spectroscopy obtains information about intermolecular and/or lattice vibrations in the solid state. The monitoring results obtained from Furosemide/Nicotinamide cocrystal indicate that LF-Raman spectroscopy is applicable to in situ monitoring of suspension and fluidized bed granulation processes, and is an effective technique as a PAT tool to detect the conversion risk of cocrystals. LF-Raman spectroscopy is also used as a PAT tool to monitor reactions, crystallizations, and manufacturing processes of drug substances and products. In addition, a sequence of conversion behaviors of Furosemide/Nicotinamide cocrystals was determined by performing in situ monitoring for the first time. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  5. Nonlinear Conte-Zbilut-Federici (CZF Method of Computing LF/HF Ratio: A More Reliable Index of Changes in Heart Rate Variability

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Vernon Bond Jr

    2016-09-01

    Full Text Available Objectives: Acupuncture treatments are safe and effective for a wide variety of diseases involving autonomic dysregulation. Heart rate variability (HRV is a noninvasive method for assessing sympathovagal balance. The low frequency/high frequency (LF/HF spectral power ratio is an index of sympathovagal influence on heart rate and of cardi

  6. Simulation of cold plasma in a chamber under high- and low-frequency voltage conditions for a capacitively coupled plasma

    Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

    Hao Daoxin; Cheng Jia; Ji Linhong; Sun Yuchun

    2012-01-01

    The characteristics of cold plasma,especially for a dual-frequency capacitively coupled plasma (CCP),play an important role for plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition,which stimulates further studies using different methods.In this paper,a 2D fluid model was constructed for N2 gas plasma simulations with CFD-ACE+,a commercial multi-physical software package.First,the distributions of electric potential (Epot),electron number density (Ne),N number density (N) and electron temperature (Te) are described under the condition of high frequency (HF),13.56 MHz,HF voltage,300 V,and low-frequency (LF) voltage,0 V,particularly in the sheath.Based on this,the influence of HF on Ne is further discussed under different HF voltages of 200 V,300 V,400 V,separately,along with the influence of LF,0.3 MHz,and various LF voltages of 500 V,600 V,700 V.The results show that sheaths of about 3 mm are formed near the two electrodes,in which Epot and Te vary extensively with time and space,while in the plasma bulk Epot changes synchronously with an electric potential of about 70 V and Te varies only in a small range.N is also modulated by the radio frequency,but the relative change in N is small.Ne varies only in the sheath,while in the bulk it is steady at different time steps.So,by comparing Ne in the plasma bulk at the steady state,we can see that Ne will increase when HF voltage increases.Yet,Ne will slightly decrease with the increase of LF voltage.At the same time,the homogeneity will change in both x and y directions.So both HF and LF voltages should be carefully considered in order to obtain a high-density,homogeneous plasma.

  7. Critical evaluation of analytical models for stochastic heating in dual-frequency capacitive discharges

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Sharma, S; Turner, M M

    2013-01-01

    Dual-frequency capacitive discharges are widespread in the semiconductor industry and are used, for example, in etching of semiconductor materials to manufacture microchips. In low-pressure dual radio-frequency capacitive discharges, stochastic heating is an important phenomenon. Recent theoretical work on this problem using several different approaches has produced results that are broadly in agreement insofar as scaling with the discharge parameters is concerned, but there remains some disagreement in detail concerning the absolute size of the effect for the case of dual-frequency capacitive discharges. In this work, we investigate the dependence of stochastic heating on various discharge parameters with the help of particle-in-cell (PIC) simulation. The dual-frequency analytical models are in fair agreement with PIC results for values of the low-frequency current density amplitude J lf (or dimensionless control parameter H lf ∼ 5) typical of many modern experiments. However, for higher values of J lf (or higher H lf ), new physical phenomena (like field reversal, reflection of ions, etc) appear and the simulation results deviate from existing dual-frequency analytical models. On the other hand, for lower J lf (or lower H lf ) again the simulation results deviate from analytical models. So this research work produces a relatively extensive set of simulation data that may be used to validate theories over a wide range of parameters. (paper)

  8. Hypothesis: Low frequency heart rate variability (LF-HRV) is an input for undisclosed yet biological adaptive control, governing the cardiovascular regulations to assure optimal functioning.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gabbay, Uri; Bobrovsky, Ben Zion

    2012-02-01

    Cardiovascular regulation is considered today as having three levels: autoregulations, neural regulations and hormonal regulations. We hypothesize that the cardiovascular regulation has an additional (fourth) control level which is outer, hierarchical (adaptive) loop where LF-HRV amplitude serves as a reference input which the neural cardiovascular center detects and responses in order to maintain LF-HRV around some prescribed level. Supporting evidences: LF-HRV absence during artificial cardiac pacing may be associated with "pacemaker syndrome" which had not been sufficiently understood regardless of apparently unimpaired cardiovascular performance. The hypothesis may provide an essential basis for understanding several cardiovascular morbidities and insight toward diagnostic measures and treatments (including but not limited to adding variability to the pulse generator of artificial pacemakers to eliminate "pace maker syndrome"). Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  9. Neural network approach to the prediction of seismic events based on low-frequency signal monitoring of the Kuril-Kamchatka and Japanese regions

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Irina Popova

    2013-08-01

    Full Text Available Very-low-frequency/ low-frequency (VLF/LF sub-ionospheric radiowave monitoring has been widely used in recent years to analyze earthquake preparatory processes. The connection between earthquakes with M ≥5.5 and nighttime disturbances of signal amplitude and phase has been established. Thus, it is possible to use nighttime anomalies of VLF/LF signals as earthquake precursors. Here, we propose a method for estimation of the VLF/LF signal sensitivity to seismic processes using a neural network approach. We apply the error back-propagation technique based on a three-level perceptron to predict a seismic event. The back-propagation technique involves two main stages to solve the problem; namely, network training, and recognition (the prediction itself. To train a neural network, we first create a so-called ‘training set’. The ‘teacher’ specifies the correspondence between the chosen input and the output data. In the present case, a representative database includes both the LF data received over three years of monitoring at the station in Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky (2005-2007, and the seismicity parameters of the Kuril-Kamchatka and Japanese regions. At the first stage, the neural network established the relationship between the characteristic features of the LF signal (the mean and dispersion of a phase and an amplitude at nighttime for a few days before a seismic event and the corresponding level of correlation with a seismic event, or the absence of a seismic event. For the second stage, the trained neural network was applied to predict seismic events from the LF data using twelve time intervals in 2004, 2005, 2006 and 2007. The results of the prediction are discussed.

  10. Field Evaluations of Low-Frequency SAFT-UT on Cast Stainless Steel and Dissimilar Metal Weld Components

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Diaz, Aaron A.; Harris, R. V.; Doctor, Steven R.

    2008-11-01

    This report documents work performed at the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) in Richland, Washington, and at the Electric Power Research Institute's (EPRI) Nondestructive Examination (NDE) Center in Charlotte, North Carolina, on evalutating a low frequency ultrasonic inspection technique used for examination of cast stainless steel (CSS) and dissimilar metal (DMW) reactor piping components. The technique uses a zone-focused, multi-incident angle, low frequency (250-450 kHz) inspection protocol coupled with the synthetic aperture focusing technique (SAFT). The primary focus of this work is to provide information to the United States Nuclear Regulatory Commission on the utility, effectiveness and reliability of ultrasonic testing (UT) inspection techniques as related to the inservice ultrasonic inspection of coarse grained primary piping components in pressurized water reactors (PWRs).

  11. An improved asynchronous brain interface: making use of the temporal history of the LF-ASD feature vectors

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bashashati, Ali; Mason, Steve; Ward, Rabab K.; Birch, Gary E.

    2006-06-01

    The low-frequency asynchronous switch design (LF-ASD) has been introduced as a direct brain interface (BI) for asynchronous control applications. Asynchronous interfaces, as opposed to synchronous interfaces, have the advantage of being operational at all times and not only at specific system-defined periods. This paper modifies the LF-ASD design by incorporating into the system more knowledge about the attempted movements. Specifically, the history of feature values extracted from the EEG signal is used to detect a right index finger movement attempt. Using data collected from individuals with high-level spinal cord injuries and able-bodied subjects, it is shown that the error characteristics of the modified design are significantly better than the previous LF-ASD design. The true positive rate percentage increased by up to 15 which corresponds to 50% improvement when the system is operating with false positive rates in the 1-2% range.

  12. Low-frequency scaling of the standard and mixed magnetic field and Müller integral equations

    KAUST Repository

    Bogaert, Ignace

    2014-02-01

    The standard and mixed discretizations for the magnetic field integral equation (MFIE) and the Müller integral equation (MUIE) are investigated in the context of low-frequency (LF) scattering problems involving simply connected scatterers. It is proved that, at low frequencies, the frequency scaling of the nonsolenoidal part of the solution current can be incorrect for the standard discretization. In addition, it is proved that the frequency scaling obtained with the mixed discretization is correct. The reason for this problem in the standard discretization scheme is the absence of exact solenoidal currents in the rotated RWG finite element space. The adoption of the mixed discretization scheme eliminates this problem and leads to a well-conditioned system of linear equations that remains accurate at low frequencies. Numerical results confirm these theoretical predictions and also show that, when the frequency is lowered, a finer and finer mesh is required to keep the accuracy constant with the standard discretization. © 1963-2012 IEEE.

  13. Instant centre frequency at anaesthetic induction--a new way to analyse sympathovagal balance.

    Science.gov (United States)

    de Souza Neto, Edmundo Pereira; Cerutti, Catherine; Loufoua, Joseph; Saroul, Christine; Chiari, Pascal; Custaud, Marc-Antoine; Lehot, Jean-Jacques

    2003-02-01

    The instant centre frequency (ICF) of RR interval has been proposed as a global index to analyse the sympathovagal interaction in the heart. The aim of this study was to assess the ICF during anaesthesia to test if it can reliably capture the neural control of the cardiovascular system. Twenty-four ASA II or III patients scheduled for cardiac surgery were included in the study. They were allocated in two groups: control, no treatment (group 1, n = 12), and beta-adrenergic blockade by atenolol (group 2, n = 12). Spectra of pulse interval series were computed with a time-frequency method and they were divided into: very low frequency (VLF, 0.000-0.040 Hz), low frequency (LF, 0.050-0.150 Hz) and high frequency (HF, 0.160-0.500 Hz). Normalized power was obtained by dividing the cumulative power within each frequency band (LF or HF) by the sum of LF and HF; the ratio of LF/HF was also calculated. Instant centre frequency is a time-varying parameter that the evolution along time of the gravity centrum of a local spectrum. All spectral indexes were recorded at the following time points: before induction, after induction and before intubation, during intubation, and after intubation. The atenolol group had lower normalized LF and the LF/HF ratio (P ICF was higher in atenolol group at all times. The ICF shifted towards HF frequency after induction and before intubation and shifted towards LF during intubation in both groups. The autonomic nervous system control on the heart through the interaction of sympathetic and parasympathetic reflex mechanisms could be studied by the ICF. The ICF may assess the autonomic cardiac modulation and may provide useful information for anaesthetic management.

  14. Low-Frequency Shear and Layer-Breathing Modes in Raman Scattering of Two-Dimensional Materials.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Liang, Liangbo; Zhang, Jun; Sumpter, Bobby G; Tan, Qing-Hai; Tan, Ping-Heng; Meunier, Vincent

    2017-12-26

    Ever since the isolation of single-layer graphene in 2004, two-dimensional layered structures have been among the most extensively studied classes of materials. To date, the pool of two-dimensional materials (2DMs) continues to grow at an accelerated pace and already covers an extensive range of fascinating and technologically relevant properties. An array of experimental techniques have been developed and used to characterize and understand these properties. In particular, Raman spectroscopy has proven to be a key experimental technique, thanks to its capability to identify minute structural and electronic effects in nondestructive measurements. While high-frequency (HF) intralayer Raman modes have been extensively employed for 2DMs, recent experimental and theoretical progress has demonstrated that low-frequency (LF) interlayer Raman modes are more effective at determining layer numbers and stacking configurations and provide a unique opportunity to study interlayer coupling. These advantages are due to 2DMs' unique interlayer vibration patterns where each layer behaves as an almost rigidly moving object with restoring forces corresponding to weak interlayer interactions. Compared to HF Raman modes, the relatively small attention originally devoted to LF Raman modes is largely due to their weaker signal and their proximity to the strong Rayleigh line background, which previously made their detection challenging. Recent progress in Raman spectroscopy with technical and hardware upgrades now makes it possible to probe LF modes with a standard single-stage Raman system and has proven crucial to characterize and understand properties of 2DMs. Here, we present a comprehensive and forward-looking review on the current status of exploiting LF Raman modes of 2DMs from both experimental and theoretical perspectives, revealing the fundamental physics and technological significance of LF Raman modes in advancing the field of 2DMs. We review a broad array of materials, with

  15. The effect of low-frequency TENS in the treatment of neuropathic pain in patients with spinal cord injury.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Celik, E C; Erhan, B; Gunduz, B; Lakse, E

    2013-04-01

    Prospective, randomized and controlled study. The aim of the study was to investigate the effect of low-frequency transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (LF-TENS) in the treatment of neuropathic pain in patients with spinal cord injury (SCI). A total of 33 SCI patients with neuropathic pain were included in the study. History, duration, localization and characteristics of pain were recorded. Visual analog scale (VAS) was used to investigate the effect of LF-TENS four times during the day. Patients were randomly assigned to study and control groups. The study group was treated with 30 min of LF-TENS daily for 10 days while the placebo group with 30 min of sham TENS. The mean age of the patients was 36.55±10.36 years. Out of 33 patients, 7 were tetraplegic and 26 were paraplegic. Twenty-three patients had complete SCI while 10 patients had incomplete injuries. Two groups were similar with respect to age, gender, duration, level and severity of injury. In the LF-TENS treatment group, a statistically significant reduction of the VAS values was observed, however, such an effect was not evident in the control group. This study revealed that in treatment of neuropathic pain of SCI patients, LF-TENS may be effective. This article presents LF-TENS may effectively complement pharmacological treatment in patients with SCI and neuropathic pain.

  16. Low-frequency electromagnetic fields do not alter responses of inflammatory genes and proteins in human monocytes and immune cell lines

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Bouwens, M.; Kleijn, de S.; Cuppen, J.J.M.; Savelkoul, H.F.J.; Verburg-van Kemenade, B.M.L.

    2012-01-01

    The effects of low frequency electromagnetic fields (LF EMF) on human health are the subject of on-going research and serious public concern. These fields potentially elicit small effects that have been proposed to have consequences, either positive or negative, for biological systems. To reveal

  17. The Ionospheric Precursor to the 2011 March 11 Earthquake Based upon Observations Obtained from the Japan-Pacific Subionospheric VLF/LF Network

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Masashi Hayakawa

    2013-01-01

    Full Text Available By using network observation of subionospheric VLF (very low frequency/LF (low frequency signals in Japan and in Russia, we have found a significant ionospheric perturbation prior to the recent 2011 March 11 Japan earthquake (EQ which occurred at sea proximate to the Tohoku area on the main island (Honshu of Japan was an exceptionally huge plate-type EQ. A remarkable anomaly (with a decrease in the nighttime amplitude and also with enhancement in dispersion was detected on March 5 and 6 along the propagation path from the NLK (Seattle, USA transmitter to Chofu (together with Kochi and Kasugai. We also have observed the corresponding VLF anomaly during a prolonged period of March 1 - 6, with minima in the nighttime amplitude on March 3 and 4 along the path from JJI (Miyazaki, Kyushu to Kamchatka, Russia. This ionospheric perturbation has been discussed extensively with respect to its reliability. (1 How abnormal is this VLF/LF propagation anomaly? (2 What was the temporal evolution of terminator times? (3 Were there any solar-terrestrial effects (especially the effect from geomagnetic storms on the VLF/LF propagation anomaly? (4 The effect of any other EQs and foreshock activities on the VLF/LF anomaly? (5 Were there any correlations with other related phenomena? Finally, (6 are there any other examples of a VLF/LF propagation anomaly for oceanic EQs? We then compared the temporal properties of ionospheric perturbations for this EQ with those of a huge number of inland EQs and compared the corresponding spatial scale with the former result of the same oceanic 2004 Sumatra EQ with nearly the same magnitude. Finally, the generation mechanism of those seismo-ionospheric perturbations is briefly discussed.

  18. Investigation of the Effects of Continuous Low-Dose Epidural Analgesia on the Autonomic Nervous System Using Hilbert Huang Transform

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Wei-Ren Chuang

    2010-01-01

    Full Text Available Effects of continuous low-dose epidural bupivacaine (0.05-0.1% infusion on the Doppler velocimetry for labor analgesia have been well documented. The aim of this study was to monitor the activity of the autonomic nervous system (ANS for women in labor based on Hilbert Huang transform (HHT, which performs signal processing for nonlinear systems, such as human cardiac systems. Thirteen pregnant women were included in the experimental group for labor analgesia. They received continuous epidural bupivacaine 0.075% infusion. The normal-to-normal intervals (NN-interval were downloaded from an ECG holter. Another 20 pregnant women in non-anesthesia labor (average gestation age was 38.6 weeks were included in the comparison group. In this study, HHT was used to decompose components of ECG signals, which reflect three different frequency bands of a person's heart rate spectrum (viz. high frequency (HF, low frequency (LF and very low frequency (VLF. It was found that the change of energy in subjects without anesthesia was more active than that with continuous epidural bupivacaine 0.075% infusion. The energy values of the experimental group (i.e., labor analgesia of HF and LF of ANS activities were significantly lower (P < 0.05 than the values of the comparison group (viz. labor without analgesia, but the trend of energy ratio of LF/HF was opposite. In conclusion, the sympathetic and parasympathetic components of ANS are all suppressed by continuous low-dose epidural bupivacaine 0.075% infusion, but parasympathetic power is suppressed more than sympathetic power.

  19. Effect of low-frequency electromagnetic fields on the Escherichia coli growth for application in riverbank filtration

    Science.gov (United States)

    Selamat, Rossitah; Abustan, Ismail; Arshad, Mohd Rizal; Kamal, Nurul Hana Mokhtar

    2017-10-01

    A 50 Hz low-frequency electromagnetic field (LF-EMF) could give removal effect on the growth of Escherichia coli (E. coli) in the riverbank filtration (RBF) was studied. The LF-EMF strengths were varied from 2 to 10 mT using coil column induce magnetic fields. For this study, two different columns with a diameter of 50 mm and 80 mm were applied; 1.5mm copper wires with the number of turns between 300 to 600 turns. Water samples were flowed into the column at flowrate of 50mL/min with temperature in range of 28-30°C. This study, it was found that the LF-EMF has significant removal effects on E. coli growth, where the removal of 100% of E. coli at 6 mT and 8 mT after 6 hrs exposed. Moreover, for shorter exposure period of 3 hrs exposed, 82% of E. coli removal were detected in 80 mm column for 8 mT and 10 mT magnetic field. These findings indicate that the application of LF-EMF is able to decrease the E. coli, can be and efficient in E. coli growth from river water intake. Thus, the results from this study proved that the utilization of LF-EMF is able to decrease the concentrations of E. coli, and contributes in slowing down their growth. Also, it can be indicated that the LF-EMF kill a part of E. coli exposed in the river water with the large magnetic field and long-time exposure.

  20. Single Session Low Frequency Left Dorsolateral Prefrontal Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation Changes Neurometabolite Relationships in Healthy Humans

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Nathaniel R. Bridges

    2018-03-01

    Full Text Available Background: Dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC low frequency repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (LF-rTMS has shown promise as a treatment and investigative tool in the medical and research communities. Researchers have made significant progress elucidating DLPFC LF-rTMS effects—primarily in individuals with psychiatric disorders. However, more efforts investigating underlying molecular changes and establishing links to functional and behavioral outcomes in healthy humans are needed.Objective: We aimed to quantify neuromolecular changes and relate these to functional changes following a single session of DLPFC LF-rTMS in healthy participants.Methods: Eleven participants received sham-controlled neuronavigated 1 Hz rTMS to the region most activated by a 7-letter Sternberg working memory task (SWMT within the left DLPFC. We quantified SWMT performance, functional magnetic resonance activation and proton Magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS neurometabolite measure changes before and after stimulation.Results: A single LF-rTMS session was not sufficient to change DLPFC neurometabolite levels and these changes did not correlate with DLPFC activation changes. Real rTMS, however, significantly altered neurometabolite correlations (compared to sham rTMS, both with baseline levels and between the metabolites themselves. Additionally, real rTMS was associated with diminished reaction time (RT performance improvements and increased activation within the motor, somatosensory and lateral occipital cortices.Conclusion: These results show that a single session of LF-rTMS is sufficient to influence metabolite relationships and causes widespread activation in healthy humans. Investigating correlational relationships may provide insight into mechanisms underlying LF-rTMS.

  1. Very low frequency oscillations in the power spectra of heart rate variability during dry supine immersion and exposure to non-hypoxic hypobaria.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tripathi, K K

    2011-06-01

    The origin of very low frequency (VLF) oscillations in the power spectra of heart rate variability (HRV) is controversial with possible mechanisms involving thermoregulation and/or renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system. Recently, a major contribution from vagal influences has been suggested. The present study investigated the behaviour of VLF (0.004-0.040 Hz) components of HRV power spectra in a group of healthy male volunteers during their exposure to (1) dry, supine, immersion in thermo-neutral water for 6 h (n = 7) and (2) non-hypoxic hypobaria (breathing 40-60% oxygen at 15,000' simulated in a decompression chamber) for 5 h (n = 15). The two manoeuvres are established to increase vagal outflow. During both the manoeuvres, all the frequency domain indices of HRV exhibited a significant increase. Increase in HRV was much more than that in the R-R interval. At 6 h of immersion, the R-R interval increased by ∼ 15% but the total power increased ∼ fourfold. Similarly, at 5 h of exposure to hypobaria, total power increased ∼ twofold with a very modest increase in an R-R of ∼ 9%. Increase in spectral power was appreciable even after normalization with mean R-R(2). Increase in VLF during immersion was more than reported during enalaprilat blockade of angiotensin convertase enzyme. Plasma renin activity did not vary during hypobaria. There was a significant increase in pNN50, an established marker of cardiac vagal activity. Centre frequencies of the spectra and slope (β) of the relation between log(PSD) and log(frequency) did not change. Results were supportive of the notion that the parasympathetic system is pre-potent to influence slower (than respiratory) frequency components in HRV spectrum. Additionally, such an effect was without a change in the time constant of effector responses or pacemaker frequencies of VLF and LF periodicities and HRV was not a simple linear surrogate for cardiac vagal effects. An invariance of spectral exponent (β) ruled out

  2. Characterization of Crystal Chirality in Amino Acids Using Low-Frequency Raman Spectroscopy.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Aviv, Hagit; Nemtsov, Irena; Mastai, Yitzhak; Tischler, Yaakov R

    2017-10-19

    We present a new method for differentiating racemic crystals from enantiopure crystals. Recently, developments in optical filters have enabled the facile use of Raman spectroscopy to detect low-frequency vibrational (LFV) modes. Here, for the first time, we use Raman spectroscopy to characterize the LFV modes for crystalline organic materials composed of chiral molecules. The LF-Raman spectra of racemic and enantiopure crystals exhibit a significant variation, which we attribute to different hydrogen-bond networks in the chiral crystal structures. Across a representative set of amino acids, we observed that when comparing racemic versus enantiopure crystals, the available LFV modes and their relative scattering intensity are strong functions of side chain polarity. Thus, LF-Raman can be used as a method that is complementary to the currently used methods for characterizing crystal chirality due to simpler, faster, and more sensitive measurements, along with the small sample size required, which is limited by the laser-beam diameter in the focus.

  3. Low and High-Frequency Field Potentials of Cortical Networks ...

    Science.gov (United States)

    Neural networks grown on microelectrode arrays (MEAs) have become an important, high content in vitro assay for assessing neuronal function. MEA experiments typically examine high- frequency (HF) (>200 Hz) spikes, and bursts which can be used to discriminate between different pharmacological agents/chemicals. However, normal brain activity is additionally composed of integrated low-frequency (0.5-100 Hz) field potentials (LFPs) which are filtered out of MEA recordings. The objective of this study was to characterize the relationship between HF and LFP neural network signals, and to assess the relative sensitivity of LFPs to selected neurotoxicants. Rat primary cortical cultures were grown on glass, single-well MEA chips. Spontaneous activity was sampled at 25 kHz and recorded (5 min) (Multi-Channel Systems) from mature networks (14 days in vitro). HF (spike, mean firing rate, MFR) and LF (power spectrum, amplitude) components were extracted from each network and served as its baseline (BL). Next, each chip was treated with either 1) a positive control, bicuculline (BIC, 25μM) or domoic acid (DA, 0.3μM), 2) or a negative control, acetaminophen (ACE, 100μM) or glyphosate (GLY, 100μM), 3) a solvent control (H2O or DMSO:EtOH), or 4) a neurotoxicant, (carbaryl, CAR 5, 30μM ; lindane, LIN 1, 10μM; permethrin, PERM 25, 50μM; triadimefon, TRI 5, 65μM). Post treatment, 5 mins of spontaneous activity was recorded and analyzed. As expected posit

  4. Electron density profiles in the background of LF absorption during Forbush-decrease and PSE

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Satori, G.

    1989-01-01

    Based on the simulation of different Forbush decrease and particle precipitation effects in the D region, electron density profiles in the mid-latitudes the ionospheric absorption of low frequency (LF) radio waves was determined. The absorption variations at different frequenceis are strongly affected by the shape of the electron density profile. A structure appears which sometimes resembles the letter S (in a sloping form). Both the height (around 70 to 72 km) and the depth of the local minimum in the electron density contribute to the computed absorption changes of various degree at different frequencies. In this way several observed special absorption events can be interpreted

  5. Using Low-Frequency Phased Arrays to Detect Cracks in Cast Austenitic Piping Components

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Anderson, Michael T.; Cumblidge, Stephen E.; Doctor, Steven R.

    2005-01-01

    As part of a multi-year program funded by the United States Nuclear Regulatory Commission (US NRC) to address NDE reliability of inservice inspection (ISI) programs, recent studies conducted at the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) in Richland, Washington, have focused on assessing novel NDE approaches for the inspection of coarse-grained, cast stainless steel reactor components. The primary objective of this work is to provide information to the US NRC on the utility, effectiveness and reliability of ultrasonic testing (UT) and eddy current testing (ET) inspection techniques as related to the ISI of primary piping components in pressurized water reactors (PWRs). This paper describes progress, recent developments and early results from an assessment of a portion of this work relating to the ultrasonic low frequency phased array inspection technique. Westinghouse Owner's Group (WOG) cast stainless steel pipe segments with thermal and mechanical fatigue cracks, PNNL samples containing thermal fatigue cracks and several blank vintage specimens having very coarse grains that are representative of early centrifugally cast piping installed in PWRs, are being used for assessing the inspection method. The phased array approach was implemented using an R/D Tech Tomoscan III system operating at 1.0 MHz and 500 kHz, providing composite volumetric images of the samples. Several dual, transmit-receive, custom designed low-frequency arrays are employed in laboratory trials. Results from laboratory studies for assessing detection of thermal and mechanical fatigue cracks in cast stainless steel piping welds are discussed

  6. Acute Frontal Lobe Dysfunction Following Prefrontal Low-Frequency Repetitive Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation in a Patient with Treatment-Resistant Depression

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Guilhem Carle

    2017-05-01

    Full Text Available The potential of repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS to treat numerous neurological and psychiatric disorders has been thoroughly studied for the last two decades. Here, we report for the first time, the case of a 65-year-old woman suffering from treatment-resistant depression who developed an acute frontal lobe syndrome following eight sessions of low-frequency rTMS (LF-rTMS to the right dorsolateral prefrontal cortex while also treated with sertraline and mianserin. The pathophysiological mechanisms underlying such an unexpected acute frontal lobe dysfunction are discussed in relation to the therapeutic use of LF-rTMS in combination with pharmacotherapy in depressed patients.

  7. An alternative for the LF model

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Veldhuis, R.N.J.

    1996-01-01

    An alternative for the Liljencrants-Fant (LF) glottal-pulse model is presented. This alternative is derived from the Rosenberg model, so we have caned it the Rosenberg++ model. It is described by the same set of Tor R parameters as the LF model but has the advantage over the LF model that it is

  8. Influence of the dynamic Stark effect on long-term frequency stability of a self-oscillating magnetometer with laser-pumped alkali atoms

    Science.gov (United States)

    Baranov, A. A.; Ermak, S. V.; Kulachenkov, N. K.; Petrenko, M. V.; Sagitov, E. A.; Semenov, V. V.

    2017-11-01

    This paper presents the results of investigation Stark shift effect influence on the long-term stability of a dual scheme of quantum magnetometers. Such scheme allows suppressing Stark shift components when a certain pumping light polarization is applied. As a result, long-term stability of a quantum sensor increases. However, when low-frequency (LF) and microwave fields are attached to a single vapor cell a coherence circulation in hyperfine structure of alkali atoms takes place. Physical origin of this effect is associated with the so called “dressed” atom theory, when atom is “dressed” by LF field. It yields in multiphoton absorption and resonance frequency shift. First estimates for this shift based on density matrix evolution formalism are provided in the paper.

  9. Low-frequency characteristics extension for vibration sensors

    Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

    杨学山; 高峰; 候兴民

    2004-01-01

    Traditional magneto-electric vibration sensors and servo accelerometers have severe shortcomings when used to measure vibration where low frequency components predominate. A low frequency characteristic extension for velocity vibration sensors is presented in this paper. The passive circuit technology, active compensation technology and the closedcycle pole compensation technology are used to extend the measurable range and to improve low frequency characteristics of sensors. Thses three types of low frequency velocity vibration sensors have been developed and widely adopted in China.

  10. Temporal evolution of electron density in a low pressure pulsed two-frequency (60 MHz/2 MHz) capacitively coupled plasma discharge

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Sirse, N; Ellingboe, A R; Jeon, M H; Yeom, G Y

    2014-01-01

    Time-resolved electron density, n e , is measured in a low pressure pulsed two-frequency capacitively coupled plasma discharge sustained in Ar and in Ar/CF 4 /O 2 (80 : 10 : 10) gas mixture using a floating resonance hairpin probe. The top electrode is powered by 60 MHz in pulse mode and the bottom electrode is powered by 2 MHz in continuous wave mode. The dependence of time-resolved n e on the low frequency (LF) and high frequency (HF) power levels, operating gas pressure, pulse repetition frequency (PRF) and duty cycle are investigated. It is found that the steady state n e in the long on-phase is greatly influenced by the HF power level and slightly affected by the LF power level in both Ar and Ar/CF 4 /O 2 plasma. The decay time of n e is slow (∼30–90 µs) in the case of Ar plasma and strongly depends on the LF power level, whereas in the case of Ar/CF 4 /O 2 gas mixture it is very fast (∼15 µs) and marginally dependent on LF power level. In Ar plasma the steady state n e is increasing with a rise in operating gas pressure, however, in Ar/CF 4 /O 2 plasma it first increases with gas pressure reaching to the maximum (at 20 mTorr) value and then decreases. The pressure dependence of decay time constant mimics the pressure variation of steady state n e . Furthermore, it is observed that the on-phase electron density is greatly affected by changing the PRF and duty cycle. This effect is more prominent in Ar/CF 4 /O 2 plasma when compared to Ar discharge. In addition, n e is observed to overshoot the steady state densities in the beginning of the on-phase in Ar/CF 4 /O 2 gas mixture, but this effect is either small or absent in the case of Ar plasma. (paper)

  11. A direct numerical simulation investigation of the synthetic jet frequency effects on separation control of low-Re flow past an airfoil

    KAUST Repository

    Zhang, Wei

    2015-05-05

    We present results of direct numerical simulations of a synthetic jet (SJ) based separation control of flow past a NACA-0018 (National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics) airfoil, at 10° angle of attack and Reynolds number 104 based on the airfoil chord length C and uniform inflow velocity U 0. The actuator of the SJ is modeled as a spanwise slot on the airfoil leeward surface and is placed just upstream of the leading edge separation position of the uncontrolled flow. The momentum coefficient of the SJ is chosen at a small value 2.13 × 10−4 normalized by that of the inflow. Three forcing frequencies are chosen for the present investigation: the low frequency (LF) F + = feC/U 0 = 0.5, the medium frequency (MF) F + = 1.0, and the high frequency (HF) F + = 4.0. We quantify the effects of forcing frequency for each case on the separation control and related vortex dynamics patterns. The simulations are performed using an energy conservative fourth-order parallel code. Numerical results reveal that the geometric variation introduced by the actuator has negligible effects on the mean flow field and the leading edge separation pattern; thus, the separation control effects are attributed to the SJ. The aerodynamic performances of the airfoil, characterized by lift and lift-to-drag ratio, are improved for all controlled cases, with the F + = 1.0 case being the optimal one. The flow in the shear layer close to the actuator is locked to the jet, while in the wake this lock-in is maintained for the MF case but suppressed by the increasing turbulent fluctuations in the LF and HF cases. The vortex evolution downstream of the actuator presents two modes depending on the frequency: the vortex fragmentation and merging mode in the LF case where the vortex formed due to the SJ breaks up into several vortices and the latter merge as convecting downstream; the discrete vortices mode in the HF case where discrete vortices form and convect downstream without any fragmentation and

  12. A direct numerical simulation investigation of the synthetic jet frequency effects on separation control of low-Re flow past an airfoil

    KAUST Repository

    Zhang, Wei; Samtaney, Ravi

    2015-01-01

    We present results of direct numerical simulations of a synthetic jet (SJ) based separation control of flow past a NACA-0018 (National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics) airfoil, at 10° angle of attack and Reynolds number 104 based on the airfoil chord length C and uniform inflow velocity U 0. The actuator of the SJ is modeled as a spanwise slot on the airfoil leeward surface and is placed just upstream of the leading edge separation position of the uncontrolled flow. The momentum coefficient of the SJ is chosen at a small value 2.13 × 10−4 normalized by that of the inflow. Three forcing frequencies are chosen for the present investigation: the low frequency (LF) F + = feC/U 0 = 0.5, the medium frequency (MF) F + = 1.0, and the high frequency (HF) F + = 4.0. We quantify the effects of forcing frequency for each case on the separation control and related vortex dynamics patterns. The simulations are performed using an energy conservative fourth-order parallel code. Numerical results reveal that the geometric variation introduced by the actuator has negligible effects on the mean flow field and the leading edge separation pattern; thus, the separation control effects are attributed to the SJ. The aerodynamic performances of the airfoil, characterized by lift and lift-to-drag ratio, are improved for all controlled cases, with the F + = 1.0 case being the optimal one. The flow in the shear layer close to the actuator is locked to the jet, while in the wake this lock-in is maintained for the MF case but suppressed by the increasing turbulent fluctuations in the LF and HF cases. The vortex evolution downstream of the actuator presents two modes depending on the frequency: the vortex fragmentation and merging mode in the LF case where the vortex formed due to the SJ breaks up into several vortices and the latter merge as convecting downstream; the discrete vortices mode in the HF case where discrete vortices form and convect downstream without any fragmentation and

  13. Variations of the VLF/LF signals during seismic activity in Japan in November 2016

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rozhnoi, Alexander; Solovieva, Maria; Levin, Boris; Chebrov, Danila; Hayakawa, Masashi; Fedun, Viktor

    2017-04-01

    The measurements of the very low and low frequency (VLF/LF) signals at the Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky and Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk stations were used for the analysis in connection with two underwater earthquakes which occurred near Japan in November 2016. The first earthquake with M=6.1 (depth 42 km) happened on 11 November. The second earthquake was recorded on 21 November with M=6.9 (depth 11 km) and had series of aftershocks with M up to 5.6 (USGS/NEIC). The significant negative nighttime amplitude anomalies were found for two sub-ionospheric paths: NWC-Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky and JJY-Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk during about a week in case of the first earthquake. The anomalies of signal in the path JJY-Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky were observed during 4-5 days before the second earthquake and during 3 days after it. Taking into account the possible influence of other factors which can produce perturbations in VLF/LF signals (geomagnetic storm, proton burst and the relativistic electron fluxes, as well as atmospheric parameters), also using control paths, we may conclude that observed anomalies very likely were caused by impending earthquakes.

  14. Nystatin LF (Aronex/Abbott).

    Science.gov (United States)

    Arikan, S; Rex, J H

    2001-04-01

    Nystatin LF (Nyotran) is a liposomal, intravenous nystatin formulation under development by Aronex, under license from the MD Anderson Cancer Research Center, as a systemic antifungal agent against strains including Aspergillus and Candida. Like amphotericin, nystatin is a polyene derivative that binds to ergosterol, a fungal cell membrane component, creating a pore in the membrane and thus killing the cell. Nystatin is an established antifungal agent, but is restricted to topical use as it is ineffective orally and severely toxic when administered iv [187583], [187589]. It has demonstrated good, broad in vitro antifungal activity against clinically relevant filamentous fungi [319465], including fungi resistant to fluconazole and amphotericin B products [264505], [2869821, [287790], 1289522]. The company is also conducting a phase III trial to evaluate its efficacy against cryptococcal meningitis [305531], [334156]. Aronex filed for approval of nystatin LF in Spain in December 1997 [272986] and expected to file an NDA in the US by the end of 1999 1311208], [342003]. However, in an effort to ensure that its US and European filings contained data from the phase III cryptococcal meningitis trial in its entirety, Aronex's marketing partner requested that all the 70-day data be gathered prior to unblinding this study. The filing had initially been based on interim data at the 14- and 21-day endpoint 1344887]. In September 2000, the company anticipated an NDA filing in the US in the fourth quarter of 2001 1382861], 1387947]. In December 1997, Aronex, together with Grupo Ferrer Internacional, filed an MAA in Spain seeking approval for Nyotran for the treatment of systemic fungal infections. Aronex intended to follow the filing with additional filings in other European countries 1272986]. In 1997, a commercialization agreement was signed with Ferrer for Spain and Portugal, with Aronex intending to form other such partnerships throughout Europe and Asia 1248346]. In

  15. Analysis of the frequency components of X-ray images

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Matsuo, Satoru; Komizu, Mitsuru; Kida, Tetsuo; Noma, Kazuo; Hashimoto, Keiji; Onishi, Hideo; Masuda, Kazutaka

    1997-01-01

    We examined the relation between the frequency components of x-ray images of the chest and phalanges and their read sizes for digitizing. Images of the chest and phalanges were radiographed using three types of screens and films, and the noise images in background density were digitized with a drum scanner, changing the read sizes. The frequency components for these images were evaluated by converting them to the secondary Fourier to obtain the power spectrum and signal to noise ratio (SNR). After changing the cut-off frequency on the power spectrum to process a low pass filter, we also examined the frequency components of the images in relation to the normalized mean square error (NMSE) for the image converted to reverse Fourier and the original image. Results showed that the frequency components were 2.0 cycles/mm for the chest image and 6.0 cycles/mm for the phalanges. Therefore, it is necessary to collect data applying the read sizes of 200 μm and 50 μm for the chest and phalangeal images, respectively, in order to digitize these images without loss of their frequency components. (author)

  16. Predictive factors of adherence to frequency and duration components in home exercise programs for neck and low back pain: an observational study

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Jimeno-Serrano Francisco J

    2009-12-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background Evidence suggests that to facilitate physical activity sedentary people may adhere to one component of exercise prescriptions (intensity, duration or frequency without adhering to other components. Some experts have provided evidence for determinants of adherence to different components among healthy people. However, our understanding remains scarce in this area for patients with neck or low back pain. The aims of this study are to determine whether patients with neck or low back pain have different rates of adherence to exercise components of frequency per week and duration per session when prescribed with a home exercise program, and to identify if adherence to both exercise components have distinct predictive factors. Methods A cohort of one hundred eighty-four patients with chronic neck or low back pain who attended physiotherapy in eight primary care centers were studied prospectively one month after intervention. The study had three measurement periods: at baseline (measuring characteristics of patients and pain, at the end of physiotherapy intervention (measuring characteristics of the home exercise program and a month later (measuring professional behaviors during clinical encounters, environmental factors and self-efficacy, and adherence behavior. Results Adherence to duration per session (70.9% ± 7.1 was more probable than adherence to frequency per week (60.7% ± 7.0. Self-efficacy was a relevant factor for both exercise components (p Conclusion We have shown in a clinic-based study that adherence to exercise prescription frequency and duration components have distinct levels and predictive factors. We recommend additional study, and advise that differential attention be given in clinical practice to each exercise component for improving adherence.

  17. Exploiting LF/MF signals of opportunity for lower ionospheric remote sensing

    Science.gov (United States)

    Higginson-Rollins, Marc A.; Cohen, Morris B.

    2017-08-01

    We introduce a method to diagnose and track the D region ionosphere (60-100 km). This region is important for long-distance terrestrial communication and is impacted by a variety of geophysical phenomena, but it is traditionally very difficult to detect. Modern remote sensing methods used to study the D region are predominately near the very low frequency (VLF, 3-30 kHz) band, with some work also done in the high-frequency and very high frequency bands (HF/VHF, 3-300 MHz). However, the frequency band between VLF and HF has been largely ignored as a diagnostic tool for the ionosphere. In this paper, we evaluate the use of 300 kHz radio reflections as a diagnostic tool for characterizing the D region of the ionosphere. We present radio receiver data, analyze diurnal trends in the signal from these transmitters, and identify ionospheric disturbances impacting LF/MF propagation. We find that 300 kHz remote sensing may allow a unique method for D region diagnostics compared to both the VLF and HF/VHF frequency bands, due to a more direct ionospheric reflection coefficient calculation method with high temporal resolution without the use of forward modeling.

  18. A kinetic-MHD model for low frequency phenomena

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Cheng, C.Z.

    1991-07-01

    A hybrid kinetic-MHD model for describing low-frequency phenomena in high beta anisotropic plasmas that consist of two components: a low energy core component and an energetic component with low density. The kinetic-MHD model treats the low energy core component by magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) description, the energetic component by kinetic approach such as the gyrokinetic equation, and the coupling between the dynamics of these two components through plasma pressure in the momentum equation. The kinetic-MHD model optimizes both the physics contents and the theoretical efforts in studying low frequency MHD waves and transport phenomena in general magnetic field geometries, and can be easily modified to include the core plasma kinetic effects if necessary. It is applicable to any magnetized collisionless plasma system where the parallel electric field effects are negligibly small. In the linearized limit two coupled eigenmode equations for describing the coupling between the transverse Alfven type and the compressional Alfven type waves are derived. The eigenmode equations are identical to those derived from the full gyrokinetic equation in the low frequency limit and were previously analyzed both analytically nd numerically to obtain the eigenmode structure of the drift mirror instability which explains successfully the multi-satellite observation of antisymmetric field-aligned structure of the compressional magnetic field of Pc 5 waves in the magnetospheric ring current plasma. Finally, a quadratic form is derived to demonstrate the stability of the low-frequency transverse and compressional Alfven type instabilities in terms of the pressure anisotropy parameter τ and the magnetic field curvature-pressure gradient parameter. A procedure for determining the stability of a marginally stable MHD wave due to wave-particle resonances is also presented

  19. LOW-FREQUENCY OSCILLATIONS IN XTE J1550-564

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Rao Fengyun; Belloni, Tomaso; Stella, Luigi; Zhang Shuangnan; Li Tipei

    2010-01-01

    We present the results of a timing analysis of the low-frequency quasi-periodic oscillation (QPO) in the Rossi X-Ray Timing Explorer data of the black hole binary XTE J1550-564 during its 1998 outburst. The QPO frequency is observed to vary on timescales between ∼100 s and days, correlated with the count rate contribution from the optically thick accretion disk: we studied this correlation and discuss its influence on the QPO width. In all observations, the quality factors (ν 0 /FWHM) of the fundamental and second harmonic peaks were observed to be consistent, suggesting that the quasi-periodic nature of the oscillation is due to frequency modulation. In addition to the QPO and its harmonic peaks, a new 1.5ν component was detected in the power spectra. This component is broad, with a quality factor of ∼0.6. From this, we argue that the peak observed at half the QPO frequency, usually referred to as 'sub-harmonic', could be the fundamental frequency, leading to the sequence 1:2:3:4. We also studied the energy dependence of the timing features and conclude that the two continuum components observed in the power spectrum, although both more intense at high energies, show a different dependence on energy. At low energies, the lowest-frequency component dominates, while at high energies the higher-frequency one has a higher fractional rms. An interplay between these two components was also observed as a function of their characteristic frequency. In this source, the transition between the low/hard state and the hard-intermediate state appears to be a smooth process.

  20. High-Frequency Neuromuscular Electrical Stimulation Increases Anabolic Signaling.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mettler, Joni A; Magee, Dillon M; Doucet, Barbara M

    2018-03-16

    Neuromuscular electrical stimulation (NMES) is commonly used in rehabilitation settings to increase muscle mass and strength. However, the effects of NMES on muscle growth are not clear and no human studies have compared anabolic signaling between low-frequency (LF-) and high-frequency (HF-) NMES. The purpose of this study was to determine the skeletal muscle anabolic signaling response to an acute bout of LF- and HF-NMES. Eleven young healthy volunteers (6 men; 5 women) received an acute bout of LF- (20 Hz) and HF- (60 Hz) NMES. Muscle biopsies were obtained from the vastus lateralis muscle prior to the first NMES treatment and 30-mins following each NMES treatment. Phosphorylation of the following key anabolic signaling proteins was measured by Western blot and proteins are expressed as a ratio of phosphorylated to total: mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR), p70-S6 kinase 1 (S6K1), and eukaryotic initiation factor 4E binding protein 1 (4E-BP1). Compared to Pre-NMES, phosphorylation of mTOR was upregulated 40.2% for LF-NMES (P = 0.018) and 68.4% for HF-NMES (P 0.05). There were no differences between treatment conditions for 4E-BP1 phosphorylation (P > 0.05). An acute bout of LF- and HF-NMES upregulated anabolic signaling with HF-NMES producing a greater anabolic response compared to LF-NMES, suggesting that HF-stimulation may provide a stronger stimulus for processes that initiate muscle hypertrophy. Additionally, the stimulation frequency parameter should be considered by clinicians in the design of optimal NMES treatment protocols.

  1. Flow motion waves with high and low frequency in severe ischaemia before and after percutaneous transluminal angioplasty.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hoffmann, U; Schneider, E; Bollinger, A

    1990-09-01

    STUDY OF OBJECTIVE: The aim was to evaluate skin flux and prevalence of low and high frequency flow motion waves in patients with severe ischaemia due to peripheral arterial occlusive disease before and after percutaneous transluminal angioplasty (PTA) with and without local thrombolysis. Flow motion was recorded by the laser Doppler technique at the dorsum of the foot before, one day, and one month after PTA. The results were separately analysed in patients with successful and unsuccessful treatment. 18 patients with rest pain or incipient gangrene were included. Mean pretreatment systolic ankle pressure was 55.8(SD 25.5) mm Hg, and mean transcutaneous PO2 at 43 degrees C was 5.2(9.4) mm Hg. Arteriography revealed relevant stenoses or occlusions of the femoropopliteal and calf arteries. Before treatment two patterns of flow motion with characteristic frequency ranges were observed at the foot dorsum and at a probe temperature of 32 degrees C: low frequency (LF) waves with a mean frequency of 2.2(0.5) cycles.min-1 and a mean amplitude of 0.73(0.42) arbitrary units (AU) and high frequency (HF) waves with a mean frequency of 22.6(4.2) cycles.min-1 and a mean amplitude of 0.39(0.33) AU. PTA was successful in 11 of the 18 patients. After successful treatment, prevalence of HF waves decreased from 10/11 to 4/11 cases (p less than 0.001), but remained nearly unchanged after failed procedure. Prevalence of LF waves before and after PTA did not differ significantly. Our data support the hypothesis that HF waves represent a reaction of skin microcirculation to severe ischaemia. With reference to animal studies it is proposed that HF waves originate from terminal arterioles. They may function as a compensatory mechanism of flow regulation involved in pathophysiology of ischaemia.

  2. IHC-TM connect-disconnect in relation to sensitization and masking of a HF-tone burst by a LF tone. IV.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Crane, H D

    1982-05-01

    Evidence continues to accumulate that although the outer hair cells (OHCs) of the cochlea are firmly bonded to the tectorial membrane (TM), the inner hair cells (IHCS) are not. This is the fourth in a series of papers that explores how the idea of a set of disconnected hair cells that "impact" the TM is consistent with psychophysical data. The paper extends the exploration to the masking of high-frequency (HF) tone bursts by low-frequency (LF) tones and shows that the model can explain the important features of these complex data.

  3. Fatigued patients with multiple sclerosis can be discriminated from healthy controls by the recordings of a newly developed measurement system (FAMOS)

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Yu, Fei; Bilberg, Arne; Dalgas, Ulrik

    2013-01-01

    FAMOS indicate that fatigued MS patients have reduced standard deviation (SD) of the heart rate (HR) during the short-term memory test, reduced high frequency (HF) component power spectrum (representing parasympathetic activation) at rest after walk test, and higher ratio of low frequency (LF) to HF (LF...

  4. Steel refining possibilities in LF

    Science.gov (United States)

    Dumitru, M. G.; Ioana, A.; Constantin, N.; Ciobanu, F.; Pollifroni, M.

    2018-01-01

    This article presents the main possibilities for steel refining in Ladle Furnace (LF). These, are presented: steelmaking stages, steel refining through argon bottom stirring, online control of the bottom stirring, bottom stirring diagram during LF treatment of a heat, porous plug influence over the argon stirring, bottom stirring porous plug, analysis of porous plugs disposal on ladle bottom surface, bottom stirring simulation with ANSYS, bottom stirring simulation with Autodesk CFD.

  5. Auditory driving of the autonomic nervous system: Listening to theta-frequency binaural beats post-exercise increases parasympathetic activation and sympathetic withdrawal.

    Science.gov (United States)

    McConnell, Patrick A; Froeliger, Brett; Garland, Eric L; Ives, Jeffrey C; Sforzo, Gary A

    2014-01-01

    Binaural beats are an auditory illusion perceived when two or more pure tones of similar frequencies are presented dichotically through stereo headphones. Although this phenomenon is thought to facilitate state changes (e.g., relaxation), few empirical studies have reported on whether binaural beats produce changes in autonomic arousal. Therefore, the present study investigated the effects of binaural beating on autonomic dynamics [heart rate variability (HRV)] during post-exercise relaxation. Subjects (n = 21; 18-29 years old) participated in a double-blind, placebo-controlled study during which binaural beats and placebo were administered over two randomized and counterbalanced sessions (within-subjects repeated-measures design). At the onset of each visit, subjects exercised for 20-min; post-exercise, subjects listened to either binaural beats ('wide-band' theta-frequency binaural beats) or placebo (carrier tones) for 20-min while relaxing alone in a quiet, low-light environment. Dependent variables consisted of high-frequency (HF, reflecting parasympathetic activity), low-frequency (LF, reflecting sympathetic and parasympathetic activity), and LF/HF normalized powers, as well as self-reported relaxation. As compared to the placebo visit, the binaural-beat visit resulted in greater self-reported relaxation, increased parasympathetic activation and increased sympathetic withdrawal. By the end of the 20-min relaxation period there were no observable differences in HRV between binaural-beat and placebo visits, although binaural-beat associated HRV significantly predicted subsequent reported relaxation. Findings suggest that listening to binaural beats may exert an acute influence on both LF and HF components of HRV and may increase subjective feelings of relaxation.

  6. Auditory driving of the autonomic nervous system: Listening to theta-frequency binaural beats post-exercise increases parasympathetic activation and sympathetic withdrawal

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Patrick eMcConnell

    2014-11-01

    Full Text Available Binaural beats are an auditory illusion perceived when two or more pure tones of similar frequencies are presented dichotically through stereo headphones. Although this phenomenon is thought to facilitate state changes (e.g., relaxation, few empirical studies have reported on whether binaural beats produce changes in autonomic arousal. Therefore, the present study investigated the effects of binaural beating on autonomic dynamics (heart-rate variability (HRV during post-exercise relaxation. Subjects (n = 21; 18-29 years old participated in a double-blind, placebo-controlled study during which binaural beats and placebo were administered over two randomized and counterbalanced sessions (within-subjects repeated-measures design. At the onset of each visit, subjects exercised for 20-min; post-exercise, subjects listened to either binaural beats (‘wide-band’ theta-frequency binaural beats or placebo (carrier tone for 20-min while relaxing alone in a quiet, low-light environment. Dependent variables consisted of high frequency (HF, reflecting parasympathetic activity, low frequency (LF, reflecting sympathetic and parasympathetic activity and LF/HF normalized powers, as well as self-reported relaxation. As compared to the placebo visit, the binaural beat visit resulted in greater self-reported relaxation, as well as increased parasympathetic activation and sympathetic withdrawal. By the end of the 20-min relaxation period there were no observable differences in HRV between binaural beat and placebo visits, although binaural-beat associated HRV significantly predicted subsequent reported relaxation. Findings suggest that listening to binaural beats may exert an acute influence on both LF and HF components of HRV and may increase subjective feelings of relaxation.

  7. Recombinant lactoferrin (Lf) of Vechur cow, the critical breed of Bos indicus and the Lf gene variants.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Anisha, Shashidharan; Bhasker, Salini; Mohankumar, Chinnamma

    2012-03-01

    Vechur cow, categorized as a critically maintained breed by the FAO, is a unique breed of Bos indicus due to its extremely small size, less fodder intake, adaptability, easy domestication and traditional medicinal property of the milk. Lactoferrin (Lf) is an iron-binding glycoprotein that is found predominantly in the milk of mammals. The full coding region of Lf gene of Vechur cow was cloned, sequenced and expressed in a prokaryotic system. Antibacterial activity of the recombinant Lf showed suppression of bacterial growth. To the best of our knowledge this is the first time that the full coding region of Lf gene of B. indicus Vechur breed is sequenced, successfully expressed in a prokaryotic system and characterized. Comparative analysis of Lf gene sequence of five Vechur cows with B. taurus revealed 15 SNPs in the exon region associated with 11 amino acid substitutions. The amino acid arginine was noticed as a pronounced substitution and the tertiary structure analysis of the BLfV protein confirmed the positions of arginine in the β sheet region, random coil and helix region 1. Based on the recent reports on the nutritional therapies of arginine supplementation for wound healing and for cardiovascular diseases, the higher level of arginine in the lactoferrin protein of Vechur cow milk provides enormous scope for further therapeutic studies. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  8. Frequency analysis of heart rate variability: a useful assessment tool of linearly polarized near-infrared irradiation to stellate ganglion area for burning mouth syndrome.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Momota, Yukihiro; Takano, Hideyuki; Kani, Koichi; Matsumoto, Fumihiro; Motegi, Katsumi; Aota, Keiko; Yamamura, Yoshiko; Omori, Mayuko; Tomioka, Shigemasa; Azuma, Masayuki

    2013-03-01

    Burning mouth syndrome (BMS) is characterized by the following subjective complaints without distinct organic changes: burning sensation in mouth or chronic pain of tongue. BMS is also known as glossodynia; both terms are used equivalently in Japan. Although the real cause of BMS is still unknown, it has been pointed out that BMS is related to some autonomic abnormality, and that stellate ganglion near-infrared irradiation (SGR) corrects the autonomic abnormality. Frequency analysis of heart rate variability (HRV) is expected to be useful for assessing autonomic abnormality. This study investigated whether frequency analysis of HRV could reveal autonomic abnormality associated with BMS, and whether autonomic changes were corrected after SGR. Eight subjects received SGR; the response to SGR was assessed by frequency analysis of HRV. No significant difference of autonomic activity concerning low-frequency (LF) norm, high-frequency (HF) norm, and low-frequency/high-frequency (LF/HF) was found between SGR effective and ineffective groups. Therefore, we proposed new parameters: differential normalized low frequency (D LF norm), differential normalized high frequency (D HF norm), and differential low-frequency/high-frequency (D LF/HF), which were defined as differentials between original parameters just before and after SGR. These parameters as indexes of responsiveness of autonomic nervous system (ANS) revealed autonomic changes in BMS, and BMS seems to be related to autonomic instability rather than autonomic imbalance. Frequency analysis of HRV revealed the autonomic instability associated with BMS and enabled tracing of autonomic changes corrected with SGR. It is suggested that frequency analysis of HRV is very useful in follow up of BMS and for determination of the therapeutic efficacy of SGR. Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

  9. Enhancement of autonomic and psychomotor arousal by exposures to blue wavelength light: importance of both absolute and relative contents of melanopic component.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yuda, Emi; Ogasawara, Hiroki; Yoshida, Yutaka; Hayano, Junichiro

    2017-01-31

    Blue light containing rich melanopsin-stimulating (melanopic) component has been reported to enhance arousal level, but it is unclear whether the determinant of the effects is the absolute or relative content of melanopic component. We compared the autonomic and psychomotor arousal effects of melanopic-enriched blue light of organic light-emitting diode (OLED) with those of OLED lights with lesser absolute amount of melanopic component (green light) and with greater absolute but lesser relative content (white light). Using a ceiling light consisting of 120 panels (55 × 55 mm square) of OLED modules with adjustable color and brightness, we examined the effects of blue, green, and white lights (melanopic photon flux densities, 0.23, 0.14, and 0.38 μmol/m 2 /s and its relative content ratios, 72, 17, and 14%, respectively) on heart rate variability (HRV) during exposures and on the performance of psychomotor vigilance test (PVT) after exposures in ten healthy subjects with normal color vision. For each of the three colors, five consecutive 10-min sessions of light exposures were performed in the supine position, interleaved by four 10-min intervals during which 5-min PVT was performed under usual fluorescent light in sitting position. Low-frequency (LF, 0.04-0.15 Hz) and high-frequency (HF, 0.15-0.40 Hz) power and LF-to-HF ratio (LF/HF) of HRV during light exposures and reaction time (RT) and minor lapse (RT >500 ms) of PVT were analyzed. Heart rate was higher and the HF power reflecting autonomic resting was lower during exposures to the blue light than the green and white lights, while LF/HF did not differ significantly. Also, the number of minor lapse and the variation of reaction time reflecting decreased vigilance were lower after exposures to the blue light than the green light. The effects of blue OLED light for maintaining autonomic and psychomotor arousal levels depend on both absolute and relative contents of melanopic component in the light.

  10. Transfer and dissipation of energy during wave group propagation on a gentle beach slope

    Science.gov (United States)

    Padilla, Enrique M.; Alsina, José M.

    2017-08-01

    The propagation of bichromatic wave groups over a constant 1:100 beach slope and the influence of the group modulation is presented. The modulation is controlled by varying the group frequency, fg, which is shown to remarkably affect the energy transfer to high and low frequency components. The growth of the high frequency (hf) wave skewness increases when fg decreases. This is explained by nonlinear coupling between the primary frequencies, which results in a larger growth of hf components as fg decreases, causing the hf waves to break earlier. Due to high spatial resolution, wave tracking has provided an accurate measurement of the varying breakpoint. These breaking locations are very well described (R2>0.91) by the wave-height to effective-depth ratio (γ). However, for any given Iribarren number, this γ is shown to increase with fg. Therefore, a modified Iribarren number is proposed to include the grouping structure, leading to a considerable improvement in reproducing the measured γ-values. Within the surf zone, the behavior of the Incident Long Wave also depends on the group modulation. For low fg conditions, the lf wave decays only slightly by transferring energy back to the hf wave components. However, for high fg wave conditions, strong dissipation of low frequency (lf) components occurs close to the shoreline associated with lf wave breaking. This mechanism is explained by the growth of the lf wave height, induced partly by the self-self interaction of fg, and partly by the nonlinear coupling between the primary frequencies and fg.

  11. Improving uniformity of atmospheric-pressure dielectric barrier discharges using dual frequency excitation

    Science.gov (United States)

    Liu, Y.; Peeters, F. J. J.; Starostin, S. A.; van de Sanden, M. C. M.; de Vries, H. W.

    2018-01-01

    This letter reports a novel approach to improve the uniformity of atmospheric-pressure dielectric barrier discharges using a dual-frequency excitation consisting of a low frequency (LF) at 200 kHz and a radio frequency (RF) at 13.56 MHz. It is shown that due to the periodic oscillation of the RF electric field, the electron acceleration and thus the gas ionization is temporally modulated, i.e. enhanced and suppressed during each RF cycle. As a result, the discharge development is slowed down with a lower amplitude and a longer duration of the LF discharge current. Hence, the RF electric field facilitates improved stability and uniformity simultaneously allowing a higher input power.

  12. Maintenance of extratropical low-frequency variabilities in the atmosphere

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ting, M.

    1994-01-01

    The extratropical low-frequency variability is one of the most important components in extratropical dynamics. While there are some understanding of the high-frequency, synoptic scale storm track eddy development due to baroclinic instability theory, its low-frequency counterpart is poorly understood and the theory for that is slowly evolving. The main difficulty seems to be lying on the fact that the problem is three dimensional in nature

  13. Inkjet Printed Radio Frequency Passive Components

    KAUST Repository

    McKerricher, Garret

    2015-12-01

    Inkjet printing is a mature technique for colourful graphic arts. It excels at customized, large area, high resolution, and small volume production. With the developments in conductive, and dielectric inks, there is potential for large area inkjet electronics fabrication. Passive radio frequency devices can benefit greatly from a printing process, since the size of these devices is defined by the frequency of operation. The large size of radio frequency passives means that they either take up expensive space “on chip” or that they are fabricated on a separate lower cost substrate and somehow bonded to the chips. This has hindered cost-sensitive high volume applications such as radio frequency identification tags. Substantial work has been undertaken on inkjet-printed conductors for passive antennas on microwave substrates and even paper, yet there has been little work on the printing of the dielectric materials aimed at radio frequency passives. Both the conductor and dielectric need to be integrated to create a multilayer inkjet printing process that is capable of making quality passives such as capacitors and inductors. Three inkjet printed dielectrics are investigated in this thesis: a ceramic (alumina), a thermal-cured polymer (poly 4 vinyl phenol), and a UV-cured polymer (acrylic based). For the conductor, both a silver nanoparticle ink as well as a custom in-house formulated particle-free silver ink are explored. The focus is on passives, mainly capacitors and inductors. Compared to low frequency electronics, radio frequency components have additional sensitivity regarding skin depth of the conductor and surface roughness, as well as dielectric constant and loss tangent of the dielectric. These concerns are investigated with the aim of making the highest quality components possible and to understand the current limitations of inkjet-fabricated radio frequency devices. An inkjet-printed alumina dielectric that provides quality factors of 200 and high

  14. Time-Frequency Characterization of Cerebral Hemodynamics of Migraine Sufferers as Assessed by NIRS Signals

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Filippo Molinari

    2010-01-01

    Full Text Available Near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS is a noninvasive system for the real-time monitoring of the concentration of oxygenated (O2Hb and reduced (HHb hemoglobin in the brain cortex. O2Hb and HHb concentrations vary in response to cerebral autoregulation. Sixty-eight women (14 migraineurs without aura, 49 migraineurs with aura, and 5 controls performed breath-holding and hyperventilation during NIRS recordings. Signals were processed using the Choi-Williams time-frequency transform in order to measure the power variation of the very-low frequencies (VLF: 20–40 mHz and of the low frequencies (LF: 40–140 mHz. Results showed that migraineurs without aura present different LF and VLF power levels than controls and migraineurs with aura. The accurate power measurement of the time-frequency analysis allowed for the discrimination of the subjects' hemodynamic patterns. The time-frequency analysis of NIRS signals can be used in clinical practice to assess cerebral hemodynamics.

  15. Time-Frequency Characterization of Cerebral Hemodynamics of Migraine Sufferers as Assessed by NIRS Signals

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Liboni William

    2010-01-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS is a noninvasive system for the real-time monitoring of the concentration of oxygenated ( and reduced (HHb hemoglobin in the brain cortex. and HHb concentrations vary in response to cerebral autoregulation. Sixty-eight women (14 migraineurs without aura, 49 migraineurs with aura, and 5 controls performed breath-holding and hyperventilation during NIRS recordings. Signals were processed using the Choi-Williams time-frequency transform in order to measure the power variation of the very-low frequencies (VLF: 20–40 mHz and of the low frequencies (LF: 40–140 mHz. Results showed that migraineurs without aura present different LF and VLF power levels than controls and migraineurs with aura. The accurate power measurement of the time-frequency analysis allowed for the discrimination of the subjects' hemodynamic patterns. The time-frequency analysis of NIRS signals can be used in clinical practice to assess cerebral hemodynamics.

  16. A pilot investigation of the effect of extremely low frequency pulsed electromagnetic fields on humans' heart rate variability.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Baldi, Emilio; Baldi, Claudio; Lithgow, Brian J

    2007-01-01

    The question whether pulsed electromagnetic field (PEMF) can affect the heart rhythm is still controversial. This study investigates the effects on the cardiocirculatory system of ELF-PEMFs. It is a follow-up to an investigation made of the possible therapeutic effect ELF-PEMFs, using a commercially available magneto therapeutic unit, had on soft tissue injury repair in humans. Modulation of heart rate (HR) or heart rate variability (HRV) can be detected from changes in periodicity of the R-R interval and/or from changes in the numbers of heart-beat/min (bpm), however, R-R interval analysis gives only a quantitative insight into HRV. A qualitative understanding of HRV can be obtained considering the power spectral density (PSD) of the R-R intervals Fourier transform. In this study PSD is the investigative tool used, more specifically the low frequency (LF) PSD and high frequency (HF) PSD ratio (LF/HF) which is an indicator of sympatho-vagal balance. To obtain the PSD value, variations of the R-R time intervals were evaluated from a continuously recorded ECG. The results show a HR variation in all the subjects when they are exposed to the same ELF-PEMF. This variation can be detected by observing the change in the sympatho-vagal equilibrium, which is an indicator of modulation of heart activity. Variation of the LF/HF PSD ratio mainly occurs at transition times from exposure to nonexposure, or vice versa. Also of interest are the results obtained during the exposure of one subject to a range of different ELF-PEMFs. This pilot study suggests that a full investigation into the effect of ELF-PEMFs on the cardiovascular system is justified.

  17. Ionospheric turbulence from ground-based and satellite VLF/LF transmitter signal observations for the Simushir earthquake (November 15, 2006

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Pier Francesco Biagi

    2012-04-01

    Full Text Available

    Signals from very low frequency (VLF/ low frequency (LF transmitters recorded on the ground station at Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky and on board the French DEMETER satellite were analyzed for the Simushir earthquake (M 8.3; November 15, 2006. The period of analysis was from October 1, 2006, to January 31, 2007. The ground and satellite data were processed by a method based on the difference between the real signal at night-time and the model signal. The model for the ground observations was the monthly averaged signal amplitudes and phases, as calculated for the quiet days of every month. For the satellite data, a two-dimensional model of the signal distribution over the selected area was constructed. Preseismic effects were found several days before the earthquake, in both the ground and satellite observations.

     

  18. The effect of pressurizer-water-level on the low frequency component of the pressure spectrum in a PWR

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Por, G.; Izsak, E.; Valko, J.

    1984-09-01

    The pressure fluctuations were measured in the cooling system of the Paks-1 reactor. A shift of the peak was detected in low frequency component of the pressure fluctuation spectrum which is due to the fluctuations of water level in the pressurizer. Using the model of Katona and Nagy (1983), the eigenfrequencies, the magnitude of the shift and the sensitivity to the pressurizer water level were reproduced in good accordance with the experimental data. (D.Gy.)

  19. Mixed Discretization of the Time Domain MFIE at Low Frequencies

    KAUST Repository

    Ulku, Huseyin Arda

    2017-01-10

    Solution of the magnetic field integral equation (MFIE), which is obtained by the classical marching on-in-time (MOT) scheme, becomes inaccurate when the time step is large, i.e., under low-frequency excitation. It is shown here that the inaccuracy stems from the classical MOT scheme’s failure to predict the correct scaling of the current’s Helmholtz components for large time steps. A recently proposed mixed discretization strategy is used to alleviate the inaccuracy problem by restoring the correct scaling of the current’s Helmholtz components under low-frequency excitation.

  20. Semitone frequency mapping to improve music representation for nucleus cochlear implants

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Omran Sherif

    2011-01-01

    Full Text Available Abstract The frequency-to-channel mapping for Cochlear implant (CI signal processors was originally designed to optimize speech perception and generally does not preserve the harmonic structure of music sounds. An algorithm aimed at restoring the harmonic relationship of frequency components based on semitone mapping is presented in this article. Two semitone (Smt based mappings in different frequency ranges were investigated. The first, Smt-LF, covers a range from 130 to 1502 Hz which encompasses the fundamental frequency of most musical instruments. The second, Smt-MF, covers a range from 440 to 5040 Hz, allocating frequency bands of sounds close to their characteristic tonotopical sites according to Greenwood's function. Smt-LF, in contrast, transposes the input frequencies onto locations with higher characteristic frequencies. A sequence of 36 synthetic complex tones (C3 to B5, each consisting of a fundamental and 4 harmonic overtones, was processed using the standard (Std, Smt-LF and Smt-MF mappings. The analysis of output signals showed that the harmonic structure between overtones of all complex tones was preserved using Smt mapping. Semitone mapping preserves the harmonic structure and may in turn improve music representation for Nucleus cochlear implants. The proposed semitone mappings incorporate the use of virtual channels to allow frequencies spanning three and a half octaves to be mapped to 43 stimulation channels. A pitch difference limen test was done with normal hearing subjects discriminating pairs of pure tones with different semitone intervals which were processed by a vocoder type simulator of CI sound processing. The results showed better performance with wider semitone intervals. However, no significant difference was found between 22 and 43 channels maps.

  1. Low heart rate variability in patients with clinical burnout.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lennartsson, Anna-Karin; Jonsdottir, Ingibjörg; Sjörs, Anna

    2016-12-01

    Several studies have shown that acute psychosocial stress and chronic psychosocial stress reduce heart rate variability (HRV). It is likely that individuals suffering from burnout have reduced HRV, as a consequence of the long-term stress exposure. This study investigated HRV in 54 patients with clinical burnout (40 women and 14 men) and in 55 individuals reporting low burnout scores (healthy; 24 women and 31 men) and 52 individuals reporting high burnout scores (non-clinical burnout; 33 women and 19 men). The participants underwent a 300s ECG recording in the supine position. Standard deviation of normal R-R intervals (SDNN) and the root mean square of successive normal interval differences (RMSSD) were derived from time domain HRV analysis. Frequency domain HRV measures; total power (TP), low frequency power (LF), high frequency power (HF), and LF/HF ratio were calculated. All HRV measures, except LF/HF ratio, were lower in the clinical burnout patients compared to both the non-clinical burnout group and the healthy group. The difference was larger between the patients and the healthy group than between the patients and the non-clinical burnout group. HRV did not differ significantly between the non-clinical burnout group and the healthy group. Low HRV in burnout patients may constitute one of the links to associated adverse health, since low HRV reflects low parasympathetic activity - and accordingly low anabolic/regenerative activity. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  2. Low-Frequency Pulsed Electromagnetic Field Is Able to Modulate miRNAs in an Experimental Cell Model of Alzheimer’s Disease

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Enrica Capelli

    2017-01-01

    Full Text Available The aim of the present study was to investigate on the effects of a low-frequency pulsed electromagnetic field (LF-PEMF in an experimental cell model of Alzheimer’s disease (AD to assess new therapies that counteract neurodegeneration. In recent scientific literature, it is documented that the deep brain stimulation via electromagnetic fields (EMFs modulates the neurophysiological activity of the pathological circuits and produces clinical benefits in AD patients. EMFs are applied for tissue regeneration because of their ability to stimulate cell proliferation and immune functions via the HSP70 protein family. However, the effects of EMFs are still controversial and further investigations are required. Our results demonstrate the ability of our LF-PEMF to modulate gene expression in cell functions that are dysregulated in AD (i.e., BACE1 and that these effects can be modulated with different treatment conditions. Of relevance, we will focus on miRNAs regulating the pathways involved in brain degenerative disorders.

  3. LOW FREQUENCY DAMPER

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Radu BOGATEANU

    2009-09-01

    Full Text Available The low frequency damper is an autonomous equipment for damping vibrations with the 1-20Hz range.Its autonomy enables the equipment to be located in various mechanical systems, without requiring special hydraulic installations.The low frequency damper was designed for damping the low frequency oscillations occurring in the circuit controls of the upgraded IAR-99 Aircraft.The low frequency damper is a novelty in the aerospace field ,with applicability in several areas as it can be built up in an appropriate range of dimensions meeting the requirements of different beneficiaries. On this line an equipment able to damp an extended frequency range was performed for damping oscillations in the pipes of the nuclear power plants.This damper, tested in INCAS laboratories matched the requirements of the beneficiary.The low frequency damper is patented – the patent no. 114583C1/2000 is held by INCAS.

  4. The Terminator Time in subionospheric VLF/LF diurnal variation as recorded by the Romanian VLF/LF radio monitoring system related to earthquake occurrence and volcano erruptions

    Science.gov (United States)

    Moldovan, I. A.; Moldovan, A. S.; Biagi, P. F.; Ionescu, C.; Schwingenschuh, K.; Boudjada, M. Y.

    2012-04-01

    files to synchronize the user-side data with the receiver's data. Missing zipped files are also automatically downloaded. The application appends daily files into monthly and anual files and performs 3D colour-coded maps with graphic representations of VLF and LF signals' intensities versus the minute-of-the-day and the day-of-the-month, facilitating a near real-time observation of VLF and LF electromagnetic waves' propagation. This type of representation, highlights the modification of the terminator time versus the length of the solar-day, improves the user's capability to detect possible propagation anomalies due to ionosphere conditions and allows a quick visual inspection of unexpected behaviors of transmission channels at different frequencies and paths. A very special result, was observed on the recordings made on the propagation path to Iceland (NRK, 37.5kHz). Recordings are made once a minute, for a period of 303 days. Icelandic channel propagation anomalies present in the range of 40-90 days are considered to be precursory phenomena associated with Eyjafjallajokull - Iceland, volcanic eruption occurred in April-May 2010.

  5. Low frequency electric and magnetic fields

    Science.gov (United States)

    Spaniol, Craig

    1989-01-01

    Following preliminary investigations of the low frequency electric and magnetic fields that may exists in the Earth-ionospheric cavity, measurements were taken with state-of-the art spectrum analyzers. As a follow up to this activity, an investigation was initiated to determine sources and values for possible low frequency signal that would appear in the cavity. The lowest cavity resonance is estimated at about 8 Hz, but lower frequencies may be an important component of our electromagnetic environment. The potential field frequencies produced by the electron were investigated by a classical model that included possible cross coupling of the electric and gravitation fields. During this work, an interesting relationship was found that related the high frequency charge field with the extremely low frequency of the gravitation field. The results of numerical calculations were surprisingly accurate and this area of investigation is continuing. The work toward continued development of a standardized monitoring facility is continuing with the potential of installing the prototype at West Virginia State College early in 1990. This installation would be capable of real time monitoring of ELF signals in the Earth-ionoshpere cavity and would provide some directional information. A high gain, low noise, 1/f frequency corrected preamplifier was designed and tested for the ferrite core magnetic sensor. The potential application of a super conducting sensor for the ELF magnetic field detection is under investigation. It is hoped that a fully operational monitoring network could pinpoint the location of ELF signal sources and provide new information on where these signals originate and what causes them, assuming that they are natural in origin.

  6. Component external leakage and rupture frequency estimates

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Eide, S.A.; Khericha, S.T.; Calley, M.B.; Johnson, D.A.; Marteeny, M.L.

    1991-11-01

    In order to perform detailed internal flooding risk analyses of nuclear power plants, external leakage and rupture frequencies are needed for various types of components - piping, valves, pumps, flanges, and others. However, there appears to be no up-to-date, comprehensive source for such frequency estimates. This report attempts to fill that void. Based on a comprehensive search of Licensee Event Reports (LERs) contained in Nuclear Power Experience (NPE), and estimates of component populations and exposure times, component external leakage and rupture frequencies were generated. The remainder of this report covers the specifies of the NPE search for external leakage and rupture events, analysis of the data, a comparison with frequency estimates from other sources, and a discussion of the results

  7. Components of cross-frequency modulation in health and disease

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Elena A Allen

    2011-07-01

    Full Text Available The cognitive deficits associated with schizophrenia are commonly believed to arise from the abnormal temporal integration of information, however a quantitative approach to assess network coordination is lacking. Here, we propose to use cross-frequency modulation, the dependence of local high-frequency activity on the phase of widespread low-frequency oscillations, as an indicator of network coordination and functional integration. In an exploratory analysis based on pre-existing data, we measured cross-frequency modulation from multi-channel EEG recordings acquired while schizophrenia patients (n = 47 and healthy controls (n = 130 performed an auditory oddball task. Novel application of independent component analysis (ICA to modulation data delineated components with specific spatial and spectral profiles, the weights of which showed co-variation with diagnosis. Global cross-frequency modulation was significantly greater in healthy controls (F1,175=9.25, P<0.005, while modulation at fronto-temporal electrodes was greater in patients (F1,175 =17.5, P<0.0001. We further found that the weights of schizophrenia-relevant components were associated with genetic polymorphisms at previously identified risk loci. Global cross-frequency modulation decreased with copies of 957C allele in the gene for the dopamine D2 receptor (r = −0.20, P < 0.01 across all subjects. Additionally, greater ‘aberrant’ fronto-temporal modulation in schizophrenia patients was correlated with several polymorphisms in the gene for the α2-subunit of the GABAA receptor (GABRA2 as well as the total number of risk alleles in GABRA2 (r = 0.45, P < 0.01. Overall, our results indicate great promise for this approach in establishing patterns of cross-frequency modulation in health and disease and elucidating the roles of oscillatory interactions in functional connectivity.

  8. Numerical simulation of dual frequency etching reactors: Influence of the external process parameters on the plasma characteristics

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Georgieva, V.; Bogaerts, A.

    2005-01-01

    A one-dimensional particle-in-cell/Monte Carlo model is used to investigate Ar/CF 4 /N 2 discharges sustained in capacitively coupled dual frequency reactors, with special emphasis on the influence of the reactor parameters such as applied voltage amplitudes and frequencies of the two voltage sources. The presented calculation results include plasma density, ion current, average sheath potential and width, electron and ion average energies and energy distributions, and ionization rates. The simulations were carried out for high frequencies (HFs) of 27, 40, 60, and 100 MHz and a low frequency (LF) of 1 or 2 MHz, varying the LF voltage and keeping the HF voltage constant and vice versa. It is observed that the decoupling of the two sources is possible by increasing the applied HF to very high values (above 60 MHz) and it is not defined by the frequency ratio. Both voltage sources have influence on the plasma characteristics at a HF of 27 MHz and to some extent at 40 MHz. At HFs of 60 and 100 MHz, the plasma density and ion flux are determined only by the HF voltage source. The ion energy increases and the ion energy distribution function (IEDF) becomes broader with HF or LF voltage amplitude, when the other voltage is kept constant. The IEDF is broader with the increase of HF or the decrease of LF

  9. Quantitative analysis of surface electromyography during epileptic and nonepileptic convulsive seizures

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Beniczky, S.; Conradsen, I.; Moldovan, M.

    2014-01-01

    , median frequency (MF), coherence, and duration of the seizures, of the clonic EMG discharges, and of the silent periods between the cloni. Based on wavelet analysis, we distinguished between a low-frequency component (LF 2-8 Hz) and a high-frequency component (HF 64-256 Hz). Results: Duration...... without rhythmic clonic movements....

  10. Characterization and Impact of Low Frequency Wind Turbine Noise Emissions

    Science.gov (United States)

    Finch, James

    Wind turbine noise is a complex issue that requires due diligence to minimize any potential impact on quality of life. This study enhances existing knowledge of wind turbine noise through focused analyses of downwind sound propagation, directionality, and the low frequency component of the noise. Measurements were conducted at four wind speeds according to a design of experiments at incremental distances and angles. Wind turbine noise is shown to be highly directional, while downwind sound propagation is spherical with limited ground absorption. The noise is found to have a significant low frequency component that is largely independent of wind speed over the 20-250 Hz range. The generated low frequency noise is shown to be audible above 40 Hz at the MOE setback distance of 550 m. Infrasound levels exhibit higher dependency on wind speed, but remain below audible levels up to 15 m/s.

  11. Low-frequency-noise complaints

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Pedersen, Christian Sejer; Møller, Henrik; Persson-Waye, Kerstin

    2008-01-01

    From 203 cases of low-frequency complaints a random selection of twenty-one cases were investigated. The main aim of the investigation was to answer the question whether the annoyance is caused by an external physical sound or by a physically non-existing sound, i.e. low-frequency tinnitus. Noise...... of the complainants are annoyed by a physical sound (20-180 Hz), while others suffer from low-frequency tinnitus (perceived frequency 40-100 Hz). Physical sound at frequencies below 20 Hz (infrasound) is not responsible for the annoyance - or at all audible - in any of the investigated cases, and none...... of the complainants has extraordinary hearing sensitivity at low frequencies. For comparable cases of low-frequency noise complaints in general, it is anticipated that physical sound is responsible in a substantial part of the cases, while low-frequency tinnitus is responsible in another substantial part of the cases....

  12. VLF/LF (Very Low Frequency/Low Frequency) Reflection Properties of the Low Latitude Ionosphere

    Science.gov (United States)

    1988-02-04

    pleasure for the U.S. personnel. Although it is virtually impossible to mention all the individuals who contributed, we wish to especially ... Educacional da Regiao de Blumenau (FURB), who planned the day-to-day experimental efforts and who provided valuable technical Insight and guidance to all...or more grazing incidence angle, with the trend being especially pronounced in the daytime. Figure 23 shows 20 kHz reflectiont coefficients derived

  13. Low-Frequency rTMS Ameliorates Autistic-Like Behaviors in Rats Induced by Neonatal Isolation Through Regulating the Synaptic GABA Transmission

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Tao Tan

    2018-02-01

    Full Text Available Patients with autism spectrum disorder (ASD display abnormalities in neuronal development, synaptic function and neural circuits. The imbalance of excitatory and inhibitory (E/I synaptic transmission has been proposed to cause the main behavioral characteristics of ASD. Repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS can directly or indirectly induce excitability and synaptic plasticity changes in the brain noninvasively. However, whether rTMS can ameliorate autistic-like behaviors in animal model via regulating the balance of E/I synaptic transmission is unknown. By using our recent reported animal model with autistic-like behaviors induced by neonatal isolation (postnatal days 1–9, we found that low-frequency rTMS (LF-rTMS, 1 Hz treatment for 2 weeks effectively alleviated the acquired autistic-like symptoms, as reflected by an increase in social interaction and decrease in self-grooming, anxiety- and depressive-like behaviors in young adult rats compared to those in untreated animals. Furthermore, the amelioration in autistic-like behavior was accompanied by a restoration of the balance between E/I activity, especially at the level of synaptic transmission and receptors in synaptosomes. These findings indicated that LF-rTMS may alleviate the symptoms of ASD-like behaviors caused by neonatal isolation through regulating the synaptic GABA transmission, suggesting that LF-rTMS may be a potential therapeutic technique to treat ASD.

  14. Comparison of 2 weekly-equalized volume resistance-training routines using different frequencies on body composition and performance in trained males.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yue, Fu Leon; Karsten, Bettina; Larumbe-Zabala, Eneko; Seijo, Marcos; Naclerio, Fernando

    2018-05-01

    The present study compared the effects of 2 weekly-equalized volume and relative load interventions on body composition, strength, and power. Based on individual baseline maximal strength values, 18 recreationally trained men were pair-matched and consequently randomly assigned to one of the following experimental groups: a low volume per session with a high frequency (LV-HF, n = 9) group who trained for 4 days (Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays) or a high volume per session and low frequency (HV-LF, n = 9) group who trained for 2 days (Mondays and Thursdays). Both groups performed 2 different routines over 6 weeks. Participants were tested pre- and post- intervention for maximal strength, upper body power, fat-free mass, limb circumferences, and muscle thickness. Compared with baseline values, both groups increased their fat-free mass (HV-LF: +1.19 ± 1.94; LV-HF: +1.36 ± 1.06 kg, p squat (LV-HF: +0.14 ± 0.06; HV-LF: 0.17 ± 0.01 kg·body mass -1 ) exercises as well as in upper body power (LV-HF: +0.22 ± 0.25; HV-LF: +0.27 ± 0.22 W·body mass -1 ) Although both training strategies improved performance and lower body muscle mass, only the HV-LF protocol increased upper body hypertrophy and improved body composition.

  15. High-precision and low-cost vibration generator for low-frequency calibration system

    Science.gov (United States)

    Li, Rui-Jun; Lei, Ying-Jun; Zhang, Lian-Sheng; Chang, Zhen-Xin; Fan, Kuang-Chao; Cheng, Zhen-Ying; Hu, Peng-Hao

    2018-03-01

    Low-frequency vibration is one of the harmful factors that affect the accuracy of micro-/nano-measuring machines because its amplitude is significantly small and it is very difficult to avoid. In this paper, a low-cost and high-precision vibration generator was developed to calibrate an optical accelerometer, which is self-designed to detect low-frequency vibration. A piezoelectric actuator is used as vibration exciter, a leaf spring made of beryllium copper is used as an elastic component, and a high-resolution, low-thermal-drift eddy current sensor is applied to investigate the vibrator’s performance. Experimental results demonstrate that the vibration generator can achieve steady output displacement with frequency range from 0.6 Hz to 50 Hz, an analytical displacement resolution of 3.1 nm and an acceleration range from 3.72 mm s-2 to 1935.41 mm s-2 with a relative standard deviation less than 1.79%. The effectiveness of the high-precision and low-cost vibration generator was verified by calibrating our optical accelerometer.

  16. Frequency spectrum analysis of finger photoplethysmographic waveform variability during haemodialysis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Javed, Faizan; Middleton, Paul M; Malouf, Philip; Chan, Gregory S H; Savkin, Andrey V; Lovell, Nigel H; Steel, Elizabeth; Mackie, James

    2010-09-01

    This study investigates the peripheral circulatory and autonomic response to volume withdrawal in haemodialysis based on spectral analysis of photoplethysmographic waveform variability (PPGV). Frequency spectrum analysis was performed on the baseline and pulse amplitude variabilities of the finger infrared photoplethysmographic (PPG) waveform and on heart rate variability extracted from the ECG signal collected from 18 kidney failure patients undergoing haemodialysis. Spectral powers were calculated from the low frequency (LF, 0.04-0.145 Hz) and high frequency (HF, 0.145-0.45 Hz) bands. In eight stable fluid overloaded patients (fluid removal of >2 L) not on alpha blockers, progressive reduction in relative blood volume during haemodialysis resulted in significant increase in LF and HF powers of PPG baseline and amplitude variability (P analysis of finger PPGV may provide valuable information on the autonomic vascular response to blood volume reduction in haemodialysis, and can be potentially utilized as a non-invasive tool for assessing peripheral circulatory control during routine dialysis procedure.

  17. D-region Ionospheric Imaging Using VLF/LF Broadband Sferics, Forward Modeling, and Tomography

    Science.gov (United States)

    McCormick, J.; Cohen, M.

    2017-12-01

    The D-region of the ionosphere (60-90 km altitude) is highly variable on timescales from fractions of a second to many hours, and on spatial scales from 10 km to many hundreds of km. VLF and LF (3-30kHz, 30-300kHz) radio waves are guided to global distances by reflecting off of the ground and the D-region, making the Earth-ionosphere waveguide (EIWG). Therefore, information about the current state of the ionosphere is encoded in received VLF/LF radio waves since they act like probes of the D-region. The return stroke of lightning is an impulsive event that radiates powerful broadband radio emissions in VLF/LF bands known as `radio atmospherics' or `sferics'. Lightning flashes occur about 40-50 times per second throughout the Earth. An average of 2000 lightning storms occur each day with a mean duration of 30 minutes creating a broad spatial and temporal distribution of lightning VLF/LF sources. With careful processing, we can recover high fidelity measurements of amplitude and phase of both the radial and azimuthal magnetic field sferic components. By comparison to a theoretical EIWG propagation model such as the Long Wave Propagation Capability (LWPC) developed by the US Navy, with a standard forward modeling approach, we can infer information about the current state of the D-region. Typically, the ionosphere is parametrized to reduce the dimensionality of the problem which usually results in an electron density vs altitude profile. For large distances (Greater than 1000 km), these results can be interpreted as path-averaged information. In contrast to studies using navy transmitters to study the D-region, the full spectral information allows for more complete information and less ambiguous inferred ionospheric parameters. With the spatial breadth of lightning sources taken together with a broadly distributed VLF/LF receiver network, a dense set of measurements are acquired in a tomographic sense. Using the wealth of linear algebra and imaging techniques it is

  18. Extracting Low-Frequency Information from Time Attenuation in Elastic Waveform Inversion

    Science.gov (United States)

    Guo, Xuebao; Liu, Hong; Shi, Ying; Wang, Weihong

    2017-03-01

    Low-frequency information is crucial for recovering background velocity, but the lack of low-frequency information in field data makes inversion impractical without accurate initial models. Laplace-Fourier domain waveform inversion can recover a smooth model from real data without low-frequency information, which can be used for subsequent inversion as an ideal starting model. In general, it also starts with low frequencies and includes higher frequencies at later inversion stages, while the difference is that its ultralow frequency information comes from the Laplace-Fourier domain. Meanwhile, a direct implementation of the Laplace-transformed wavefield using frequency domain inversion is also very convenient. However, because broad frequency bands are often used in the pure time domain waveform inversion, it is difficult to extract the wavefields dominated by low frequencies in this case. In this paper, low-frequency components are constructed by introducing time attenuation into the recorded residuals, and the rest of the method is identical to the traditional time domain inversion. Time windowing and frequency filtering are also applied to mitigate the ambiguity of the inverse problem. Therefore, we can start at low frequencies and to move to higher frequencies. The experiment shows that the proposed method can achieve a good inversion result in the presence of a linear initial model and records without low-frequency information.

  19. [BLG gene knockout and hLF gene knock-in at BLG locus in goat by TALENs].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Song, Shaozheng; Zhu, Mengmin; Yuan, Yuguo; Rong, Yao; Xu, Sheng; Chen, Si; Mei, Junyan; Cheng, Yong

    2016-03-01

    To knock out β-lactoglobulin (BLG) gene and insert human lactoferrin (hLF) coding sequence at BLG locus of goat, the transcription activator-like effector nucleases (TALEN) mediated recombination was used to edit the BLG gene of goat fetal fibroblast, then as donor cells for somatic cell nuclear transfer. We designed a pair of specific plasmid TALEN-3-L/R for goat BLG exon III recognition sites, and BLC14-TK vector containing a negative selection gene HSV-TK, was used for the knock in of hLF gene. TALENs plasmids were transfected into the goat fetal fibroblast cells, and the cells were screened three days by 2 μg/mL puromycin. DNA cleavage activities of cells were verified by PCR amplification and DNA production sequencing. Then, targeting vector BLC14-TK and plasmids TALEN-3-L/R were co-transfected into goat fetal fibroblasts, both 700 μg/mL G418 and 2 μg/mL GCV were simultaneously used to screen G418-resistant cells. Detections of integration and recombination were implemented to obtain cells with hLF gene site-specific integration. We chose targeting cells as donor cells for somatic cell nuclear transfer. The mutagenicity of TALEN-3-L/R was between 25% and 30%. A total of 335 reconstructed embryos with 6 BLG-/hLF+ targeting cell lines were transferred into 16 recipient goats. There were 9 pregnancies confirmed by ultrasound on day 30 to 35 (pregnancy rate of 39.1%), and one of 50-day-old fetus with BLG-/hLF+ was achieved. These results provide the basis for hLF gene knock-in at BLG locus of goat and cultivating transgenic goat of low allergens and rich hLF in the milk.

  20. Ultra-low-frequency electrostatic modes in a magnetized dusty plasma

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Salimullah, M.; Amin, M.R.; Roy Chowdhury, A.R.; Salahuddin, M.

    1997-11-01

    A study on the extremely low-frequency possible electrostatic modes in a finite temperature magnetized dusty plasma taking the charged dust grains as the third component has been carried out using the appropriate Vlasov-kinetic theory for the dynamics of the electrons, ions and the dust particles. It is found that the inequalities of charge and number density of plasma species, and the finite-Larmor-radius thermal kinetic effects of the mobile charged dust grains, introduce the existence of very low-frequency electrostatic eigenmodes in the three-component homogeneous magnetized dusty plasma. The relevance of the present investigation to space and astrophysical situations as well as laboratory experiments for dust Coulomb crystallization has been pointed out. (author)

  1. Heart Rate Variability Frequency Domain Alterations among Healthy Nurses Exposed to Prolonged Work Stress

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Rossana Borchini

    2018-01-01

    Full Text Available The deregulation of the autonomic nervous system assessed through the heart rate variability (HRV analysis is a promising pathway linking work stress and cardiovascular diseases. We aim to investigate the associations between HRV High Frequency (HF and Low Frequency (LF powers and work stress in a sample of 36 healthy nurses. Perceived work stress was assessed twice one year apart, using the Job Content and Effort Reward Imbalance questionnaires. This allows to classify nurses in three exposure groups: “prolonged high stress” (PHS, “recent high stress” (RHS and “stable low stress” (SLS. A 24-h ECG monitoring was later performed during a working day (WD and a subsequent resting day (RD. Statistically significantly lower (p < 0.02 HF and LF means were found in PHS and RHS nurses during the working periods. In the subsequent resting periods, HF means showed increases over time in the RHS (beta = +0.41, p < 0.05, but not in PHS nurses. LF means did not show any substantial increases in the resting periods, in the PHS group with geometric means lower when compared to SLS, in the non-working and resting periods. Our study evidences that both prolonged and recent perceived high work stress were associated with a reduction of HF and LF powers during work. In addition, prolonged stress was associated with a lack of recovery during not-working and resting periods.

  2. High-frequency measurements of aeolian saltation flux: Field-based methodology and applications

    Science.gov (United States)

    Martin, Raleigh L.; Kok, Jasper F.; Hugenholtz, Chris H.; Barchyn, Thomas E.; Chamecki, Marcelo; Ellis, Jean T.

    2018-02-01

    Aeolian transport of sand and dust is driven by turbulent winds that fluctuate over a broad range of temporal and spatial scales. However, commonly used aeolian transport models do not explicitly account for such fluctuations, likely contributing to substantial discrepancies between models and measurements. Underlying this problem is the absence of accurate sand flux measurements at the short time scales at which wind speed fluctuates. Here, we draw on extensive field measurements of aeolian saltation to develop a methodology for generating high-frequency (up to 25 Hz) time series of total (vertically-integrated) saltation flux, namely by calibrating high-frequency (HF) particle counts to low-frequency (LF) flux measurements. The methodology follows four steps: (1) fit exponential curves to vertical profiles of saltation flux from LF saltation traps, (2) determine empirical calibration factors through comparison of LF exponential fits to HF number counts over concurrent time intervals, (3) apply these calibration factors to subsamples of the saltation count time series to obtain HF height-specific saltation fluxes, and (4) aggregate the calibrated HF height-specific saltation fluxes into estimates of total saltation fluxes. When coupled to high-frequency measurements of wind velocity, this methodology offers new opportunities for understanding how aeolian saltation dynamics respond to variability in driving winds over time scales from tens of milliseconds to days.

  3. The low-frequency encoding disadvantage: Word frequency affects processing demands.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Diana, Rachel A; Reder, Lynne M

    2006-07-01

    Low-frequency words produce more hits and fewer false alarms than high-frequency words in a recognition task. The low-frequency hit rate advantage has sometimes been attributed to processes that operate during the recognition test (e.g., L. M. Reder et al., 2000). When tasks other than recognition, such as recall, cued recall, or associative recognition, are used, the effects seem to contradict a low-frequency advantage in memory. Four experiments are presented to support the claim that in addition to the advantage of low-frequency words at retrieval, there is a low-frequency disadvantage during encoding. That is, low-frequency words require more processing resources to be encoded episodically than high-frequency words. Under encoding conditions in which processing resources are limited, low-frequency words show a larger decrement in recognition than high-frequency words. Also, studying items (pictures and words of varying frequencies) along with low-frequency words reduces performance for those stimuli. Copyright 2006 APA, all rights reserved.

  4. Technological Innovations of Carbon Dioxide Injection in EAF-LF Steelmaking

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wei, Guangsheng; Zhu, Rong; Wu, Xuetao; Dong, Kai; Yang, Lingzhi; Liu, Runzao

    2018-06-01

    In this study, the recent innovations and improvements in carbon dioxide (CO2) injection technologies for electric arc furnace (EAF)-ladle furnace (LF) steelmaking processes have been reviewed. The utilization of CO2 in the EAF-LF steelmaking process resulted in improved efficiency, purity and environmental impact. For example, coherent jets with CO2 and O2 mixed injection can reduce the amount of iron loss and dust generation, and submerged O2 and powder injection with CO2 in an EAF can increase the production efficiency and improve the dephosphorization and denitrification characteristics. Additionally, bottom-blowing CO2 in an EAF can strengthen molten bath stirring and improve nitrogen removal, while bottom-blowing CO2 in a LF can increase the rate of desulfurization and improve the removal of inclusions. Based on these innovations, a prospective process for the cyclic utilization of CO2 in the EAF-LF steelmaking process is introduced that is effective in mitigating greenhouse gas emissions from the steelmaking shop.

  5. Technological Innovations of Carbon Dioxide Injection in EAF-LF Steelmaking

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wei, Guangsheng; Zhu, Rong; Wu, Xuetao; Dong, Kai; Yang, Lingzhi; Liu, Runzao

    2018-03-01

    In this study, the recent innovations and improvements in carbon dioxide (CO2) injection technologies for electric arc furnace (EAF)-ladle furnace (LF) steelmaking processes have been reviewed. The utilization of CO2 in the EAF-LF steelmaking process resulted in improved efficiency, purity and environmental impact. For example, coherent jets with CO2 and O2 mixed injection can reduce the amount of iron loss and dust generation, and submerged O2 and powder injection with CO2 in an EAF can increase the production efficiency and improve the dephosphorization and denitrification characteristics. Additionally, bottom-blowing CO2 in an EAF can strengthen molten bath stirring and improve nitrogen removal, while bottom-blowing CO2 in a LF can increase the rate of desulfurization and improve the removal of inclusions. Based on these innovations, a prospective process for the cyclic utilization of CO2 in the EAF-LF steelmaking process is introduced that is effective in mitigating greenhouse gas emissions from the steelmaking shop.

  6. Application of frequency domain line edge roughness characterization methodology in lithography

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sun, Lei; Wang, Wenhui; Beique, Genevieve; Wood, Obert; Kim, Ryoung-Han

    2015-03-01

    A frequency domain 3 sigma LER characterization methodology combining the standard deviation and power spectral density (PSD) methods is proposed. In the new method, the standard deviation is calculated in the frequency domain instead of the spatial domain as in the conventional method. The power spectrum of the LER is divided into three regions: low frequency (LF), middle frequency (MF) and high frequency (HF) regions. The frequency region definition is based on process visual comparisons. Three standard deviation numbers are used to characterize the LER in the three frequency regions. Pattern wiggling can be detected quantitatively with a wiggling factor which is also proposed in this paper.

  7. Highly predictive support vector machine (SVM) models for anthrax toxin lethal factor (LF) inhibitors.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhang, Xia; Amin, Elizabeth Ambrose

    2016-01-01

    Anthrax is a highly lethal, acute infectious disease caused by the rod-shaped, Gram-positive bacterium Bacillus anthracis. The anthrax toxin lethal factor (LF), a zinc metalloprotease secreted by the bacilli, plays a key role in anthrax pathogenesis and is chiefly responsible for anthrax-related toxemia and host death, partly via inactivation of mitogen-activated protein kinase kinase (MAPKK) enzymes and consequent disruption of key cellular signaling pathways. Antibiotics such as fluoroquinolones are capable of clearing the bacilli but have no effect on LF-mediated toxemia; LF itself therefore remains the preferred target for toxin inactivation. However, currently no LF inhibitor is available on the market as a therapeutic, partly due to the insufficiency of existing LF inhibitor scaffolds in terms of efficacy, selectivity, and toxicity. In the current work, we present novel support vector machine (SVM) models with high prediction accuracy that are designed to rapidly identify potential novel, structurally diverse LF inhibitor chemical matter from compound libraries. These SVM models were trained and validated using 508 compounds with published LF biological activity data and 847 inactive compounds deposited in the Pub Chem BioAssay database. One model, M1, demonstrated particularly favorable selectivity toward highly active compounds by correctly predicting 39 (95.12%) out of 41 nanomolar-level LF inhibitors, 46 (93.88%) out of 49 inactives, and 844 (99.65%) out of 847 Pub Chem inactives in external, unbiased test sets. These models are expected to facilitate the prediction of LF inhibitory activity for existing molecules, as well as identification of novel potential LF inhibitors from large datasets. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  8. Concurrent Acoustic Activation of the Medial Olivocochlear System Modifies the After-Effects of Intense Low-Frequency Sound on the Human Inner Ear.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kugler, Kathrin; Wiegrebe, Lutz; Gürkov, Robert; Krause, Eike; Drexl, Markus

    2015-12-01

    >Human hearing is rather insensitive for very low frequencies (i.e. below 100 Hz). Despite this insensitivity, low-frequency sound can cause oscillating changes of cochlear gain in inner ear regions processing even much higher frequencies. These alterations outlast the duration of the low-frequency stimulation by several minutes, for which the term 'bounce phenomenon' has been coined. Previously, we have shown that the bounce can be traced by monitoring frequency and level changes of spontaneous otoacoustic emissions (SOAEs) over time. It has been suggested elsewhere that large receptor potentials elicited by low-frequency stimulation produce a net Ca(2+) influx and associated gain decrease in outer hair cells. The bounce presumably reflects an underdamped, homeostatic readjustment of increased Ca(2+) concentrations and related gain changes after low-frequency sound offset. Here, we test this hypothesis by activating the medial olivocochlear efferent system during presentation of the bounce-evoking low-frequency (LF) sound. The efferent system is known to modulate outer hair cell Ca(2+) concentrations and receptor potentials, and therefore, it should modulate the characteristics of the bounce phenomenon. We show that simultaneous presentation of contralateral broadband noise (100 Hz-8 kHz, 65 and 70 dB SPL, 90 s, activating the efferent system) and ipsilateral low-frequency sound (30 Hz, 120 dB SPL, 90 s, inducing the bounce) affects the characteristics of bouncing SOAEs recorded after low-frequency sound offset. Specifically, the decay time constant of the SOAE level changes is shorter, and the transient SOAE suppression is less pronounced. Moreover, the number of new, transient SOAEs as they are seen during the bounce, are reduced. Taken together, activation of the medial olivocochlear system during induction of the bounce phenomenon with low-frequency sound results in changed characteristics of the bounce phenomenon. Thus, our data provide experimental support

  9. Study of active crossover network | Tyona | Nigerian Journal of Physics

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    An active crossover network system has been realized using an active component LF356 with a JFET input. The net work has two drives, the low frequency drive (Bass) and the high frequency drive (Treble). It employs high level crossover technique. The circuit performance was adequately verified and the frequency ...

  10. Subionospheric VLF/LF radio waves propagation characteristics before, during and after the Sofia, Bulgaria Mw=5.6 earthquake occurred on 22 May 2012

    Science.gov (United States)

    Moldovan, Iren Adelina; Emilian Toader, Victorin; Nenovski, Petko; Biagi, Pier Francesco; Maggipinto, Tommaso; Septimiu Moldovan, Adrian; Ionescu, Constantin

    2013-04-01

    In 2009, INFREP, a network of VLF (20-60 kHz) and LF (150-300 kHz) radio receivers, was put into operation in Europe having as principal goal, the study of disturbances produced by the earthquakes on the propagation properties of these signals. On May 22nd, 2012 an earthquake with Mw=567 occurred in Bulgaria, near Sofia, inside the "sensitive" area of the INFREP VLF/LF electromagnetic network. The data collected on different frequencies, during April-May 2012 were studied using different methods of analysis: daily correlation methods, spectral approaches and terminator time techniques, in order to find out possible connections between the seismic activity and the subionospheric propagation properties of radio waves. The studies were performed with the help of a specially designed LabVIEW application, which accesses the VLF/LF receiver through internet. This program opens the receiver's web-page and automatically retrieves the list of data files to synchronize the user-side data with the receiver's data. Missing zipped files are also automatically downloaded. The application performs primary, statistical correlation and spectral analysis, appends daily files into monthly and annual files and performs 3D colour-coded maps with graphic representations of VLF and LF signals' intensities versus the minute-of-the-day and the day-of-the-month, facilitating a near real-time observation of VLF and LF electromagnetic waves' propagation. Another feature of the software is the correlation of the daily recorded files for the studied frequencies by overlaying the 24 hours radio activity and taking into account the sunrise and sunset. Data are individually processed (spectral power, correlations, differentiation, filtered using bandpass, lowpass, highpass). JTFA spectrograms (Cone-Shaped Distribution CSD, Gabor, Wavelet, short-time Fourier transform STFT, Wigner-Ville Distribution WVD, Choi-Williams Distribution CWD) are used, too.

  11. Investigation of Ionospheric Anomalies related to moderate Romanian earthquakes occurred during last decade using VLF/LF INFREP and GNSS Global Networks

    Science.gov (United States)

    Moldovan, Iren-Adelina; Oikonomou, Christina; Haralambous, Haris; Nastase, Eduard; Emilian Toader, Victorin; Biagi, Pier Francesco; Colella, Roberto; Toma-Danila, Dragos

    2017-04-01

    Ionospheric TEC (Total Electron Content) variations and Low Frequency (LF) signal amplitude data prior to five moderate earthquakes (Mw≥5) occurred in Romania, in Vrancea crustal and subcrustal seismic zones, during the last decade were analyzed using observations from the Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) and the European INFREP (International Network for Frontier Research on Earthquake Precursors) networks respectively, aiming to detect potential ionospheric anomalies related to these events and describe their characteristics. For this, spectral analysis on TEC data and terminator time method on VLF/LF data were applied. It was found that TEC perturbations appeared few days (1-7) up to few hours before the events lasting around 2-3 hours, with periods 20 and 3-5 minutes which could be associated with the impending earthquakes. In addition, in all three events the sunrise terminator times were delayed approximately 20-40 min few days prior and during the earthquake day. Acknowledgments This work was partially supported by the Partnership in Priority Areas Program - PNII, under MEN-UEFISCDI, DARING Project no. 69/2014 and the Nucleu Program - PN 16-35, Project no. 03 01

  12. High Frequency Components Recovery in Music Signals

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    V. Sebesta

    1999-04-01

    Full Text Available A new technique is presented which improves the subjective quality of band-limited music by recovery of high frequency components. Sequences of harmonics are found in the band-limited signal and these sequences are expanded to the high frequency band to estimate the lost part of spectrum. High frequency signal is generated to match this estimation and is added to the band-limited signal.

  13. Hybrid Broadband Ground-Motion Simulations: Combining Long-Period Deterministic Synthetics with High-Frequency Multiple S-to-S Backscattering

    KAUST Repository

    Mai, Paul Martin; Imperatori, W.; Olsen, K. B.

    2010-01-01

    We present a new approach for computing broadband (0-10 Hz) synthetic seismograms by combining high-frequency (HF) scattering with low-frequency (LF) deterministic seismograms, considering finite-fault earthquake rupture models embedded in 3D earth structure. Site-specific HF-scattering Green's functions for a heterogeneous medium with uniformly distributed random isotropic scatterers are convolved with a source-time function that characterizes the temporal evolution of the rupture process. These scatterograms are then reconciled with the LF-deterministic waveforms using a frequency-domain optimization to match both amplitude and phase spectra around the target intersection frequency. The scattering parameters of the medium, scattering attenuation ηs, intrinsic attenuation ηi, and site-kappa, as well as frequency-dependent attenuation, determine waveform and spectral character of the HF-synthetics and thus affect the hybrid broadband seismograms. Applying our methodology to the 1994 Northridge earthquake and validating against near-field recordings at 24 sites, we find that our technique provides realistic broadband waveforms and consistently reproduces LF ground-motion intensities for two independent source descriptions. The least biased results, compared to recorded strong-motion data, are obtained after applying a frequency-dependent site-amplification factor to the broadband simulations. This innovative hybrid ground-motion simulation approach, applicable to any arbitrarily complex earthquake source model, is well suited for seismic hazard analysis and ground-motion estimation.

  14. Hybrid Broadband Ground-Motion Simulations: Combining Long-Period Deterministic Synthetics with High-Frequency Multiple S-to-S Backscattering

    KAUST Repository

    Mai, Paul Martin

    2010-09-20

    We present a new approach for computing broadband (0-10 Hz) synthetic seismograms by combining high-frequency (HF) scattering with low-frequency (LF) deterministic seismograms, considering finite-fault earthquake rupture models embedded in 3D earth structure. Site-specific HF-scattering Green\\'s functions for a heterogeneous medium with uniformly distributed random isotropic scatterers are convolved with a source-time function that characterizes the temporal evolution of the rupture process. These scatterograms are then reconciled with the LF-deterministic waveforms using a frequency-domain optimization to match both amplitude and phase spectra around the target intersection frequency. The scattering parameters of the medium, scattering attenuation ηs, intrinsic attenuation ηi, and site-kappa, as well as frequency-dependent attenuation, determine waveform and spectral character of the HF-synthetics and thus affect the hybrid broadband seismograms. Applying our methodology to the 1994 Northridge earthquake and validating against near-field recordings at 24 sites, we find that our technique provides realistic broadband waveforms and consistently reproduces LF ground-motion intensities for two independent source descriptions. The least biased results, compared to recorded strong-motion data, are obtained after applying a frequency-dependent site-amplification factor to the broadband simulations. This innovative hybrid ground-motion simulation approach, applicable to any arbitrarily complex earthquake source model, is well suited for seismic hazard analysis and ground-motion estimation.

  15. Components of cross-frequency modulation in health and disease.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Allen, Elena A; Liu, Jingyu; Kiehl, Kent A; Gelernter, Joel; Pearlson, Godfrey D; Perrone-Bizzozero, Nora I; Calhoun, Vince D

    2011-01-01

    The cognitive deficits associated with schizophrenia are commonly believed to arise from the abnormal temporal integration of information, however a quantitative approach to assess network coordination is lacking. Here, we propose to use cross-frequency modulation (cfM), the dependence of local high-frequency activity on the phase of widespread low-frequency oscillations, as an indicator of network coordination and functional integration. In an exploratory analysis based on pre-existing data, we measured cfM from multi-channel EEG recordings acquired while schizophrenia patients (n = 47) and healthy controls (n = 130) performed an auditory oddball task. Novel application of independent component analysis (ICA) to modulation data delineated components with specific spatial and spectral profiles, the weights of which showed covariation with diagnosis. Global cfM was significantly greater in healthy controls (F(1,175) = 9.25, P modulation at fronto-temporal electrodes was greater in patients (F(1,175) = 17.5, P modulation in schizophrenia patients was correlated with several polymorphisms in the gene for the α2-subunit of the GABA(A) receptor (GABRA2) as well as the total number of risk alleles in GABRA2 (r = 0.45, P < 0.01). Overall, our results indicate great promise for this approach in establishing patterns of cfM in health and disease and elucidating the roles of oscillatory interactions in functional connectivity.

  16. Low frequency noise study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2007-04-01

    This report documents a study to investigate human response to the low-frequency : content of aviation noise, or low-frequency noise (LFN). The study comprised field : measurements and laboratory studies. The major findings were: : 1. Start-of-takeof...

  17. Low-frequency blood pressure oscillations and inotrope treatment failure in premature infants.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Vesoulis, Zachary A; Hao, Jessica; McPherson, Christopher; El Ters, Nathalie M; Mathur, Amit M

    2017-07-01

    The underlying mechanism as to why some hypotensive preterm infants do not respond to inotropic medications remains unclear. For these infants, we hypothesize that impaired vasomotor function is a significant factor and is manifested through a decrease in low-frequency blood pressure variability across regulatory components of vascular tone. Infants born ≤28 wk estimated gestational age underwent prospective recording of mean arterial blood pressure for 72 h after birth. After error correction, root-mean-square spectral power was calculated for each valid 10-min data frame across each of four frequency bands ( B1 , 0.005-0.0095 Hz; B2 , 0.0095-0.02 Hz; B3 , 0.02-0.06 Hz; and B4 , 0.06-0.16) corresponding to different components of vasomotion control. Forty infants (twenty-nine normotensive control and eleven inotrope-exposed) were included with a mean ± SD estimated gestational age of 25.2 ± 1.6 wk and birth weight 790 ± 211 g. 9.7/11.8 Million (82%) data points were error-free and used for analysis. Spectral power across all frequency bands increased with time, although the magnitude was 20% less in the inotrope-exposed infants. A statistically significant increase in spectral power in response to inotrope initiation was noted across all frequency bands. Infants with robust blood pressure response to inotropes had a greater increase compared with those who had limited or no blood pressure response. In this study, hypotensive infants who require inotropes have decreased low-frequency variability at baseline compared with normotensive infants, which increases after inotrope initiation. Low-frequency spectral power does not change for those with inotrope treatment failure, suggesting dysfunctional regulation of vascular tone as a potential mechanism of treatment failure. NEW & NOTEWORTHY In this study, we examine patterns of low-frequency oscillations in blood pressure variability across regulatory components of vascular tone in normotensive and

  18. Susceptibility of linear and nonlinear otoacoustic emission components to low-dose styrene exposure.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tognola, G; Chiaramello, E; Sisto, R; Moleti, A

    2015-03-01

    To investigate potential susceptibility of active cochlear mechanisms to low-level styrene exposure by comparing TEOAEs in workers and controls. Two advanced analysis techniques were applied to detect sub-clinical changes in linear and nonlinear cochlear mechanisms of OAE generation: the wavelet transform to decompose TEOAEs into time-frequency components and extract signal-to-noise ratio and latency of each component, and the bispectrum to detect and extract nonlinear TEOAE contributions as quadratic frequency couplings (QFCs). Two cohorts of workers were examined: subjects exposed exclusively to styrene (N = 9), and subjects exposed to styrene and noise (N = 6). The control group was perfectly matched by age and sex to the exposed group. Exposed subjects showed significantly lowered SNR in TEOAE components at mid-to-high frequencies (above 1.6 kHz) and a shift of QFC distribution towards lower frequencies than controls. No systematic differences were observed in latency. Low-level styrene exposure may have induced a modification of cochlear functionality as concerns linear and nonlinear OAE generation mechanisms. The lack of change in latency seems to suggest that the OAE components, where generation region and latency are tightly coupled, may not have been affected by styrene and noise exposure levels considered here.

  19. Demodulation Radio Frequency Interference Effects in Operational Amplifier Circuits

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sutu, Yue-Hong

    A series of investigations have been carried out to determine RFI effects in analog circuits using monolithic integrated operational amplifiers (op amps) as active devices. The specific RFI effect investigated is how amplitude-modulated (AM) RF signals are demodulated in op amp circuits to produce undesired low frequency responses at AM-modulation frequency. The undesired demodulation responses were shown to be characterized by a second-order nonlinear transfer function. Four representative op amp types investigated were the 741 bipolar op amp, the LM10 bipolar op amp, the LF355 JFET-Bipolar op amp, and the CA081 MOS-Bipolar op amp. Two op amp circuits were investigated. The first circuit was a noninverting unity voltage gain buffer circuit. The second circuit was an inverting op amp configuration. In the second circuit, the investigation includes the effects of an RFI suppression capacitor in the feedback path. Approximately 30 units of each op amp type were tested to determine the statistical variations of RFI demodulation effects in the two op amp circuits. The Nonlinear Circuit Analysis Program, NCAP, was used to simulate the demodulation RFI response. In the simulation, the op amp was replaced with its incremental macromodel. Values of macromodel parameters were obtained from previous investigations and manufacturer's data sheets. Some key results of this work are: (1) The RFI demodulation effects are 10 to 20 dB lower in CA081 and LF355 FET-bipolar op amp than in 741 and LM10 bipolar op amp except above 40 MHz where the LM10 RFI response begins to approach that of CA081. (2) The experimental mean values for 30 741 op amps show that RFI demodulation responses in the inverting amplifier with a 27 pF feedback capacitor were suppressed from 10 to 35 dB over the RF frequency range 0.1 to 150 MHz except at 0.15 MHz where only 3.5 dB suppression was observed. (3) The NCAP program can predict RFI demodulation responses in 741 and LF355 unity gain buffer circuits

  20. The statistics of low frequency radio interference at the Murchison Radio-astronomy Observatory

    OpenAIRE

    Sokolowski, Marcin; Wayth, Randall B.; Lewis, Morgan

    2016-01-01

    We characterize the low frequency radio-frequency interference (RFI) environment at the Murchison Radio-astronomy Observatory (MRO), the location selected for the low-frequency component of the Square Kilometre Array. Data were collected from the BIGHORNS instrument, located at the MRO, which records a contiguous bandwidth between 70 and 300 MHz, between November 2014 to March 2015 inclusive. The data were processed to identify RFI, and we describe a series of statistics in both the time and ...

  1. Low-gradient aortic stenosis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Clavel, Marie-Annick; Magne, Julien; Pibarot, Philippe

    2016-09-07

    An important proportion of patients with aortic stenosis (AS) have a 'low-gradient' AS, i.e. a small aortic valve area (AVA gradient (gradient discrepancy raises uncertainty about the actual stenosis severity and thus about the indication for aortic valve replacement (AVR) if the patient has symptoms and/or left ventricular (LV) systolic dysfunction. The most frequent cause of low-gradient (LG) AS is the presence of a low LV outflow state, which may occur with reduced left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF), i.e. classical low-flow, low-gradient (LF-LG), or preserved LVEF, i.e. paradoxical LF-LG. Furthermore, a substantial proportion of patients with AS may have a normal-flow, low-gradient (NF-LG) AS: i.e. a small AVA-low-gradient combination but with a normal flow. One of the most important clinical challenges in these three categories of patients with LG AS (classical LF-LG, paradoxical LF-LG, and NF-LG) is to differentiate a true-severe AS that generally benefits from AVR vs. a pseudo-severe AS that should be managed conservatively. A low-dose dobutamine stress echocardiography may be used for this purpose in patients with classical LF-LG AS, whereas aortic valve calcium scoring by multi-detector computed tomography is the preferred modality in those with paradoxical LF-LG or NF-LG AS. Although patients with LF-LG severe AS have worse outcomes than those with high-gradient AS following AVR, they nonetheless display an important survival benefit with this intervention. Some studies suggest that transcatheter AVR may be superior to surgical AVR in patients with LF-LG AS. Published on behalf of the European Society of Cardiology. All rights reserved. © The Author 2016. For permissions please email: journals.permissions@oup.com.

  2. Low frequency radioastronomy

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Zarka, Philippe; Cecconi, Baptiste; Tagger, Michel; Torchinsky, Steve; Picard, Philippe; Pezzani, Jacques; Cognard, Ismael; Boone, Frederic; Woan, Graham; Weber, Rodolphe; Gousset, Thierry; Lautridou, Pascal; Dallier, Richard

    2011-07-01

    Low frequency radioastronomy deals with the direct detection (below 100 MHz) and heterodyne detection (up to few GHz) of electromagnetic waves (phase and amplitude) followed by a time or spectral analysis. The 30. Goutelas school covered several aspects of radioastronomy involving various aspects of physics: non-thermal phenomena in plasmas and physics of magnetized plasmas, atomic and molecular physics, and particle physics. These proceedings comprise 17 lectures dealing with: 1 - Low-Frequency Radioastronomy Basics (P. Zarka); 2 - Radioastronomy Historical Highlights (S. A. Torchinsky); 3 - Antennas (P. Picard, J. Pezzani); 4 - Receptors (P. Picard, J. Pezzani); 5 - Pulsars chronometry: metrology in radioastronomy (I. Cognard); 6 - Interferometry as imaging technique (F. Boone); 7 - Radio propagation and scintillation (G. Woan); 8 - Square Kilometer Array (S. A. Torchinsky); 9 - Techniques against radio-electrical interferences in low-frequency radioastronomy (R. Weber); 10 - Introduction to poly-phase filtering (R. Weber); 11 - Three decades of Jupiter's radio-emission studies: from the Nancay deca-meter network to LOFAR (P. Zarka); 12 - Atmospheric showers and their radio counterpart (T. Gousset); 13 - From cosmic rays radio-detection to pulse radioastronomy (P. Lautridou, R. Dallier); 14 - The CODALEMA project (R. Dallier, P. Lautridou); 15 - Space-based radio measurements: Gonio-polarimetry (B. Cecconi); 16 - Radio astronomy from space (G. Woan); 17 - LOFAR: the Low Frequency Array and the French FLOW consortium (M. Tagger, P. Zarka)

  3. A statistical study on the effect of earthquakes on the ionosphere, based on the subionospheric LF propagation data in Japan

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    S. Maekawa

    2006-09-01

    Full Text Available A superimposed epoch analysis has been undertaken, in order to find the correlation of the ionospheric perturbations with seismic activity. We take the wave path from the Japanese LF transmitter (frequency=40 kHz and an observing station of Kochi (wave path length of 770 km, and a much longer period (of five years than before, is considered. This subionospheric LF propagation can be called "an integrated measurement" in the sense that any earthquakes in the LF sensitive area just around the great-circle path can influence the observed LF signals, so that we define the "effective magnitude" (Meff by integrating the total energy from different earthquakes in the sensitive area on a current day and by converting it back into magnitude. A superimposed epoch analysis for the effective magnitude greater than 6.0 has yielded that the ionosphere is definitely disturbed in terms of both amplitude and dispersion, and that these perturbations tend to take place prior to an earthquake. The statistical z-test has also been performed, which has indicated that the amplitude is definitely depleted 2–6 days before the earthquake day and also that the dispersion is very much enhanced during the same period. This statistical study has given strong support to the existence of seismo-ionospheric perturbations for high seismic activity.

  4. Relationships between thermic effect of food, insulin resistance and autonomic nervous activity.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Watanabe, Tomonori; Nomura, Masahiro; Nakayasu, Kimiko; Kawano, Tomohito; Ito, Susumu; Nakaya, Yutaka

    2006-02-01

    The thermic effect of food (TEF) is higher in lean than in obese human subjects. Relationships between TEF and insulin resistance during meals, from the point of view of autonomic nervous activity, were evaluated. Autonomic nervous activity was evaluated in 20 young adults using the spectral analysis of heart rate variability from one hour before to two hours after a meal. Heart rate data were analyzed based on low frequency components (LF power, 0.04-0.15 Hz), high frequency components (HF power, 0.15-0.40 Hz), and LF/HF ratios. Energy expenditure and the TEF were measured 30 min after a meal. Homeostasis model of insulin resistance index (HOMA-IR) was also measured. The LF/HF ratio was significantly increased 30 min after a meal (pinsulin sensitivity induces a poor response of sympathetic nervous activity in the postprandial phase and a reduction in postprandial energy expenditure.

  5. Reducing Undue Conservatism in "Higher Frequency" Structural Design Loads in Aerospace Components

    Science.gov (United States)

    Knight, J. Brent

    2012-01-01

    This study is intended to investigate the frequency dependency of significant strain due to vibratory loads in aerospace vehicle components. The notion that "higher frequency" dynamic loads applied as static loads is inherently conservative is perceived as widely accepted. This effort is focused on demonstrating that principle and attempting to evolve methods to capitalize on it to mitigate undue conservatism. It has been suggested that observations of higher frequency modes that resulted in very low corresponding strain did so due to those modes not being significant. Two avionics boxes, one with its first significant mode at 341 Hz and the other at 857 Hz, were attached to a flat panel installed on a curved orthogrid panel which was driven acoustically in tests performed at NASA/MSFC. Strain and acceleration were measured at select locations on each of the boxes. When possible, strain gage rosettes and accelerometers were installed on either side of a given structural member so that measured strain and acceleration data would directly correspond to one another. Ultimately, a frequency above which vibratory loads can be disregarded for purposes of static structural analyses and sizing of typical robust aerospace components is sought.

  6. The seasonal predictability of blocking frequency in two seasonal prediction systems (CMCC, Met-Office) and the associated representation of low-frequency variability.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Athanasiadis, Panos; Gualdi, Silvio; Scaife, Adam A.; Bellucci, Alessio; Hermanson, Leon; MacLachlan, Craig; Arribas, Alberto; Materia, Stefano; Borelli, Andrea

    2014-05-01

    Low-frequency variability is a fundamental component of the atmospheric circulation. Extratropical teleconnections, the occurrence of blocking and the slow modulation of the jet streams and storm tracks are all different aspects of low-frequency variability. Part of the latter is attributed to the chaotic nature of the atmosphere and is inherently unpredictable. On the other hand, primarily as a response to boundary forcings, tropospheric low-frequency variability includes components that are potentially predictable. Seasonal forecasting faces the difficult task of predicting these components. Particularly referring to the extratropics, the current generation of seasonal forecasting systems seem to be approaching this target by realistically initializing most components of the climate system, using higher resolution and utilizing large ensemble sizes. Two seasonal prediction systems (Met-Office GloSea and CMCC-SPS-v1.5) are analyzed in terms of their representation of different aspects of extratropical low-frequency variability. The current operational Met-Office system achieves unprecedented high scores in predicting the winter-mean phase of the North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO, corr. 0.74 at 500 hPa) and the Pacific-N. American pattern (PNA, corr. 0.82). The CMCC system, considering its small ensemble size and course resolution, also achieves good scores (0.42 for NAO, 0.51 for PNA). Despite these positive features, both models suffer from biases in low-frequency variance, particularly in the N. Atlantic. Consequently, it is found that their intrinsic variability patterns (sectoral EOFs) differ significantly from the observed, and the known teleconnections are underrepresented. Regarding the representation of N. hemisphere blocking, after bias correction both systems exhibit a realistic climatology of blocking frequency. In this assessment, instantaneous blocking and large-scale persistent blocking events are identified using daily geopotential height fields at

  7. A low-cost, tunable laser lock without laser frequency modulation

    Science.gov (United States)

    Shea, Margaret E.; Baker, Paul M.; Gauthier, Daniel J.

    2015-05-01

    Many experiments in optical physics require laser frequency stabilization. This can be achieved by locking to an atomic reference using saturated absorption spectroscopy. Often, the laser frequency is modulated and phase sensitive detection used. This method, while well-proven and robust, relies on expensive components, can introduce an undesirable frequency modulation into the laser, and is not easily frequency tuned. Here, we report a simple locking scheme similar to those implemented previously. We modulate the atomic resonances in a saturated absorption setup with an AC magnetic field created by a single solenoid. The same coil applies a DC field that allows tuning of the lock point. We use an auto-balanced detector to make our scheme more robust against laser power fluctuations and stray magnetic fields. The coil, its driver, and the detector are home-built with simple, cheap components. Our technique is low-cost, simple to setup, tunable, introduces no laser frequency modulation, and only requires one laser. We gratefully acknowledge the financial support of the NSF through Grant # PHY-1206040.

  8. Inhibition of Candida albicans Biofilm Formation by the Synthetic Lactoferricin Derived Peptide hLF1-11.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Morici, Paola; Fais, Roberta; Rizzato, Cosmeri; Tavanti, Arianna; Lupetti, Antonella

    2016-01-01

    The aim of this study was to evaluate the in vitro activity of the synthetic peptide hLF1-11 against biofilm produced by clinical isolates of Candida albicans with different fluconazole susceptibility. The antibiofilm activity of the peptide hLF1-11 was assessed in terms of reduction of biofilm cellular density, metabolic activity and sessile cell viability. The extent of morphogenesis in hLF1-11 treated and untreated biofilms was also investigated microscopically. Transcription levels of genes related to cell adhesion, hyphal development and extracellular matrix production were analysed by qRT-PCR in hLF1-11 treated and untreated biofilms. Exogenous dibutyryl-cAMP (db-cAMP) was used to rescue morphogenesis in cells exposed to the peptide. The results revealed that hLF1-11 exhibited an inhibitory effect on biofilm formation by all C. albicans isolates tested in a dose-dependent manner, regardless of their fluconazole susceptibility. Visual inspection of treated or untreated biofilm cells with an inverted microscope revealed a significant reduction in hyphal formation by hLF1-11 treated cells, as early as 3 hours of incubation. Moreover, hLF1-11 showed a reduced activity on preadherent cells. hLF1-11 induced the down-regulation of biofilm and hyphal-associated genes, which were predominantly regulated via the Ras1-cAMP-Efg1 pathway. Indeed, exogenous db-cAMP restored morphogenesis in hLF1-11 treated cells. The hLF1-11 peptide significantly inhibited biofilm formation by C. albicans mainly at early stages, interfering with biofilm cellular density and metabolic activity, and affected morphogenesis through the Ras1-cAMP-Efg1 pathway. Our findings provide the first evidence that hLF1-11 could represent a potential candidate for the prevention of biofilm formation by C. albicans.

  9. Inhibition of Candida albicans Biofilm Formation by the Synthetic Lactoferricin Derived Peptide hLF1-11

    Science.gov (United States)

    Morici, Paola; Fais, Roberta; Rizzato, Cosmeri

    2016-01-01

    The aim of this study was to evaluate the in vitro activity of the synthetic peptide hLF1-11 against biofilm produced by clinical isolates of Candida albicans with different fluconazole susceptibility. The antibiofilm activity of the peptide hLF1-11 was assessed in terms of reduction of biofilm cellular density, metabolic activity and sessile cell viability. The extent of morphogenesis in hLF1-11 treated and untreated biofilms was also investigated microscopically. Transcription levels of genes related to cell adhesion, hyphal development and extracellular matrix production were analysed by qRT-PCR in hLF1-11 treated and untreated biofilms. Exogenous dibutyryl-cAMP (db-cAMP) was used to rescue morphogenesis in cells exposed to the peptide. The results revealed that hLF1-11 exhibited an inhibitory effect on biofilm formation by all C. albicans isolates tested in a dose-dependent manner, regardless of their fluconazole susceptibility. Visual inspection of treated or untreated biofilm cells with an inverted microscope revealed a significant reduction in hyphal formation by hLF1-11 treated cells, as early as 3 hours of incubation. Moreover, hLF1-11 showed a reduced activity on preadherent cells. hLF1-11 induced the down-regulation of biofilm and hyphal-associated genes, which were predominantly regulated via the Ras1-cAMP-Efg1 pathway. Indeed, exogenous db-cAMP restored morphogenesis in hLF1-11 treated cells. The hLF1-11 peptide significantly inhibited biofilm formation by C. albicans mainly at early stages, interfering with biofilm cellular density and metabolic activity, and affected morphogenesis through the Ras1-cAMP-Efg1 pathway. Our findings provide the first evidence that hLF1-11 could represent a potential candidate for the prevention of biofilm formation by C. albicans. PMID:27902776

  10. Inhibition of Candida albicans Biofilm Formation by the Synthetic Lactoferricin Derived Peptide hLF1-11.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Paola Morici

    Full Text Available The aim of this study was to evaluate the in vitro activity of the synthetic peptide hLF1-11 against biofilm produced by clinical isolates of Candida albicans with different fluconazole susceptibility. The antibiofilm activity of the peptide hLF1-11 was assessed in terms of reduction of biofilm cellular density, metabolic activity and sessile cell viability. The extent of morphogenesis in hLF1-11 treated and untreated biofilms was also investigated microscopically. Transcription levels of genes related to cell adhesion, hyphal development and extracellular matrix production were analysed by qRT-PCR in hLF1-11 treated and untreated biofilms. Exogenous dibutyryl-cAMP (db-cAMP was used to rescue morphogenesis in cells exposed to the peptide. The results revealed that hLF1-11 exhibited an inhibitory effect on biofilm formation by all C. albicans isolates tested in a dose-dependent manner, regardless of their fluconazole susceptibility. Visual inspection of treated or untreated biofilm cells with an inverted microscope revealed a significant reduction in hyphal formation by hLF1-11 treated cells, as early as 3 hours of incubation. Moreover, hLF1-11 showed a reduced activity on preadherent cells. hLF1-11 induced the down-regulation of biofilm and hyphal-associated genes, which were predominantly regulated via the Ras1-cAMP-Efg1 pathway. Indeed, exogenous db-cAMP restored morphogenesis in hLF1-11 treated cells. The hLF1-11 peptide significantly inhibited biofilm formation by C. albicans mainly at early stages, interfering with biofilm cellular density and metabolic activity, and affected morphogenesis through the Ras1-cAMP-Efg1 pathway. Our findings provide the first evidence that hLF1-11 could represent a potential candidate for the prevention of biofilm formation by C. albicans.

  11. [Nutritional components and sub-chronic toxicity of genetically modified rice expressing human lactoferrin].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hu, Yichun; Piao, Jianhua; Yang, Xiaoguang

    2012-01-01

    To compare the nutritional components of genetically modified rice expressing human lactoferrin (hLf) with its parental rice, and to observe the sub-chronic toxicity of hLf rice. The nutritional components of hLf rice and its parental rice were determined by the National Standard Methods. Eighty weanling Wistar rats were randomly divided into 4 groups based on their gender and body weight: group A (hLf rice high-dose group with 71.45% rice), group B (hLf rice medium-dose group with 35. 725% rice), group C (parental rice group with 71.01% rice) and group D (AIN-93G diet group), and the latter two groups were used as the control. Body weight, dietary intake, blood routine test, blood biochemical examination, organ coefficient, bone density and the pathology of organs were investigated at the end of a 90-day feeding experiment. Except for human lactoferrin and Fe, there was no difference of main nutritional components, minerals and vitamins between groups. The differences of some indicators of blood routine (WBC, HGB, RBC and MCH), blood biochemistry (AST and GLU), organ coefficient and bone density between group A and B (hLf rice) with group C (parental rice) or group D (AIN-93G) were significant, while no difference of other indicators. Although some differences were observed, all indicators were still in the normal reference range. Therefore, there was no sign of toxic and adverse effects for hLf rice on rats.

  12. Heart Rate Variability Frequency Domain Alterations among Healthy Nurses Exposed to Prolonged Work Stress.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Borchini, Rossana; Veronesi, Giovanni; Bonzini, Matteo; Gianfagna, Francesco; Dashi, Oriana; Ferrario, Marco Mario

    2018-01-11

    The deregulation of the autonomic nervous system assessed through the heart rate variability (HRV) analysis is a promising pathway linking work stress and cardiovascular diseases. We aim to investigate the associations between HRV High Frequency (HF) and Low Frequency (LF) powers and work stress in a sample of 36 healthy nurses. Perceived work stress was assessed twice one year apart, using the Job Content and Effort Reward Imbalance questionnaires. This allows to classify nurses in three exposure groups: "prolonged high stress" (PHS), "recent high stress" (RHS) and "stable low stress" (SLS). A 24-h ECG monitoring was later performed during a working day (WD) and a subsequent resting day (RD). Statistically significantly lower ( p working periods. In the subsequent resting periods, HF means showed increases over time in the RHS (beta = +0.41, p working and resting periods. Our study evidences that both prolonged and recent perceived high work stress were associated with a reduction of HF and LF powers during work. In addition, prolonged stress was associated with a lack of recovery during not-working and resting periods.

  13. Low-frequency oscillations in Hall thrusters

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Wei Li-Qiu; Han Liang; Yu Da-Ren; Guo Ning

    2015-01-01

    In this paper, we summarize the research development of low-frequency oscillations in the last few decades. The findings of physical mechanism, characteristics and stabilizing methods of low-frequency oscillations are discussed. It shows that it is unreasonable and incomplete to model an ionization region separately to analyze the physical mechanism of low-frequency oscillations. Electro-dynamics as well as the formation conditions of ionization distribution play an important role in characteristics and stabilizing of low-frequency oscillations. Understanding the physical mechanism and characteristics of low- frequency oscillations thoroughly and developing a feasible method stabilizing this instability are still important research subjects. (review)

  14. Characteristics of VLF/LF Sferics from Elve-producing Lightning Discharges

    Science.gov (United States)

    Blaes, P.; Zoghzoghy, F. G.; Marshall, R. A.

    2013-12-01

    Lightning return strokes radiate an electromagnetic pulse (EMP) which interacts with the D-region ionosphere; the largest EMPs produce new ionization, heating, and optical emissions known as elves. Elves are at least six times more common than sprites and other transient luminous events. Though the probability that a lightning return stroke will produce an elve is correlated with the return stroke peak current, many large peak current strokes do not produce visible elves. Apart from the lightning peak current, elve production may depend on the return stroke speed, lightning altitude, and ionospheric conditions. In this work we investigate the detailed structure of lightning that gives rise to elves by analyzing the characteristics of VLF/LF lightning sferics in conjunction with optical elve observations. Lightning sferics were observed using an array of six VLF/LF receivers (1 MHz sample-rate) in Oklahoma, and elves were observed using two high-speed photometers pointed over the Oklahoma region: one located at Langmuir Laboratory, NM and the other at McDonald Observatory, TX. Hundreds of elves with coincident LF sferics were observed during the summer months of 2013. We present data comparing the characteristics of elve-producing and non-elve producing lightning as measured by LF sferics. In addition, we compare these sferic and elve observations with FDTD simulations to determine key properties of elve-producing lightning.

  15. Galactic foreground science: Faraday Tomography at low frequencies

    Science.gov (United States)

    Haverkorn, Marijke

    2018-05-01

    This contribution describes how low-frequency radio-spectropolarimetric imaging as done for Epoch of Reionization detection is used to investigate the nearby Galactic interstellar medium. The method of Faraday Tomography allows disentangling of every line of sight into various components in Faraday depth, which is a proxy for density-weighted magnetic field. I discuss instrumental biases and side effects of this method, and early results it has yielded.

  16. The Low-Frequency Encoding Disadvantage: Word Frequency Affects Processing Demands

    OpenAIRE

    Diana, Rachel A.; Reder, Lynne M.

    2006-01-01

    Low-frequency words produce more hits and fewer false alarms than high-frequency words in a recognition task. The low-frequency hit rate advantage has sometimes been attributed to processes that operate during the recognition test (e.g., L. M. Reder et al., 2000). When tasks other than recognition, such as recall, cued recall, or associative recognition, are used, the effects seem to contradict a low-frequency advantage in memory. Four experiments are presented to support the claim that in ad...

  17. Source conductance scaling for high frequency superconducting quasiparticle receivers

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ke, Qing; Feldman, M. J.

    1992-01-01

    It has been suggested that the optimum source conductance G(sub s) for the superconductor-insulator-superconductor (SIS) quasiparticle mixer should have a l/f dependence. This would imply that the critical current density of SIS junctions used for mixing should increase as frequency squared, a stringent constraint on the design of submillimeter SIS mixers, rather than in simple proportion to frequency as previously believed. We have used Tucker's quantum theory of mixing for extensive numerical calculations to determine G(sub s) for an optimized SIS receiver. We find that G(sub s) is very roughly independent of frequency (except for the best junctions at low frequency), and discuss the implications of our results for the design of submillimeter SIS mixers.

  18. Auditory filters at low-frequencies

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Orellana, Carlos Andrés Jurado; Pedersen, Christian Sejer; Møller, Henrik

    2009-01-01

    -ear transfer function), the asymmetry of the auditory filter changed from steeper high-frequency slopes at 1000 Hz to steeper low-frequency slopes below 100 Hz. Increasing steepness at low-frequencies of the middle-ear high-pass filter is thought to cause this effect. The dynamic range of the auditory filter...... was found to steadily decrease with decreasing center frequency. Although the observed decrease in filter bandwidth with decreasing center frequency was only approximately monotonic, the preliminary data indicates the filter bandwidth does not stabilize around 100 Hz, e.g. it still decreases below...

  19. Detection of ionospheric perturbations associated with Japanese earthquakes on the basis of reception of LF transmitter signals on the satellite DEMETER

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    F. Muto

    2008-02-01

    Full Text Available There have been recently reported a lot of electromagnetic phenomena associated with earthquakes (EQs. Among these, the ground-based reception of subionospheric waves from VLF/LF transmitters, is recognized as a promising tool to investigate the ionospheric perturbations associated with EQs. This paper deals with the corresponding whistler-mode signals in the upper ionosphere from those VLF/LF transmitters, which is the counterpart of subionospheric signals. The whistler-mode VLF/LF transmitter signals are detected on board the French satellite, DEMETER launched on 29 June 2004. We have chosen several large Japanese EQs including the Miyagi-oki EQ (16 August 2005; M=7.2, depth=36 km, and the target transmitter is a Japanese LF transmitter (JJY whose transmitter frequency is 40 kHz. Due to large longitudinal separation of each satellite orbit (2500 km, we have to adopt a statistical analysis over a rather long period (such as 3 weeks or one month to have reliable data set. By analyzing the spatial distribution of JJY signal intensity (in the form of signal to noise ratio SNR during a period of 4 months including the Miyagi-oki EQ, we have found significant changes in the intensity; generally the SNR is significantly depleted before the EQ, which is considered to be a precursory ionospheric signature of the EQ. This abnormal effect is reasonably explained in terms of either (1 enhanced absorption of whistler-mode LF signals in the lower ionosphere due to the lowering of the lower ionosphere, or (2 nonlinear wave-wave scattering. Finally, this analysis suggests an important role of satellite observation in the study of lithosphere-atmosphere-ionosphere coupling.

  20. The lactoferricin B-derived peptide, LfB17-34, induces melanogenesis in B16F10 cells.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Huang, Hsiu-Chin; Lin, Hsuan; Huang, Min-Chuan

    2017-03-01

    Lactoferricin B (LfcinB), a peptide of bovine lactoferrin (LfB), exhibits multiple biological functions, including antimicrobial, antiviral, antioxidant and immunomodulatory activities. However, the role of LfcinB-related peptides in melanogenesis remains unclear. In this study, a set of five LfcinB-related peptides was examined. We found that LfB17‑34, an 18-mer LfcinB-derived peptide, increased melanogenesis in B16F10 melanoma cells without significantly affecting cell viability. LfB17‑34 increased in vitro tyrosinase activity and melanin content in a dose-dependent manner. The results of RT-qPCR and western blot analyses showed that LfB17‑34 increased the mRNA and protein expression of tyrosinase and tyrosinase-related protein 1 (Trp1). Moreover, LfB17‑34 inhibited the phosphorylation of MAPK/Erk, but not p38 and Akt, and constitutively active MEK was able to reverse the LfB17-34-enhanced pigmentation, melanin content, and tyrosinase activity, suggesting a role of Erk signaling in the process of LfB17‑34-mediated pigmentation. Taken together, these results suggest that LfB17‑34 induces melanogenesis in B16F10 cells primarily through increased tyrosinase expression and activity and that LfB17‑34 could be further developed for the treatment of hypopigmentation disorders.

  1. Phase measurements of very-low-frequency signals from the magnetosphere

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Paschal, E.V.

    1988-01-01

    The usual methods of spectrum analysis applied to analog tape recordings of very low frequency (VLF) signals extract only magnitude information and ignore phase information. A digital signal-processing system using a recorded constant-frequency pilot tone was developed that can correct tape errors due to wow and flutter, and reconstruct the signal phases. Frequency shifts are corrected during analysis by interpolating between spectral points in the windowed Fourier transform, and the output phases of the synthesized filters are corrected for timing errors. Having signal-component phases as well as magnitudes doubles the available information. Whistler-mode signals from the VLF transmitter at Siple Station, Antarctica, were analyzed as received at Roberval, Quebec. The phase of a non-growing signal is found to give a less-noisy measure of duct motion than Doppler frequency shift, with improved time resolution. Correlations are seen between variations in the whistler-mode phase delay and the earth's magnetic field component D. They are interpreted as Pc 2 micropulsation transients, short compared to the length of the field line, which propagate from equator to ground as Alfven waves

  2. The analysis of soil characteristics near the animal feed and fertiliser mill using the Bartington

    Science.gov (United States)

    Azhari, Adinda Syifa; Agustine, Eleonora; Fitriani, Dini

    2017-07-01

    Industrial activities have the potential to make pollution in agricultural land, the waste contains poisonous material and it is dangerous for the environment. In general, waste from factory is dumped directly into the river, but in the current study an object that is going to be conscientious is soil on around mill. There are three sampling sites are around fertilizer plants, feed mills and original uncontaminated soil. This research has been conducted to assess the impact of pollution resulting from the two mills for the environment. Physical parameter that used is magnetic susceptibility. Sampling was conducted using the method of magnetic susceptibility of rock to see the value of low frequency (lf) and shows Frequency Dependent (fd%) using the MS2B Bartington. The results from this study is at a location close to the fertilizer plant at a depth of 0-5 cm has a value susceptibility low frequency ( lf)=187.1 - 494.8, fd (%)=1.37 - 2:46, at a depth of 6-10 cm susceptibility value of low frequency (lf)=211 - 832.7,fd (%)=1.04 - 5.37. Results in the area of animal feed mill at a depth of 0-5 cm value susceptibility low frequency (lf)=111.9 - 325.7, fd (%)=0.8 - 3.57, at a depth of 6-10 cm value susceptibility low frequency (lf)=189.2 to 386.8,fd (%)=0.33 - 3.7. Results in the original soil at a depth of 0-5 cm susceptibility value of low frequency (lf)=1188.7 - 2237.8,fd (%)=2.75 - 4.65, at a depth of 6-10 cm value susceptibility low frequency (lf)=977.7 - 2134.7,fd (%)=3.06 - 6.21. The highest value was in the arealf original, shows the area has a high mineral content andlf lows were in the area near the factory fodder it is caused by high pollution, resulting in lower mineral content in the soil.

  3. Frequency selectivity at very low centre frequencies

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Orellana, Carlos Andrés Jurado; Pedersen, Christian Sejer; Marquardt, Torsten

    2010-01-01

    measurements based on OAE suppression techniques and notched-noise masking data psychophysically measured for centre frequencies in the range 50-125 Hz, this study examines how individual differences in frequency selectivity, as well as in masking, may occur at very low CFs due to individual differences...

  4. Low Frequency Space Array

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Dennison, B.; Weiler, K.W.; Johnston, K.J.

    1987-01-01

    The Low Frequency Space Array (LFSA) is a conceptual mission to survey the entire sky and to image individual sources at frequencies between 1.5 and 26 MHz, a frequency range over which the earth's ionosphere transmits poorly or not at all. With high resolution, high sensitivity observations, a new window will be opened in the electromagnetic spectrum for astronomical investigation. Also, extending observations down to such low frequencies will bring astronomy to the fundamental limit below which the galaxy becomes optically thick due to free-free absorption. A number of major scientific goals can be pursued with such a mission, including mapping galactic emission and absorption, studies of individual source spectra in a frequency range where a number of important processes may play a role, high resolution imaging of extended sources, localization of the impulsive emission from Jupiter, and a search for coherent emission processes. 19 references

  5. Ex vivo intestinal adhesion of Escherichia coli LF82 in Crohn's disease

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Jensen, Stina Rikke; Fink, Lisbeth Nielsen; Nielsen, Ole Haagen

    2011-01-01

    Adherent-invasive Escherichia coli (AIEC) are reported to inhabit the gut mucosa in Crohn's disease (CD), however, little is known about the importance of host factors for the interplay between AIEC and the human gut. To examine if differences in bacterial adhesion patterns are disease associated......, the AIEC-prototype strain LF82 was evaluated for its ability to adhere to ileal and colonic biopsies from CD and healthy controls (HC). Moreover, the efficacy of the non-pathogenic E. coli Nissle 1917 (ECN) in averting LF82 adhesion to ileal mucosa was assessed. Similar numbers of LF82 adhered to biopsies...

  6. On absorption of low frequency electromagnetic fields

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Brunner, S.; Vaclavik, J.

    1993-03-01

    The drift kinetic equation (DKE) is used to establish a formula for power absorption of small amplitude, low frequency electromagnetic (EM) fields in a hot toroidal axisymmetric plasma. The stationary plasma is first considered. Electrons and ions are described by local Maxwellian distributions, alpha particles by a local slowing-down distribution. The fluctuating part of the distribution function for each species is then evaluated from the linearized DKE in terms of the EM fields using a perturbation method. The parameter b p =B p /B o , where B p is the poloidal component of the magnetostatic field B o , and the parameter v d /λω, where v d is the magnetic curvature drift, λ the wavelength perpendicular to B o and ω the frequency of the EM fields, are considered to be small. By integrating the resulting distribution function over velocity space, an explicit formula for the power absorbed by each species is obtained. To obtain an expression suitable for direct implementation in an ideal-MHD code, the electric field component parallel to the magnetostatic field is evaluated using the quasi-neutrality equation. (author) 4 refs

  7. [High-frequency components of occlusal sound in sliding movement].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nagai, K

    1990-03-01

    We postulated that high-frequency components of the occlusal sound occurring due to the characteristic vibration of teeth can be useful data for confirmation of the stability in occlusion, and studied the high-frequency components in the cases both of an experimental sliding movement and a normal occlusion. The results obtained were as follows. 1. A study on high-frequency components of the occlusal sound in an experimental sliding movement. 1) A study on wave type of the occlusal sound revealed one damped oscillation in an impact form and two in a slide form. 2) Spectrum analysis of the damped oscillation showed a similar spectrum pattern with a peak existing between 16KHz or more and 17KHz or less in both impact and slide cases. 2. A study on high-frequency components of the occlusal sound in a normal occlusion case. 1) The wave type in occlusal sound we have observed in a normal occlusion group and in a prosthetic or operative group was as follows: One damped oscillation shown in an impact form and two damped oscillation in a slide form which were the same as those shown in the case where an interference device was attached. 2) Duration of the sliding movement was short in a normal occlusion group, but was prolonged in a prosthetic or operative group. 3) The incidence of the wave type in occlusal sound was 56.7% in a prosthetic or operative group as compared to 87.8% in a normal occlusion group in an impact form. In contrast, the incidence was 43.3% in a prosthetic or operative group as compared to 12.2% in a normal occlusion group in a slide form. Such difference in the incidence between the wave types suggested that high-frequency components of occlusal sound can be an index for judgement of the stability in occlusion.

  8. Low-order longitudinal modes of single-component plasmas

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Tinkle, M.D.; Greaves, R.G.; Surko, C.M.

    1995-01-01

    The low-order modes of spheroidal, pure electron plasmas have been studied experimentally, both in a cylindrical electrode structure and in a quadrupole trap. Comparison is made between measurements of mode frequencies, recent analytical theories, and numerical simulations. Effects considered include trap anharmonicity, image charges, and temperature. Quantitative agreement is obtained between the predictions and these measurements for spheroidal plasmas in the quadrupole trap. In many experiments on single-component plasmas, including antimatter plasmas, the standard diagnostic techniques used to measure the density and temperature are not appropriate. A new method is presented for determining the size, shape, average density, and temperature of a plasma confined in a Penning trap from measurements of the mode frequencies. copyright 1995 American Institute of Physics

  9. The Low Pitch of High-Frequency Complex Tones Relies on Temporal Fine Structure Information

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Santurette, Sébastien; Dau, Torsten

    2010-01-01

    High-frequency complex tones containing only unresolved harmonic components with a frequency spacing Δf usually evoke a low pitch equal to Δf. However, for inharmonic components, the low pitch is often found to deviate slightly from Δf. Whether this pitch shift relies exclusively on temporal fine...... structure (TFS) cues has been a matter of debate. It is also controversial up to which frequency TFS information remains available, and to what extent envelope cues become dominant as frequency increases. Using a pitch-matching paradigm, this study investigated whether the pitch of transposed tones.......5]. All stimuli were presented at 50 dB SPL in broadband pink-noise (13.5 dB/Hz at 1 kHz), and 40 matches per condition were obtained. For fenv = fc/11.5, the results favored hypothesis A for all values of fc, indicating that TFS cues are available and used for pitch extraction, up to at least 7 k...

  10. Space and phase resolved ion energy and angular distributions in single- and dual-frequency capacitively coupled plasmas

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Zhang, Yiting; Kushner, Mark J. [Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, University of Michigan, 1301 Beal Ave., Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109-2122 (United States); Moore, Nathaniel; Pribyl, Patrick; Gekelman, Walter [Department of Physics, University of California, Los Angeles, California 90095 (United States)

    2013-11-15

    The control of ion energy and angular distributions (IEADs) is critically important for anisotropic etching or deposition in microelectronic fabrication processes. With single frequency capacitively coupled plasmas (CCPs), the narrowing in angle and spread in energy of ions as they cross the sheath are definable functions of frequency, sheath width, and mean free path. With increases in wafer size, single frequency CCPs are finding difficulty in meeting the requirement of simultaneously controlling plasma densities, ion fluxes, and ion energies. Dual-frequency CCPs are being investigated to provide this flexible control. The high frequency (HF) is intended to control the plasma density and ion fluxes, while the ion energies are intended to be controlled by the low frequency (LF). However, recent research has shown that the LF can also influence the magnitude of ion fluxes and that IEADs are determined by both frequencies. Hence, separate control of fluxes and IEADs is complex. In this paper, results from a two-dimensional computational investigation of Ar/O{sub 2} plasma properties in an industrial reactor are discussed. The IEADs are tracked as a function of height above the substrate and phase within the rf cycles from the bulk plasma to the presheath and through the sheath with the goal of providing insights to this complexity. Comparison is made to laser-induced fluorescence experiments. The authors found that the ratios of HF/LF voltage and driving frequency are critical parameters in determining the shape of the IEADs, both during the transit of the ion through the sheath and when ions are incident onto the substrate. To the degree that contributions from the HF can modify plasma density, sheath potential, and sheath thickness, this may provide additional control for the IEADs.

  11. High-frequency TRNS reduces BOLD activity during visuomotor learning.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Catarina Saiote

    Full Text Available Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS and transcranial random noise stimulation (tRNS consist in the application of electrical current of small intensity through the scalp, able to modulate perceptual and motor learning, probably by changing brain excitability. We investigated the effects of these transcranial electrical stimulation techniques in the early and later stages of visuomotor learning, as well as associated brain activity changes using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI. We applied anodal and cathodal tDCS, low-frequency and high-frequency tRNS (lf-tRNS, 0.1-100 Hz; hf-tRNS 101-640 Hz, respectively and sham stimulation over the primary motor cortex (M1 during the first 10 minutes of a visuomotor learning paradigm and measured performance changes for 20 minutes after stimulation ceased. Functional imaging scans were acquired throughout the whole experiment. Cathodal tDCS and hf-tRNS showed a tendency to improve and lf-tRNS to hinder early learning during stimulation, an effect that remained for 20 minutes after cessation of stimulation in the late learning phase. Motor learning-related activity decreased in several regions as reported previously, however, there was no significant modulation of brain activity by tDCS. In opposition to this, hf-tRNS was associated with reduced motor task-related-activity bilaterally in the frontal cortex and precuneous, probably due to interaction with ongoing neuronal oscillations. This result highlights the potential of lf-tRNS and hf-tRNS to differentially modulate visuomotor learning and advances our knowledge on neuroplasticity induction approaches combined with functional imaging methods.

  12. Responses of the ear to low frequency sounds, infrasound and wind turbines.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Salt, Alec N; Hullar, Timothy E

    2010-09-01

    Infrasonic sounds are generated internally in the body (by respiration, heartbeat, coughing, etc) and by external sources, such as air conditioning systems, inside vehicles, some industrial processes and, now becoming increasingly prevalent, wind turbines. It is widely assumed that infrasound presented at an amplitude below what is audible has no influence on the ear. In this review, we consider possible ways that low frequency sounds, at levels that may or may not be heard, could influence the function of the ear. The inner ear has elaborate mechanisms to attenuate low frequency sound components before they are transmitted to the brain. The auditory portion of the ear, the cochlea, has two types of sensory cells, inner hair cells (IHC) and outer hair cells (OHC), of which the IHC are coupled to the afferent fibers that transmit "hearing" to the brain. The sensory stereocilia ("hairs") on the IHC are "fluid coupled" to mechanical stimuli, so their responses depend on stimulus velocity and their sensitivity decreases as sound frequency is lowered. In contrast, the OHC are directly coupled to mechanical stimuli, so their input remains greater than for IHC at low frequencies. At very low frequencies the OHC are stimulated by sounds at levels below those that are heard. Although the hair cells in other sensory structures such as the saccule may be tuned to infrasonic frequencies, auditory stimulus coupling to these structures is inefficient so that they are unlikely to be influenced by airborne infrasound. Structures that are involved in endolymph volume regulation are also known to be influenced by infrasound, but their sensitivity is also thought to be low. There are, however, abnormal states in which the ear becomes hypersensitive to infrasound. In most cases, the inner ear's responses to infrasound can be considered normal, but they could be associated with unfamiliar sensations or subtle changes in physiology. This raises the possibility that exposure to the

  13. Stabilizing effects of hot electrons on low frequency plasma drift waves

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Huang Chaosong; Qiu Lijian; Ren Zhaoxing

    1988-01-01

    The MHD equation is used to study the stabilization of low frequency drift waves driven by density gradient of plasma in a hot electron plasma. The dispersion relation is derived, and the stabilizing effects of hot electrons are discussed. The physical mechanism for hot electron stabilization of the low frequency plasma perturbations is charge uncovering due to the hot electron component, which depends only on α, the ratio of N h /N i , but not on the value of β h . The hot electrons can reduce the growth rate of the interchange mode and drift wave driven by the plasma, and suppress the enomalous plasma transport caused by the drift wave. Without including the effectof β h , the stabilization of the interchange mode requires α≅2%, and the stabilization of the drift wave requires α≅40%. The theoretical analyses predict that the drift wave is the most dangerous low frequency instability in the hot electron plasma

  14. Low frequency sound field enhancement system for rectangular rooms using multiple low frequency loudspeakers

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Celestinos, Adrian; Nielsen, Sofus Birkedal

    2006-01-01

    an enhancement system with extra loudspeakers the sound pressure level distribution along the listening area presents a significant improvement in the subwoofer frequency range. The system is simulated and implemented on the three different rooms and finally verified by measurements on the real rooms.......Rectangular rooms have strong influence on the low frequency performance of loudspeakers. Simulations of three different room sizes have been carried out using finite-difference time-domain method (FDTD) in order to predict the behaviour of the sound field at low frequencies. By using...

  15. Low frequency phase signal measurement with high frequency squeezing

    OpenAIRE

    Zhai, Zehui; Gao, Jiangrui

    2011-01-01

    We calculate the utility of high-frequency squeezed-state enhanced two-frequency interferometry for low-frequency phase measurement. To use the high-frequency sidebands of the squeezed light, a two-frequency intense laser is used in the interferometry instead of a single-frequency laser as usual. We find that the readout signal can be contaminated by the high-frequency phase vibration, but this is easy to check and avoid. A proof-of-principle experiment is in the reach of modern quantum optic...

  16. Dynamics of spectral components of heart rate variability during changes in autonomic balance

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Højgaard, M V; Holstein-Rathlou, N H; Agner, E

    1998-01-01

    Frequency domain analysis of heart rate variability (HRV) has been proposed as a semiquantitative method for assessing activities in the autonomic nervous system. We examined whether absolute powers, normalized powers, and the low frequency-to-high frequency ratio (LF/HF) derived from the HRV power...... spectrum could detect shifts in autonomic balance in a setting with low sympathetic nervous tone. Healthy subjects were examined for 3 h in the supine position during 1) control conditions (n = 12), 2) acute beta-blockade (n = 11), and 3) chronic beta-blockade (n = 10). Heart rate fell during the first 40...... min of the control session (72 +/- 2 to 64 +/- 2 beats/min; P powers of all spectral areas rose during the first 60 min in all three settings, more so with beta-blockade (P

  17. Coherence of EEG frequency components during manual movements executed by the subdominant hand in women

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    O. V. Korzhyk

    2017-02-01

    Full Text Available The academic community is paying more and more attention to the question of the individual characteristics of the brain processes which ensure the manual motor programming of movements performed not only by the leading, but also by the subdominant hand. Researchers do not exclude the existence of the particular parameters of the human brain correlating with manual motor activities. This study involved 136 women at the age of 19–21 years. The testees were divided into two groups according to high and low values of the EEG modal α-frequency determined individually and in a motionless state. We evaluated the coherence status of the EEG frequency components in the motionless state and during movements performed by fingers of the subdominant (left hand in response to rhythmic sound signals. The testing stages involved the sequential execution of motor tasks including clamping and unclamping performed by the fingers of the subdominant hand (such as grasping movements without effort. The testees also performed fingering (a manual response to each stimulus at in different times and not by all the fingers of the hand simultaneously, but separately, one by one, in a given sequence. Clamping and unclamping was executed by the fingers subject to power loading the (additional load on the fingers being 10H. Execution of manual movements by means of the subdominant hand in response to the sensory signals was accompanied by an increase in coherence in the EEG frequency components, especially in the frontal, temporal, and parietal cortexes of the central areas. Women with a low individual α-rate of such a regularity had significantly increased scores at the high (α3-, β- frequencies of the EEG spectrum. At the same time, women in both groups mainly showed a decrease in the coherence coefficients of θ-, α1- and α3-activity in the frontal cortex leads in terms of the execution of the sequential finger movements and movements under power loading. The

  18. Atomic structure of the murine norovirus protruding domain and sCD300lf receptor complex.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kilic, Turgay; Koromyslova, Anna; Malak, Virginie; Hansman, Grant S

    2018-03-21

    Human noroviruses are the leading cause of acute gastroenteritis in human. Noroviruses also infect animals such as cow, mice, cat, and dog. How noroviruses bind and enter host cells is still incompletely understood. Recently, the type I transmembrane protein CD300lf was recently identified as the murine norovirus receptor, yet it is unclear how the virus capsid and receptor interact at the molecular level. In this study, we determined the X-ray crystal structure of the soluble CD300lf (sCD300lf) and murine norovirus capsid-protruding domain complex at 2.05 Å resolution. We found that the sCD300lf binding site is located on the topside of the protruding domain and involves a network of hydrophilic and hydrophobic interactions. The sCD300lf locked nicely into a complementary cavity on the protruding domain that is additionally coordinated with a positive surface charge on the sCD300lf and a negative surface charge on the protruding domain. Five of six protruding domain residues interacting with sCD300lf were maintained between different murine norovirus strains, suggesting that the sCD300lf was capable of binding to a highly conserved pocket. Moreover, a sequence alignment with other CD300 paralogs showed that the sCD300lf interacting residues were partially conserved in CD300ld, but variable in other CD300 family members, consistent with previously reported infection selectivity. Overall, these data provide insights into how a norovirus engages a protein receptor and will be important for a better understanding of selective recognition and norovirus attachment and entry mechanisms. IMPORTANCE Noroviruses exhibit exquisite host-range specificity due to species-specific interactions between the norovirus capsid protein and host molecules. Given this strict host-range restriction it has been unclear how the viruses are maintained within a species between relatively sporadic epidemics. While much data demonstrates that noroviruses can interact with carbohydrates

  19. Spectral Energy Distribution and Radio Halo of NGC 253 at Low Radio Frequencies

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Kapińska, A. D.; Staveley-Smith, L.; Meurer, G. R.; For, B.-Q. [International Centre for Radio Astronomy Research (ICRAR), University of Western Australia, 35 Stirling Hwy, WA 6009 (Australia); Crocker, R. [Research School of Astronomy and Astrophysics, Australian National University, Canberra, ACT 2611 (Australia); Bhandari, S.; Callingham, J. R.; Gaensler, B. M.; Hancock, P. J.; Lenc, E. [ARC Centre of Excellence for All-Sky Astrophysics (CAASTRO), Sydney NSW (Australia); Hurley-Walker, N.; Seymour, N. [International Centre for Radio Astronomy Research (ICRAR), Curtin University, Bentley, WA 6102 (Australia); Offringa, A. R. [Netherlands Institute for Radio Astronomy (ASTRON), P.O. Box 2, 7990 AA Dwingeloo (Netherlands); Hanish, D. J. [Spitzer Science Center, California Institute of Technology, MC 220-6, 1200 East California Boulevard, Pasadena, CA 91125 (United States); Ekers, R. D.; Bell, M. E. [CSIRO Astronomy and Space Science (CASS), P.O. Box 76, Epping, NSW 1710 (Australia); Dwarakanath, K. S. [Raman Research Institute, Bangalore 560080 (India); Hindson, L. [Centre of Astrophysics Research, University of Hertfordshire, College Lane, Hatfield AL10 9AB (United Kingdom); Johnston-Hollitt, M. [School of Chemical and Physical Sciences, Victoria University of Wellington, P.O. Box 600, Wellington 6140 (New Zealand); McKinley, B., E-mail: anna.kapinska@uwa.edu.au [School of Physics, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, VIC 3010 (Australia); and others

    2017-03-20

    We present new radio continuum observations of NGC 253 from the Murchison Widefield Array at frequencies between 76 and 227 MHz. We model the broadband radio spectral energy distribution for the total flux density of NGC 253 between 76 MHz and 11 GHz. The spectrum is best described as a sum of a central starburst and extended emission. The central component, corresponding to the inner 500 pc of the starburst region of the galaxy, is best modeled as an internally free–free absorbed synchrotron plasma, with a turnover frequency around 230 MHz. The extended emission component of the spectrum of NGC 253 is best described as a synchrotron emission flattening at low radio frequencies. We find that 34% of the extended emission (outside the central starburst region) at 1 GHz becomes partially absorbed at low radio frequencies. Most of this flattening occurs in the western region of the southeast halo, and may be indicative of synchrotron self-absorption of shock-reaccelerated electrons or an intrinsic low-energy cutoff of the electron distribution. Furthermore, we detect the large-scale synchrotron radio halo of NGC 253 in our radio images. At 154–231 MHz the halo displays the well known X-shaped/horn-like structure, and extends out to ∼8 kpc in the z -direction (from the major axis).

  20. Pseudo-real-time low-pass filter in ECG, self-adjustable to the frequency spectra of the waves.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Christov, Ivaylo; Neycheva, Tatyana; Schmid, Ramun; Stoyanov, Todor; Abächerli, Roger

    2017-09-01

    The electrocardiogram (ECG) acquisition is often accompanied by high-frequency electromyographic (EMG) noise. The noise is difficult to be filtered, due to considerable overlapping of its frequency spectrum to the frequency spectrum of the ECG. Today, filters must conform to the new guidelines (2007) for low-pass filtering in ECG with cutoffs of 150 Hz for adolescents and adults, and to 250 Hz for children. We are suggesting a pseudo-real-time low-pass filter, self-adjustable to the frequency spectra of the ECG waves. The filter is based on the approximation procedure of Savitzky-Golay with dynamic change in the cutoff frequency. The filter is implemented pseudo-real-time (real-time with a certain delay). An additional option is the automatic on/off triggering, depending on the presence/absence of EMG noise. The analysis of the proposed filter shows that the low-frequency components of the ECG (low-power P- and T-waves, PQ-, ST- and TP-segments) are filtered with a cutoff of 14 Hz, the high-power P- and T-waves are filtered with a cutoff frequency in the range of 20-30 Hz, and the high-frequency QRS complexes are filtered with cutoff frequency of higher than 100 Hz. The suggested dynamic filter satisfies the conflicting requirements for a strong suppression of EMG noise and at the same time a maximal preservation of the ECG high-frequency components.

  1. Low-stress silicon nitride layers for MEMS applications

    Science.gov (United States)

    Iliescu, Ciprian; Wei, Jiashen; Chen, Bangtao; Ong, Poh Lam; Tay, Francis E. H.

    2006-12-01

    The paper presents two deposition methods for generation of SiN x layers with "zero" residual stress in PECVD reactors: mixed frequency and high power in high frequency mode (13.56 MHz). Traditionally, mix frequency mode is commonly used to produce low stress SiN x layers, which alternatively applies the HF and LF mode. However, due to the low deposition rate of LF mode, the combined deposition rate of mix frequency is quite small in order to produce homogenous SiN x layers. In the second method, a high power which was up to 600 W has been used, may also produce low residual stress (0-20 MPa), with higher deposition rate (250 to 350 nm/min). The higher power not only leads to higher dissociation rates of gases which results in higher deposition rates, but also brings higher N bonding in the SiN x films and higher compressive stress from higher volume expansion of SiN x films, which compensates the tensile stress and produces low residual stress. In addition, the paper investigates the influence of other important parameters which have great impact to the residual stress and deposition rates, such as reactant gases flow rate and pressure. By using the final optimized recipe, masking layer for anisotropic wet etching in KOH and silicon nitride cantilever have been successfully fabricated based on the low stress SiN x layers. Moreover, nanoporous membrane with 400nm pores has also been fabricated and tested for cell culture. By cultivating the mouse D1 mesenchymal stem cells on top of the nanoporous membrane, the results showed that mouse D1 mesenchymal stem cells were able to grow well. This shows that the nanoporous membrane can be used as the platform for interfacing with living cells to become biocapsules for biomolecular separation.

  2. The Relationship Between Low-Frequency Motions and Community Structure of Residue Network in Protein Molecules.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sun, Weitao

    2018-01-01

    The global shape of a protein molecule is believed to be dominant in determining low-frequency deformational motions. However, how structure dynamics relies on residue interactions remains largely unknown. The global residue community structure and the local residue interactions are two important coexisting factors imposing significant effects on low-frequency normal modes. In this work, an algorithm for community structure partition is proposed by integrating Miyazawa-Jernigan empirical potential energy as edge weight. A sensitivity parameter is defined to measure the effect of local residue interaction on low-frequency movement. We show that community structure is a more fundamental feature of residue contact networks. Moreover, we surprisingly find that low-frequency normal mode eigenvectors are sensitive to some local critical residue interaction pairs (CRIPs). A fair amount of CRIPs act as bridges and hold distributed structure components into a unified tertiary structure by bonding nearby communities. Community structure analysis and CRIP detection of 116 catalytic proteins reveal that breaking up of a CRIP can cause low-frequency allosteric movement of a residue at the far side of protein structure. The results imply that community structure and CRIP may be the structural basis for low-frequency motions.

  3. Effect of low-frequency power on dual-frequency capacitively coupled plasmas

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Yuan, Q H; Xin, Y; Huang, X J; Sun, K; Ning, Z Y; Yin, G Q

    2008-01-01

    In low-pressure dual-frequency capacitively coupled plasmas driven with 60/13.56 MHz, the effect of low-frequency power on the plasma characteristics was investigated using a compensated Langmuir electrostatic probe. At lower pressures (about 10 mTorr), it was possible to control the plasma density and the ion bombardment energy independently. As the pressure increased, this independent control could not be achieved. As the low-frequency power increased for the fixed high-frequency power, the electron energy probability function (EEPF) changed from Druyvesteyn-like to Maxwellian-like at pressures of 50 mTorr and higher, along with a drop in electron temperature. The plasma parameters were calculated and compared with simulation results.

  4. The role of temporal fine structure information for the low pitch of high-frequency complex tones

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Santurette, Sébastien; Dau, Torsten

    2011-01-01

    The fused low pitch evoked by complex tones containing only unresolved high-frequency components demonstrates the ability of the human auditory system to extract pitch using a temporal mechanism in the absence of spectral cues. However, the temporal features used by such a mechanism have been...... amplitude fluctuations, or temporal fine structure (TFS), of the conveyed signal can be processed. Using a pitch-matching paradigm, the present study found that the low pitch of inharmonic transposed tones with unresolved components was consistent with the timing between the most prominent TFS maxima...... coding as such, and that TFS representation might persist at higher frequencies than previously thought....

  5. Low-frequency synthesis array in earth orbit

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Jones, D.L.; Preston, R.A.; Kuiper, T.B.H.

    1987-01-01

    The scientific objectives and design concept of a space-based VLBI array for high-resolution astronomical observations at 1-30 MHz are discussed. The types of investigations calling for such an array include radio spectroscopy of individual objects, measurement of the effects of scattering and refraction by the interplanetary medium (IPM) and the ISM, mapping the distribution of low-energy cosmic-ray electrons, and determining the extent of the Galactic halo. Consideration is given to the limitations imposed on an LF VLBI array by the ionosphere, the IPM, and the ISM; the calibration advantages offered by circular polar orbits of slightly differing ascending-node longitude for the array satellites; and collection of the IF data streams from the array satellites by one master satellite prior to transmission to the ground. It is shown that determination of the three-dimensional array geometry by means of intersatellite radio links is feasible if there are at least seven spacecraft in the array

  6. Observational study of generation conditions of substorm-associated low-frequency AKR emissions

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    A. Olsson

    2004-11-01

    Full Text Available It has lately been shown that low-frequency bursts of auroral kilometric radiation (AKR are nearly exclusively associated with substorm expansion phases. Here we study low-frequency AKR using Polar PWI and Interball POLRAD instruments to constrain its possible generation mechanisms. We find that there are more low-frequency AKR emission events during wintertime and equinoxes than during summertime. The dot-AKR emission radial distance range coincides well with the region where the deepest density cavities are seen statistically during Kp>2. We suggest that the dot-AKR emissions originate in the deepest density cavities during substorm onsets. The mechanism for generating dot-AKR is possibly strong Alfvén waves entering the cavity from the magnetosphere and changing their character to more inertial, which causes the Alfvén wave associated parallel electric field to increase. This field may locally accelerate electrons inside the cavity enough to produce low-frequency AKR emission. We use Interball IESP low-frequency wave data to verify that in about half of the cases the dot-AKR is accompanied by low-frequency wave activity containing a magnetic component, i.e. probably inertial Alfvén waves. Because of the observational geometry, this result is consistent with the idea that inertial Alfvén waves might always be present in the source region when dot-AKR is generated. The paper illustrates once more the importance of radio emissions as a powerful remote diagnostic tool of auroral processes, which is not only relevant for the Earth's magnetosphere but may be relevant in the future in studying extrasolar planets.

  7. Low-frequency oscillations in radiative-convective models

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Hu, Qi; Randall, D.A.

    1991-12-31

    Although eastward propagation is usually regarded as an essential feature of the low-frequency ``Madden-Julian oscillation`` observed in the tropical atmosphere, many observations indicate that there is an important stationary or quasi-stationary component of the oscillation. Yasunari (1979), for example, investigated the stationary 30--60 day variation in upper tropospheric cloudiness in the Asian summer monsoon region. In a case study of the 30--60 day oscillation. Hsu et al. (1990) found a strong stationary oscillation of the divergence, outgoing longwave mdiadon and other fields. A recent observational study by Weickmann and Khalsa (1990) offers further evidence that the Madden-Julian oscillation has an important stationary component. In this paper, we present evidence that intraseasonal oscillations can be produced by local radiative and convective processes. This suggests that the observed propagating Madden-Julian wave is produced by interactions between these local processes and the large scale motion field, and is not essential for the existence of the observed oscillation.

  8. Low-frequency oscillations in radiative-convective models

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Hu, Qi; Randall, D.A.

    1991-01-01

    Although eastward propagation is usually regarded as an essential feature of the low-frequency Madden-Julian oscillation'' observed in the tropical atmosphere, many observations indicate that there is an important stationary or quasi-stationary component of the oscillation. Yasunari (1979), for example, investigated the stationary 30--60 day variation in upper tropospheric cloudiness in the Asian summer monsoon region. In a case study of the 30--60 day oscillation. Hsu et al. (1990) found a strong stationary oscillation of the divergence, outgoing longwave mdiadon and other fields. A recent observational study by Weickmann and Khalsa (1990) offers further evidence that the Madden-Julian oscillation has an important stationary component. In this paper, we present evidence that intraseasonal oscillations can be produced by local radiative and convective processes. This suggests that the observed propagating Madden-Julian wave is produced by interactions between these local processes and the large scale motion field, and is not essential for the existence of the observed oscillation.

  9. Antilipolytic and hypotriglyceridemic effects of dietary Salvia triloba Lf

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    management of dyslipidemia, and diabetes and obesity. This study was aimed to evaluate the modulatory effects of Salvia triloba L.f. (Lamiaceae) leaves methanol extract (ME) on a high fat diet .... mg/mL DMSO), was prepared into six different.

  10. Effect of low-level light therapy on diabetic foot ulcers: a near-infrared spectroscopy study

    Science.gov (United States)

    Salvi, Massimo; Rimini, Daniele; Molinari, Filippo; Bestente, Gianni; Bruno, Alberto

    2017-03-01

    Diabetic foot ulcer (DFU) is a diabetic complication due to peripheral vasculopathy and neuropathy. A promising technology for wound healing in DFU is low-level light therapy (LLLT). Despite several studies showing positive effects of LLLT on DFU, LLLT's physiological effects have not yet been studied. The objective of this study was to investigate vascular and nervous systems modification in DFU after LLLT. Two samples of 45 DFU patients and 11 healthy controls (HCs) were recruited. The total hemoglobin (totHb) concentration change was monitored before and after LLLT by near-infrared spectroscopy and analyzed in time and frequency domains. The spectral power of the totHb changes in the very-low frequency (VLF, 20 to 60 mHz) and low frequency (LF, 60 to 140 mHz) bandwidths was calculated. Data analysis revealed a mean increase of totHb concentration after LLLT in DFU patients, but not in HC. VLF/LF ratio decreased significantly after the LLLT period in DFU patients (indicating an increased activity of the autonomic nervous system), but not in HC. Eventually, different treatment intensities in LLLT therapy showed a different response in DFU. Overall, our results demonstrate that LLLT improves blood flow and autonomic nervous system regulation in DFU and the importance of light intensity in therapeutic protocols.

  11. Effect of low velocity impact damage on the natural frequency of composite plates

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chok, E. Y. L.; Majid, D. L. A. A.; Harmin, M. Y.

    2017-12-01

    Biodegradable natural fibers have been suggested to replace the hazardous synthetic fibers in many aerospace applications. However, this notion has been limited due to their low mechanical properties, which leads to the idea of hybridizing the two materials. Many aircraft components such as radome, aft body and wing are highly susceptible to low velocity impact damage while in-service. The damages degrade the structural integrity of the components and change their dynamic characteristics. In worst case scenario, the changes can lead to resonance, which is an excessive vibration. This research is conducted to study the dynamic characteristic changes of low velocity impact damaged hybrid composites that is designed for aircraft radome applications. Three materials, which are glass fiber, kenaf fiber and kenaf/glass fiber hybrid composites, have been impacted with 3J, 6J and 9J of energy. Cantilevered and also vertically clamped boundary conditions are used and the natural frequencies are extracted for each of the specimens. The obtained results show that natural frequency decreases with increasing impact level. Cantilevered condition is found to induce lower modes due to the gravitational pull. To eliminate mass and geometrical effects, normalized modes are computed. Among the three materials considered, glass fiber composites have displayed the highest normalized frequency that reflects on its higher stiffness compared to the other two materials. As the damage level is increased, glass fiber composites have shown the highest frequency reduction to a maximum of 35% while kenaf composites have the least frequency reduction in the range of 1 - 18%. Thus, kenaf fiber is taken to be helpful in stalling the damage progression and reducing the effect of damage. This has been proven when the percentage frequency decrement shown by kenaf/glass fiber composite lies between glass fiber and kenaf fiber composites.

  12. Interaction between lf electric fields and biological bodies

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Češelkoska Vesna C.

    2004-01-01

    Full Text Available In this paper the Equivalent electrodes method is used for electric field calculation in the proximity of the various biological subjects exposed to an electric field in the LF range. Several results of the electric field intensity on the body surface and numerous graphical results for equipotential and equienergetic curves are presented.

  13. Cognitive LF-Ant: A Novel Protocol for Healthcare Wireless Sensor Networks

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Marcelo Alencar

    2012-08-01

    Full Text Available In this paper, the authors present the Cognitive LF-Ant protocol for emergency reporting in healthcare wireless sensor networks. The protocol is inspired by the natural behaviour of ants and a cognitive component provides the capabilities to dynamically allocate resources, in accordance with the emergency degree of each patient. The intra-cluster emergency reporting is inspired by the different capabilities of leg-manipulated ants. The inter-cluster reporting is aided by the cooperative modulation diversity with spectrum sensing, which can detect new emergency reporting requests and forward them. Simulations results show the decrease of average delay time as the probability of opportunistic access increases, which privileges the emergency reporting related to the patients with higher priority of resources’ usage. Furthermore, the packet loss rate is decreased by the use of cooperative modulation diversity with spectrum sensing.

  14. Anomalies in the Spectra of the Uncorrelated Components of the Electric Field of the Earth at Frequencies that are Multiples of the Frequencies of Rotation of Relativistic Binary Star Systems

    Science.gov (United States)

    Grunskaya, L. V.; Isakevich, V. V.; Isakevich, D. V.

    2018-05-01

    A system is constructed, which, on the basis of extensive experimental material and the use of eigenoscopy, has allowed us to detect anomalies in the spectra of uncorrelated components localized near the rotation frequencies and twice the rotation frequencies of relativistic binary star systems with vanishingly low probability of false alarm, not exceeding 10-17.

  15. Low-Frequency Noise Reduction by Earmuffs with Flax Fibre-Reinforced Polypropylene Ear Cups

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Linus Yinn Leng Ang

    2018-01-01

    Full Text Available Soldiers and supporting engineers are frequently exposed to high low-frequency (<500 Hz cabin noise in military vehicles. Despite the use of commercial hearing protection devices, the risk of auditory damage is still imminent because the devices may not be optimally customised for such applications. This study considers flax fibre-reinforced polypropylene (Flax-PP as an alternative to the material selection for the ear cups of commercial earmuffs, which are typically made of acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS. Different weaving configurations (woven and nonwoven and various noise environments (pink noise, cabin booming noise, and firing noise were considered to investigate the feasibility of the proposed composite earmuffs for low-frequency noise reduction. The remaining assembly components of the earmuff were kept consistent with those of a commercial earmuff, which served as a benchmark for results comparison. In contrast to the commercial earmuff, the composite earmuffs were shown to be better in mitigating low-frequency noise by up to 16.6 dB, while compromising midfrequency acoustical performance. Consequently, the proposed composite earmuffs may be an alternative for low-frequency noise reduction in vehicle cabins, at airports, and at construction sites involving heavy machineries.

  16. Effect of selenium-saturated bovine lactoferrin (Se-bLF) on antioxidant enzyme activities in human gut epithelial cells under oxidative stress.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Burrow, Hannah; Kanwar, Rupinder K; Mahidhara, Ganesh; Kanwar, Jagat R

    2011-10-01

    Cancer and many chronic inflammatory diseases are associated with increased amounts of reactive oxygen species (ROS). The potential cellular and tissue damage created by ROS has significant impact on many disease and cancer states and natural therapeutics are becoming essential in regulating altered redox states. We have shown recently that iron content is a critical determinant in the antitumour activity of bovine milk lactoferrin (bLF). We found that 100% iron-saturated bLF (Fe-bLF) acts as a potent natural adjuvant and fortifying agent for augmenting cancer chemotherapy and thus has a broad utility in the treatment of cancer. Furthermore, we also studied the effects of iron saturated bLF's ability as an antioxidant in the human epithelial colon cancer cell line HT29, giving insights into the potential of bLF in its different states. Thus, metal saturated bLF could be implemented as anti-cancer neutraceutical. In this regard, we have recently been able to prepare a selenium (Se) saturated form of bLF, being up to 98% saturated. Therefore, the objectives of this study were to determine how oxidative stress induced by hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) alters antioxidant enzyme activity within HT29 epithelial colon cancer cells, and observe changes in this activity by treatments with different antioxidants ascorbic acid (AA), Apo (iron free)-bLF and selenium (Se)-bLF. The states of all antioxidant enzymes (glutathione peroxidase (GPx), glutathione reductase (GR), glutathione- s-transferase (GsT), catalase and superoxide dismutase (SOD)) demonstrated high levels within untreated HT29 cells compared to the majority of other treatments being used, even prior to H2O2 exposure. All enzymes showed significant alterations in activity when cells were treated with antioxidants AA, Apo-bLF or Se-bLF, with and/or without H2O2 exposure. Obvious indications that the Se content of the bLF potentially interacted with the glutathione (GSH)/GPx/GR/GsT associated redox system could be

  17. Low frequency noise fiber delay stabilized laser with reduced sensitivity to acceleration

    Science.gov (United States)

    Argence, B.; Clivati, C.; Dournaux, J.-L.; Holleville, D.; Faure, B.; Lemonde, P.; Santarelli, G.

    2017-11-01

    Lasers with sub-hertz line-width and fractional frequency instability around 1×10-15 for 0.1 s to 10 s averaging time are currently realized by locking onto an ultra-stable Fabry-Perot cavity using the Pound-Drever-Hall method. This powerful method requires tight alignment of free space optical components, precise polarization adjustment and spatial mode matching. To circumvent these issues, we use an all-fiber Michelson interferometer with a long fiber spool as a frequency reference and a heterodyne detection technique with a fibered acousto optical modulator (AOM)1. At low Fourier frequencies, the frequency noise of our system is mainly limited by mechanical vibrations, an issue that has already been explored in the field of optoelectronic oscillators.2,3,4

  18. Analytical and numerical calculations of resistive wall impedances for thin beam pipe structures at low frequencies

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Niedermayer, U., E-mail: u.niedermayer@gsi.de [Technische Universitaet Darmstadt, Institut fuer Theorie Elektromagnetischer Felder, Schlossgartenstrasse 8, 64289 Darmstadt (Germany); Boine-Frankenheim, O. [Technische Universitaet Darmstadt, Institut fuer Theorie Elektromagnetischer Felder, Schlossgartenstrasse 8, 64289 Darmstadt (Germany)

    2012-09-21

    The resistive wall impedance is one of the main sources for beam instabilities in synchrotrons and storage rings. The fast ramped SIS18 synchrotron at GSI and the projected SIS100 synchrotron for FAIR both employ thin (0.3 mm) stainless steel beam pipes in order to reduce eddy current effects. The lowest betatron sidebands are at about 100 kHz, which demands accurate impedance predictions in the low frequency (LF) range where the beam pipe and possibly also the structures behind the pipe are the dominating impedance sources. The longitudinal and transverse resistive wall impedances of a circular multi-layer pipe are calculated analytically using the field matching technique. We compare the impedances obtained from a radial wave model, which corresponds to the setup used in bench measurements, with the axial wave model, which corresponds to an actual beam moving with relativistic velocity. For thin beam pipes the induced wall current and the corresponding shielding properties of the pipe are important. In both models the wall current is obtained analytically. The characteristic frequencies for the onset of the wall current are calculated from equivalent lumped element circuits corresponding to the radial model. For more complex structures, like the SIS100 beam pipe, we use a numerical method, in which the impedance is obtained from the total power loss. The method is validated by the analytic expressions for circular beam pipes.

  19. Possible earthquake precursors revealed by LF radio signals

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    P. F. Biagi

    2001-01-01

    Full Text Available Among radio signals, low frequency (LF radio signals lie in the band between 30–300 kHz. Monitoring equipment with the ability to measure the electric strength of such signals at field sites, were designed and assembled in Italy. From 1993 onwards, the electric field strength of the MCO (216 kHz, France broadcasting station has been collecting measurements at two sites in central Italy that were chosen according to very low noise levels. At the end of 1996, radio signals from the CLT (189 kHz, Italy and CZE (270 kHz, Czech Republic broadcasting stations were included in the measurements. Meteorological data from central Italy were also collected over the same time period in order to study the influence of weather conditions on the experimental measurements. During the monitoring period, we observed some evident attenuation of the electric field strength in some of the radio signals at some of the receivers. The duration of the attenuation observed was several days, so it could possibly be related to particular meteorological conditions. On the other hand, this phenomenon might represent precursors of moderate (3.0 M 3.5 earthquakes that occurred near the receivers (within 50 km along the transmitter-receiver path. In this case, it is possible that the pre-seismic processes could have produced irregularities in the troposphere, such as ducts, reflecting layers and scattering zones, so that some local troposphere defocusing of the radio signals might have occurred. These observations were related only to moderate earthquakes and in these cases, suitable meteorological conditions were probably needed to observe the effect. Between February – March 1998, we observed at one measuring site, a significant increase in the CZE electric field strength. Unfortunately, we could not use the data of the other receiver in this case, due to frequent interruptions in the data set. The increase might have been a precursor of the strong seismic sequence (M = 5

  20. Increase in Operator's Sympathetic Nerve Activity during Complicated Hepatobiliary Surgery: Evidence for Surgeons' Mental Stress.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yamanouchi, Kosho; Hayashida, Naomi; Kuba, Sayaka; Sakimura, Chika; Kuroki, Tamotsu; Togo, Michita; Katayama, Noritada; Takamura, Noboru; Eguchi, Susumu

    2015-11-01

    Surgeons often experience stress during operations. The heart rate variability (HRV) is the variability in the beat-to-beat interval, which has been used as parameters of stress. The purpose of this study was to evaluate mental stress of surgeons before, during and after operations, especially during pancreaticoduodenectomy (PD) and living donor liver transplantation (LDLT). Additionally, the parameters were compared in various procedures during the operations. By frequency domain method using electrocardiograph, we measured the high frequency (HF) component, representing the parasympathetic activity, and the low frequency (LF)/HF ratio, representing the sympathetic activity. In all 5 cases of PD, the surgeon showed significantly lower HF component and higher LF/HF during operation, indicating predominance of sympathetic nervous system and increased stress, than those before the operation (p operation. Out of the 4 LDLT cases, the value of HF was decreased in two and the LF/HF increased in three cases (p operation compared to those before the operation. In all cases, the value of HF was decreased and/or the LF/HF increased significantly during the reconstruction of the vessels or bile ducts than during the removal of the liver. Thus, sympathetic nerve activity increased during hepatobiliary surgery compared with the level before the operation, and various procedures during the operations induced diverse changes in the autonomic nervous activities. The HRV analysis could assess the chronological changes of mental stress by measuring the autonomic nervous balances.

  1. Adherence to a low-fat vs. low-carbohydrate diet differs by insulin resistance status.

    Science.gov (United States)

    McClain, A D; Otten, J J; Hekler, E B; Gardner, C D

    2013-01-01

    Previous research shows diminished weight loss success in insulin-resistant (IR) women assigned to a low-fat (LF) diet compared to those assigned to a low-carbohydrate (LC) diet. These secondary analyses examined the relationship between insulin-resistance status and dietary adherence to either a LF-diet or LC-diet among 81 free-living, overweight/obese women [age = 41.9 ± 5.7 years; body mass index (BMI) = 32.6 ± 3.6 kg/m(2)]. This study found differential adherence by insulin-resistance status only to a LF-diet, not a LC-diet. IR participants were less likely to adhere and lose weight on a LF-diet compared to insulin-sensitive (IS) participants assigned to the same diet. There were no significant differences between IR and IS participants assigned to LC-diet in relative adherence or weight loss. These results suggest that insulin resistance status may affect dietary adherence to weight loss diets, resulting in higher recidivism and diminished weight loss success of IR participants advised to follow LF-diets for weight loss. © 2012 Blackwell Publishing Ltd.

  2. The noseleaf of Rhinolophus formosae focuses the Frequency Modulated (FM) component of the calls.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Vanderelst, Dieter; Lee, Ya-Fu; Geipel, Inga; Kalko, Elisabeth K V; Kuo, Yen-Min; Peremans, Herbert

    2013-01-01

    Bats of the family Rhinolophidae emit their echolocation calls through their nostrils and feature elaborate noseleaves shaping the directionality of the emissions. The calls of these bats consist of a long constant-frequency component preceded and/or followed by short frequency-modulated sweeps. While Rhinolophidae are known for their physiological specializations for processing the constant frequency part of the calls, previous evidence suggests that the noseleaves of these animals are tuned to the frequencies in the frequency modulated components of the calls. In this paper, we seek further support for this hypothesis by simulating the emission beam pattern of the bat Rhinolophus formosae. Filling the furrows of lancet and removing the basal lappets (i.e., two flaps on the noseleaf) we find that these conspicuous features of the noseleaf focus the emitted energy mostly for frequencies in the frequency-modulated components. Based on the assumption that this component of the call is used by the bats for ranging, we develop a qualitative model to assess the increase in performance due to the furrows and/or the lappets. The model confirms that both structures decrease the ambiguity in selecting relevant targets for ranging. The lappets and the furrows shape the emission beam for different spatial regions and frequency ranges. Therefore, we conclude that the presented evidence is in line with the hypothesis that different parts of the noseleaves of Rhinolophidae are tuned to different frequency ranges with at least some of the most conspicuous ones being tuned to the frequency modulated components of the calls-thus yielding strong evidence for the sensory importance of the component.

  3. The noseleaf of Rhinolophus formosae focuses the Frequency Modulated (FM component of the calls

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Dieter eVanderelst

    2013-07-01

    Full Text Available Bats of the family Rhinolophidae emit their echolocation calls through their nostrils and feature elaborate noseleaves shaping the directionality of the emissions. The calls of these bats consist of a long constant-frequency component preceded and/or followed by short frequency-modulated sweeps. While Rhinolophidae are known for their physiological specializations for processing the constant frequency part of the calls, previous evidence suggests that the noseleaves of these animals are tuned to the frequencies in the frequency modulated components of the calls. In this paper, we seek further support for this hypothesis by simulating the emission beam pattern of the bat Rhinolophus formosae. Filling the furrows of lancet and removing the basal lappets (i.e. two flaps on the noseleaf we find that these conspicuous features of the noseleaf focus the emitted energy mostly for frequencies in the frequency-modulated components. Based on the assumption that this component of the call is used by the bats for ranging, we develop a qualitative model to assess the increase in performance due to the furrows and/or the lappets. The model confirms that both structures decrease the ambiguity in selecting relevant targets for ranging. The lappets and the furrows shape the emission beam for different spatial regions and frequency ranges. Therefore, we conclude that that the presented evidence is in line with the hypothesis that different parts of the noseleaves of Rhinolophidae are tuned to different frequency ranges with at least some of the most conspicuous ones being tuned to the frequency modulated components of the calls - thus yielding strong evidence for the sensory importance of the component.

  4. Effect of multiple freeze-thaw cycles on the quality of instant sea cucumber: Emphatically on water status of by LF-NMR and MRI.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tan, Mingqian; Lin, Zhuyi; Zu, Yinxue; Zhu, Beiwei; Cheng, Shasha

    2018-07-01

    Instant sea cucumber has become one popular product due to its convenience to eat, favourable taste and minimal loss of nutrients and bioactive components. However, there was rare information about the water dynamic of instant sea cucumber subjected to multiple freeze-thaw cycles. In this study, low-field nuclear magnetic resonance (LF-NMR) and magnetic resonance image (MRI) were employed to investigate the effect of freeze-thaw cycles on water status of instant sea cucumber. Four water populations corresponding to strongly bound water, weakly bound water, immobile water and free water were observed in instant sea cucumber. With the increase of freeze-thaw cycles, the transverse relaxation time of immobile and free water increased, while the peak area of free water decreased significantly. MRI enabled the visualization of water migration of instant sea cucumber during multiple freeze-thaw cycles. Multiple freeze-thaw cycles also led to significant changes of other quality properties including thawing loss, WHC, color parameters, texture and protein content, and enlarge the interspace between fiber network in microstructure. Good correlations between T 22 , A 22 , A 23 and thaw loss, WHC, L*, hardness and collagen content (0.873 ≤ r ≤ 0.958) revealed LF-NMR may be an effective real-time monitoring method of these physicochemical parameters as a non-destructive technique. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  5. Repeating Deep Very Low Frequency Earthquakes: An Evidence of Transition Zone between Brittle and Ductile Zone along Plate Boundary

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ishihara, Y.; Yamamoto, Y.; Arai, R.

    2017-12-01

    Recently slow or low frequency seismic and geodetic events are focused under recognition of important role in tectonic process. The most western region of Ryukyu trench, Yaeyama Islands, is very active area of these type events. It has semiannual-like slow slip (Heki et.al., 2008; Nishimura et.al.,2014) and very frequent shallow very low frequency earthquakes near trench zone (Ando et.al.,2012; Nakamura et.al.,2014). Arai et.al.(2016) identified clear reverse phase discontinuity along plate boundary by air-gun survey, suggesting existence of low velocity layer including fluid. The subducting fluid layer is considered to control slip characteristics. On the other hand, deep low frequency earthquake and tremor observed at south-western Honshu and Shikoku of Japan are not identified well due to lack of high-quality seismic network. A broadband seismic station(ISG/PS) of Pacific21 network is operating in last 20 years that locates on occurrence potential area of low frequency earthquake. We tried to review continuous broadband record, searching low frequency earthquakes. In pilot survey, we found three very low frequency seismic events which are dominant in less than 0.1Hz component and are not listed in earthquake catalogue. Source locates about 50km depth and at transition area between slow slip event and active area of general earthquake along plate boundary. To detect small and/or hidden very low frequency earthquake, we applied matched filter analysis to continuous three components waveform data using pre-reviewed seismogram as template signal. 12 events with high correlation are picked up in last 10 years. Most events have very similar waveform, which means characteristics of repeating deep very low frequency earthquake. The event history of very low frequency earthquake is not related with one of slow slip event in this region. In Yaeyama region, low frequency earthquake, general earthquake and slow slip event occur dividing in space and have apparent

  6. Synchronization to metrical levels in music depends on low-frequency spectral components and tempo.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Burger, Birgitta; London, Justin; Thompson, Marc R; Toiviainen, Petri

    2017-07-15

    Previous studies have found relationships between music-induced movement and musical characteristics on more general levels, such as tempo or pulse clarity. This study focused on synchronization abilities to music of finely-varying tempi and varying degrees of low-frequency spectral change/flux. Excerpts from six classic Motown/R&B songs at three different tempos (105, 115, and 130 BPM) were used as stimuli in this experiment. Each was then time-stretched by a factor of 5% with regard to the original tempo, yielding a total of 12 stimuli that were presented to 30 participants. Participants were asked to move along with the stimuli while being recorded with an optical motion capture system. Synchronization analysis was performed relative to the beat and the bar level of the music and four body parts. Results suggest that participants synchronized different body parts to specific metrical levels; in particular, vertical movements of hip and feet were synchronized to the beat level when the music contained large amounts of low-frequency spectral flux and had a slower tempo, while synchronization of head and hands was more tightly coupled to the weak flux stimuli at the bar level. Synchronization was generally more tightly coupled to the slower versions of the same stimuli, while synchronization showed an inverted u-shape effect at the bar level as tempo increased. These results indicate complex relationships between musical characteristics, in particular regarding metrical and temporal structure, and our ability to synchronize and entrain to such musical stimuli.

  7. Kangaroo care and behavioral and physiologic pain responses in very-low-birth-weight twins: a case study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cong, Xiaomei; Cusson, Regina M; Hussain, Naveed; Zhang, Di; Kelly, Sharon P

    2012-09-01

    The purpose of this case study was to describe pain responses in three study conditions: longer (30 minutes) kangaroo care (KC) before and throughout heel stick (KC30), shorter (15 minutes) KC before and throughout heel stick (KC15), and incubator care throughout heel stick (IC) in 28-week gestational age twins. Pain responses were measured by crying time, Preterm Infant Pain Profile (PIPP), and heart rate variability indexes, including low-frequency power (LF, representing sympathetic activity), high-frequency power (HF, parasympathetic activity), and LF/HF ratio (sympathetic-parasympathetic balance). Both twins cried more and had higher PIPP pain scores and tachycardia during heel stick in the IC condition. Infant B had an incident of apnea and tachycardia by the end of the heel stick and a bradycardia episode during recovery in the IC condition. The twins had lower LF/HF ratios (better autonomic nervous system balance) during recovery in both longer and shorter KC conditions compared with the IC condition. Infant B had difficulty returning to LF/HF ratio baseline level after the painful procedure in the IC condition. These data suggest that both longer and shorter KC before and throughout painful procedures can be helpful in reducing behavioral and physiologic pain responses in preterm infants. Copyright © 2012 American Society for Pain Management Nursing. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  8. Very-low-frequency magnetic plasma

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Pendry, J.B.; O'Brien, S.

    2002-01-01

    We show that a set of current-carrying wires can exhibit an effective magnetic permeability at very low frequencies of a few hertz. The resonant permeability, which is negative above the resonance frequency, arises from the oscillations of the wires driven by the applied magnetic field. We show that a large, frequency-specific and tunable effective permeability can be realized for a wide range of strengths of the applied field. (author)

  9. Hybrid time/frequency domain modeling of nonlinear components

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Wiechowski, Wojciech Tomasz; Lykkegaard, Jan; Bak, Claus Leth

    2007-01-01

    This paper presents a novel, three-phase hybrid time/frequency methodology for modelling of nonlinear components. The algorithm has been implemented in the DIgSILENT PowerFactory software using the DIgSILENT Programming Language (DPL), as a part of the work described in [1]. Modified HVDC benchmark...

  10. Kinetic models of partially ionized complex plasmas in the low frequency regime

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Tolias, P.; Ratynskaia, S.; Angelis, U. de

    2011-01-01

    The results from three kinetic models of complex plasmas taking into account collisions with neutrals are compared in the low-frequency regime: The ''full'' model which considers the absorption of plasma fluxes on dust particles and dust charge fluctuations, the ''multi-component'' model where both these effects are neglected, and the ''standard'' model which takes into account the dust charge perturbations but not the absorption of fluxes. We derive and numerically evaluate expressions of the low frequency responses of these models, also taking into account the modification of the capture cross-sections due to the effect of neutrals. The role of plasma sources and collisions with neutrals is assessed by computing the plasma permittivities and static permittivities for all the three models.

  11. Proposal for lower frequency companions for the advanced LIGO Gravitational Wave Interferometric Detectors

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Conforto, Gianni; De Salvo, Riccardo

    2004-01-01

    Recent X-ray observations of many galaxies, combined with optical observations of Galactic globular clusters, provide evidence for a population of Black Holes (BH) with masses of hundreds to thousands of solar masses. These candidate intermediate-mass BHs are often found in high density stellar clusters, where dynamical braking is rapid and hence massive stars are expected to sink to the center of the clusters within a few million years. In this same timescale, heavy star binary systems are expected to undergo numerous three-body interactions, tightening them and causing massive BHs to undergo multiple coalescences. At the BH masses implied by observations, these coalescences will take place below 100 Hz. There are advances in technology that make instruments to observe these events feasible. For example, new measurements of fused silica quality factors, as well as new wide beam technologies, can drive the thermal noise of large mirrors sufficiently low to allow monitoring of these low frequency BH-BH inspirals. It is possible to suspend an additional LF interferometer in the advanced LIGO beam pipes and within the existing LIGO facilities. This additional interferometer could be operated simultaneously with the advanced LIGO ones, thus providing both matching companions for the LF Virgo GW interferometer, and suitable triggers for higher frequency merging and ring-down signals to be measured in advanced LIGO

  12. Low frequency geomagnetic field fluctuations at low latitude during the passage of a higher pressure solar wind region

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    U. Villante

    1997-06-01

    Full Text Available The passage of a higher pressure solar wind region at the Earth's orbit marked the onset of low latitude (L=1.6 fluctuations in the frequency range (0.8–5.5 mHz for both the horizontal geomagnetic field components. Spectral peaks mostly occur at the same frequencies as the spectral enhancements which appeared in the long term analysis of experimental measurements from the same station and were tentatively interpreted in terms of ground signatures of global magnetospheric modes. A comparison with simultaneous observations discussed by previous investigations allows us to conclude that the same set of frequencies is enhanced in a wide portion of the Earth's magnetosphere.

  13. Low-frequency noise from large wind turbines.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Møller, Henrik; Pedersen, Christian Sejer

    2011-06-01

    As wind turbines get larger, worries have emerged that the turbine noise would move down in frequency and that the low-frequency noise would cause annoyance for the neighbors. The noise emission from 48 wind turbines with nominal electric power up to 3.6 MW is analyzed and discussed. The relative amount of low-frequency noise is higher for large turbines (2.3-3.6 MW) than for small turbines (≤ 2 MW), and the difference is statistically significant. The difference can also be expressed as a downward shift of the spectrum of approximately one-third of an octave. A further shift of similar size is suggested for future turbines in the 10-MW range. Due to the air absorption, the higher low-frequency content becomes even more pronounced, when sound pressure levels in relevant neighbor distances are considered. Even when A-weighted levels are considered, a substantial part of the noise is at low frequencies, and for several of the investigated large turbines, the one-third-octave band with the highest level is at or below 250 Hz. It is thus beyond any doubt that the low-frequency part of the spectrum plays an important role in the noise at the neighbors. © 2011 Acoustical Society of America

  14. Gravity and low-frequency geodynamics

    CERN Document Server

    Teisseyre, Roman

    1989-01-01

    This fourth volume in the series Physics and Evolution of the Earth's Interior, provides a comprehensive review of the geophysical and geodetical aspects related to gravity and low-frequency geodynamics. Such aspects include the Earth's gravity field, geoid shape theory, and low-frequency phenomena like rotation, oscillations and tides.Global-scale phenomena are treated as a response to source excitation in spherical Earth models consisting of several shells: lithosphere, mantle, core and sometimes also the inner solid core. The effect of gravitation and rotation on the Earth's shape is anal

  15. Low temperature laser scanning microscopy of a superconducting radio-frequency cavity

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ciovati, G.; Anlage, Steven M.; Baldwin, C.; Cheng, G.; Flood, R.; Jordan, K.; Kneisel, P.; Morrone, M.; Nemes, G.; Turlington, L.; Wang, H.; Wilson, K.; Zhang, S.

    2012-03-01

    An apparatus was developed to obtain, for the first time, 2D maps of the surface resistance of the inner surface of an operating superconducting radio-frequency niobium cavity by a low-temperature laser scanning microscopy technique. This allows identifying non-uniformities of the surface resistance with a spatial resolution of about 2.4 mm and surface resistance resolution of ˜1 μΩ at 3.3 GHz. A signal-to-noise ratio of about 10 dB was obtained with 240 mW laser power and 1 Hz modulation frequency. The various components of the apparatus, the experimental procedure and results are discussed in detail in this contribution.

  16. Low temperature laser scanning microscopy of a superconducting radio-frequency cavity.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ciovati, G; Anlage, Steven M; Baldwin, C; Cheng, G; Flood, R; Jordan, K; Kneisel, P; Morrone, M; Nemes, G; Turlington, L; Wang, H; Wilson, K; Zhang, S

    2012-03-01

    An apparatus was developed to obtain, for the first time, 2D maps of the surface resistance of the inner surface of an operating superconducting radio-frequency niobium cavity by a low-temperature laser scanning microscopy technique. This allows identifying non-uniformities of the surface resistance with a spatial resolution of about 2.4 mm and surface resistance resolution of ~1 μΩ at 3.3 GHz. A signal-to-noise ratio of about 10 dB was obtained with 240 mW laser power and 1 Hz modulation frequency. The various components of the apparatus, the experimental procedure and results are discussed in detail in this contribution.

  17. Low frequency electromagnetic field sensor

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Zhu Min; Zhou Yan; He Yicheng; Zheng Zhenxing; Liu Sunkun

    2000-01-01

    The measurement technique of low frequency electromagnetic field is reported. According to this principle, the authors have designed a sensor, which is used to measure the natural electromagnetic field, SLEMP and electromagnetic signals generated by some explosions. The frequency band of this sensor is from 0.08 Hz to 2 MHz

  18. Scheme for efficient extraction of low-frequency signal beyond the quantum limit by frequency-shift detection.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yang, R G; Zhang, J; Zhai, Z H; Zhai, S Q; Liu, K; Gao, J R

    2015-08-10

    Low-frequency (Hz~kHz) squeezing is very important in many schemes of quantum precision measurement. But it is more difficult than that at megahertz-frequency because of the introduction of laser low-frequency technical noise. In this paper, we propose a scheme to obtain a low-frequency signal beyond the quantum limit from the frequency comb in a non-degenerate frequency and degenerate polarization optical parametric amplifier (NOPA) operating below threshold with type I phase matching by frequency-shift detection. Low-frequency squeezing immune to laser technical noise is obtained by a detection system with a local beam of two-frequency intense laser. Furthermore, the low-frequency squeezing can be used for phase measurement in Mach-Zehnder interferometer, and the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) can be enhanced greatly.

  19. Low-Frequency Pulsed Current Versus Kilohertz-Frequency Alternating Current: A Scoping Literature Review.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Vaz, Marco Aurélio; Frasson, Viviane Bortoluzzi

    2018-04-01

    To compare the effectiveness of low-frequency pulsed current versus kilohertz-frequency alternating current in terms of evoked force, discomfort level, current intensity, and muscle fatigability; to discuss the physiological mechanisms of each neuromuscular electrical stimulation type; and to determine if kilohertz-frequency alternating current is better than low-frequency pulsed current for clinical treatment. Articles were obtained from PubMed, Scopus, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, CINAHL, MEDLINE, and SPORTSDiscus databases using the terms Russian current or kilohertz current or alternating current or pulsed current or Aussie current and torque or discomfort or fatigue or current intensity, and through citation tracking up to July 2017. Two independent reviewers selected studies comparing the use of the 2 neuromuscular electrical stimulation currents. Studies describing maximal current intensity tolerated and the main effects of the 2 different current types on discomfort, muscle force, and fatigability were independently reviewed. Data were systematized according to (1) methodology; (2) electrical current characteristics; and (3) outcomes on discomfort level, evoked force, current intensity, and muscle fatigability. The search revealed 15 articles comparing the 2 current types. Kilohertz-frequency alternated current generated equal or less force, similar discomfort, similar current intensity for maximal tolerated neuromuscular electrical stimulation, and more fatigue compared with low-frequency pulsed current. Similar submaximal levels of evoked force revealed higher discomfort and current intensity for kilohertz-frequency alternated current compared with low-frequency pulsed current. Available evidence does not support the idea that kilohertz-frequency alternated current is better than low-frequency pulsed current for strength training and rehabilitation. Copyright © 2017 American Congress of Rehabilitation Medicine. Published by Elsevier

  20. Low-frequency excess flux noise in superconducting devices

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Kempf, Sebastian; Ferring, Anna; Fleischmann, Andreas; Enss, Christian [Kirchhoff-Institute for Physics, Heidelberg University (Germany)

    2016-07-01

    Low-frequency noise is a rather universal phenomenon and appears in physical, chemical, biological or even economical systems. However, there is often very little known about the underlying processes leading to its occurrence. In particular, the origin of low-frequency excess flux noise in superconducting devices has been an unresolved puzzle for many decades. Its existence limits, for example, the coherence time of superconducting quantum bits or makes high-precision measurements of low-frequency signals using SQUIDs rather challenging. Recent experiments suggest that low-frequency excess flux noise in Josephson junction based devices might be caused by the random reversal of interacting spins in surface layer oxides and in the superconductor-substrate interface. Even if it turns out to be generally correct, the underlying physical processes, i.e. the origin of these spins, their physical nature as well as the interaction mechanisms, have not been resolved so far. In this contribution we discuss recent measurements of low-frequency SQUID noise which we performed to investigate the origin of low-frequency excess flux noise in superconducting devices. Within this context we give an overview of our measurement techniques and link our data with present theoretical models and literature data.

  1. Absorption of low-frequency electromagnetic waves by plasma in electromagnetic trap

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    D'yakov, V.E.

    1984-01-01

    Absorption of electromagnetic waves in plasma of the electromagnetic trap is investigated. An integro-differential equation describing the behaviour of the electrical and magnetic fields of the wave is obtained. The wave has a component along the plasma inhomogeneity axis. Solution of this equation is found within the low frequency range corresponding to the anomalous skin-effect. The possibility of ion-acoustic waves excitation is demonstrated. Expressions are found for reflection, absorption and transformation coefficients

  2. Exercise frequency, health risk factors, and diseases of the elderly.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kemmler, Wolfgang; von Stengel, Simon

    2013-11-01

    To determine the effect of exercise frequency on various diseases and risk factors of the elderly. Retrospective analysis of a randomized controlled 18-month exercise trial. University ambulatory group setting. Community-dwelling women aged ≥65 years (N=162) in the area of Northern Bavaria. Mixed, intense aerobic, resistance, and balance protocol for 18 months. Subjects were retrospectively subdivided into 2 groups according to their effective attendance over 18 months (>1-exercise group (LF-EG) and the high-frequency exercise group (HF-EG) were observed for lumbar spine BMD (HF-EG, 2.4%±2.8% vs LF-EG, 0.3%±2.2%; Pexercise groups were observed for 10-year CHD risk (-1.94%±4.14% vs -2.00%±3.13%; P=.943) and number of falls (0.95±1.36 vs 1.03±1.21 falls/person). Comparing the LF-EG with the less active control group (n=47), only nonsignificant effects for fall number (P=.065) and 10-year CHD risk (P=.178) were evaluated. Although this result might not be generalizable across all exercise types and cohorts, it indicates that an overall exercise frequency of at least 2 sessions/wk may be crucial for impacting bone and muscle mass of elderly subjects. Copyright © 2013 American Congress of Rehabilitation Medicine. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  3. Low-frequency noise from large wind turbines

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Møller, Henrik; Pedersen, Christian Sejer

    2011-01-01

    As wind turbines get larger, worries have emerged that the turbine noise would move down in frequency and that the low-frequency noise would cause annoyance for the neighbors. The noise emission from 48 wind turbines with nominal electric power up to 3.6 MW is analyzed and discussed. The relative...... amount of low-frequency noise is higher for large turbines (2.3–3.6 MW) than for small turbines (≤ 2 MW), and the difference is statistically significant. The difference can also be expressed as a downward shift of the spectrum of approximately one-third of an octave. A further shift of similar size...... is suggested for future turbines in the 10-MW range. Due to the air absorption, the higher low-frequency content becomes even more pronounced, when sound pressure levels in relevant neighbor distances are considered. Even when A-weighted levels are considered, a substantial part of the noise is at low...

  4. Excitation of low-frequency residual currents at combination frequencies of an ionising two-colour laser pulse

    Science.gov (United States)

    Vvedenskii, N. V.; Kostin, V. A.; Laryushin, I. D.; Silaev, A. A.

    2016-05-01

    We have studied the processes of excitation of low-frequency residual currents in a plasma produced through ionisation of gases by two-colour laser pulses in laser-plasma schemes for THz generation. We have developed an analytical approach that allows one to find residual currents in the case when one of the components of a two-colour pulse is weak enough. The derived analytical expressions show that the effective generation of the residual current (and hence the effective THz generation) is possible if the ratio of the frequencies in the two-colour laser pulse is close to a rational fraction with a not very big odd sum of the numerator and denominator. The results of numerical calculations (including those based on the solution of the three-dimensional time-dependent Schrödinger equation) agree well with the analytical results.

  5. Applying time-frequency analysis to assess cerebral autoregulation during hypercapnia.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Michał M Placek

    Full Text Available Classic methods for assessing cerebral autoregulation involve a transfer function analysis performed using the Fourier transform to quantify relationship between fluctuations in arterial blood pressure (ABP and cerebral blood flow velocity (CBFV. This approach usually assumes the signals and the system to be stationary. Such an presumption is restrictive and may lead to unreliable results. The aim of this study is to present an alternative method that accounts for intrinsic non-stationarity of cerebral autoregulation and the signals used for its assessment.Continuous recording of CBFV, ABP, ECG, and end-tidal CO2 were performed in 50 young volunteers during normocapnia and hypercapnia. Hypercapnia served as a surrogate of the cerebral autoregulation impairment. Fluctuations in ABP, CBFV, and phase shift between them were tested for stationarity using sphericity based test. The Zhao-Atlas-Marks distribution was utilized to estimate the time-frequency coherence (TFCoh and phase shift (TFPS between ABP and CBFV in three frequency ranges: 0.02-0.07 Hz (VLF, 0.07-0.20 Hz (LF, and 0.20-0.35 Hz (HF. TFPS was estimated in regions locally validated by statistically justified value of TFCoh. The comparison of TFPS with spectral phase shift determined using transfer function approach was performed.The hypothesis of stationarity for ABP and CBFV fluctuations and the phase shift was rejected. Reduced TFPS was associated with hypercapnia in the VLF and the LF but not in the HF. Spectral phase shift was also decreased during hypercapnia in the VLF and the LF but increased in the HF. Time-frequency method led to lower dispersion of phase estimates than the spectral method, mainly during normocapnia in the VLF and the LF.The time-frequency method performed no worse than the classic one and yet may offer benefits from lower dispersion of phase shift as well as a more in-depth insight into the dynamic nature of cerebral autoregulation.

  6. Low-frequency plasmons in metallic carbon nanotubes

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lin, M.F.; Chuu, D.S.; Shung, K.W.

    1997-01-01

    A metallic carbon nanotube could exhibit a low-frequency plasmon, while a semiconducting carbon nanotube or a graphite layer could not. This plasmon is due to the free carriers in the linear subbands intersecting at the Fermi level. The low-frequency plasmon, which corresponds to the vanishing transferred angular momentum, belongs to an acoustic plasmon. For a smaller metallic nanotube, it could exist at larger transferred momenta, and its frequency is higher. Such a plasmon behaves as that in a one-dimensional electron gas (EGS). However, it is very different from the π plasmons in all carbon nanotubes. Intertube Coulomb interactions in a metallic multishell nanotube and a metallic nanotube bundle have been included. They have a strong effect on the low-frequency plasmon. The intertube coupling among coaxial nanotubes markedly modifies the acoustic plasmons in separate metallic nanotubes. When metallic carbon nanotubes are packed in the bundle form, the low-frequency plasmon would change into an optical plasmon, and behave like that in a three-dimensional EGS. Experimental measurements could be used to distinguish metallic and semiconducting carbon nanotubes. copyright 1997 The American Physical Society

  7. The Influence of High-Frequency Envelope Information on Low-Frequency Vowel Identification in Noise.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Wiebke Schubotz

    Full Text Available Vowel identification in noise using consonant-vowel-consonant (CVC logatomes was used to investigate a possible interplay of speech information from different frequency regions. It was hypothesized that the periodicity conveyed by the temporal envelope of a high frequency stimulus can enhance the use of the information carried by auditory channels in the low-frequency region that share the same periodicity. It was further hypothesized that this acts as a strobe-like mechanism and would increase the signal-to-noise ratio for the voiced parts of the CVCs. In a first experiment, different high-frequency cues were provided to test this hypothesis, whereas a second experiment examined more closely the role of amplitude modulations and intact phase information within the high-frequency region (4-8 kHz. CVCs were either natural or vocoded speech (both limited to a low-pass cutoff-frequency of 2.5 kHz and were presented in stationary 3-kHz low-pass filtered masking noise. The experimental results did not support the hypothesized use of periodicity information for aiding low-frequency perception.

  8. The Influence of High-Frequency Envelope Information on Low-Frequency Vowel Identification in Noise.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Schubotz, Wiebke; Brand, Thomas; Kollmeier, Birger; Ewert, Stephan D

    2016-01-01

    Vowel identification in noise using consonant-vowel-consonant (CVC) logatomes was used to investigate a possible interplay of speech information from different frequency regions. It was hypothesized that the periodicity conveyed by the temporal envelope of a high frequency stimulus can enhance the use of the information carried by auditory channels in the low-frequency region that share the same periodicity. It was further hypothesized that this acts as a strobe-like mechanism and would increase the signal-to-noise ratio for the voiced parts of the CVCs. In a first experiment, different high-frequency cues were provided to test this hypothesis, whereas a second experiment examined more closely the role of amplitude modulations and intact phase information within the high-frequency region (4-8 kHz). CVCs were either natural or vocoded speech (both limited to a low-pass cutoff-frequency of 2.5 kHz) and were presented in stationary 3-kHz low-pass filtered masking noise. The experimental results did not support the hypothesized use of periodicity information for aiding low-frequency perception.

  9. Recombinase polymerase amplification (RPA) combined with lateral flow (LF) strip for detection of Toxoplasma gondii in the environment.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wu, Y D; Xu, M J; Wang, Q Q; Zhou, C X; Wang, M; Zhu, X Q; Zhou, D H

    2017-08-30

    Toxoplasma gondii infects all warm-blooded vertebrates, resulting in a great threat to human health and significant economic loss to the livestock industry. Ingestion of infectious oocysts of T. gondii from the environment is the major source of transmission. Detection of T. gondii oocysts by existing methods is laborious, time-consuming and expensive. The objective of the present study was to develop a recombinase polymerase amplification (RPA) method combined with a lateral flow (LF) strip for detection of T. gondii oocysts in the soil and water. The DNA of T. gondii oocysts was amplified by a pair of specific primers based on the T. gondii B1 gene over 15min at a constant temperature ranging from 30°C to 45°C using RPA. The amplification product was visualized by the lateral flow (LF) strip within 5min using the specific probe added to the RPA reaction system. The sensitivity of the established assay was 10 times higher than that of nested PCR with a lower detection limit of 0.1 oocyst per reaction, and there was no cross-reactivity with other closely related protozoan species. Fifty environmental samples were further assessed for the detection validity of the LF-RPA assay (B1-LF-RPA) and compared with nested PCR based on the B1 gene sequence. The B1-LF-RPA and nested PCR both showed that 5 out of the 50 environmental samples were positive. The B1-LF-RPA method was also proven to be sufficiently tolerant of existing inhibitors in the environment. In addition, the advantages of simple operation, speediness and cost-effectiveness make B1-LF-RPA a promising molecular detection tool for T. gondii. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  10. High and low spatial frequencies in website evaluations.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Thielsch, Meinald T; Hirschfeld, Gerrit

    2010-08-01

    Which features of websites are important for users' perceptions regarding aesthetics or usability? This study investigates how evaluations of aesthetic appeal and usability depend on high vs. low spatial frequencies. High spatial frequencies convey information on fine details, whereas low spatial frequencies convey information about the global layout. Participants rated aesthetic appeal and usability of 50 website screenshots from different domains. Screenshots were presented unfiltered, low-pass filtered with blurred targets or high-pass filtered with high-pass filtered targets. The main result is that low spatial frequencies can be seen to have a unique contribution in perceived website aesthetics, thus confirming a central prediction from processing fluency theory. There was no connection between low spatial frequencies and usability evaluations, whereas strong correlations were found between ratings of high-pass filtered websites and those of unfiltered websites in aesthetics and usability. This study thus offers a new perspective on the biological basis of users' website perceptions. This research links ergonomics to neurocognitive models of visual processing. This paper investigates how high and low spatial frequencies, which are neurologically processed in different visual pathways, independently contribute to users' perceptions of websites. This is very relevant for theories of website perceptions and for practitioners of web design.

  11. Tonal frequency affects amplitude but not topography of rhesus monkey cranial EEG components.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Teichert, Tobias

    2016-06-01

    The rhesus monkey is an important model of human auditory function in general and auditory deficits in neuro-psychiatric diseases such as schizophrenia in particular. Several rhesus monkey studies have described homologs of clinically relevant auditory evoked potentials such as pitch-based mismatch negativity, a fronto-central negativity that can be observed when a series of regularly repeating sounds is disrupted by a sound of different tonal frequency. As a result it is well known how differences of tonal frequency are represented in rhesus monkey EEG. However, to date there is no study that systematically quantified how absolute tonal frequency itself is represented. In particular, it is not known if frequency affects rhesus monkey EEG component amplitude and topography in the same way as previously shown for humans. A better understanding of the effect of frequency may strengthen inter-species homology and will provide a more solid foundation on which to build the interpretation of frequency MMN in the rhesus monkey. Using arrays of up to 32 cranial EEG electrodes in 4 rhesus macaques we identified 8 distinct auditory evoked components including the N85, a fronto-central negativity that is the presumed homolog of the human N1. In line with human data, the amplitudes of most components including the N85 peaked around 1000 Hz and were strongly attenuated above ∼1750 Hz. Component topography, however, remained largely unaffected by frequency. This latter finding may be consistent with the known absence of certain anatomical structures in the rhesus monkey that are believed to cause the changes in topography in the human by inducing a rotation of generator orientation as a function of tonal frequency. Overall, the findings are consistent with the assumption of a homolog representation of tonal frequency in human and rhesus monkey EEG. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  12. Frequency Stability Improvement of Low Inertia Systems Using Synchronous Condensers

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Nguyen, Ha Thi; Yang, Guangya; Nielsen, Arne Hejde

    2016-01-01

    of converter interfaced components (wind turbine, HVDC, and Photovoltaic) may have negative effects on the stability of the power system. These components do not have enough inertia response to control frequency excursion, so the power grid can depend on few synchronous machines for frequency regulation...... and reduce the system inertia. Consequently, the frequency stability of the system will be easily jeopardized. To address these issues, the paper studies frequency characteristics of future Western Danish renewable-based system that uses a majority of wind turbine generators. Different scenarios of wind...

  13. Measurements of Low Frequency Noise of Infrared Photo-Detectors with Transimpedance Detection System

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ciura Łukasz

    2014-08-01

    Full Text Available The paper presents the method and results of low-frequency noise measurements of modern mid-wavelength infrared photodetectors. A type-II InAs/GaSb superlattice based detector with nBn barrier architecture is compared with a high operating temperature (HOT heterojunction HgCdTe detector. All experiments were made in the range 1 Hz - 10 kHz at various temperatures by using a transimpedance detection system, which is examined in detail. The power spectral density of the nBn’s dark current noise includes Lorentzians with different time constants while the HgCdTe photodiode has more uniform 1/f - shaped spectra. For small bias, the low-frequency noise power spectra of both devices were found to scale linearly with bias voltage squared and were connected with the fluctuations of the leakage resistance. Leakage resistance noise defines the lower noise limit of a photodetector. Other dark current components give raise to the increase of low-frequency noise above this limit. For the same voltage biasing devices, the absolute noise power densities at 1 Hz in nBn are 1 to 2 orders of magnitude lower than in a MCT HgCdTe detector. In spite of this, low-frequency performance of the HgCdTe detector at ~ 230K is still better than that of InAs/GaSb superlattice nBn detector.

  14. The Radio And Very Low Frequency (VLF) Electromagnetic ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    The Radio And Very Low Frequency (VLF) Electromagnetic Response Of A Layered Earth Media With Variable Dielectric Permittivity. ... A radio frequency of 125 KHz and a very low frequency (VLF) of 20 KHz were used in the computations and the field parameters studied over a dimensionless induction number, B. The ...

  15. Integral methods in low-frequency electromagnetics

    CERN Document Server

    Solin, Pavel; Karban, Pavel; Ulrych, Bohus

    2009-01-01

    A modern presentation of integral methods in low-frequency electromagnetics This book provides state-of-the-art knowledge on integral methods in low-frequency electromagnetics. Blending theory with numerous examples, it introduces key aspects of the integral methods used in engineering as a powerful alternative to PDE-based models. Readers will get complete coverage of: The electromagnetic field and its basic characteristics An overview of solution methods Solutions of electromagnetic fields by integral expressions Integral and integrodifferential methods

  16. A R2R3-MYB Gene LfMYB113 is Responsible for Autumn Leaf Coloration in Formosan sweet gum (Liquidambar formosana Hance).

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wen, Chi-Hsiang; Chu, Fang-Hua

    2017-03-01

    The regulation of autumn leaf coloration in deciduous trees has long been an enigma. Due to the fact that different coloration phenotypes may be considered when planting, more understanding of the regulation mechanism is needed. In this study, a R2R3-MYB transcription factor gene LfMYB113 was identified from a subtropical deciduous tree species Formosan sweet gum (Liquidambar formosana Hance). The expression patterns of LfMYB113 in four selected phenotypes were different and were positively correlated with leaf anthocyanin content. In a 35S::LfMYB113 transgenic Nicotiana tabacum plant, both the early and late genes in the anthocyanin biosynthetic pathway were shown to be up-regulated. It was also shown that LfMYB113 can activate the promoter sequence of LfDFR1 and LfDFR2. Transient overexpression of LfMYB113 in Nicotiana benthamiana showed strong anthocyanin accumulation and pre-senescence; the latter was confirmed by up-regulation of senescence-associated genes. In addition, the activation of proLfSGR::YFP by LfMYB113 in transient experiments indicated that LfMYB113 may have a role in regulation of Chl degradation. To our knowledge, this is the first time a R2R3-MYB transcription factor has been functionally identified as one of the key regulators of autumn leaf coloration and autumn leaf senescence. © The Author 2017. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of Japanese Society of Plant Physiologists. All rights reserved. For permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com.

  17. Modulation of long-term potentiation-like cortical plasticity in the healthy brain with low frequency-pulsed electromagnetic fields.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Premi, Enrico; Benussi, Alberto; La Gatta, Antonio; Visconti, Stefano; Costa, Angelo; Gilberti, Nicola; Cantoni, Valentina; Padovani, Alessandro; Borroni, Barbara; Magoni, Mauro

    2018-06-13

    Non-depolarizing magnetic fields, like low frequency-pulsed electromagnetic fields (LF-PEMFs) have shown the ability to modulate living structures, principally by influencing synaptic activity and ion channels on cellular membranes. Recently, the CTU Mega 20 device was presented as a molecular accelerator, using energy up to 200 J and providing high-power (2 Tesla) pulsating fields with a water-repulsive (diamagnetic) action and tissue biostimulation. We tested the hypothesis that LF-PEMFs could modulate long-term corticospinal excitability in healthy brains by applying CTU Mega 20 ® . Ten healthy subjects without known neurological and/or psychiatric diseases entered the study. A randomized double-blind sham-controlled crossover design was employed, recording TMS parameters (amplitude variation of the motor evoked potential as index of cortical excitability perturbations of the motor system) before (pre) and after (post + 0, + 15, + 30 min) a single CTU Mega 20 session on the corresponding primary right-hand motor area, using a real (magnetic field = 2 Tesla; intensity = 90 J; impulse frequency = 7 Hz; duration = 15 min) or sham device. A two-way repeated measures ANOVA with TIME (pre, post + 0, + 15, + 30 min) and TREATMENT (real vs. sham stimulation) as within-subjects factor was applied. A significant TIME × TREATMENT interaction was found (p < 0.001). Post hoc comparisons showed a significant effect of TIME, with significant differences at + 0, + 15 and + 30 min compared to baseline after real stimulation (all p < 0.05) but not after sham stimulation (all p < 0.05) and significant effects of TREATMENT, with significant differences at + 0, + 15 and + 30 min for real stimulation compared to sham stimulation (all p < 0.005). No significant depolarizing effects were detected throughout the (real) stimulation. Our proof-of-concept study in healthy subjects supports the idea that non-ionizing LF

  18. Fluctuations in isometric muscle force can be described by one linear projection of low-frequency components of motor unit discharge rates.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Negro, Francesco; Holobar, Ales; Farina, Dario

    2009-12-15

    The aim of the study was to investigate the relation between linear transformations of motor unit discharge rates and muscle force. Intramuscular (wire electrodes) and high-density surface EMG (13 x 5 electrode grid) were recorded from the abductor digiti minimi muscle of eight healthy men during 60 s contractions at 5%, 7.5% and 10% of the maximal force. Spike trains of a total of 222 motor units were identified from the EMG recordings with decomposition algorithms. Principal component analysis of the smoothed motor unit discharge rates indicated that one component (first common component, FCC) described 44.2 +/- 7.5% of the total variability of the smoothed discharge rates when computed over the entire contraction interval and 64.3 +/- 10.2% of the variability when computed over 5 s intervals. When the FCC was computed from four or more motor units per contraction, it correlated with the force produced by the muscle (62.7 +/- 10.1%) by a greater degree (P FCC and the force signal increased up to 71.8 +/- 13.1% when the duration and the shape of the smoothing window for discharge rates were similar to the average motor unit twitch force. Moreover, the coefficients of variation (CoV) for the force and for the FCC signal were correlated in all subjects (R(2) range = 0.14-0.56; P measures on the tibialis anterior muscle of an additional eight subjects during contractions at forces up to 20% of the maximal force (e.g. FCC explained 59.8 +/- 11.0% of variability of the smoothed discharge rates). In conclusion, one signal captures most of the underlying variability of the low-frequency components of motor unit discharge rates and explains large part of the fluctuations in the motor output during isometric contractions.

  19. Heart rate variability at limiting stationarity: evidence of neuro-cardiac control mechanisms operating at ultra-low frequencies

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Fisher, A C; Groves, D; Eleuteri, A; Mesum, P; Patterson, D; Taggart, P

    2014-01-01

    This study considers the linkage of exogenously stimulated emotional stress with the neurogenic regulation of heart rate operating at very low frequencies. The objectives were three-fold: to consider the present evidence that such a linkage exists as a primary phenomenon; to compare the potential of a frequency-domain method and a time-domain method in revealing this phenomenon by characterizing heart rate variability (HRV) at frequencies of [0.0005…0.4] Hz and to design, implement and report a physiological experiment in which alternating periods of exposure to bland and high valence visual stimuli might reveal this phenomenon. A methodical challenge was to optimize the length of exposure to the stimulus such that subjects did not have time to habituate to stimuli, whilst acquiring sufficient data (heart beats) such that the ultra-low frequency (ULF) components of HRV could be described. With exposure times set to approximately 5 min, during which time the strength of the stimulus and the corresponding evoked response were considered stationary, the lowest HRV frequency component that could be characterized was 0.003 Hz. In trials with parametrically defined test data, the time-domain method based on the Ornstein–Uhlenbeck Gaussian process (OU-GP) was shown to be better than the frequency-domain method in describing the ULF components of the HRV. In an experimental cohort of 16 subjects, analysis using the OU-GP revealed evidence of cardiac regulatory mechanisms influenced by emotional valence operating in the bandwidth (ULF*) [0.002…0.01] Hz. (paper)

  20. Escherichia coli LF82 differentially regulates ROS production and mucin expression in intestinal epithelial T84 cells: implication of NOX1.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Elatrech, Imen; Marzaioli, Viviana; Boukemara, Hanane; Bournier, Odile; Neut, Christel; Darfeuille-Michaud, Arlette; Luis, José; Dubuquoy, Laurent; El-Benna, Jamel; My-Chan Dang, Pham; Marie, Jean-Claude

    2015-05-01

    Increased reactive oxygen species (ROS) production is associated with inflamed ileal lesions in Crohn's disease colonized by pathogenic adherent-invasive Escherichia coli LF82. We investigated whether such ileal bacteria can modulate ROS production by epithelial cells, thus impacting on inflammation and mucin expression. Ileal bacteria from patients with Crohn's disease were incubated with cultured epithelial T84 cells, and ROS production was assayed using the luminol-amplified chemiluminescence method. The gentamicin protection assay was used for bacterial invasion of T84 cell. The expression of NADPH oxidase (NOX) subunits, mucin, and IL-8 was analyzed by quantitative real-time PCR and Western blots. Involvement of NOX and ROS was analyzed using diphenyleneiodonium (DPI) and N-acetylcysteine (NAC). Among different bacteria tested, only LF82 induced an increase of ROS production by T84 cells in a dose-dependent manner. This response was inhibited by DPI and NAC. Heat- or ethanol-attenuated LF82 bacteria and the mutant LF82ΔFimA, which does not express pili type 1 and poorly adheres to epithelial cells, did not induce the oxidative response. The LF82-induced oxidative response coincides with its invasion in T84 cells, and both processes were inhibited by DPI. Also, we observed an increased expression of NOX1 and NOXO1 in response to LF82 bacteria versus the mutant LF82ΔFimA. Furthermore, LF82 inhibited mucin gene expression (MUC2 and MUC5AC) in T84 cells while increasing the chemotactic IL-8 expression, both in a DPI-sensitive manner. Adherent-invasive E. coli LF82 induced ROS production by intestinal NADPH oxidase and altered mucin and IL-8 expression, leading to perpetuation of inflammatory lesions in Crohn's disease.

  1. Direct excitation of a high frequency wave by a low frequency wave in a plasma

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Tanaka, Takayasu

    1993-01-01

    A new mechanism is presented of an excitation of a high frequency wave by a low frequency wave in a plasma. This mechanism works when the low frequency wave varies in time in a manner deviated from a usual periodic motion with a constant amplitude. The conversion rate is usually not large but the conversion is done without time delay after the variation of the low frequency wave. The Manley Rowe relation in the usual sense does not hold in this mechanism. This mechanism can excite also waves with same or lower frequencies. (author)

  2. Design and initial characterization of a compact, ultra high vacuum compatible, low frequency, tilt accelerometer

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    O’Toole, A.; Peña Arellano, F. E.; Rodionov, A. V.; Kim, C.; Shaner, M.; Asadoor, M.; Sobacchi, E.; Dergachev, V.; DeSalvo, R.; Bhawal, A.; Gong, P.; Lottarini, A.; Minenkov, Y.; Murphy, C.

    2014-01-01

    A compact tilt accelerometer with high sensitivity at low frequency was designed to provide low frequency corrections for the feedback signal of the Advanced Laser Interferometer Gravitational Wave Observatory active seismic attenuation system. It has been developed using a Tungsten Carbide ceramic knife-edge hinge designed to avoid the mechanical 1/f noise believed to be intrinsic in polycrystalline metallic flexures. Design and construction details are presented; prototype data acquisition and control limitations are discussed. The instrument's characterization reported here shows that the hinge is compatible with being metal-hysteresis-free, and therefore also free of the 1/f noise generated by the dislocation Self-Organized Criticality in the metal. A tiltmeter of this kind will be effective to separate the ground tilt component from the signal of horizontal low frequency seismometers, and to correct the ill effects of microseismic tilt in advanced seismic attenuation systems

  3. Design and initial characterization of a compact, ultra high vacuum compatible, low frequency, tilt accelerometer

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    O’Toole, A., E-mail: amandajotoole@gmail.com, E-mail: riccardo.desalvo@gmail.com [Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, University of California, Los Angeles, 405 Hilgard Ave, Los Angeles, California 90095 (United States); Peña Arellano, F. E. [National Astronomical Observatory of Japan, 2-21-1 Osawa, Mitaka, Tokyo 181-8588 (Japan); Rodionov, A. V.; Kim, C. [California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, California 91125 (United States); Shaner, M.; Asadoor, M. [Mayfield Senior School, 500 Bellefontaine Street Pasadena, California 91105 (United States); Sobacchi, E. [Scuola Normale Superiore, Piazza dei Cavalieri 7, 56126 Pisa (Italy); Dergachev, V.; DeSalvo, R., E-mail: amandajotoole@gmail.com, E-mail: riccardo.desalvo@gmail.com [LIGO Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, MS 100-36, Pasadena, California 91125 (United States); Bhawal, A. [Arcadia High School, 180 Campus Drive, Arcadia, California 91007 (United States); Gong, P. [Department of Precision Instrument, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084 (China); Lottarini, A. [Department of Computer Science, University of Pisa, Largo B. Pontecorvo 3, 56127 Pisa (Italy); Minenkov, Y. [Sezione INFN Tor Vergata, via della Ricerca Scientfica 1, 00133 Roma (Italy); Murphy, C. [School of Physics, The University of Western Australia, 35 Stirling Highway, Crawley, Perth, Western Australia 6009 (Australia)

    2014-07-15

    A compact tilt accelerometer with high sensitivity at low frequency was designed to provide low frequency corrections for the feedback signal of the Advanced Laser Interferometer Gravitational Wave Observatory active seismic attenuation system. It has been developed using a Tungsten Carbide ceramic knife-edge hinge designed to avoid the mechanical 1/f noise believed to be intrinsic in polycrystalline metallic flexures. Design and construction details are presented; prototype data acquisition and control limitations are discussed. The instrument's characterization reported here shows that the hinge is compatible with being metal-hysteresis-free, and therefore also free of the 1/f noise generated by the dislocation Self-Organized Criticality in the metal. A tiltmeter of this kind will be effective to separate the ground tilt component from the signal of horizontal low frequency seismometers, and to correct the ill effects of microseismic tilt in advanced seismic attenuation systems.

  4. Implementation of acoustic demultiplexing with membrane-type metasurface in low frequency range

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chen, Xing; Liu, Peng; Hou, Zewei; Pei, Yongmao

    2017-04-01

    Wavelength division multiplexing technology, adopted to increase the information density, plays a significant role in optical communication. However, in acoustics, a similar function can be hardly implemented due to the weak dispersion in natural acoustic materials. Here, an acoustic demultiplexer, based on the concept of metasurfaces, is proposed for splitting acoustic waves and propagating along different trajectories in a low frequency range. An acoustic metasurface, containing multiple resonant units, is designed with various phase profiles for different frequencies. Originating from the highly dispersive properties, the resonant units are independent and merely work in the vicinity of their resonant frequencies. Therefore, by combing multiple resonant units appropriately, the phenomena of anomalous reflection, acoustic focusing, and acoustic wave bending can occur in different frequencies. The proposed acoustic demultiplexer has advantages on the subwavelength scale and the versatility in wave control, providing a strategy for separating acoustic waves with different Fourier components.

  5. Frequency dependence of the active impedance component of silicon thin-film resistors

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Belogurov, S.V.; Gostilo, V.V.; Yurov, A.S.

    1987-01-01

    A high-resistant resistor on the silicon thin-film substrate considerably superior in noise and frequency performance than commercial resistors is described. The frequency dependence of the active impedance component is tested for determining noise and frequency dependences of silicon thin-film resistors. The obtained results permit to calculate the energy equivalent of resistor noise in nuclear radiation detection units at any temperature according to its frequency characteristic at room temperature

  6. LOFAR - low frequency array

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Bentum, Marinus Jan; Gunst, André

    Nog een paar maanden en dan wordt de grootste radiotelescoop ter wereld officieel geopend: LOFAR, de ‘Low Frequency Arraÿ'.LOFAR is een nieuwe radiotelescoop die in Nederland gebouwd wordt door ASTRON, de Stichting Astronomisch Onderzoek in Nederland. Met LOFAR heeft Nederland er straks een uniek

  7. Searching for chaos on low frequency

    OpenAIRE

    Nicolas Wesner

    2004-01-01

    A new method for detecting low dimensional chaos in small sample sets is presented. The method is applied to financial data on low frequency (annual and monthly) for which few observations are available.

  8. Solar system radio astronomy at low frequencies

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Desch, M.D.

    1987-01-01

    The planetary radio-astronomy observations obtained with the two Voyager spacecraft since their launch in 1977 are briefly characterized and illustrated with graphs, diagrams, and sample spectra. Topics addressed include the spacecraft designs and trajectories, the wavelength coverage of the radio instruments, the Io-controlled LF emission of Jupiter, the solar-wind effect on the Saturn kilometric radiation, the Saturn electrostatic discharges, and the use of the clocklike feature of the Uranus emission to measure the planet's rotation period. 23 references

  9. Low Frequency Activity of Cortical Networks on Microelectrode Arrays is Differentially Altered by Bicuculline and Carbaryl

    Science.gov (United States)

    Thousands of chemicals need to be characterized for their neurotoxicity potential. Neurons grown on microelectrode arrays (MEAs) are an in vitro model used to screen chemicals for functional effects on neuronal networks. Typically, after removal of low frequency components, effec...

  10. Low-frequency noise complaints

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Pedersen, Christian Sejer; Møller, Henrik; Persson-Waye, Kerstin

    2006-01-01

    is only heard by a single person in the household. This raises the fundamental question whether the complainants are annoyed by an external physical sound, or if other explanations such as low-frequency tinnitus must be sought. The main aim of this study is to answer this fundamental question...

  11. Low-frequency scaling applied to stochastic finite-fault modeling

    Science.gov (United States)

    Crane, Stephen; Motazedian, Dariush

    2014-01-01

    Stochastic finite-fault modeling is an important tool for simulating moderate to large earthquakes. It has proven to be useful in applications that require a reliable estimation of ground motions, mostly in the spectral frequency range of 1 to 10 Hz, which is the range of most interest to engineers. However, since there can be little resemblance between the low-frequency spectra of large and small earthquakes, this portion can be difficult to simulate using stochastic finite-fault techniques. This paper introduces two different methods to scale low-frequency spectra for stochastic finite-fault modeling. One method multiplies the subfault source spectrum by an empirical function. This function has three parameters to scale the low-frequency spectra: the level of scaling and the start and end frequencies of the taper. This empirical function adjusts the earthquake spectra only between the desired frequencies, conserving seismic moment in the simulated spectra. The other method is an empirical low-frequency coefficient that is added to the subfault corner frequency. This new parameter changes the ratio between high and low frequencies. For each simulation, the entire earthquake spectra is adjusted, which may result in the seismic moment not being conserved for a simulated earthquake. These low-frequency scaling methods were used to reproduce recorded earthquake spectra from several earthquakes recorded in the Pacific Earthquake Engineering Research Center (PEER) Next Generation Attenuation Models (NGA) database. There were two methods of determining the stochastic parameters of best fit for each earthquake: a general residual analysis and an earthquake-specific residual analysis. Both methods resulted in comparable values for stress drop and the low-frequency scaling parameters; however, the earthquake-specific residual analysis obtained a more accurate distribution of the averaged residuals.

  12. Effects of cutting frequency on alfalfa yield and yield components in ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Effects of cutting frequency on alfalfa yield and yield components in Songnen Plain, Northeast China. J Chen, F Tang, R Zhu, C Gao, G Di, Y Zhang. Abstract. The productivity and quality of alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.) is strongly influenced by cutting frequency (F). To clarify that the yield and quality of alfalfa if affected by F, ...

  13. Vibrational characteristics of FRP-bonded concrete interfacial defects in a low frequency regime

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cheng, Tin Kei; Lau, Denvid

    2014-04-01

    As externally bonded fiber-reinforced polymer (FRP) is a critical load-bearing component of strengthened or retrofitted civil infrastructures, the betterment of structural health monitoring (SHM) methodology for such composites is imperative. Henceforth the vibrational characteristics of near surface interfacial defects involving delamination and trapped air pockets at the FRP-concrete interface are investigated in this study using a finite element approach. Intuitively, due to its lower interfacial stiffness compared with an intact interface, a damaged region is expected to have a set of resonance frequencies different from an intact region when excited by acoustic waves. It has been observed that, when excited acoustically, both the vibrational amplitudes and frequency peaks in the response spectrum of the defects demonstrate a significant deviation from an intact FRP-bonded region. For a thin sheet of FRP bonded to concrete with sizable interfacial defects, the fundamental mode under free vibration is shown to be relatively low, in the order of kHz. Due to the low resonance frequencies of the defects, the use of low-cost equipment for interfacial defect detection via response spectrum analysis is highly feasible.

  14. Distortion-product otoacoustic emission at low frequencies in humans

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Christensen, Anders Tornvig

    -frequency hearing has not yet been characterized by measurement of low-frequency emissions from the cochlea. Low-frequency emissions are expected to be covered in sounds of breathing, blood circulation, and so on, if they exist at all at measurable levels. The present study shows, in essence, that the human ear...... emits distortion at least 1-2 octaves lower in frequency than has previously been shown. The emission is promising for further exploratory and clinical assessment of cochlear activity associated with low-frequency hearing. Anders received his M.Sc. degree in acoustics in 2012 from Aalborg University...

  15. Frequency of metabolic syndrome and its components in 300 Pakistani obese patients

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Khattak, I.; Ishaq, T.; Fida, Z.; Rehman, F.U.

    2017-01-01

    To assess the frequency of metabolic syndrome (MS) and its constituents in a sample of Pakistani obese patients. Methodology: In this descriptive and cross-sectional study, we used a sample of 300 patients from Khyber Teaching Hospital, Peshawar, Pakistan from April 2016 to November 2016. They were randomly selected and their mean age was between 15 and 25 years. The variables obtained included BMI, both systolic and diastolic blood pressure, cholesterol, fasting blood glucose, triglyceride levels, LDL- cholesterol, HDL-cholesterol, waist to hip ratio, waist circumference and insulin resistance. Results: Of the 300 patients, the frequency of MS was 20%. There were no significant differences in the frequency of developing MS between the genders. The order of frequency of the components as observed was as follows; abdominal obesity was 88%, high triglyceride level was 85%, males were 40%, 40% of the sampled population resided in the urban area. Meanwhile, 35% of the patients had hypertension while only 5% had hyperglycemia. The frequency of developing MS was 70 times higher in patients with high triglyceride levels in their when compared to those with normal levels. Conclusion: The frequency of MS and its components in Pakistani adolescent patients is high. The high levels of triglyceride and a sedentary lifestyle profoundly contributed to MS. Moreover, the findings signify the importance of early treatment and prevention of obesity in working toward reducing the rate of diabetes mellitus type 2; as glucose intolerance had a strong relationship with the components of MS, and cardiovascular diseases such coronary artery disease. (author)

  16. Subjective annoyance caused by indoor low-level and low frequency noise and control method

    Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

    DI Guo-qing; ZHANG Bang-jun; SHANG Qi

    2005-01-01

    The influence of low-level noise has not been widely noticed. This paper discovered that low-level and low frequency noise(Aweighted equivalent level Leq < 45 dB) causes higher probability of subjective annoyance. The fuzzy mathematic principle was applied to deal with the threshold level of subjective annoyance from noise in this study; there is preferable relationship between the indoor noise and noise annoyance at low frequency noise level. Study indicated at the same centered noise level, the change of annoyance probability is mainly caused by the change of the frequency spectrum characteristic of the indoor noise. Under low noise level environment, without change of the medium-low frequency noise, the slight increase of medium-high frequency noise level with the help of noise sheltering effect can significantly reduce the noise annoyance. This discovery brings a new resolution on how to improve the environmental quality of working or living places. A noise control model is given in this study according to the acoustic analysis.

  17. LOFAR, the low frequency array

    Science.gov (United States)

    Vermeulen, R. C.

    2012-09-01

    LOFAR, the Low Frequency Array, is a next-generation radio telescope designed by ASTRON, with antenna stations concentrated in the north of the Netherlands and currently spread into Germany, France, Sweden and the United Kingdom; plans for more LOFAR stations exist in several other countries. Utilizing a novel, phased-array design, LOFAR is optimized for the largely unexplored low frequency range between 30 and 240 MHz. Digital beam-forming techniques make the LOFAR system agile and allow for rapid re-pointing of the telescopes as well as the potential for multiple simultaneous observations. Processing (e.g. cross-correlation) takes place in the LOFAR BlueGene/P supercomputer, and associated post-processing facilities. With its dense core (inner few km) array and long (more than 1000 km) interferometric baselines, LOFAR reaches unparalleled sensitivity and resolution in the low frequency radio regime. The International LOFAR Telescope (ILT) is now issuing its first call for observing projects that will be peer reviewed and selected for observing starting in December. Part of the allocations will be made on the basis of a fully Open Skies policy; there are also reserved fractions assigned by national consortia in return for contributions from their country to the ILT. In this invited talk, the gradually expanding complement of operationally verified observing modes and capabilities are reviewed, and some of the exciting first astronomical results are presented.

  18. 78 FR 19311 - Certain Radio Frequency Identification (“RFID”) Products And Components Thereof; Institution of...

    Science.gov (United States)

    2013-03-29

    ... Identification (``RFID'') Products And Components Thereof; Institution of Investigation Pursuant to 19 U.S.C... sale within the United States after importation of certain radio frequency identification (``RFID... after importation of certain radio frequency identification (``RFID'') products and components thereof...

  19. Changes in heart rate variability during anaesthesia induction using sevoflurane or isoflurane with nitrous oxide.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nishiyama, Tomoki

    2016-01-01

    The purpose of this study was to compare cardiac sympathetic and parasympathetic balance using heart rate variability (HRV) during induction of anaesthesia between sevoflurane and isoflurane in combination with nitrous oxide. 40 individuals aged from 30 to 60 years, scheduled for general anaesthesia were equally divided into sevoflurane or isoflurane groups. After 100% oxygen inhalation for a few minutes, anaesthesia was induced with nitrous oxide 3 L min-1, oxygen 3 L min-1 and sevoflurane or isoflurane. Sevoflurane or isoflurane concentration was increased by 0.5% every 2 to 3 breaths until 5% was attained for sevoflurane, or 3% for isoflurane. Vecuronium was administered to facilitate tracheal intubation. After intubation, sevoflurane was set to 2% while isoflurane was set to 1% with nitrous oxide with oxygen (1:1) for 5 min. Both sevoflurane and isoflurane provoked a decrease in blood pressure, total power, the low frequency component (LF), and high frequency component (HF) of HRV. Although the heart rate increased during isoflurane anaesthesia, it decreased under sevoflurane. The power of LF and HF also decreased in both groups. LF was higher in the isoflurane group while HF was higher in the sevoflurane group. The LF/HF ratio increased transiently in the isoflurane group, but decreased in the sevoflurane group. Anaesthesia induction with isoflurane-nitrous oxide transiently increased cardiac sympathetic activity, while sevoflurane-nitrous oxide decreased both cardiac sympathetic and parasympathetic activities. The balance of cardiac parasympathetic/sympathetic activity was higher in sevoflurane anaesthesia.

  20. Low-frequency waves in magnetized dusty plasmas revisited

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Salimullah, M.; Khan, M.I.; Amin, R.; Nitta, H.; Shukla, P.K.

    2005-10-01

    The general dispersion relation of any wave is examined for low-frequency waves in a homogeneous dusty plasma in the presence of an external magnetic field. The low-frequency parallel electromagnetic wave propagates as a dust cyclotron wave or a whistler in the frequency range below the ion cyclotron frequency. In the same frequency regime, the transverse electromagnetic magnetosonic wave is modified with a cutoff frequency at the dust-ion lower-hybrid frequency, which reduces to the usual magnetosonic wave in absence of the dust. Electrostatic dust-lower- hybrid mode is also recovered propagating nearly perpendicular to the magnetic field with finite ion temperature and cold dust particles which for strong ion-Larmor radius effect reduces to the usual dust-acoustic wave driven by the ion pressure. (author)

  1. Neural activity induced by visual food stimuli presented out of awareness: a preliminary magnetoencephalography study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Takada, Katsuko; Ishii, Akira; Matsuo, Takashi; Nakamura, Chika; Uji, Masato; Yoshikawa, Takahiro

    2018-02-15

    Obesity is a major public health problem in modern society. Appetitive behavior has been proposed to be partially driven by unconscious decision-making processes and thus, targeting the unconscious cognitive processes related to eating behavior is essential to develop strategies for overweight individuals and obese patients. Here, we presented food pictures below the threshold of awareness to healthy male volunteers and examined neural activity related to appetitive behavior using magnetoencephalography. We found that, among participants who did not recognize food pictures during the experiment, an index of heart rate variability assessed by electrocardiography (low-frequency component power/high-frequency component power ratio, LF/HF) just after picture presentation was increased compared with that just before presentation, and the increase in LF/HF was negatively associated with the score for cognitive restraint of food intake. In addition, increased LF/HF was negatively associated with increased alpha band power in Brodmann area (BA) 47 caused by food pictures presented below the threshold of awareness, and level of cognitive restraint was positively associated with increased alpha band power in BA13. Our findings may provide valuable clues to the development of methods assessing unconscious regulation of appetite and offer avenues for further study of the neural mechanisms related to eating behavior.

  2. Alternating myocardial sympathetic neural function of athlete's heart in professional cycle racers examined with iodine-123-MIBG myocardial scintigraphy

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Koyama, Keiko; Inoue, Tomio; Hasegawa, Akira; Oriuchi, Noboru; Okamoto, Eiichi; Tomaru, Yumi; Endo, Keigo

    2001-01-01

    Myocardial sympathetic neural function in professional athletes who had the long-term tremendous cardiac load has not been fully investigated by myocardial iodine-123-metaiodobenzylguanidine (MIBG) uptake in comparison with power spectral analysis (PSA) in electrocardiography. Eleven male professional cycle racers and age-matched 11 male healthy volunteers were enrolled in this study. The low frequency components in the power spectral density (LF), the high frequency components in the power spectral density (HF), the LF/HF ratio and mean R-R interval were derived from PSA and time-domain analysis of heart rate variability in electrocardiography. The mean heart-to-mediastinum uptake ratio (H/M ratio) of the MIBG uptake, in professional cycle racers was significantly lower than that in healthy volunteers (p<0.01) and HF power in professional cycle racers was significantly higher than that in healthy volunteers (p<0.05). In the group of professional cycle racers, the H/M ratio showed a significant correlation with the R-R interval, as indices of parasympathetic nerve activity (r=0.80, p<0.01), but not with the LF/HF ratio as an index of sympathetic nerve activity. These results may indicate that parasympathetic nerve activity has an effect on MIBG uptake in a cyclist's heart. (author)

  3. FREQUENCY COMPONENT EXTRACTION OF HEARTBEAT CUES WITH SHORT TIME FOURIER TRANSFORM (STFT

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Sumarna Sumarna

    2017-01-01

      Electro-acoustic human heartbeat detector have been made with the main parts : (a stetoscope (piece chest, (b mic condenser, (c transistor amplifier, and (d cues analysis program with MATLAB. The frequency components that contained in heartbeat. cues have also been extracted with Short Time Fourier Transform (STFT from 9 volunteers. The results of the analysis showed that heart rate appeared in every cue frequency spectrum with their harmony. The steps of the research were including detector instrument design, test and instrument repair, cues heartbeat recording with Sound Forge 10 program and stored in wav file ; cues breaking at the start and the end, and extraction/cues analysis using MATLAB. The MATLAB program included filter (bandpass filter with bandwidth between 0.01 – 110 Hz, cues breaking with hamming window and every part was calculated using Fourier Transform (STFT mechanism and the result were shown in frequency spectrum graph.   Keywords: frequency components extraction, heartbeat cues, Short Time Fourier Transform

  4. Annoyance of low frequency noise and traffic noise

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Mortensen, F.R.; Poulsen, Torben

    2001-01-01

    The annoyance of different low frequency noise sources was determined and compared to the annoyance from traffic noise. Twenty-two subjects participated in laboratory listening tests. The sounds were presented by loudspeakers in a listening room and the spectra of the low frequency noises were...

  5. Beneficial Effect of Preferential Music on Exercise Induced Changes in Heart Rate Variability.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Archana, R; Mukilan, R

    2016-05-01

    Music is known to reduce pain, anxiety and fear in several stressful conditions in both males and females. Further, listening to preferred music enhances the endurance during running performance of women rather than listening to non-preferred music. In recent years Heart Rate Variability (HRV) has been used as an indicator of autonomic nervous activity. This study was aimed to assess the effectiveness of preferential music on HRV after moderate exercise. This was an experimental study done in 30 healthy students aged between 20-25 years, of either sex. HRV was measured at rest, 15 minutes of exercise only and 15 minutes of exercise with listening preferential music in same participants. Data was analysed by One-Way ANOVA and Tukey HSD Post-hoc Test. Statistical significance was taken to be a p-value of less than 0.05. Low frequency and high frequency component was significantly increased followed by only exercise. Music minimized increase in both high and low frequency component followed by exercise. However, only high frequency change was statistically significant. LF/HF ratio was significantly increased followed by only exercise. Music significantly minimized increase in LF/HF ratio. This study provides the preliminary evidence that listening to preferential music could be an effective method of relaxation, as indicated by a shift of the autonomic balance towards the parasympathetic activity among medical students.

  6. Variation in the stress response between high- and low-neuroticism female undergraduates across the menstrual cycle.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Liu, Qing; Zhou, Renlai; Oei, Tian P S; Wang, Qingguo; Zhao, Yan; Liu, Yanfeng

    2013-09-01

    This study was undertaken to elucidate possible relationships between menstrual cycle stage, neuroticism and behavioral and physiological responses to a cognitive challenge. The study investigated the differences between high neuroticism and low neuroticism groups across the menstrual cycle (luteal, menstrual and ovulatory stages). The Stroop color-naming task was used as a stressor. During the task, the galvanic skin response (GSR), heart rate (HR) and HR variability (HRV) were simultaneously recorded by a polygraph. The results showed a significant difference in reaction times (RT) on the Stroop task between the high- and low-neuroticism groups during menstruation. However, there were no significant RT differences between groups during the luteal or ovulatory cycle stages. The GSR of the high-neuroticism group during menstruation was significantly lower than it was in the luteal and ovulatory stages. Moreover, during menstruation, the cardiovascular responses (high-frequency HRV (HF) and low-frequency HRV (LF)) and accuracy on the Stroop task were positively correlated, while the correlations between HF, LF and the RT were negative. The results demonstrate that during menstruation, there were consistent variations in female behavior and physiology when facing a cognitive stressor. Specifically, the high-neuroticism group was more sensitive to the stressor than the low neuroticism group, with decreased reaction time on the Stroop task, and increased GSR and HRV.

  7. Frequency-Specific Alternations in the Amplitude of Low-Frequency Fluctuations in Chronic Tinnitus

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Yu-Chen eChen

    2015-10-01

    Full Text Available Tinnitus, a phantom ringing, buzzing or hissing sensation with potentially debilitating consequences, is thought to arise from aberrant spontaneous neural activity at one or more sites within the central nervous system; however, the location and specific features of these oscillations are poorly understood with respect to specific tinnitus features. Recent resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI studies suggest that aberrant fluctuations in spontaneous low-frequency oscillations (LFO of the blood oxygen level-dependent (BOLD signal may be an important factor in chronic tinnitus; however, the role that frequency-specific components of LFO play in subjective tinnitus remains unclear. A total of 39 chronic tinnitus patients and 41 well-matched healthy controls participated in the resting-state fMRI scans. The LFO amplitudes were investigated using the amplitude of low-frequency fluctuation (ALFF and fractional ALFF (fALFF in two different frequency bands (slow-4: 0.027-0.073 Hz and slow-5: 0.01-0.027 Hz. We observed significant differences between tinnitus patients and normal controls in ALFF/fALFF in the two bands (slow-4 and slow-5 in several brain regions including the superior frontal gyrus (SFG, inferior frontal gyrus, middle temporal gyrus, angular gyrus, supramarginal gyrus, and middle occipital gyrus. Across the entire subject pool, significant differences in ALFF/fALFF between the two bands were found in the midbrain, basal ganglia, hippocampus and cerebellum (Slow 4>Slow 5, and in the middle frontal gyrus, supramarginal gyrus, posterior cingulate cortex, and precuneus (Slow 5>Slow 4. We also observed significant interaction between frequency bands and patient groups in the orbitofrontal gyrus. Furthermore, tinnitus distress was positively correlated with the magnitude of ALFF in right SFG and the magnitude of fALFF slow-4 band in left SFG, whereas tinnitus duration was positively correlated with the magnitude of ALFF in

  8. Doppler Frequency Shift in Ocean Wave Measurements: Frequency Downshift of a Fixed Spectral Wave Number Component by Advection of Wave Orbital Velocity

    National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

    Hwang, Paul

    2006-01-01

    ... at he expected intrinsic frequency in the frequency spectrum measured by a stationary probe. The advection of the wave number component by the orbital current of background waves produces a net downshift in the encounter frequency...

  9. The effect of different fibre volume fraction on mechanical properties of banana/pineapple leaf (PaLF)/glass hybrid composite

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hanafee, Z. M.; Khalina, A.; Norkhairunnisa, M.; Syams, Z. Edi; Liew, K. E.

    2017-09-01

    This paper investigates the effect of fibre volume fraction on mechanical properties of banana-pineapple leaf (PaLF)-glass reinforced epoxy resin under tensile loading. Uniaxial tensile tests were carried out on specimens with different fibre contents (30%, 40%, 50% in weight). The composite specimens consists of 13 different combinations. The effect of hybridisation between synthetic and natural fibre onto tensile properties was determined and the optimum fibre volume fraction was obtained at 50% for both banana and PaLF composites. Additional 1 layer of woven glass fibre increased the tensile strength of banana-PaLF composite up to 85%.

  10. Resonant magnetic pumping at very low frequency

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Canobbio, Ernesto

    1978-01-01

    We propose to exploit for plasma heating purposes the very low frequency limit of the Alfven wave resonance condition, which reduces essentially to safety factor q=m/n, a rational number. It is shown that a substantial fraction of the total RF-energy can be absorbed by the plasma. The lowest possible frequency value is determined by the maximum tolerable width of the RF-magnetic islands which develop near the singular surface. The obvious interest of the proposed scheme is the low frequency value (f<=10 KHz) which allows the RF-coils to be protected by stainless steel or even to be put outside the liner

  11. Ethnic analogies and differences in fetal heart rate variability signal: A retrospective study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tagliaferri, Salvatore; Esposito, Francesca Giovanna; Fagioli, Rosa; Di Cresce, Marco; Sacchi, Lucia; Signorini, Maria Gabriella; Campanile, Marta; Martinelli, Pasquale; Magenes, Giovanni

    2017-02-01

    We aimed to analyze computerized cardiotocographic (cCTG) parameters (including fetal heart rate baseline, short-term variability, Delta, long-term irregularity [LTI], interval index [II], low frequency [LF], movement frequency [MF], high frequency [HF], and approximate entropy [ApEn]) in physiological term pregnancies in order to correlate them with ethnic differences. The clinical meaning of numerical parameters may explain physiological or paraphysiological phenomena that occur in fetuses of different ethnic origins. A total of 696 pregnant women, including 384 from Europe, 246 from sub-Saharan Africa, 45 from South-East Asia, and 21 from South America, were monitored from the 37th to the 41st week of gestation. Statistical analysis was performed with the analysis of variance test, Pearson correlation test and receiver-operator curves (P < 0.05). Our results showed statistically significant differences (P < 0.05) between white and black women for Delta, LTI, LF, MF, HF, and ApEn; between white and Asian women for Delta, LTI, MF, and the LF/(HF + MF) ratio; and between white and Latina women for Delta, LTI, and ApEn. In particular, Delta and LTI performed better in the white group than in the black, Asian, and Latina groups. Instead, LF, MF, HF, and ApEn performed better in the black than in the white group. Our results confirmed the integrity and normal functionality of both central and autonomic nervous system components for all fetuses investigated. Therefore, CTG monitoring should include both linear and nonlinear components of fetal heart rate variability in order to avoid misinterpretations of the CTG trace among ethnic groups. © 2016 Japan Society of Obstetrics and Gynecology.

  12. Nonmonotonic low frequency losses in HTSCs

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Castro, H; Gerber, A; Milner, A

    2007-01-01

    A calorimetric technique has been used in order to study ac-field dissipation in ceramic BSCCO samples at low frequencies between 0.05 and 250 Hz, at temperatures from 65 to 90 K. In contrast to previous studies, where ac losses have been reported with a linear dependence on magnetic field frequency, we find a nonmonotonic function presenting various maxima. Frequencies corresponding to local maxima of dissipation depend on the temperature and the amplitude of the ac magnetic field. Flux creep is argued to be responsible for this behaviour. A simple model connecting the characteristic vortex relaxation times (flux creep) and the location of dissipation maxima versus frequency is proposed

  13. Evaluation of low-frequency operational limit of proposed ITER low-field-side reflectometer waveguide run including miter bends

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Wang, Guiding [Univ. of California, Los Angeles, CA (United States). Dept. of Physics and Astronomy and Plasma Science and Technology Inst. (PSTI); Peebles, W. A. [Univ. of California, Los Angeles, CA (United States). Dept. of Physics and Astronomy and Plasma Science and Technology Inst. (PSTI); Doyle, E. J. [Univ. of California, Los Angeles, CA (United States). Dept. of Physics and Astronomy and Plasma Science and Technology Inst. (PSTI); Crocker, N. A. [Univ. of California, Los Angeles, CA (United States). Dept. of Physics and Astronomy and Plasma Science and Technology Inst. (PSTI); Wannberg, C. [Univ. of California, Los Angeles, CA (United States). Dept. of Physics and Astronomy and Plasma Science and Technology Inst. (PSTI); Lau, Cornwall H. [Oak Ridge National Lab. (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States); Hanson, Gregory R. [Oak Ridge National Lab. (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States); Doane, John L. [General Atomics, San Diego, CA (United States)

    2017-10-19

    The present design concept for the ITER low-field-side reflectometer transmission line (TL) consists of an ~40 m long, 6.35 cm diameter helically corrugated waveguide (WG) together with ten 90° miter bends. This paper presents an evaluation of the TL performance at low frequencies (33-50 GHz) where the predicted HE11 mode ohmic and mode conversion losses start to increase significantly. Quasi-optical techniques were used to form a near Gaussian beam to efficiently couple radiation in this frequency range into the WG. We observed that the output beams from the guide remained linearly polarized with cross-polarization power levels of ~1.5%-3%. The polarization rotation due to the helical corrugations was in the range ~1°-3°. The radiated beam power profiles typically show excellent Gaussian propagation characteristics at distances >20 cm from the final exit aperture. The round trip propagation loss was found to be ~2.5 dB at 50 GHz and ~6.5 dB at 35 GHz, showing an inverse increase with frequency. This was consistent with updated calculations of miter bend and ohmic losses. At low frequencies (33-50 GHz), the mode purity remained very good at the exit of the waveguide, and the losses are perfectly acceptable for operation in ITER. Finally, the primary challenge may come from the future addition of a Gaussian telescope and other filter components within the corrugated guide, which will likely introduce additional perturbations to the beam profile and an increase in mode-conversion loss.

  14. The subjective effect of low frequency content in road traffic noise.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Torija, Antonio J; Flindell, Ian H

    2015-01-01

    Based on subjective listening trials, Torija and Flindell [J. Acoust. Soc. Am. 135, 1-4 (2014)] observed that low frequency content in typical urban main road traffic noise appeared to make a smaller contribution to reported annoyance than might be inferred from its objective or physical dominance. This paper reports a more detailed study which was aimed at (i) identifying the difference in sound levels at which low frequency content becomes subjectively dominant over mid and high frequency content and (ii) investigating the relationship between loudness and annoyance under conditions where low frequency content is relatively more dominant, such as indoors where mid and high frequency content is reduced. The results suggested that differences of at least +30 dB between the low frequency and the mid/high frequency content are needed for changes in low frequency content to have as much subjective effect as equivalent changes in mid and high frequency content. This suggests that common criticisms of the A-frequency weighting based on a hypothesized excessive downweighting of the low frequency content may be relatively unfounded in this application area.

  15. Low Frequency Phased Array Application for Crack Detection in Cast Austenitic Piping

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Anderson, Michael T.; Cumblidge, Stephen E.; Doctor, Steven R.

    2006-01-01

    As part of a multi-year program funded by the United States Nuclear Regulatory Commission (US NRC) to address nondestructive examination (NDE) reliability of inservice inspection (ISI) programs, studies conducted at the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) in Richland, Washington, have focused on assessing novel NDE approaches for the inspection of coarse-grained, cast stainless steel reactor components. The primary objective of this work is to provide information to the US NRC on the utility, effectiveness and reliability of ultrasonic testing (UT) as related to the ISI of primary piping components in US commercial nuclear power plants. This paper describes progress, recent developments and results from an assessment of a portion of the work relating to the ultrasonic low frequency phased array inspection technique. Westinghouse Owner's Group (WOG) cast stainless steel pipe segments with thermal and mechanical fatigue cracks, PNNL samples containing thermal fatigue cracks and several blank vintage specimens having very coarse grains that are representative of early centrifugally cast piping installed in PWRs, were used for assessing the inspection method. The phased array approach was implemented using an R/D Tech Tomoscan III system operating at 1.0 MHz and 500 kHz, providing composite volumetric images of the samples. Several dual, transmit-receive, custom designed low-frequency arrays were employed in laboratory trials. Results from laboratory studies for assessing detection, localization and length sizing effectiveness are discussed.

  16. Low-frequency pulse profile variation in PSR B2217+47: evidence for echoes from the interstellar medium

    Science.gov (United States)

    Michilli, D.; Hessels, J. W. T.; Donner, J. Y.; Grießmeier, J.-M.; Serylak, M.; Shaw, B.; Stappers, B. W.; Verbiest, J. P. W.; Deller, A. T.; Driessen, L. N.; Stinebring, D. R.; Bondonneau, L.; Geyer, M.; Hoeft, M.; Karastergiou, A.; Kramer, M.; Osłowski, S.; Pilia, M.; Sanidas, S.; Weltevrede, P.

    2018-05-01

    We have observed a complex and continuous change in the integrated pulse profile of PSR B2217+47, manifested as additional components trailing the main peak. These transient components are detected over 6 yr at 150 MHz using the LOw Frequency ARray (LOFAR), but they are not seen in contemporaneous Lovell observations at 1.5 GHz. We argue that propagation effects in the ionized interstellar medium (IISM) are the most likely cause. The putative structures in the IISM causing the profile variation are roughly half-way between the pulsar and the Earth and have transverse radii R ˜ 30 au. We consider different models for the structures. Under the assumption of spherical symmetry, their implied average electron density is \\overline{n}_e ˜ 100 cm-3. Since PSR B2217+47 is more than an order of magnitude brighter than the average pulsar population visible to LOFAR, similar profile variations would not have been identified in most pulsars, suggesting that subtle profile variations in low-frequency profiles might be more common than we have observed to date. Systematic studies of these variations at low frequencies can provide a new tool to investigate the proprieties of the IISM and the limits to the precision of pulsar timing.

  17. ON THE GEOMETRIC NATURE OF LOW-FREQUENCY QUASI-PERIODIC OSCILLATIONS IN NEUTRON-STAR LOW-MASS X-RAY BINARIES

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Homan, Jeroen; Remillard, Ronald A. [MIT Kavli Institute for Astrophysics and Space Research, 77 Massachusetts Avenue 37-582D, Cambridge, MA 02139 (United States); Fridriksson, Joel K., E-mail: jeroen@space.mit.edu [Anton Pannekoek Institute for Astronomy, University of Amsterdam, Postbus 94249, 1090 GE Amsterdam (Netherlands)

    2015-10-10

    We report on a detailed analysis of the so-called ∼1 Hz quasi-periodic oscillation (QPO) in the eclipsing and dipping neutron-star low-mass X-ray binary EXO 0748–676. This type of QPO has previously been shown to have a geometric origin. Our study focuses on the evolution of the QPO as the source moves through the color–color diagram in which it traces out an atoll-source-like track. The QPO frequency increases from ∼0.4 Hz in the hard state to ∼25 Hz as the source approaches the soft state. Combining power spectra based on QPO frequency reveals additional features that strongly resemble those seen in non-dipping/eclipsing atoll sources. We show that the low-frequency QPOs in atoll sources and the ∼1 Hz QPO in EXO 0748–676 follow similar relations with respect to the noise components in their power spectra. We conclude that the frequencies of both types of QPOs are likely set by (the same) precession of a misaligned inner accretion disk. For high-inclination systems like EXO 0748–676 this results in modulations of the neutron-star emission due to obscuration or scattering, while for lower-inclination systems the modulations likely arise from relativistic Doppler-boosting and light-bending effects.

  18. Challenges and limitations in retrofitting facilities for low frequency noise

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Wierzba, P. [ATCO Noise Management, Calgary, AB (Canada)

    2007-07-01

    The trend to revise and increase environmental regulations regarding low frequency noise emissions from oil and gas facilities was discussed. Noise related complaints can often be traced to low frequency noise, which is the unwanted sound with a frequency range falling within 31.5-Hz, 63-Hz, and 125-Hz octave bands. This paper also discussed the challenges and limitations of field retrofits of the facilities aimed at reducing low frequency noise. The main sources of low frequency noise associated with a compression facility are the radiator cooler, engine exhaust and the building envelope. Regulators are paying close attention not only to the overall noise exposure as measured by the A-weighted levels, but also to the quality of noise emitted by the particular frequency spectrum. The Alberta Energy and Utilities Board recently issued Noise Control Directive 38 and made it a requirement to perform low frequency noise impact assessment for permitting of all new energy facilities. Under Directive 38, the low frequency noise assessment is to be performed using the C-weighted scale as a measure in addition to the previously used A-weighted scale. Directive 38 recommends that in order to avoid low frequency noise problems the difference between the C-weighted and A-weighted levels at the residential locations should be lower than 20 dB. This implies that noise should be limited to 60 dBC for Category 1 residences of low dwelling density. Small upgrades and changes can be made to lower low frequency noise emissions. These may include upgrading building wall insulation, providing wall-to-skid isolation system, upgrading the fan blades, or reducing the rpm of the fans. It was concluded that these upgrades should be considered for facilities in close proximity to residential areas. 3 refs., 2 tabs., 7 figs.

  19. Effect of Fasting Blood Glucose Level on Heart Rate Variability of Healthy Young Adults.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Mohamed Faisal Lutfi

    Full Text Available Previous studies reported increased risk of cardiac events in subjects with fasting blood glucose (FBG levels lower than the diagnostic threshold of diabetes mellitus. However, whether increased cardiac events in those with upper normal FBG is secondary to the shift of their cardiac sympathovagal balance towards sympathetic predominance is unknown.To assess the association between FBG levels and cardiac autonomic modulation (CAM in euglycaemic healthy subjects based on heart rate variability (HRV derived indices.The study enrolled 42 healthy young adults. Following sociodemographic and clinical assessment, blood samples were collected to measure FBG levels. Five minutes ECG recordings were performed to all participants to obtain frequency domain HRV measurements, namely the natural logarithm (Ln of total power (LnTP, very low frequency (LnVLF, low frequency (LnLF and high frequency (LnHF, low frequency/ high frequency ratio (LnLF/HF, normalized low frequency (LF Norm and high frequency (HF Norm.FBG levels correlated positively with LnHF (r = 0.33, P = 0.031 and HF Norm (r = 0.35, P = 0.025 and negatively with LF Norm (r = -0.35, P = 0.025 and LnLF/HF (r = -0.33, P = 0.035. LnHF and HF Norm were significantly decreased in subjects with the lower (4.00 (1.34 ms2/Hz and 33.12 (11.94 n.u compared to those with the upper FBG quartile (5.64 (1.63 ms2/Hz and 49.43 (17.73 n.u, P = 0.013 and 0.032 respectively. LF Norm and LnLF/HF were significantly increased in subjects with the lower (66.88 (11.94 n.u and 0.73 (0.53 compared to those with the higher FBG quartile (50.58 (17.83 n.u and 0.03 (0.79, P = 0.032 and 0.038 respectively.The present study is the first to demonstrate that rise of blood glucose concentration, within physiological range, is associated with higher parasympathetic, but lower sympathetic CAM. Further researches are needed to set out the glycemic threshold beyond which further increase in glucose level readjusts sympathovagal balance

  20. A low frequency RFI monitoring system

    Science.gov (United States)

    Amiri, Shahram; Shankar, N. Udaya; Girish, B. S.; Somashekar, R.

    Radio frequency interference (RFI) is a growing problem for research in radio astronomy particularly at wavelengths longer than 2m. For satisfactory operation of a radio telescope, several bands have been protected for radio astronomy observations by the International Telecommunication Union. Since the radiation from cosmic sources are typically 40 to 100 dB below the emission from services operating in unprotected bands, often the out-of-band emission limits the sensitivity of astronomical observations. Moreover, several radio spectral emissions from cosmic sources are present in the frequency range outside the allocated band for radio astronomy. Thus monitoring of RFI is essential before building a receiver system for low frequency radio astronomy. We describe the design and development of an RFI monitoring system operating in the frequency band 30 to 100 MHz. This was designed keeping in view our proposal to extend the frequency of operation of GMRT down to 40 MHz. The monitor is a PC based spectrometer recording the voltage output of a receiver connected to an antenna, capable of digitizing the low frequency RF directly with an 8 bit ADC and sampling bandwidths up to 16 MHz. The system can operate continuously in almost real-time with a loss of only 2% of data. Here we will present the systems design aspects and the results of RFI monitoring carried out at the Raman Research Institute, Bangalore and at the GMRT site in Khodad.

  1. Low-Frequency Temporal Variability in Mira and Semiregular Variables

    Science.gov (United States)

    Templeton, Matthew R.; Karovska, M.; Waagen, E. O.

    2012-01-01

    We investigate low-frequency variability in a large sample of Mira and semiregular variables with long-term visual light curves from the AAVSO International Database. Our aim is to determine whether we can detect and measure long-timescale variable phenomena in these stars, for example photometric variations that might be associated with supergranular convection. We analyzed the long-term light curves of 522 variable stars of the Mira and SRa, b, c, and d classes. We calculated their low-frequency time-series spectra to characterize rednoise with the power density spectrum index, and then correlate this index with other observable characteristics such as spectral type and primary pulsation period. In our initial analysis of the sample, we see that the semiregular variables have a much broader range of spectral index than the Mira types, with the SRb subtype having the broadest range. Among Mira variables we see that the M- and S-type Miras have similarly wide ranges of index, while the C-types have the narrowest with generally shallower slopes. There is also a trend of steeper slope with larger amplitude, but at a given amplitude, a wide range of slopes are seen. The ultimate goal of the project is to identify stars with strong intrinsic red noise components as possible targets for resolved surface imaging with interferometry.

  2. The isolation of low frequency impact sounds in hotel construction

    Science.gov (United States)

    LoVerde, John J.; Dong, David W.

    2002-11-01

    One of the design challenges in the acoustical design of hotels is reducing low frequency sounds from footfalls occurring on both carpeted and hard-surfaced floors. Research on low frequency impact noise [W. Blazier and R. DuPree, J. Acoust. Soc. Am. 96, 1521-1532 (1994)] resulted in a conclusion that in wood construction low frequency impact sounds were clearly audible and that feasible control methods were not available. The results of numerous FIIC (Field Impact Insulation Class) measurements performed in accordance with ASTM E1007 indicate the lack of correlation between FIIC ratings and the reaction of occupants in the room below. The measurements presented include FIIC ratings and sound pressure level measurements below the ASTM E1007 low frequency limit of 100 Hertz, and reveal that excessive sound levels in the frequency range of 63 to 100 Hertz correlate with occupant complaints. Based upon this history, a tentative criterion for maximum impact sound level in the low frequency range is presented. The results presented of modifying existing constructions to reduce the transmission of impact sounds at low frequencies indicate that there may be practical solutions to this longstanding problem.

  3. Numerical simulation of seismic low-frequency shadows and its application%地震低频伴影的数值模拟与应用

    Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

    贺振华; 熊晓军; 边立恩

    2008-01-01

    Strong low-frequency energy beneath a hydrocarbon reservoir is called a seismic low-frequency shadow and can be used as a hydrocarbon indicator (Taner et al., 1979) but the physical mechanism of the observed low-frequency shadow is still unclear. To study the mechanism, we performed seismic numerical simulation of geological models with a hydrocarbon-bearing zone using the 2-D diffusive-viscous wave equation which can effectively model the characteristics of velocity dispersion and transform the seismic data centered in a target layer slice within a time window to the time-frequency domain by using time-frequency signal analysis and sort the frequency gathers to common frequency cubes. Then, we observe the characteristics of the seismic low-frequency shadow in the common frequency cubes. The numerical simulations reveal that the main mechanism of seismic low-frequency shadows is attributed to high attenuation of the medium to high seismic frequency components caused by absorption in the hydrocarbon-filled reservoir. Results from a practical example of seismic low-frequency shadows show that it is possible to identify the reservoir by the low-frequency shadow with high S/N seismic data.

  4. Atomic Oxygen Energy in Low Frequency Hyperthermal Plasma Ashers

    Science.gov (United States)

    Banks, Bruce A.; Miller, Sharon K R.; Kneubel, Christian A.

    2014-01-01

    Experimental and analytical analysis of the atomic oxygen erosion of pyrolytic graphite as well as Monte Carlo computational modeling of the erosion of Kapton H (DuPont, Wilmington, DE) polyimide was performed to determine the hyperthermal energy of low frequency (30 to 35 kHz) plasma ashers operating on air. It was concluded that hyperthermal energies in the range of 0.3 to 0.9 eV are produced in the low frequency air plasmas which results in texturing similar to that in low Earth orbit (LEO). Monte Carlo computational modeling also indicated that such low energy directed ions are fully capable of producing the experimentally observed textured surfaces in low frequency plasmas.

  5. Indoor measurements of sound at low frequencies

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Pedersen, Steffen; Møller, Henrik; Persson-Waye, Kerstin

    2006-01-01

    Due to standing waves, the sound pressure level within a room may vary as much as 20-30 dB with low-frequency tonal noise, somewhat less with noise bands. For assessment of annoyance from low-frequency noise it is relevant to measure a level close to the highest level of the room, rather than a r...

  6. Like/dislike analysis using EEG: determination of most discriminative channels and frequencies.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yılmaz, Bülent; Korkmaz, Sümeyye; Arslan, Dilek Betül; Güngör, Evrim; Asyalı, Musa H

    2014-02-01

    In this study, we have analyzed electroencephalography (EEG) signals to investigate the following issues, (i) which frequencies and EEG channels could be relatively better indicators of preference (like or dislike decisions) of consumer products, (ii) timing characteristic of "like" decisions during such mental processes. For this purpose, we have obtained multichannel EEG recordings from 15 subjects, during total of 16 epochs of 10 s long, while they were presented with some shoe photographs. When they liked a specific shoe, they pressed on a button and marked the time of this activity and the particular epoch was labeled as a LIKE case. No button press meant that the subject did not like the particular shoe that was displayed and corresponding epoch designated as a DISLIKE case. After preprocessing, power spectral density (PSD) of EEG data was estimated at different frequencies (4, 5, …, 40 Hz) using the Burg method, for each epoch corresponding to one shoe presentation. Each subject's data consisted of normalized PSD values (NPVs) from all LIKE and DISLIKE cases/epochs coming from all 19 EEG channels. In order to determine the most discriminative frequencies and channels, we have utilized logistic regression, where LIKE/DISLIKE status was used as a categorical (binary) response variable and corresponding NPVs were the continuously valued input variables or predictors. We observed that when all the NPVs (total of 37) are used as predictors, the regression problem was becoming ill-posed due to large number of predictors (compared to the number of samples) and high correlation among predictors. To circumvent this issue, we have divided the frequency band into low frequency (LF) 4-19 Hz and high frequency (HF) 20-40 Hz bands and analyzed the influence of the NPV in these bands separately. Then, using the p-values that indicate how significantly estimated predictor weights are different than zero, we have determined the NPVs and channels that are more influential

  7. Investigating low-frequency compression using the Grid method

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Fereczkowski, Michal; Dau, Torsten; MacDonald, Ewen

    2016-01-01

    in literature. Moreover, slopes of the low-level portions of the BM I/O functions estimated at 500 Hz were examined, to determine whether the 500-Hz off-frequency forward masking curves were affected by compression. Overall, the collected data showed a trend confirming the compressive behaviour. However......There is an ongoing discussion about whether the amount of cochlear compression in humans at low frequencies (below 1 kHz) is as high as that at higher frequencies. It is controversial whether the compression affects the slope of the off-frequency forward masking curves at those frequencies. Here......, the Grid method with a 2-interval 1-up 3-down tracking rule was applied to estimate forward masking curves at two characteristic frequencies: 500 Hz and 4000 Hz. The resulting curves and the corresponding basilar membrane input-output (BM I/O) functions were found to be comparable to those reported...

  8. Nonlinear low frequency electrostatic structures in a magnetized two-component auroral plasma

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Rufai, O. R., E-mail: rajirufai@gmail.com [University of the Western Cape, Bellville 7535, Cape-Town (South Africa); Scientific Computing, Memorial University of Newfoundland, St John' s, Newfoundland and Labrador A1C 5S7 (Canada); Bharuthram, R., E-mail: rbharuthram@uwc.ac.za [University of the Western Cape, Bellville 7535, Cape-Town (South Africa); Singh, S. V., E-mail: satyavir@iigs.iigm.res.in; Lakhina, G. S., E-mail: lakhina@iigs.iigm.res.in [University of the Western Cape, Bellville 7535, Cape-Town (South Africa); Indian Institute of Geomagnetism, New Panvel (W), Navi Mumbai 410218 (India)

    2016-03-15

    Finite amplitude nonlinear ion-acoustic solitons, double layers, and supersolitons in a magnetized two-component plasma composed of adiabatic warm ions fluid and energetic nonthermal electrons are studied by employing the Sagdeev pseudopotential technique and assuming the charge neutrality condition at equilibrium. The model generates supersoliton structures at supersonic Mach numbers regime in addition to solitons and double layers, whereas in the unmagnetized two-component plasma case only, soliton and double layer solutions can be obtained. Further investigation revealed that wave obliqueness plays a critical role for the evolution of supersoliton structures in magnetized two-component plasmas. In addition, the effect of ion temperature and nonthermal energetic electron tends to decrease the speed of oscillation of the nonlinear electrostatic structures. The present theoretical results are compared with Viking satellite observations.

  9. OLFAR - Orbiting low frequency antennas for radio astronomy

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Bentum, Marinus Jan

    2013-01-01

    One of the last unexplored frequency ranges in radio astronomy is the frequency band below 30 MHz. New interesting astronomical science drivers for low frequency radio astronomy have emerged, ranging from studies of the astronomical dark ages, the epoch of reionization, exoplanets, to ultra-high

  10. On the low frequency characteristics of head-related transfer function

    Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

    XIE Bosun

    2009-01-01

    A method to correct the measured head-related transfer functions (HRTFs) at low frequency was proposed. By analyzing the HRTFs from the spherical head model at low frequency, it is proved that below the frequency of 400 Hz, magnitude of HRTF is nearly constant and the phase is a linear function of frequency both for the far and near field. Therefore, if the HRTFs above 400 Hz are accurately measured by experiment, it is able to correct the HRTFs at low frequency by the theoretical model. The results of calculation and subjective experiment show that the feasibility of the proposed method.

  11. A second, low-frequency mode of vibration in the intact mammalian cochlea.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lukashkin, Andrei N; Russell, Ian J

    2003-03-01

    The mammalian cochlea is a structure comprising a number of components connected by elastic elements. A mechanical system of this kind is expected to have multiple normal modes of oscillation and associated resonances. The guinea pig cochlear mechanics was probed using distortion components generated in the cochlea close to the place of overlap between two tones presented simultaneously. Otoacoustic emissions at frequencies of the distortion components were recorded in the ear canal. The phase behavior of the emissions reveals the presence of a nonlinear resonance at a frequency about a half octave below that of the high-frequency primary tone. The location of the resonance is level dependent and the resonance shifts to lower frequencies with increasing stimulus intensity. This resonance is thought to be associated with the tectorial membrane. The resonance tends to minimize input to the cochlear receptor cells at frequencies below the high-frequency primary and increases the dynamic load to the stereocilia of the receptor cells at the primary frequency when the tectorial membrane and reticular lamina move in counterphase.

  12. Occurrence of the Microcystins MC-LW and MC-LF in Dutch Surface Waters and Their Contribution to Total Microcystin Toxicity

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Elisabeth J. Faassen

    2013-07-01

    Full Text Available Microcystins (MCs are the most frequently found cyanobacterial toxins in freshwater systems. Many MC variants have been identified and variants differ in their toxicity. Recent studies showed that the variants MC-LW and MC-LF might be more toxic than MC-LR, the variant that is most abundant and mostly used for risk assessments. As little is known about the presence of these two variants in The Netherlands, we determined their occurrence by analyzing 88 water samples and 10 scum samples for eight MC variants ((dm-7-MC-RR, MC-YR, (dm-7-MC-LR, MC-LY, MC-LW and MC-LF by liquid chromatography with tandem mass spectrometry detection. All analyzed MC variants were detected, and MC-LW and/or MC-LF were present in 32% of the MC containing water samples. When MC-LW and MC-LF were present, they contributed to nearly 10% of the total MC concentrations, but due to their suspected high toxicity, their average contribution to the total MC toxicity was estimated to be at least 45%. Given the frequent occurrence and possible high toxicity of MC-LW and MC-LF, it seems better to base health risk assessments on the toxicity contributions of different MC variants than on MC-LR concentrations alone.

  13. Analytical study for frequency effects on the EPRI/USNRC piping component tests. Part 1: Theoretical basis and model development

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Adams, T.M.; Branch, E.B.; Tagart, S.W. Jr.

    1994-01-01

    As part of the engineering effort for the Advanced Light Water Reactor the Advanced Reactor Corporation formed a Piping Technical Core Group to develop a set of improved ASME Boiler and Pressure Vessel Code, Section III design rules and approaches for ALWR plant piping and support design. The technical basis for the proposed changes to the ASME Boiler and Pressure Vessel Code developed by Technical Core Group for the design of piping relies heavily on the failure margins determined from the EPRI/USNRC piping component test program. The majority of the component tests forming the basis for the reported margins against failure were run with input frequency to natural frequency ratios (Ω/ω) in the range of 0.74 to 0.87. One concern investigated by the Technical Core Group was the effect which could exist on measured margins if the tests had been run at higher or lower frequency ratios than those in the limited frequency ratio range tested. Specifically, the concern investigated was that the proposed Technical Core Group Piping Stress Criteria will allow piping to be designed in the low frequency range (Ω/ω ≥ 2.0) for which there is little test data from the EPRI/USNRC test program. The purpose of this analytical study was to: (1) evaluate the potential for margin variation as a function of the frequency ratio (R ω = Ω/ω, where Ω is the forcing frequency and ω is the natural component frequency), (2) recommend a margin reduction factor (MRF) that could be applied to margins determined from the EPRI/USNRC test program to adjust those margins for potential margin variation with frequency ratio. Presented in this paper is the analytical approach and methodology, which are inelastic analysis, which was the basis of the study. Also, discussed is the development of the analytical model, the procedure used to benchmark the model to actual test results, and the various parameter studies conducted

  14. Increasing dynamic range of a fibre Bragg grating edge-filtering interrogator with a proportional control loop

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Stan, Nikola; Bailey, D C; Chadderdon, S L; Selfridge, R H; Schultz, S M; Webb, S; Zikry, M; Peters, K J

    2014-01-01

    We present a fibre Bragg grating (FBG) interrogator that uses a microcontroller board and a tunable optical filter in a proportional control loop to increase dynamic range and achieve high strain sensitivity. It is an edge-filtering interrogator with added proportional control loop that locks the operating wavelength to the mid-reflection point on the FBG spectrum. The interrogator separates low-frequency (LF) components of strain and measures them with extended dynamic range, while at the same time measuring high-frequency (HF) strain without loss in strain sensitivity. In this paper, we describe the implementation of the interrogator and analyse the characteristics of individual components, such as the speed and voltage resolution of the microcontroller and the tunable optical filter. We measure the performance of the proportional control loop at frequencies up to 1 kHz and characterize the system using control theory. We illustrate the limitation of the conventional interrogator to measure strains greater than 40 μϵ and demonstrate successful application of the proposed interrogator for simultaneous measurement of 450 μϵ LF strain at 50 Hz superimposed with 32 kHz HF strain. (paper)

  15. Low frequency RFQ linacs for heavy ion fusion

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Moretti, A.; Watson, J.M.; Martin, R.L.; Lari, R.J.; Stockley, R.L.

    1982-01-01

    Low frequency, radio frequency quadrupole (RFQ) structures are under study at Argonne National Laboratory (ANL) as the low-velocity portion of an rf linac driver for heavy ion inertial confinement fusion. Besides offering a direct comparison with the present ANL front end, it would provide a second low-velocity Xe +1 linac for funneling experiments at 22.9 MeV. Heavy ion RFQ accelerators are characterized by their low rf operating frequency of about 10 MHz. The large size of a manifold-fed four-vane, 10 MHz RFQ resonator structure (about 6 m in diameter) makes it unacceptable for heavy ions; therefore, alternate structures are under study at Argonne. The structures under study are: (1) a Wideroe-type structure with external stub lines, (2) a Wideroe-type structure with the stub lines internal to the structure, (3) a split coaxial line resonator with modulated vanes, and (4) a interdigital line resonator with modulated cylindrical rods. The split coaxial line resonator seems best at this low frequency. It is compact and very efficient. About 15.5 m of linac structure excited with 560 kW of rf power is sufficient to accelerate 30 mA of Xe +1 with 97% transmission efficiency from 250 keV to 3 MeV

  16. Study of water dynamics in the soaking, steaming, and solid-state fermentation of glutinous rice by LF-NMR: a novel monitoring approach.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Li, Teng; Tu, Chuanhai; Rui, Xin; Gao, Yangwen; Li, Wei; Wang, Kun; Xiao, Yu; Dong, Mingsheng

    2015-04-01

    Solid-state fermentation (SSF) of starchy grain is a traditional technique for food and alcoholic beverage production in East Asia. In the present study, low-field nuclear magnetic resonance (LF-NMR) was introduced for the elucidation of water dynamics and microstructure alternations during the soaking, steaming, and SSF of glutinous rice as a rapid real-time monitoring method. Three different proton fractions with different mobilities were identified based on the degree of interaction between biopolymers and water. Soaking and steaming significantly changed the proton distribution of the sample. The different phases of SSF were reflected by the T2 parameters. In addition, the variations in the T2 parameters were explained by the microstructure changes of rice induced by SSF. The fermentation time and T2 parameters were sigmoidally correlated. Thus, LF-NMR may be an effective real-time monitoring method for SSF in starch systems.

  17. Experimental and numerical investigation of the roll motion behavior of a floating liquefied natural gas system

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhao, WenHua; Yang, JianMin; Hu, ZhiQiang; Xiao, LongFei; Peng, Tao

    2013-03-01

    The present paper does an experimental and numerical investigation of the hydrodynamic interaction and the response of a single point turret-moored Floating Liquefied Natural Gas (FLNG) system, which is a new type of floating LNG (Liquid Natural Gas) platform that consists of a ship-type FPSO hull equipped with LNG storage tanks and liquefaction plants. In particular, this study focuses on the investigation of the roll response of FLNG hull in free-decay motions, white noise waves and also in irregular waves. Model tests of the FLNG system in 60%H filling condition excited by both white noise waves and irregular waves combined with steady wind and current have been carried out. Response Amplitude Operators (RAOs) and time histories of the responses are obtained for sway, roll and yaw motions. Obvious Low Frequency (LF) components of the roll motions are observed, which may be out of expectation. To facilitate the physical understanding of this phenomenon, we filter the roll motions at the period of 30 s into two parts: the Wave Frequency (WF) motions and the Low Frequency (LF) motions respectively. The results indicate that the LF motions are closely related to the sway and yaw motions. Possible reasons for the presence of the LF motions of roll have been discussed in detail, through the comparison with the sway and yaw motions. As for the numerical part, the simulation of the modeled case is conducted with the help of the software SESAM®. A good agreement between experiments and calculations is reported within the scope of trends. However, the numerical simulations should be further improved for the prediction of the FLNG system in the heading sea.

  18. Heart Rate Variability Analysis in Patients with Allergic Rhinitis

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ming-Ying Lan

    2013-01-01

    Full Text Available Background. Very few studies investigate the role of the autonomic nervous system in allergic rhinitis. In this study, we evaluated the autonomic nervous system in allergic rhinitis patients using heart rate variability (HRV analysis. Methods. Eleven patients with allergic rhinitis and 13 healthy controls, aged between 19 and 40 years old, were enrolled in the study. Diagnosis of allergic rhinitis was based on clinical history, symptoms, and positive Phadiatop test. Electrocardiographic recordings on the sitting and supine positions were obtained for HRV analysis. Results. In the supine position, there were no significant statistical differences in very-low-frequency power (VLF, ≤0.04 Hz, low-frequency power (LF, 0.04–0.15 Hz, high-frequency power (HF, 0.15–0.40 Hz, and the ratio of LF to HF (LF/HF between the patient and control groups. The mean RR intervals significantly increased, while LF% and LF/HF significantly decreased in the patient group in the sitting position. Moreover, mean RR intervals, LF, and LF/HF, which were significantly different between the two positions in the control group, did not show a significant change with the posture change in the patient group. Conclusion. These suggest that patients with allergic rhinitis may have poor sympathetic modulation in the sitting position. Autonomic dysfunction may therefore play a role in the pathophysiology of allergic rhinitis.

  19. Relativistic runaway breakdown in low-frequency radio

    Science.gov (United States)

    Füllekrug, Martin; Roussel-Dupré, Robert; Symbalisty, Eugene M. D.; Chanrion, Olivier; Odzimek, Anna; van der Velde, Oscar; Neubert, Torsten

    2010-01-01

    The electromagnetic radiation emitted by an electron avalanche beam resulting from relativistic runaway breakdown within the Earth's atmosphere is investigated. It is found from theoretical modeling with a computer simulation that the electron beam emits electromagnetic radiation which is characterized by consecutive broadband pulses in the low-frequency radio range from ˜10 to 300 kHz at a distance of ˜800 km. Experimental evidence for the existence of consecutive broadband pulses is provided by low-frequency radio observations of sprite-producing lightning discharges at a distance of ˜550 km. The measured broadband pulses occur ˜4-9 ms after the sprite-producing lightning discharge, they exhibit electromagnetic radiation which mainly spans the frequency range from ˜50 to 350 kHz, and they exhibit complex waveforms without the typical ionospheric reflection of the first hop sky wave. Two consecutive pulses occur ˜4.5 ms and ˜3 ms after the causative lightning discharge and coincide with the sprite luminosity. It is concluded that relativistic runaway breakdown within the Earth's atmosphere can emit broadband electromagnetic pulses and possibly generates sprites. The source location of the broadband pulses can be determined with an interferometric network of wideband low-frequency radio receivers to lend further experimental support to the relativistic runaway breakdown theory.

  20. Low-Loss Ferrite Components for NASA Missions, Phase I

    Data.gov (United States)

    National Aeronautics and Space Administration — Ferrite based isolators and circulators have been successfully demonstrated at microwave, millimeter-wave and submillimeter-wave frequencies. These components are...

  1. Impact-driven, frequency up-converting coupled vibration energy harvesting device for low frequency operation

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Gu, Lei; Livermore, Carol

    2011-01-01

    This paper presents experiments and models of an energy harvesting device in which a low frequency resonator impacts a high frequency energy harvesting resonator, resulting in energy harvesting predominantly at the system's coupled vibration frequency. Analysis shows that a reduced mechanical damping ratio during coupled vibration enables increased electrical power generation as compared with conventional technology. Experiments demonstrate that the efficiency of electrical power transfer is significantly improved with the coupled vibration approach. An average power output of 0.43 mW is achieved under 0.4g acceleration at 8.2 Hz, corresponding to a power density of 25.5 µW cm −3 . The measured power and power density at the resonant frequency are respectively 4.8 times and 13 times the measured peak values for a conventional harvester created from a low frequency beam alone

  2. Probabilistic analysis and fatigue damage assessment of offshore mooring system due to non-Gaussian bimodal tension processes

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chang, Anteng; Li, Huajun; Wang, Shuqing; Du, Junfeng

    2017-08-01

    Both wave-frequency (WF) and low-frequency (LF) components of mooring tension are in principle non-Gaussian due to nonlinearities in the dynamic system. This paper conducts a comprehensive investigation of applicable probability density functions (PDFs) of mooring tension amplitudes used to assess mooring-line fatigue damage via the spectral method. Short-term statistical characteristics of mooring-line tension responses are firstly investigated, in which the discrepancy arising from Gaussian approximation is revealed by comparing kurtosis and skewness coefficients. Several distribution functions based on present analytical spectral methods are selected to express the statistical distribution of the mooring-line tension amplitudes. Results indicate that the Gamma-type distribution and a linear combination of Dirlik and Tovo-Benasciutti formulas are suitable for separate WF and LF mooring tension components. A novel parametric method based on nonlinear transformations and stochastic optimization is then proposed to increase the effectiveness of mooring-line fatigue assessment due to non-Gaussian bimodal tension responses. Using time domain simulation as a benchmark, its accuracy is further validated using a numerical case study of a moored semi-submersible platform.

  3. Time-variant coherence between heart rate variability and EEG activity in epileptic patients: an advanced coupling analysis between physiological networks

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Piper, D; Schiecke, K; Pester, B; Witte, H; Benninger, F; Feucht, M

    2014-01-01

    Time-variant coherence analysis between the heart rate variability (HRV) and the channel-related envelopes of adaptively selected EEG components was used as an indicator for the occurrence of (correlative) couplings between the central autonomic network (CAN) and the epileptic network before, during and after epileptic seizures. Two groups of patients were investigated, a group with left and a group with right hemispheric temporal lobe epilepsy. The individual EEG components were extracted by a signal-adaptive approach, the multivariate empirical mode decomposition, and the envelopes of each resulting intrinsic mode function (IMF) were computed by using Hilbert transform. Two IMFs, whose envelopes were strongly correlated with the HRV’s low-frequency oscillation (HRV-LF; ≈0.1 Hz) before and after the seizure were identified. The frequency ranges of these IMFs correspond to the EEG delta-band. The time-variant coherence was statistically quantified and tensor decomposition of the time-frequency coherence maps was applied to explore the topography-time-frequency characteristics of the coherence analysis. Results allow the hypothesis that couplings between the CAN, which controls the cardiovascular-cardiorespiratory system, and the ‘epileptic neural network’ exist. Additionally, our results confirm the hypothesis of a right hemispheric lateralization of sympathetic cardiac control of the HRV-LF. (paper)

  4. Electromagnetic waves with frequencies near the local proton gyrofrequency: ISEE-3 1 AU observations

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tsurutani, Bruce T.; Arballo, John K.; Mok, John; Smith, Edward J.; Mason, Glenn M.; Tan, Lun C.

    1994-01-01

    Low Frequency (LF) electromagnetic waves with periods near the local proton gyrofrequency have been detected in interplanetary space by the magnetometer onboard International-Sun-Earth-Explorer-3 (ISEE-3). Transverse peak-to-peak amplitudes as large as delta vector B/absolute value of B approximately 0.4 have been noted with compressional components (Delta absolute value of B/absolute value of B) typically less than or = 0.1. Generally, the waves have even smaller amplitudes, or are not detectable within the solar wind turbulence. The waves are elliptically/linearly polarized and are often, but not always, found to propagate nearly along vector B(sub zero). Both right- and left-hand polarizations in the spacecraft-frame have been detected. The waves are observed during all orientations of the interplanetary magnetic field, with the Parker spiral orientation being the most common case. Because the waves are detected at and near the local proton cyclotron frequency, the generation mechanism must almost certainly be solar wind pickup of freshly created hydrogen ions. Possible sources for the hydrogen are the Earth's atmosphere, coronal mass ejections from the Sun, comets and interstellar neutral atoms. At this time it is not obvious which potential source is the correct one. Statistical tests employing over one year of ISEE-3 data will be done in the near future to eliminate/confirm some of these possibilities.

  5. Bendable, low-loss Topas fibers for the terahertz frequency range

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Nielsen, Kristian; Rasmussen, Henrik K.; Adam, Aurèle J.L.

    2009-01-01

    structure proves that the fiber is single-moded over a wide frequency range, and we see the onset of higher-order modes at high frequencies as well as indication of microporous guiding at low frequencies and high porosity of the fiber. Transmission spectroscopy demonstrates low-loss propagation (

  6. A lightweight low-frequency sound insulation membrane-type acoustic metamaterial

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Kuan Lu

    2016-02-01

    Full Text Available A novel membrane-type acoustic metamaterial with a high sound transmission loss (STL at low frequencies (⩽500Hz was designed and the mechanisms were investigated by using negative mass density theory. This metamaterial’s structure is like a sandwich with a thin (thickness=0.25mm lightweight flexible rubber material within two layers of honeycomb cell plates. Negative mass density was demonstrated at frequencies below the first natural frequency, which results in the excellent low-frequency sound insulation. The effects of different structural parameters of the membrane on the sound-proofed performance at low frequencies were investigated by using finite element method (FEM. The numerical results show that, the STL can be modulated to higher value by changing the structural parameters, such as the membrane surface density, the unite cell film shape, and the membrane tension. The acoustic metamaterial proposed in this study could provide a potential application in the low-frequency noise insulation.

  7. A lightweight low-frequency sound insulation membrane-type acoustic metamaterial

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lu, Kuan; Wu, Jiu Hui; Guan, Dong; Gao, Nansha; Jing, Li

    2016-02-01

    A novel membrane-type acoustic metamaterial with a high sound transmission loss (STL) at low frequencies (⩽500Hz) was designed and the mechanisms were investigated by using negative mass density theory. This metamaterial's structure is like a sandwich with a thin (thickness=0.25mm) lightweight flexible rubber material within two layers of honeycomb cell plates. Negative mass density was demonstrated at frequencies below the first natural frequency, which results in the excellent low-frequency sound insulation. The effects of different structural parameters of the membrane on the sound-proofed performance at low frequencies were investigated by using finite element method (FEM). The numerical results show that, the STL can be modulated to higher value by changing the structural parameters, such as the membrane surface density, the unite cell film shape, and the membrane tension. The acoustic metamaterial proposed in this study could provide a potential application in the low-frequency noise insulation.

  8. Assessment of Crack Detection in Heavy-Walled Cast Stainless Steel Piping Welds Using Advanced Low-Frequency Ultrasonic Methods

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Anderson, Michael T.; Crawford, Susan L.; Cumblidge, Stephen E.; Denslow, Kayte M.; Diaz, Aaron A.; Doctor, Steven R.

    2007-03-01

    Studies conducted at the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory in Richland, Washington, have focused on assessing the effectiveness and reliability of novel approaches to nondestructive examination (NDE) for inspecting coarse-grained, cast stainless steel reactor components. The primary objective of this work is to provide information to the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission on the effectiveness and reliability of advanced NDE methods as related to the inservice inspection of safety-related components in pressurized water reactors (PWRs). This report provides progress, recent developments, and results from an assessment of low frequency ultrasonic testing (UT) for detection of inside surface-breaking cracks in cast stainless steel reactor piping weldments as applied from the outside surface of the components. Vintage centrifugally cast stainless steel piping segments were examined to assess the capability of low-frequency UT to adequately penetrate challenging microstructures and determine acoustic propagation limitations or conditions that may interfere with reliable flaw detection. In addition, welded specimens containing mechanical and thermal fatigue cracks were examined. The specimens were fabricated using vintage centrifugally cast and statically cast stainless steel materials, which are typical of configurations installed in PWR primary coolant circuits. Ultrasonic studies on the vintage centrifugally cast stainless steel piping segments were conducted with a 400-kHz synthetic aperture focusing technique and phased array technology applied at 500 kHz, 750 kHz, and 1.0 MHz. Flaw detection and characterization on the welded specimens was performed with the phased array method operating at the frequencies stated above. This report documents the methodologies used and provides results from laboratory studies to assess baseline material noise, crack detection, and length-sizing capability for low-frequency UT in cast stainless steel piping.

  9. Characterization and comprehension of corona partial discharge in air under power frequency to very low frequency voltage

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yuanxiang, ZHOU; Zhongliu, ZHOU; Ling, ZHANG; Yunxiao, ZHANG; Yajun, MO; Jiantao, SUN

    2018-05-01

    For the partial discharge test of electrical equipment with large capacitance, the use of low-frequency voltage instead of power frequency voltage can effectively reduce the capacity requirements of test power supply. However, the validity of PD test under low frequency voltage needs to be evaluated. In order to investigate the influence of voltage frequency on corona discharge in the air, the discharge test of the tip-plate electrode under the frequency from 50 to 0.1 Hz is carried out based on the impulse current method. The results show that some of the main features of corona under low frequency do not change. The magnitude of discharge in a positive half cycle is obviously larger than that in a negative cycle. The magnitude of discharge and interval in positive cycle are random, while that in negative cycle are regular. With the decrease of frequency, the inception voltage increases. The variation trend of maximum and average magnitude and repetition rate of the discharge in positive and negative half cycle with the variation of voltage frequency and magnitude is demonstrated, with discussion and interpretation from the aspects of space charge transportation, effective discharge time and transition of discharge modes. There is an obvious difference in the phase resolved pattern of partial discharge and characteristic parameters of discharge patterns between power and low frequency. The experimental results can be the reference for mode identification of partial discharge under low frequency tests. The trend of the measured parameters with the variation of frequency provides more information about the insulation defect than traditional measurements under a single frequency (usually 50 Hz). Also it helps to understand the mechanism of corona discharge with an explanation of the characteristics under different frequencies.

  10. P1-14: Relationship between Colorfulness Adaptation and Spatial Frequency Components in Natural Image

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Shun Sakaibara

    2012-10-01

    Full Text Available We previously found the effect of colorfulness-adaptation in natural images. It was observed to be stronger in natural images than unnatural images, suggesting the influence of naturalness on the adaptation. However, what characteristics of images and what levels of visual system were involved were not examined enough. This research investigates whether the effect of colorfulness-adaptation is associated with spatial frequency components in natural images. If adaptation was a mechanism in early cortical level, the effect would be strong for adaptation and test images sharing similar spatial frequency components. In the experiment, we examined how the colorfulness impression of a test image changed following adaptation images with different levels of saturation. We selected several types of natural image from a standard image database for test and adaptation images. We also processed them to make shuffled images with spatial frequency component differed from the originals and phase-scrambled images with the component similar to the originals, for both adaptation and test images. Observers evaluated whether a test image was colorful or faded. Results show that the colorfulness perception of the test images was influenced by the saturation of the adaptation images. The effect was the strongest for the combination of natural (original adaptation and natural test images regardless of image types. The effect for the combination of phase-scrambled images was weaker than those of original images and stronger than those of shuffled images. They suggest that not only the spatial frequency components of an image but also the recognition of images would contribute to colorfulness-adaptation.

  11. Low-frequency electrostatic dust-modes in a non-uniform

    Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

    A self-consistent and general description of obliquely propagating low-frequency electrostatic dust-modes in a non-uniform magnetized dusty plasma system has been presented. A number of different situations, which correspond to different low-frequency electrostatic dust-modes, namely, dust-acoustic mode, dust-drift ...

  12. Low-frequency repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) affects event-related potential measures of novelty processing in autism.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sokhadze, Estate; Baruth, Joshua; Tasman, Allan; Mansoor, Mehreen; Ramaswamy, Rajesh; Sears, Lonnie; Mathai, Grace; El-Baz, Ayman; Casanova, Manuel F

    2010-06-01

    In our previous study on individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) (Sokhadze et al., Appl Psychophysiol Biofeedback 34:37-51, 2009a) we reported abnormalities in the attention-orienting frontal event-related potentials (ERP) and the sustained-attention centro-parietal ERPs in a visual oddball experiment. These results suggest that individuals with autism over-process information needed for the successful differentiation of target and novel stimuli. In the present study we examine the effects of low-frequency, repetitive Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (rTMS) on novelty processing as well as behavior and social functioning in 13 individuals with ASD. Our hypothesis was that low-frequency rTMS application to dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLFPC) would result in an alteration of the cortical excitatory/inhibitory balance through the activation of inhibitory GABAergic double bouquet interneurons. We expected to find post-TMS differences in amplitude and latency of early and late ERP components. The results of our current study validate the use of low-frequency rTMS as a modulatory tool that altered the disrupted ratio of cortical excitation to inhibition in autism. After rTMS the parieto-occipital P50 amplitude decreased to novel distracters but not to targets; also the amplitude and latency to targets increased for the frontal P50 while decreasing to non-target stimuli. Low-frequency rTMS minimized early cortical responses to irrelevant stimuli and increased responses to relevant stimuli. Improved selectivity in early cortical responses lead to better stimulus differentiation at later-stage responses as was made evident by our P3b and P3a component findings. These results indicate a significant change in early, middle-latency and late ERP components at the frontal, centro-parietal, and parieto-occipital regions of interest in response to target and distracter stimuli as a result of rTMS treatment. Overall, our preliminary results show that rTMS may prove to

  13. Low frequency astronomy - the challenge in a crowded RFI environment

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Bentum, Marinus Jan; Boonstra, Albert Jan

    2011-01-01

    Low frequency radio astronomy is a hot topic at the moment. Many large arrays of antennas are built to facilitate the astronomical research on low frequencies. Building an instrument for the frequency band below 30 MHz on Earth will run into some problems. One of the issues is the instable and

  14. Transient eddy feedback and low-frequency variability

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Robinson, W.A.

    1994-01-01

    Superposed on any externally driven secular climatic change are fluctuations that arise from the internal nonlinear dynamics of the climate system. These internally generated variations may involve interactions between the atmosphere and the ocean, as in the case of El Nino, or they may arise from the dynamics of the atmosphere alone. Here we discuss the dynamics of interactions between transient eddies and lower-frequency motions in the atmosphere. The interactions between more transient and more persistent motions can be divided into two types. Nonlinear interactions among the transient motions can act as an essentially random source of low-frequency motion. The idea that the low-frequencies respond in a linear way to stochastic forcing from higher frequencies has been applied to the generation of planetary waves and to the forcing of changes in global angular momentum. In addition to stochastic coupling, there are systematic interactions, denoted feedbacks, through which the persistent motions modulate their own forcing by the transient eddies. This paper discusses the dynamics of these feedbacks

  15. Climate Informed Low Flow Frequency Analysis Using Nonstationary Modeling

    Science.gov (United States)

    Liu, D.; Guo, S.; Lian, Y.

    2014-12-01

    Stationarity is often assumed for frequency analysis of low flows in water resources management and planning. However, many studies have shown that flow characteristics, particularly the frequency spectrum of extreme hydrologic events,were modified by climate change and human activities and the conventional frequency analysis without considering the non-stationary characteristics may lead to costly design. The analysis presented in this paper was based on the more than 100 years of daily flow data from the Yichang gaging station 44 kilometers downstream of the Three Gorges Dam. The Mann-Kendall trend test under the scaling hypothesis showed that the annual low flows had significant monotonic trend, whereas an abrupt change point was identified in 1936 by the Pettitt test. The climate informed low flow frequency analysis and the divided and combined method are employed to account for the impacts from related climate variables and the nonstationarities in annual low flows. Without prior knowledge of the probability density function for the gaging station, six distribution functions including the Generalized Extreme Values (GEV), Pearson Type III, Gumbel, Gamma, Lognormal, and Weibull distributions have been tested to find the best fit, in which the local likelihood method is used to estimate the parameters. Analyses show that GEV had the best fit for the observed low flows. This study has also shown that the climate informed low flow frequency analysis is able to exploit the link between climate indices and low flows, which would account for the dynamic feature for reservoir management and provide more accurate and reliable designs for infrastructure and water supply.

  16. A study of twenty-one cases of low-frequency noise complaints

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Pedersen, Christian Sejer; Møller, Henrik; Persson-Waye, Kerstin

    2008-01-01

    -frequency tinnitus. Noise recordings were made in the homes of the complainants, and the complainants were exposed to these in blind test listening experiments. Furthermore, the low-frequency hearing function of the complainants was investigated, and characteristics of the annoying sound was matched. The results...... showed that some of the complainants are annoyed by a physical sound (20-180 Hz), while others suffer from low-frequency tinnitus (perceived frequency 40-100 Hz). Physical sound at frequencies below 20 Hz (infrasound) is not responsible for the annoyance - or at all audible - in any of the investigated...... cases, and none of the complainants has extraordinary hearing sensitivity at low frequencies. For comparable cases of low-frequency noise complaints in general, it is anticipated that physical sound is responsible in a substantial part of the cases, while lowfrequency tinnitus is responsible in another...

  17. Vibro-Shock Dynamics Analysis of a Tandem Low Frequency Resonator—High Frequency Piezoelectric Energy Harvester

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Darius Žižys

    2017-04-01

    Full Text Available Frequency up-conversion is a promising technique for energy harvesting in low frequency environments. In this approach, abundantly available environmental motion energy is absorbed by a Low Frequency Resonator (LFR which transfers it to a high frequency Piezoelectric Vibration Energy Harvester (PVEH via impact or magnetic coupling. As a result, a decaying alternating output signal is produced, that can later be collected using a battery or be transferred directly to the electric load. The paper reports an impact-coupled frequency up-converting tandem setup with different LFR to PVEH natural frequency ratios and varying contact point location along the length of the harvester. RMS power output of different frequency up-converting tandems with optimal resistive values was found from the transient analysis revealing a strong relation between power output and LFR-PVEH natural frequency ratio as well as impact point location. Simulations revealed that higher power output is obtained from a higher natural frequency ratio between LFR and PVEH, an increase of power output by one order of magnitude for a doubled natural frequency ratio and up to 150% difference in power output from different impact point locations. The theoretical results were experimentally verified.

  18. Extreme Low Frequency Acoustic Measurement System

    Science.gov (United States)

    Shams, Qamar A. (Inventor); Zuckerwar, Allan J. (Inventor)

    2017-01-01

    The present invention is an extremely low frequency (ELF) microphone and acoustic measurement system capable of infrasound detection in a portable and easily deployable form factor. In one embodiment of the invention, an extremely low frequency electret microphone comprises a membrane, a backplate, and a backchamber. The backchamber is sealed to allow substantially no air exchange between the backchamber and outside the microphone. Compliance of the membrane may be less than ambient air compliance. The backplate may define a plurality of holes and a slot may be defined between an outer diameter of the backplate and an inner wall of the microphone. The locations and sizes of the holes, the size of the slot, and the volume of the backchamber may be selected such that membrane motion is substantially critically damped.

  19. Gender Identification Using High-Frequency Speech Energy: Effects of Increasing the Low-Frequency Limit.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Donai, Jeremy J; Halbritter, Rachel M

    The purpose of this study was to investigate the ability of normal-hearing listeners to use high-frequency energy for gender identification from naturally produced speech signals. Two experiments were conducted using a repeated-measures design. Experiment 1 investigated the effects of increasing high-pass filter cutoff (i.e., increasing the low-frequency spectral limit) on gender identification from naturally produced vowel segments. Experiment 2 studied the effects of increasing high-pass filter cutoff on gender identification from naturally produced sentences. Confidence ratings for the gender identification task were also obtained for both experiments. Listeners in experiment 1 were capable of extracting talker gender information at levels significantly above chance from vowel segments high-pass filtered up to 8.5 kHz. Listeners in experiment 2 also performed above chance on the gender identification task from sentences high-pass filtered up to 12 kHz. Cumulatively, the results of both experiments provide evidence that normal-hearing listeners can utilize information from the very high-frequency region (above 4 to 5 kHz) of the speech signal for talker gender identification. These findings are at variance with current assumptions regarding the perceptual information regarding talker gender within this frequency region. The current results also corroborate and extend previous studies of the use of high-frequency speech energy for perceptual tasks. These findings have potential implications for the study of information contained within the high-frequency region of the speech spectrum and the role this region may play in navigating the auditory scene, particularly when the low-frequency portion of the spectrum is masked by environmental noise sources or for listeners with substantial hearing loss in the low-frequency region and better hearing sensitivity in the high-frequency region (i.e., reverse slope hearing loss).

  20. Low frequency oscillatory flow in a rotating curved pipe

    Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

    陈华军; 章本照; 苏霄燕

    2003-01-01

    The low frequency oscillatory flow in a rotating curved pipe was studied by using the method of bi-parameter perturbation. Perturbation solutions up to the second order were obtained and the effects of rotationon the low frequency oscillatory flow were examined in detail, The results indicated that there exists evident difference between the low frequency oscillatory flow in a rotating curved pipe and in a curved pipe without ro-tation. During a period, four secondary vortexes may exist on the circular cross-section and the distribution of axial velocity and wall shear stress are related to the ratio of the Coriolis foree to centrifugal foree and the axial pressure gradient.

  1. Low frequency oscillatory flow in a rotating curved pipe

    Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

    陈华军; 章本照; 苏霄燕

    2003-01-01

    The low frequency oscillatory flow in a rotating curved pipe was studied by using the method of bi-parameter perturbation. Perturbation solutions up to the second order were obtained and the effects of rotation on the low frequency oscillatory flow were examined in detail. The results indicated that there exists evident difference between the low frequency oscillatory flow in a rotating curved pipe and in a curved pipe without rotation. During a period, four secondary vortexes may exist on the circular cross-section and the distribution of axial velocity and wall shear stress are related to the ratio of the Coriolis force to centrifugal force and the axial pressure gradient.

  2. Etching characteristics and application of physical-vapor-deposited amorphous carbon for multilevel resist

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kim, H. T.; Kwon, B. S.; Lee, N.-E.; Park, Y. S.; Cho, H. J.; Hong, B.

    2008-01-01

    For the fabrication of a multilevel resist (MLR) based on a very thin, physical-vapor-deposited (PVD) amorphous carbon (a-C) layer, the etching characteristics of the PVD a-C layer with a SiO x hard mask were investigated in a dual-frequency superimposed capacitively coupled plasma etcher by varying the following process parameters in O 2 /N 2 /Ar plasmas: high-frequency/low-frequency combination (f HF /f LF ), HF/LF power ratio (P HF /P LF ), and O 2 and N 2 flow rates. The very thin nature of the a-C layer helps to keep the aspect ratio of the etched features low. The etch rate of the PVD a-C layer increased with decreasing f HF /f LF combination and increasing P LF and was initially increased but then decreased with increasing N 2 flow rate in O 2 /N 2 /Ar plasmas. The application of a 30 nm PVD a-C layer in the MLR structure of ArF PR/BARC/SiO x /PVD a-C/TEOS oxide supported the possibility of using a very thin PVD a-C layer as an etch-mask layer for the TEOS-oxide layer

  3. Measuring low-frequency noise indoors

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Pedersen, Steffen; Møller, Henrik; Persson-Waye, Kerstin

    2008-01-01

    that is exceeded in 10% of the volume of a room (L10) is proposed as a rational and objective target for a measurement method. In Sweden and Denmark rules exist for measuring low-frequency noise indoors. The performance of these procedures was investigated in three rooms. The results from the Swedish method were...

  4. Quantitative estimation of diphtheria and tetanus toxoids. 4. Toxoids as international reference materials defining Lf-units for diphtheria and tetanus toxoids.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lyng, J

    1990-01-01

    The Lf-unit, which is used in the control of diphtheria and tetanus toxoid production and in some countries also to follow immunization of horses for production of antitoxins, has hitherto been defined by means of antitoxin preparations. A diphtheria toxoid and a tetanus toxoid preparation, both freeze-dried, were examined in an international collaborative study for their suitability to serve as reference reagents in the flocculation tests and for defining the Lf-units. It was shown that flocculation tests using the reference toxoids are very reproducible and reliable and the WHO Expert Committee on Biological Standardization established: the toxoid called DIFT as the International Reference Reagent of Diphtheria Toxoid for Flocculation Test with a defined content of 900 Lf-units of diphtheria toxoid per ampoule; and the toxoid called TEFT as the International Reference Reagent of Tetanus Toxoid for Flocculation Test with a defined content of 1000 Lf-units of diphtheria toxoid per ampoule.

  5. Comparison of pulse characteristic of low frequency ultrasonic probes for concrete application

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Amry Amin Abas; Suhairy Sani; Muhammad Pauzi Ismail

    2006-01-01

    Ultrasonic testing of concrete or large volume of composites usually is done in low frequency range. To obtain low frequency pulse, a low frequency pulser/receiver is used attached to a low frequency probe as transmitter/receiver. Concrete is highly attenuative and a high energy pulse is essential to ensure good penetration of test samples. High energy pulse can be obtained by producing low frequency ultrasonic waves.To achieve high penetration in concrete, a low frequency probe is fabricated with the centre frequency lying at around 100 kHz. The probe is fabricated with single crystal of 18 mm thickness without any backing material to obtain wider pulse and higher pulse power. Then, comparison of pulse characteristic is done between the fabricated probe and a commercially available probe to determine the quality of the probe fabricated. (Author)

  6. Support Vector Machine Classification of Drunk Driving Behaviour.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chen, Huiqin; Chen, Lei

    2017-01-23

    Alcohol is the root cause of numerous traffic accidents due to its pharmacological action on the human central nervous system. This study conducted a detection process to distinguish drunk driving from normal driving under simulated driving conditions. The classification was performed by a support vector machine (SVM) classifier trained to distinguish between these two classes by integrating both driving performance and physiological measurements. In addition, principal component analysis was conducted to rank the weights of the features. The standard deviation of R-R intervals (SDNN), the root mean square value of the difference of the adjacent R-R interval series (RMSSD), low frequency (LF), high frequency (HF), the ratio of the low and high frequencies (LF/HF), and average blink duration were the highest weighted features in the study. The results show that SVM classification can successfully distinguish drunk driving from normal driving with an accuracy of 70%. The driving performance data and the physiological measurements reported by this paper combined with air-alcohol concentration could be integrated using the support vector regression classification method to establish a better early warning model, thereby improving vehicle safety.

  7. Support Vector Machine Classification of Drunk Driving Behaviour

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Huiqin Chen

    2017-01-01

    Full Text Available Alcohol is the root cause of numerous traffic accidents due to its pharmacological action on the human central nervous system. This study conducted a detection process to distinguish drunk driving from normal driving under simulated driving conditions. The classification was performed by a support vector machine (SVM classifier trained to distinguish between these two classes by integrating both driving performance and physiological measurements. In addition, principal component analysis was conducted to rank the weights of the features. The standard deviation of R–R intervals (SDNN, the root mean square value of the difference of the adjacent R–R interval series (RMSSD, low frequency (LF, high frequency (HF, the ratio of the low and high frequencies (LF/HF, and average blink duration were the highest weighted features in the study. The results show that SVM classification can successfully distinguish drunk driving from normal driving with an accuracy of 70%. The driving performance data and the physiological measurements reported by this paper combined with air-alcohol concentration could be integrated using the support vector regression classification method to establish a better early warning model, thereby improving vehicle safety.

  8. Frequency pulling in a low-voltage medium-power gyrotron

    Science.gov (United States)

    Luo, Li; Du, Chao-Hai; Huang, Ming-Guang; Liu, Pu-Kun

    2018-04-01

    Many recent biomedical applications use medium-power frequency-tunable terahertz (THz) sources, such as sensitivity-enhanced nuclear magnetic resonance, THz imaging, and biomedical treatment. As a promising candidate, a low-voltage gyrotron can generate watt-level, continuous THz-wave radiation. In particular, the frequency-pulling effect in a gyrotron, namely, the effect of the electron beam parameters on the oscillation frequency, can be used to tune the operating frequency. Most previous investigations used complicated and time-consuming gyrotron nonlinear theory to study the influence of many beam parameters on the interaction performance. While gyrotron linear theory investigation demonstrates the advantages of rapidly and clearly revealing the physical influence of individual key beam parameters on the overall system performance, this paper demonstrates systematically the use of gyrotron linear theory to study the frequency-pulling effect in a low-voltage gyrotron with either a Gaussian or a sinusoidal axial-field profile. Furthermore, simulations of a gyrotron operating in the first axial mode are carried out in the framework of nonlinear theory as a contrast. Close agreement is achieved between the two theories. Besides, some interesting results are obtained. In a low-current sinusoidal-profile cavity, the ranges of frequency variation for different axial modes are isolated from each other, and the frequency tuning bandwidth for each axial mode increases by increasing either the beam voltage or pitch factor. Lowering the voltage, the total tuning ranges are squeezed and become concentrated. However, the isolated frequency regions of each axial mode cannot be linked up unless the beam current is increased, meaning that higher current operation is the key to achieving a wider and continuous tuning frequency range. The results presented in this paper can provide a reference for designing a broadband low-voltage gyrotron.

  9. [Health-related quality of life assessment in depression after low-frequency transcranial magnetic stimulation].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Dumas, R; Boyer, L; Richieri, R; Guedj, E; Auquier, P; Lançon, C

    2014-02-01

    Major depressive disorder remains one of the leading causes of disability in developed countries despite pharmacological and psychological treatments. Patients with major depression have poorer health-related quality of life than persons of the general population, or patients with chronic somatic illness. Improvement of health-related quality of life in depression is thus a pertinent treatment objective. Both high-frequency repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) over the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex and low-frequency rTMS over the right dorsolateral prefrontal cortex have shown their effectiveness in medication-resistant depression. However, the Health-related Quality of Life questionnaire remains under-utilized to assess the effectiveness of rTMS in research or in a routine clinical setting. Our study aims to investigate in an open label trial the efficacy of low-frequency rTMS over the right dorsolateral prefrontal cortex on health-related quality of life and clinical outcomes in medication-resistant depression. In a naturalistic trial, 33 unipolar and bipolar patients with medication-resistant depression were treated with daily low-frequency rTMS over the right dorsolateral prefrontal cortex for 4 weeks. Health-related quality of life was assessed using the SF-36 questionnaire. The SF-36 is a generic, self-administered, and worldwide-used questionnaire, consisting of 36 items describing eight health dimensions: physical functioning, social functioning, role-physical problems, role-emotional problems, mental health, vitality, bodily pain, and general health. Physical component summary and mental component summary scores were then obtained. Depression severity was assessed using the 21-item self-report Beck Depression Inventory. Anxiety severity was assessed using the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory. The SF-36, the Beck Depression Inventory and the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory were assessed before and after low-frequency rTMS. The effect of r

  10. Low trans structured fat from flaxseed oil improves plasma and hepatic lipid metabolism in apo E(-/-) mice.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cho, Yun-Young; Kwon, Eun-Young; Kim, Hye-Jin; Park, Yong-Bok; Lee, Ki-Teak; Park, Taesun; Choi, Myung-Sook

    2009-07-01

    The objective of this study was to explicate the effects of feeding low trans structured fat from flaxseed oil (LF) on plasma and hepatic lipid metabolism involved in apo E(-/-) mice. The animals were fed a commercial shortening (CS), commercial low trans fat (CL) and LF diet based on AIN-76 diet (10% fat) for 12 weeks. LF supplementation exerted a significant suppression in hepatic lipid accumulation with the concomitant decrease in liver weight. The LF significantly lowered plasma total cholesterol and free fatty acid whereas it significantly increased HDL-C concentration and the HDL-C/total-C ratio compared to the CS group. Reduction of hepatic lipid levels in the LF group was related with the suppression of hepatic enzyme activities for fatty acid and triglyceride synthesis, and cholesterol regulating enzyme activity compared to the CS and CL groups. Accordingly, low trans structured fat from flaxseed oil is highly effective for improving hyperlipidemia and hepatic lipid accumulation in apo E(-/-) mice.

  11. Insulin resistance in tetraplegia but not in mid-thoracic paraplegia: is the mid-thoracic spinal cord involved in glucose regulation?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bluvshtein, V; Korczyn, A D; Pinhas, I; Vered, Y; Gelernter, I; Catz, A

    2011-05-01

    Controlled experimental human study. To assess insulin resistance (IR) in tetraplegia and paraplegia, and the role of the spinal cord (SC) in glucose regulation. Laboratory of Spinal Research, Loewenstein Rehabilitation Hospital. Glucose and insulin levels and the heart rate variation spectral components LF (low frequency), HF (high frequency) and LF/HF were studied at supine rest, head-up tilt and after a standard meal in three groups: 13 healthy subjects, 7 patients with T(4)-T(6) paraplegia and 11 patients with C(4)-C(7) tetraplegia. Glucose and insulin increased significantly after the meal in all groups (Pinsulin level tended to accompany increases in LF/HF after the meal in the tetraplegia and control groups but not in the paraplegia group. Post-prandial IR appears in C(4)-C(7) but not in T(4)-T(6) SC injury. The results of the study, combined with previously published findings, are consistent with the hypotheses that IR is related to activation of the sympathetic nervous system, and that below T(4) the mid-thoracic SC is involved in the regulation of glucose and insulin levels.

  12. Demosaicking Based on Optimization and Projection in Different Frequency Bands

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Omer OsamaA

    2008-01-01

    Full Text Available Abstract A fast and effective iterative demosaicking algorithm is described for reconstructing a full-color image from single-color filter array data. The missing color values are interpolated on the basis of optimization and projection in different frequency bands. A filter bank is used to decompose an initially interpolated image into low-frequency and high-frequency bands. In the low-frequency band, a quadratic cost function is minimized in accordance with the observation that the low-frequency components of chrominance slowly vary within an object region. In the high-frequency bands, the high-frequency components of the unknown values are projected onto the high-frequency components of the known values. Comparison of the proposed algorithm with seven state-of-the-art demosaicking algorithms showed that it outperforms all of them for 20 images on average in terms of objective quality and that it is competitive with them from the subjective quality and complexity points of view.

  13. Training-related modulations of the autonomic nervous system in endurance athletes: is female gender cardioprotective?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Fürholz, Monika; Radtke, Thomas; Roten, Laurent; Tanner, Hildegard; Wilhelm, Ilca; Schmid, Jean-Paul; Saner, Hugo; Wilhelm, Matthias

    2013-03-01

    The risk of sudden death is increased in athletes with a male predominance. Regular physical activity increases vagal tone, and may protect against exercise-induced ventricular arrhythmias. We investigated training-related modulations of the autonomic nervous system in female and male endurance athletes. Runners of a 10-mile race were invited. Of 873 applicants, 68 female and 70 male athletes were randomly selected and stratified according to their average weekly training hours in a low (≤4 h) and high (>4 h) volume training group. Analysis of heart rate variability was performed over 24 h. Spectral components (high frequency [HF] and low frequency [LF] power in normalized units) were analyzed for hourly 5 min segments and averaged for day- and nighttime. One hundred and fourteen athletes (50 % female, mean age 42 ± 7 years) were included. No significant gender difference was observed for training volume and 10-mile race time. Over the 24-h period, female athletes exhibited a higher HF and lower LF power for each hourly time-point. Female gender and endurance training hours were independent predictors of a higher HF and lower LF power. In female athletes, higher training hours were associated with a higher HF and lower LF power during nighttime. In male athletes, the same was true during daytime. In conclusion, female and male athletes showed a different circadian pattern of the training-related increase in markers of vagal tone. For a comparable amount of training volume, female athletes maintained their higher markers of vagal tone, possibly indicating a superior protection against exercise-induced ventricular arrhythmias.

  14. Simple model for low-frequency guitar function

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Christensen, Ove; Vistisen, Bo B.

    1980-01-01

    - frequency guitar function. The model predicts frequency responce of sound pressure and top plate mobility which are in close quantitative agreement with experimental responses. The absolute sound pressure level and mobility level are predicted to within a few decibels, and the equivalent piston area......The frequency response of sound pressure and top plate mobility is studied around the two first resonances of the guitar. These resonances are shown to result from a coupling between the fundamental top plate mode and the Helmholtz resonance of the cavity. A simple model is proposed for low...

  15. Low phase noise microwave extraction from femtosecond laser by frequency conversion pair and IF-domain processing.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Dai, Yitang; Cen, Qizhuang; Wang, Lei; Zhou, Yue; Yin, Feifei; Dai, Jian; Li, Jianqiang; Xu, Kun

    2015-12-14

    Extraction of a microwave component from a low-time-jitter femtosecond pulse train has been attractive for current generation of spectrally pure microwave. In order to avoid the transfer from the optical amplitude noise to microwave phase noise (AM-PM), we propose to down-convert the target component to intermediate frequency (IF) before the opto-electronic conversion. Due to the much lower carrier frequency, the AM-PM is greatly suppressed. The target is then recovered by up-conversion with the same microwave local oscillation (LO). As long as the time delay of the second LO matches that of the IF carrier, the phase noise of the LO shows no impact on the extraction process. The residual noise of the proposed extraction is analyzed in theory, which is also experimentally demonstrated as averagely around -155 dBc/Hz under offset frequency larger than 1 kHz when 10-GHz tone is extracted from a home-made femtosecond fiber laser. Large tunable extraction from 1 GHz to 10 GHz is also reported.

  16. Low frequency, ca. 40 Hz, pulse trains recorded in the humpback whale assembly in Hawaii.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Darling, James D

    2015-11-01

    During studies of humpback whale song and social sounds in Hawaii, bouts of low frequency (ca. 40 Hz) pulses were periodically recorded. One example was made near an active group of eight adults (included 22 bouts, 2-13 s long, over 90 min); another close to an adult male-female pair (12 bouts, 9-93 s long, over 22 min). The mean peak and center frequencies (39 to 40 Hz) and bandwidth (13 Hz) were similar in both, but the organization of the pulses differed. Song components, social sounds, bubble trains, or other species do not provide a ready explanation for this sound.

  17. New indices for quantification of the power spectrum of heart rate variability time series without the need of any frequency band definition

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    García-González, M A; Fernández-Chimeno, M; Benítez, A; Ramos-Castro, J; Ferrer, J; Escorihuela, R M; Parrado, E; Capdevila, L; Angulo, R; Rodríguez, F A; Iglesias, X; Bescós, R; Marina, M; Padullés, J M

    2011-01-01

    This paper presents a new family of indices for the frequency domain analysis of heart rate variability time series that do not need any frequency band definition. After proper detrending of the time series, a cumulated power spectrum is obtained and frequencies that contain a certain percentage of the power below them are identified, so median frequency, bandwidth and a measure of the power spectrum asymmetry are proposed to complement or improve the classical spectral indices as the ratio of the powers of LF and HF bands (LF/HF). In normal conditions the median frequency provides similar information as the classical indices, while the bandwidth and asymmetry can be complementary measures of the physiological state of the tested subject. The proposed indices seem to be a good choice for tracking changes in the power spectrum in exercise stress, and they can guide in the determination of frequency band limits in other animal species

  18. Low-frequency wideband vibration energy harvesting by using frequency up-conversion and quin-stable nonlinearity

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wang, Chen; Zhang, Qichang; Wang, Wei

    2017-07-01

    This work presents models and experiments of an impact-driven and frequency up-converted wideband piezoelectric-based vibration energy harvester with a quintuple-well potential induced by the combination effect of magnetic nonlinearity and mechanical piecewise-linearity. Analysis shows that the interwell motions during coupled vibration period enable to increase electrical power output in comparison to conventional frequency up-conversion technology. Besides, the quintuple-well potential with shallower potential wells could extend the harvester's operating bandwidth to lower frequencies. Experiments demonstrate our proposed approach can dramatically boost the measured power of the energy harvester as much as 35 times while its lower cut-off frequency is two times lower than that of a conventional counterpart. These results reveal our proposed approach shows promise for powering portable wireless smart devices from low-intensity, low-frequency vibration sources.

  19. Segmented frequency-domain fluorescence lifetime measurements: minimizing the effects of photobleaching within a multi-component system.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Marwani, Hadi M; Lowry, Mark; Keating, Patrick; Warner, Isiah M; Cook, Robert L

    2007-11-01

    This study introduces a newly developed frequency segmentation and recombination method for frequency-domain fluorescence lifetime measurements to address the effects of changing fractional contributions over time and minimize the effects of photobleaching within multi-component systems. Frequency segmentation and recombination experiments were evaluated using a two component system consisting of fluorescein and rhodamine B. Comparison of experimental data collected in traditional and segmented fashion with simulated data, generated using different changing fractional contributions, demonstrated the validity of the technique. Frequency segmentation and recombination was also applied to a more complex system consisting of pyrene with Suwannee River fulvic acid reference and was shown to improve recovered lifetimes and fractional intensity contributions. It was observed that photobleaching in both systems led to errors in recovered lifetimes which can complicate the interpretation of lifetime results. Results showed clear evidence that the frequency segmentation and recombination method reduced errors resulting from a changing fractional contribution in a multi-component system, and allowed photobleaching issues to be addressed by commercially available instrumentation.

  20. Time-Frequency Data Reduction for Event Related Potentials: Combining Principal Component Analysis and Matching Pursuit

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Selin Aviyente

    2010-01-01

    Full Text Available Joint time-frequency representations offer a rich representation of event related potentials (ERPs that cannot be obtained through individual time or frequency domain analysis. This representation, however, comes at the expense of increased data volume and the difficulty of interpreting the resulting representations. Therefore, methods that can reduce the large amount of time-frequency data to experimentally relevant components are essential. In this paper, we present a method that reduces the large volume of ERP time-frequency data into a few significant time-frequency parameters. The proposed method is based on applying the widely used matching pursuit (MP approach, with a Gabor dictionary, to principal components extracted from the time-frequency domain. The proposed PCA-Gabor decomposition is compared with other time-frequency data reduction methods such as the time-frequency PCA approach alone and standard matching pursuit methods using a Gabor dictionary for both simulated and biological data. The results show that the proposed PCA-Gabor approach performs better than either the PCA alone or the standard MP data reduction methods, by using the smallest amount of ERP data variance to produce the strongest statistical separation between experimental conditions.

  1. Static and low frequency electric and magnetic fields

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Thommesen, G.; Tynes, T.

    1994-01-01

    The biological effects of exposure to low frequency electric and magnetic fields are reviewed with the objective of summarizing effects directly relevant to considerations of the health and safety of exposed people. Static and low frequency electric and magnetic fields may elicit biological reactions. Whether exposure to such fields may affect human health at field strengths present in everyday or occupational life is still unsettled. There is unsufficient knowledge to establish any dose concept relevant to health risk. 196 refs., 6 tabs

  2. Analysis of respiratory mechanomyographic signals by means of the empirical mode decomposition

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Torres, A; Jane, R; Fiz, J A; Laciar, E; Galdiz, J B; Gea, J; Morera, J

    2007-01-01

    The study of the mechanomyographic (MMG) signals of respiratory muscles is a promising technique in order to evaluate the respiratory muscles effort. A critical point in MMG studies is the selection of the cut-off frequency in order to separate the low frequency (LF) component (basically due to gross movement of the muscle or of the body) and the high frequency (HF) component (related with the vibration of the muscle fibres during contraction). In this study, we propose to use the Empirical Mode Decomposition method in order to analyze the Intrinsic Mode Functions of MMG signals of the diaphragm muscle, acquired by means of a capacitive accelerometer applied on the costal wall. The method was tested on an animal model, with two incremental respiratory protocols performed by two non anesthetized mongrel dogs. The proposed EMD based method seems to be a useful tool to eliminate the low frequency component of MMG signals. The obtained correlation coefficients between respiratory and MMG parameters were higher than the ones obtained with a Wavelet multiresolution decomposition method utilized in a previous work

  3. Cumulative stress and autonomic dysregulation in a community sample.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lampert, Rachel; Tuit, Keri; Hong, Kwang-Ik; Donovan, Theresa; Lee, Forrester; Sinha, Rajita

    2016-05-01

    Whether cumulative stress, including both chronic stress and adverse life events, is associated with decreased heart rate variability (HRV), a non-invasive measure of autonomic status which predicts poor cardiovascular outcomes, is unknown. Healthy community dwelling volunteers (N = 157, mean age 29 years) participated in the Cumulative Stress/Adversity Interview (CAI), a 140-item event interview measuring cumulative adversity including major life events, life trauma, recent life events and chronic stressors, and underwent 24-h ambulatory ECG monitoring. HRV was analyzed in the frequency domain and standard deviation of NN intervals (SDNN) calculated. Initial simple regression analyses revealed that total cumulative stress score, chronic stressors and cumulative adverse life events (CALE) were all inversely associated with ultra low-frequency (ULF), very low-frequency (VLF) and low-frequency (LF) power and SDNN (all p accounting for additional appreciable variance. For VLF and LF, both total cumulative stress and chronic stress significantly contributed to the variance alone but were not longer significant after adjusting for race and health behaviors. In summary, total cumulative stress, and its components of adverse life events and chronic stress were associated with decreased cardiac autonomic function as measured by HRV. Findings suggest one potential mechanism by which stress may exert adverse effects on mortality in healthy individuals. Primary preventive strategies including stress management may prove beneficial.

  4. Low frequency electric and magnetic fields - the topic of cancer

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Thommesen, G.

    1988-01-01

    A review is made of the literature about the biological effects of low frequency electric and magnetic fields. It is still an unsettled question whether extremely low frequency magnetic fields may increase the incidence of cancer. Experimental data arise mainly from exposure to field strengths or frequencies seldom or never encountered by people. The results give no clear explanation to the increase in cancer incidence reported in epidemiological works. The spectre of possible mechanisms imply that no simple dose/effect relationship should be expected, as conflicting mechanisms may dominate at different exposure levels. There is therefore no basis at present for giving numerical value to cancer risk from exposure to low frequency electric or magnetic fields

  5. Effect of low-frequency low-intensity ultrasound with microbubbles on prostate cancer hypoxia.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hou, Rui; Xu, Yanjun; Lu, Qijie; Zhang, Yang; Hu, Bing

    2017-10-01

    Angiogenesis plays an important role in tumor growth, invasiveness, and metastasis. It is well established that prostate cancer is exposed to fluctuating oxygen tensions and both acute and chronic hypoxia exist, and these conditions can upregulate angiogenesis-associated proteins such as hypoxia-inducible factor 1 alpha and vascular endothelial growth factor A. Low-frequency low-intensity ultrasound with microbubbles can induce obvious microvessel damage in tumors, cause cell necrosis or apoptosis. However, there is no information about whether the blocking blood effect of low-frequency low-intensity ultrasound with microbubbles has an influence on hypoxia environment of prostate cancer. Therefore, we investigated the impact of different low-frequency low-intensity ultrasound with microbubbles radiation times on prostate tumors, observed the change in the hypoxia-inducible factor 1 alpha and vascular endothelial growth factor A protein levels, as well as cell proliferation, apoptosis, and tumor volume. The results indicated that as the radiation was repeated four times on each treatment day, the effects of interruption were durable, the cell proliferation was inhibited, and apoptosis was promoted, and the hypoxia-inducible factor 1 alpha and vascular endothelial growth factor A expression levels were lower in the treatment group than in the control group. When the radiation was carried out once per treatment day, the hypoxia response was stimulated, the hypoxia-inducible factor 1 alpha and vascular endothelial growth factor A expression levels were higher compared with the control group, and cell proliferation was promoted. In addition, the tumor volume increased obviously in the hypoxia-stimulated group, whereas tumors grew slowly in the hypoxia-suppressed group. The results of this work demonstrated that under the same conditions, different radiation times of low-frequency low-intensity ultrasound with microbubbles affect the hypoxia response differently, and the

  6. Charge density fluctuation of low frequency in a dusty plasma

    Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

    李芳; 吕保维; O.Havnes

    1997-01-01

    The charge density fluctuation of low frequency in a dusty plasma, which is derived from the longitudinal dielectric permittivity of the dusty plasma, has been studied by kinetic theory. The results show that the P value, which describes the relative charge density on the dust in the plasma, and the charging frequency of a dust particle Ωc, which describes the ratio of charge changing of the dust particles, determine the character of the charge density fluctuation of low frequency. For a dusty plasma of P<<1, when the charging frequency Ωc is much smaller than the dusty plasma frequency wd, there is a strong charge density fluctuation which is of character of dust acoustic eigen wave. For a dusty plasma of P>>1, when the frequency Ωc, is much larger than wd there are weaker fluctuations with a wide spectrum. The results have been applied to the ionosphere and the range of radius and density of dust particles is found, where a strong charge density fluctuation of low frequency should exist.

  7. Accurate Estimation of Low Fundamental Frequencies from Real-Valued Measurements

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Christensen, Mads Græsbøll

    2013-01-01

    In this paper, the difficult problem of estimating low fundamental frequencies from real-valued measurements is addressed. The methods commonly employed do not take the phenomena encountered in this scenario into account and thus fail to deliver accurate estimates. The reason for this is that the......In this paper, the difficult problem of estimating low fundamental frequencies from real-valued measurements is addressed. The methods commonly employed do not take the phenomena encountered in this scenario into account and thus fail to deliver accurate estimates. The reason...... for this is that they employ asymptotic approximations that are violated when the harmonics are not well-separated in frequency, something that happens when the observed signal is real-valued and the fundamental frequency is low. To mitigate this, we analyze the problem and present some exact fundamental frequency estimators...

  8. Frequency Up-Converted Low Frequency Vibration Energy Harvester Using Trampoline Effect

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ju, S; Chae, S H; Choi, Y; Jun, S; Park, S M; Lee, S; Ji, C-H; Lee, H W

    2013-01-01

    This paper presents a non-resonant vibration energy harvester based on magnetoelectric transduction mechanism and mechanical frequency up-conversion using trampoline effect. The harvester utilizes a freely movable spherical permanent magnet which bounces off the aluminum springs integrated at both ends of the cavity, achieving frequency up-conversion from low frequency input vibration. Moreover, bonding method of magnetoelectric laminate composite has been optimized to provide higher strain to piezoelectric material and thus obtain a higher output voltage. A proof-of-concept energy harvesting device has been fabricated and tested. Maximum open-circuit voltage of 11.2V has been obtained and output power of 0.57μW has been achieved for a 50kΩ load, when the fabricated energy harvester was hand-shaken

  9. Frequency Up-Converted Low Frequency Vibration Energy Harvester Using Trampoline Effect

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ju, S.; Chae, S. H.; Choi, Y.; Jun, S.; Park, S. M.; Lee, S.; Lee, H. W.; Ji, C.-H.

    2013-12-01

    This paper presents a non-resonant vibration energy harvester based on magnetoelectric transduction mechanism and mechanical frequency up-conversion using trampoline effect. The harvester utilizes a freely movable spherical permanent magnet which bounces off the aluminum springs integrated at both ends of the cavity, achieving frequency up-conversion from low frequency input vibration. Moreover, bonding method of magnetoelectric laminate composite has been optimized to provide higher strain to piezoelectric material and thus obtain a higher output voltage. A proof-of-concept energy harvesting device has been fabricated and tested. Maximum open-circuit voltage of 11.2V has been obtained and output power of 0.57μW has been achieved for a 50kΩ load, when the fabricated energy harvester was hand-shaken.

  10. Modulation of cochlear tuning by low-frequency sound

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Klis, J.F.L.; Prijs, V.F.; Latour, J.B.; Smoorenburg, G.F.

    1988-01-01

    An intense, low-frequency tone (about 30 Hz) modulates the sensitivity of the inner ear to high-frequency stimulation. This modulation is correlated with the displacement of the basilar membrane. The findings suggest that the modulation may also affect cochlear tuning. We have investigated

  11. The role of treatment timing and mode of stimulation in the treatment of primary dysmenorrhea with acupuncture: An exploratory randomised controlled trial

    Science.gov (United States)

    Dahlen, Hannah G.; Zhu, Xiaoshu; Farquhar, Cindy; Smith, Caroline A.

    2017-01-01

    Objectives We examined the effect of changing treatment timing and the use of manual, electro acupuncture on the symptoms of primary dysmenorrhea. Methods A randomised controlled trial was performed with four arms, low frequency manual acupuncture (LF-MA), high frequency manual acupuncture (HF-MA), low frequency electro acupuncture (LF-EA) and high frequency electro acupuncture (HF-EA). A manualised trial protocol was used to allow differentiation and individualized treatment over three months. A total of 74 women were randomly assigned to one of the four groups (LF-MA n = 19, HF-MA n = 18, LF-EA n = 18, HF-EA n = 19). Twelve treatments were performed over three menstrual cycles, either once per week (LF groups) or three times in the week prior to menses (HF groups). All groups received a treatment in the first 48 hours of menses. The primary outcome was the reduction in peak menstrual pain at 12 months from trial entry. Results During the treatment period and nine month follow-up all groups showed statistically significant (p 0.05). Health related quality of life increased significantly in six domains in groups having high frequency of treatment compared to two domains in low frequency groups. Manual acupuncture groups required less analgesic medication than electro-acupuncture groups (p = 0.02). HF-MA was most effective in reducing secondary menstrual symptoms compared to both–EA groups (p<0.05). Conclusion Acupuncture treatment reduced menstrual pain intensity and duration after three months of treatment and this was sustained for up to one year after trial entry. The effect of changing mode of stimulation or frequency of treatment on menstrual pain was not significant. This may be due to a lack of power. The role of acupuncture stimulation on menstrual pain needs to be investigated in appropriately powered randomised controlled trials. PMID:28700680

  12. The role of treatment timing and mode of stimulation in the treatment of primary dysmenorrhea with acupuncture: An exploratory randomised controlled trial.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Mike Armour

    Full Text Available We examined the effect of changing treatment timing and the use of manual, electro acupuncture on the symptoms of primary dysmenorrhea.A randomised controlled trial was performed with four arms, low frequency manual acupuncture (LF-MA, high frequency manual acupuncture (HF-MA, low frequency electro acupuncture (LF-EA and high frequency electro acupuncture (HF-EA. A manualised trial protocol was used to allow differentiation and individualized treatment over three months. A total of 74 women were randomly assigned to one of the four groups (LF-MA n = 19, HF-MA n = 18, LF-EA n = 18, HF-EA n = 19. Twelve treatments were performed over three menstrual cycles, either once per week (LF groups or three times in the week prior to menses (HF groups. All groups received a treatment in the first 48 hours of menses. The primary outcome was the reduction in peak menstrual pain at 12 months from trial entry.During the treatment period and nine month follow-up all groups showed statistically significant (p 0.05. Health related quality of life increased significantly in six domains in groups having high frequency of treatment compared to two domains in low frequency groups. Manual acupuncture groups required less analgesic medication than electro-acupuncture groups (p = 0.02. HF-MA was most effective in reducing secondary menstrual symptoms compared to both-EA groups (p<0.05.Acupuncture treatment reduced menstrual pain intensity and duration after three months of treatment and this was sustained for up to one year after trial entry. The effect of changing mode of stimulation or frequency of treatment on menstrual pain was not significant. This may be due to a lack of power. The role of acupuncture stimulation on menstrual pain needs to be investigated in appropriately powered randomised controlled trials.

  13. The role of treatment timing and mode of stimulation in the treatment of primary dysmenorrhea with acupuncture: An exploratory randomised controlled trial.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Armour, Mike; Dahlen, Hannah G; Zhu, Xiaoshu; Farquhar, Cindy; Smith, Caroline A

    2017-01-01

    We examined the effect of changing treatment timing and the use of manual, electro acupuncture on the symptoms of primary dysmenorrhea. A randomised controlled trial was performed with four arms, low frequency manual acupuncture (LF-MA), high frequency manual acupuncture (HF-MA), low frequency electro acupuncture (LF-EA) and high frequency electro acupuncture (HF-EA). A manualised trial protocol was used to allow differentiation and individualized treatment over three months. A total of 74 women were randomly assigned to one of the four groups (LF-MA n = 19, HF-MA n = 18, LF-EA n = 18, HF-EA n = 19). Twelve treatments were performed over three menstrual cycles, either once per week (LF groups) or three times in the week prior to menses (HF groups). All groups received a treatment in the first 48 hours of menses. The primary outcome was the reduction in peak menstrual pain at 12 months from trial entry. During the treatment period and nine month follow-up all groups showed statistically significant (p 0.05). Health related quality of life increased significantly in six domains in groups having high frequency of treatment compared to two domains in low frequency groups. Manual acupuncture groups required less analgesic medication than electro-acupuncture groups (p = 0.02). HF-MA was most effective in reducing secondary menstrual symptoms compared to both-EA groups (p<0.05). Acupuncture treatment reduced menstrual pain intensity and duration after three months of treatment and this was sustained for up to one year after trial entry. The effect of changing mode of stimulation or frequency of treatment on menstrual pain was not significant. This may be due to a lack of power. The role of acupuncture stimulation on menstrual pain needs to be investigated in appropriately powered randomised controlled trials.

  14. Lightning characteristics observed by a VLF/LF lightning detection network (LINET in Brazil, Australia, Africa and Germany

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    H. Höller

    2009-10-01

    Full Text Available This paper describes lightning characteristics as obtained in four sets of lightning measurements during recent field campaigns in different parts of the world from mid-latitudes to the tropics by the novel VLF/LF (very low frequency/low frequency lightning detection network (LINET. The paper gives a general overview on the approach, and a synopsis of the statistical results for the observation periods as a whole and for one special day in each region. The focus is on the characteristics of lightning which can specifically be observed by this system like intra-cloud and cloud-to-ground stroke statistics, vertical distributions of intra-cloud strokes or peak current distributions. Some conclusions regarding lightning produced NOx are also presented as this was one of the aims of the tropical field campaigns TROCCINOX (Tropical Convection, Cirrus and Nitrogen Oxides Experiment and TroCCiBras (Tropical Convection and Cirrus Experiment Brazil in Brazil during January/February 2005, SCOUT-O3 (Stratospheric-Climate Links with Emphasis on the Upper Troposphere and Lower Stratosphere and TWP-ICE (Tropical Warm Pool-International Cloud Experiment during November/December 2005 and January/February 2006, respectively, in the Darwin area in N-Australia, and of AMMA (African Monsoon Multidisciplinary Analyses in W-Africa during June–November 2006.

    Regional and temporal characteristics of lightning are found to be dependent on orographic effects (e.g. S-Germany, Brazil, Benin, land-sea breeze circulations (N-Australia and especially the evolution of the monsoons (Benin, N-Australia. Large intra-seasonal variability in lightning occurrence was found for the Australian monsoon between the strong convection during build-up and break phases and the weak active monsoon phase with only minor lightning activity. Total daily lightning stroke rates can be of comparable intensity in all regions with the heaviest events found in Germany and N

  15. TITAN: a computer program for accident occurrence frequency analyses by component Monte Carlo simulation

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Nomura, Yasushi [Department of Fuel Cycle Safety Research, Nuclear Safety Research Center, Tokai Research Establishment, Japan Atomic Energy Research Institute, Tokai, Ibaraki (Japan); Tamaki, Hitoshi [Department of Safety Research Technical Support, Tokai Research Establishment, Japan Atomic Energy Research Institute, Tokai, Ibaraki (Japan); Kanai, Shigeru [Fuji Research Institute Corporation, Tokyo (Japan)

    2000-04-01

    In a plant system consisting of complex equipments and components for a reprocessing facility, there might be grace time between an initiating event and a resultant serious accident, allowing operating personnel to take remedial actions, thus, terminating the ongoing accident sequence. A component Monte Carlo simulation computer program TITAN has been developed to analyze such a complex reliability model including the grace time without any difficulty to obtain an accident occurrence frequency. Firstly, basic methods for the component Monte Carlo simulation is introduced to obtain an accident occurrence frequency, and then, the basic performance such as precision, convergence, and parallelization of calculation, is shown through calculation of a prototype accident sequence model. As an example to illustrate applicability to a real scale plant model, a red oil explosion in a German reprocessing plant model is simulated to show that TITAN can give an accident occurrence frequency with relatively good accuracy. Moreover, results of uncertainty analyses by TITAN are rendered to show another performance, and a proposal is made for introducing of a new input-data format to adapt the component Monte Carlo simulation. The present paper describes the calculational method, performance, applicability to a real scale, and new proposal for the TITAN code. In the Appendixes, a conventional analytical method is shown to avoid complex and laborious calculation to obtain a strict solution of accident occurrence frequency, compared with Monte Carlo method. The user's manual and the list/structure of program are also contained in the Appendixes to facilitate TITAN computer program usage. (author)

  16. TITAN: a computer program for accident occurrence frequency analyses by component Monte Carlo simulation

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Nomura, Yasushi; Tamaki, Hitoshi; Kanai, Shigeru

    2000-04-01

    In a plant system consisting of complex equipments and components for a reprocessing facility, there might be grace time between an initiating event and a resultant serious accident, allowing operating personnel to take remedial actions, thus, terminating the ongoing accident sequence. A component Monte Carlo simulation computer program TITAN has been developed to analyze such a complex reliability model including the grace time without any difficulty to obtain an accident occurrence frequency. Firstly, basic methods for the component Monte Carlo simulation is introduced to obtain an accident occurrence frequency, and then, the basic performance such as precision, convergence, and parallelization of calculation, is shown through calculation of a prototype accident sequence model. As an example to illustrate applicability to a real scale plant model, a red oil explosion in a German reprocessing plant model is simulated to show that TITAN can give an accident occurrence frequency with relatively good accuracy. Moreover, results of uncertainty analyses by TITAN are rendered to show another performance, and a proposal is made for introducing of a new input-data format to adapt the component Monte Carlo simulation. The present paper describes the calculational method, performance, applicability to a real scale, and new proposal for the TITAN code. In the Appendixes, a conventional analytical method is shown to avoid complex and laborious calculation to obtain a strict solution of accident occurrence frequency, compared with Monte Carlo method. The user's manual and the list/structure of program are also contained in the Appendixes to facilitate TITAN computer program usage. (author)

  17. Low-frequency computational electromagnetics for antenna analysis

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Miller, E.K. (Los Alamos National Lab., NM (USA)); Burke, G.J. (Lawrence Livermore National Lab., CA (USA))

    1991-01-01

    An overview of low-frequency, computational methods for modeling the electromagnetic characteristics of antennas is presented here. The article presents a brief analytical background, and summarizes the essential ingredients of the method of moments, for numerically solving low-frequency antenna problems. Some extensions to the basic models of perfectly conducting objects in free space are also summarized, followed by a consideration of some of the same computational issues that affect model accuracy, efficiency and utility. A variety of representative computations are then presented to illustrate various modeling aspects and capabilities that are currently available. A fairly extensive bibliography is included to suggest further reference material to the reader. 90 refs., 27 figs.

  18. Sampling methods for low-frequency electromagnetic imaging

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Gebauer, Bastian; Hanke, Martin; Schneider, Christoph

    2008-01-01

    For the detection of hidden objects by low-frequency electromagnetic imaging the linear sampling method works remarkably well despite the fact that the rigorous mathematical justification is still incomplete. In this work, we give an explanation for this good performance by showing that in the low-frequency limit the measurement operator fulfils the assumptions for the fully justified variant of the linear sampling method, the so-called factorization method. We also show how the method has to be modified in the physically relevant case of electromagnetic imaging with divergence-free currents. We present numerical results to illustrate our findings, and to show that similar performance can be expected for the case of conducting objects and layered backgrounds

  19. Music Improves Subjective Feelings Leading to Cardiac Autonomic Nervous Modulation: A Pilot Study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kume, Satoshi; Nishimura, Yukako; Mizuno, Kei; Sakimoto, Nae; Hori, Hiroshi; Tamura, Yasuhisa; Yamato, Masanori; Mitsuhashi, Rika; Akiba, Keigo; Koizumi, Jun-Ichi; Watanabe, Yasuyoshi; Kataoka, Yosky

    2017-01-01

    It is widely accepted that listening to music improves subjective feelings and reduces fatigue sensations, and different kinds of music lead to different activations of these feelings. Recently, cardiac autonomic nervous modulation has been proposed as a useful objective indicator of fatigue. However, scientific considerations of the relation between feelings of fatigue and cardiac autonomic nervous modulation while listening to music are still lacking. In this study, we examined which subjective feelings of fatigue are related to participants' cardiac autonomic nervous function while they listen to music. We used an album of comfortable and relaxing environmental music, with blended sounds from a piano and violin as well as natural sound sources. We performed a crossover trial of environmental music and silent sessions for 20 healthy subjects, 12 females, and 8 males, after their daily work shift. We measured changes in eight types of subjective feelings, including healing, fatigue, sleepiness, relaxation, and refreshment, using the KOKORO scale, a subjective mood measurement system for self-reported feelings. Further, we obtained measures of cardiac autonomic nervous function on the basis of heart rate variability before and after the sessions. During the music session, subjective feelings significantly shifted toward healing and a secure/relaxed feeling and these changes were greater than those in the silent session. Heart rates (ΔHR) in the music session significantly decreased compared with those in the silent session. Other cardiac autonomic parameters such as high-frequency (HF) component and the ratio of low-frequency (LF) and HF components (LF/HF) were similar in the two sessions. In the linear regression analysis of the feelings with ΔHR and changes in LF/HF (ΔLF/HF), increases and decreases in ΔHR were correlated to the feeling axes of Fatigue-Healing and Anxiety/Tension-Security/Relaxation, whereas those in ΔLF/HF were related to the feeling axes

  20. Low-frequency 1/f noise in graphene devices

    Science.gov (United States)

    Balandin, Alexander A.

    2013-08-01

    Low-frequency noise with a spectral density that depends inversely on frequency has been observed in a wide variety of systems including current fluctuations in resistors, intensity fluctuations in music and signals in human cognition. In electronics, the phenomenon, which is known as 1/f noise, flicker noise or excess noise, hampers the operation of numerous devices and circuits, and can be a significant impediment to the development of practical applications from new materials. Graphene offers unique opportunities for studying 1/f noise because of its two-dimensional structure and widely tunable two-dimensional carrier concentration. The creation of practical graphene-based devices will also depend on our ability to understand and control the low-frequency noise in this material system. Here, the characteristic features of 1/f noise in graphene and few-layer graphene are reviewed, and the implications of such noise for the development of graphene-based electronics including high-frequency devices and sensors are examined.

  1. Low-frequency noise in planar Hall effect bridge sensors

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Persson, Anders; Bejhedb, R.S.; Bejhed, R.S.

    2011-01-01

    The low-frequency characteristics of planar Hall effect bridge sensors are investigated as function of the sensor bias current and the applied magnetic field. The noise spectra reveal a Johnson-like spectrum at high frequencies, and a 1/f-like excess noise spectrum at lower frequencies, with a kn...

  2. Effects on Performance and Work Quality due to Low Frequency Ventilation Noise

    Science.gov (United States)

    Persson Waye, K.; Rylander, R.; Benton, S.; Leventhall, H. G.

    1997-08-01

    A pilot study was carried out to assess method evaluating effects of low frequency noise on performance. Of special interest was to study objective and subjective effects over time. Two ventilation noises were used, one of a predominantly mid frequency character and the other of a predominantly low frequency character. Both had an NC value of 35. For the study, 50 students were recruited and 30 selected on the basis of subjective reports of pressure on the eardrum after exposure to a low frequency noise. Of these, 14 randomly selected subjects aged 21 and 34 took part. The subjects performed three computerized cognitive tests in the mid frequency or the low frequency noise condition alternatively. Tests I and II were performed together with a secondary task.Questionnaires were used to evaluate subjective symptoms, effects on mood and estimated interference with the test results due to temperature, light and noise. The results showed that the subjective estimations of noise interference with performance were higher for the low frequency noise (psocial orientation (pstudied. The results further indicate that the NC curves do not fully assess the negative effects of low frequency noise on work performance.

  3. Digital Filters for Low Frequency Equalization

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Tyril, Marni; Abildgaard, J.; Rubak, Per

    2001-01-01

    Digital filters with high resolution in the low-frequency range are studied. Specifically, for a given computational power, traditional IIR filters are compared with warped FIR filters, warped IIR filters, and modified warped FIR filters termed warped individual z FIR filters (WizFIR). The results...

  4. Low frequency temperature forcing of chemical oscillations.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Novak, Jan; Thompson, Barnaby W; Wilson, Mark C T; Taylor, Annette F; Britton, Melanie M

    2011-07-14

    The low frequency forcing of chemical oscillations by temperature is investigated experimentally in the Belousov-Zhabotinsky (BZ) reaction and in simulations of the Oregonator model with Arrhenius temperature dependence of the rate constants. Forcing with temperature leads to modulation of the chemical frequency. The number of response cycles per forcing cycle is given by the ratio of the natural frequency to the forcing frequency and phase locking is only observed in simulations when this ratio is a whole number and the forcing amplitude is small. The global temperature forcing of flow-distributed oscillations in a tubular reactor is also investigated and synchronisation is observed in the variation of band position with the external signal, reflecting the periodic modulation of chemical oscillations by temperature.

  5. Stimulus-dependent modulation of spontaneous low-frequency oscillations in the rat visual cortex.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Huang, Liangming; Liu, Yadong; Gui, Jianjun; Li, Ming; Hu, Dewen

    2014-08-06

    Research on spontaneous low-frequency oscillations is important to reveal underlying regulatory mechanisms in the brain. The mechanism for the stimulus modulation of low-frequency oscillations is not known. Here, we used the intrinsic optical imaging technique to examine stimulus-modulated low-frequency oscillation signals in the rat visual cortex. The stimulation was presented monocularly as a flashing light with different frequencies and intensities. The phases of low-frequency oscillations in different regions tended to be synchronized and the rhythms typically accelerated within a 30-s period after stimulation. These phenomena were confined to visual stimuli with specific flashing frequencies (12.5-17.5 Hz) and intensities (5-10 mA). The acceleration and synchronization induced by the flashing frequency were more marked than those induced by the intensity. These results show that spontaneous low-frequency oscillations can be modulated by parameter-dependent flashing lights and indicate the potential utility of the visual stimulus paradigm in exploring the origin and function of low-frequency oscillations.

  6. Flextensional fiber Bragg grating-based accelerometer for low frequency vibration measurement

    Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

    Jinghua Zhang; Xueguang Qiao; Manli Hu; Zhongyao Feng; Hong Gao; Yang Yang; Rui Zhou

    2011-01-01

    @@ The intelligent structural health monitoring method,which uses a fiber Bragg grating(FBG)sensor,is a new approach in the field of civil engineering.However,it lacks a reliable FBG-based accelerometer for taking structural low frequency vibration measurements.In this letter,a flextensional FBG-based accelerometer is proposed and demonstrated.The experimental results indicate that the natural frequency of the developed accelerometer is 16.7 Hz,with a high sensitivity of 410.7 pm/g.In addition,it has a broad and flat response over low frequencies ranging from 1 to 10 Hz.The natural frequency and sensitivity of the accelerometer can be tuned by adding mass to tailor the sensor performance to specific applications.Experimental results are presented to demonstrate the good performance of the proposed FBG-based accelerometer.These results show that the proposed accelerometer is satisfactory for low frequency vibration measurements.%The intelligent structural health monitoring method, which uses a fiber Bragg grating {FBG} sensor, ie a new approach in the field of civil engineering. However, it lacks a reliable FBG-based accelerometer for taking structural low frequency vibration measurements. In this letter, a flextensional FBG-based accelerometer is proposed and demonstrated. The experimental results indicate that the natural frequency of the developed accelerometer is 16.7 Hz, with a high sensitivity of 410.7 pm/g. In addition, it has a broad and flat response over low frequencies ranging from 1 to 10 Hz. The natural frequency and sensitivity of the accelerometer can be tuned by adding mass to tailor the sensor performance to specific applications. Experimental results are presented to demonstrate the good performance of the proposed FBG-based accelerometer. These results show that the proposed accelerometer is satisfactory for low frequency vibration measurements.

  7. The influence of oxazaphosphorines alkylating agents on autonomic nervous system activity in rat experimental cystitis model.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Dobrek, Łukasz; Baranowska, Agnieszka; Thor, Piotr J

    2013-01-01

    The oxazaphosphorines alkylating agents (cyclophosphamide; CP and ifosfamide; IF) are often used in common clinical practice. However, treatment with CP/IF is burdened with the risk of many adverse drug reactions, especially including hemorrhagic cystitis (HC) that is associated with bladder overactivity symptoms (OAB). The HC pathophysiology is still not fully displayed; it seems that autonomic nervous system (ANS) functional abnormalities play important role in this disturbance. The aim of our study was to reveal the potential ANS differences in rat experimental HC model, evoked by CP and IF by an indirect ANS assessment--heart rate variability (HRV) study. We carried out our experimental research in three essential groups: control group (group 1), cyclophosphamide-induced HC (CP-HC; group 2) one and ifosfamide-induced HC (IF-HC; group 3) one. CP was i.p. administrated four times in dose of 75 mg/kg body weight while IF-treated rats received i.p. five drug doses; 50 mg/kg body weight. Control rats were administrated i.p. vehicle in appropriate volumes as CP/IF treated animals. HRV studies were performed the next day after the last oxazaphosphorines dose. Standard time- and spectral (frequency) domain parameters were estimated. We confirmed the HC development after both CP/IF in macroscopic assessment and bladder wet weight measurement; however, it was more aggravated in CP-HC group. Moreover, we demonstrated HRV disturbances, suggesting ANS impairment after both studied oxazaphosphorines, however, consistent with the findings mentioned above, the autonomic dysfunction was more emphasized after CP. CP treatment was also associated with changes of non-normalized HRV spectral components percentage distribution--a marked very low frequency--VLF [%] increase together with low frequency--LF [%] and high frequency--HF [%] decrease were observed. Taking into consideration the next findings, demonstrating the lack of both normalized power spectral components (nLF and n

  8. Low frequency vibration tests on a floating slab track in an underground laboratory

    Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

    De-yun DING; Wei-ning LIU; Ke-fei LI; Xiao-jing SUN; Wei-feng LIU

    2011-01-01

    Low frequency vibrations induced by underground railways have attracted increasing attention in recent years. To obtain the characteristics of low frequency vibrations and the low frequency performance of a floating slab track (FST), low frequency vibration tests on an FST in an underground laboratory at Beijing Jiaotong University were carried out. The FST and an unbalanced shaker SBZ30 for dynamic simulation were designed for use in low frequency vibration experiments. Vibration measurements were performed on the bogie of the unbalanced shaker, the rail, the slab, the tunnel invert, the tunnel wall, the tunnel apex, and on the ground surface at distances varying from 0 to 80 m from the track. Measurements were also made on several floors of an adjacent building. Detailed results of low frequency vibration tests were reported. The attenuation of low frequency vibrations with the distance from the track was presented, as well as the responses of different floors of the building. The experimental results could be regarded as a reference for developing methods to control low frequency vibrations and for adopting countermeasures.

  9. Spectral Analysis Related to Bare-Metal and Drug-Eluting Coronary Stent Implantation

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Silva, Rose Mary Ferreira Lisboa da, E-mail: roselisboa@cardiol.br [Faculdade de Medicina da UFMG, Divinópolis, MG (Brazil); Silva, Carlos Augusto Bueno [Faculdade de Medicina da UFMG, Divinópolis, MG (Brazil); Belo Horizonte, Hospital São João de Deus, Divinópolis, MG (Brazil); Greco, Otaviano José [Belo Horizonte, Hospital São João de Deus, Divinópolis, MG (Brazil); Moreira, Maria da Consolação Vieira [Faculdade de Medicina da UFMG, Divinópolis, MG (Brazil)

    2014-08-15

    The autonomic nervous system plays a central role in cardiovascular regulation; sympathetic activation occurs during myocardial ischemia. To assess the spectral analysis of heart rate variability during stent implantation, comparing the types of stent. This study assessed 61 patients (mean age, 64.0 years; 35 men) with ischemic heart disease and indication for stenting. Stent implantation was performed under Holter monitoring to record the spectral analysis of heart rate variability (Fourier transform), measuring the low-frequency (LF) and high-frequency (HF) components, and the LF/HF ratio before and during the procedure. Bare-metal stent was implanted in 34 patients, while the others received drug-eluting stents. The right coronary artery was approached in 21 patients, the left anterior descending, in 28, and the circumflex, in 9. As compared with the pre-stenting period, all patients showed an increase in LF and HF during stent implantation (658 versus 185 ms2, p = 0.00; 322 versus 121, p = 0.00, respectively), with no change in LF/HF. During stent implantation, LF was 864 ms2 in patients with bare-metal stents, and 398 ms2 in those with drug-eluting stents (p = 0.00). The spectral analysis of heart rate variability showed no association with diabetes mellitus, family history, clinical presentation, beta-blockers, age, and vessel or its segment. Stent implantation resulted in concomitant sympathetic and vagal activations. Diabetes mellitus, use of beta-blockers, and the vessel approached showed no influence on the spectral analysis of heart rate variability. Sympathetic activation was lower during the implantation of drug-eluting stents.

  10. Increasing stringiness of low-fat mozzarella string cheese using polysaccharides.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Oberg, E N; Oberg, C J; Motawee, M M; Martini, S; McMahon, D J

    2015-07-01

    When fat content of pasta filata cheese is lowered, a loss of fibrous texture occurs and low-fat (LF) mozzarella cheese loses stringiness, making it unsuitable for the manufacture of string cheese. We investigated the use of various polysaccharides that could act as fat mimetics during the stretching and extruding process to aid in protein strand formation and increase stringiness. Low-fat mozzarella cheese curd was made, salted, and then 3.6-kg batches were heated in hot (80°) 5% brine, stretched, and formed into a homogeneous mass. Hot (80°C) slurries of various polysaccharides were then mixed with the hot cheese and formed into LF string cheese using a small piston-driven extruder. Polysaccharides used included waxy corn starch, waxy rice starch, instant tapioca starch, polydextrose, xanthan gum, and guar gum. Adding starch slurries increased cheese moisture content by up to 1.6% but was not effective at increasing stringiness. Xanthan gum functioned best as a fat mimetic and produced LF string cheese that most closely visually resembled commercial string cheese made using low-moisture part skim (LMPS) mozzarella cheese without any increase in moisture content. Extent of stringiness was determined by pulling apart the cheese longitudinally and observing size, length, and appearance of individual cheese strings. Hardness was determined using a modified Warner-Bratzler shear test. When LF string cheese was made using a 10% xanthan gum slurry added at ~1%, increased consumer flavor liking was observed, with scores after 2wk of storage of 6.44 and 6.24 compared with 5.89 for the LF control cheese; although this was lower than an LMPS string cheese that scored 7.27. The 2-wk-old LF string cheeses containing xanthan gum were considered still slightly too firm using a just-about-right (JAR) test, whereas the LMPS string cheese was considered as JAR for texture. With further storage up to 8wk, all of the LF string cheeses softened (JAR score was closer to 3

  11. Analysis of multifunctional piezoelectric metastructures for low-frequency bandgap formation and energy harvesting

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sugino, C.; Erturk, A.

    2018-05-01

    Vibration-based energy harvesting is a growing field for generating low-power electricity to use in wireless electronic devices, such as the sensor networks used in structural health monitoring applications. Locally resonant metastructures, which are structures that comprise locally resonant metamaterial components, enable bandgap formation at wavelengths much longer than the lattice size, for critical applications such as low-frequency vibration attenuation in flexible structures. This work aims to bridge the domains of energy harvesting and locally resonant metamaterials to form multifunctional structures that exhibit both low-power electricity generation and vibration attenuation capabilities. A fully coupled electromechanical modeling framework is developed for two characteristic systems and their modal analysis is presented. Simulations are performed to explore the vibration and electrical power frequency response maps for varying electrical load resistance, and optimal loading conditions are presented. Case studies are presented to understand the interaction of bandgap formation and energy harvesting capabilities of this new class of multifunctional energy-harvesting locally resonant metastructures. It is shown that useful energy can be harvested from locally resonant metastructures without significantly diminishing their dramatic vibration attenuation in the locally resonant bandgap. Thus, integrating energy harvesters into a locally resonant metastructure enables a new potential for multifunctional locally resonant metastructures that can host self-powered sensors.

  12. Impact of visual repetition rate on intrinsic properties of low frequency fluctuations in the visual network.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Yi-Chia Li

    Full Text Available BACKGROUND: Visual processing network is one of the functional networks which have been reliably identified to consistently exist in human resting brains. In our work, we focused on this network and investigated the intrinsic properties of low frequency (0.01-0.08 Hz fluctuations (LFFs during changes of visual stimuli. There were two main questions to be discussed in this study: intrinsic properties of LFFs regarding (1 interactions between visual stimuli and resting-state; (2 impact of repetition rate of visual stimuli. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: We analyzed scanning sessions that contained rest and visual stimuli in various repetition rates with a novel method. The method included three numerical approaches involving ICA (Independent Component Analyses, fALFF (fractional Amplitude of Low Frequency Fluctuation, and Coherence, to respectively investigate the modulations of visual network pattern, low frequency fluctuation power, and interregional functional connectivity during changes of visual stimuli. We discovered when resting-state was replaced by visual stimuli, more areas were involved in visual processing, and both stronger low frequency fluctuations and higher interregional functional connectivity occurred in visual network. With changes of visual repetition rate, the number of areas which were involved in visual processing, low frequency fluctuation power, and interregional functional connectivity in this network were also modulated. CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE: To combine the results of prior literatures and our discoveries, intrinsic properties of LFFs in visual network are altered not only by modulations of endogenous factors (eye-open or eye-closed condition; alcohol administration and disordered behaviors (early blind, but also exogenous sensory stimuli (visual stimuli with various repetition rates. It demonstrates that the intrinsic properties of LFFs are valuable to represent physiological states of human brains.

  13. Regionalisation of low flow frequency curves for the Peninsular Malaysia

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mamun, Abdullah A.; Hashim, Alias; Daoud, Jamal I.

    2010-02-01

    SUMMARYRegional maps and equations for the magnitude and frequency of 1, 7 and 30-day low flows were derived and are presented in this paper. The river gauging stations of neighbouring catchments that produced similar low flow frequency curves were grouped together. As such, the Peninsular Malaysia was divided into seven low flow regions. Regional equations were developed using the multivariate regression technique. An empirical relationship was developed for mean annual minimum flow as a function of catchment area, mean annual rainfall and mean annual evaporation. The regional equations exhibited good coefficient of determination ( R2 > 0.90). Three low flow frequency curves showing the low, mean and high limits for each region were proposed based on a graphical best-fit technique. Knowing the catchment area, mean annual rainfall and evaporation in the region, design low flows of different durations can be easily estimated for the ungauged catchments. This procedure is expected to overcome the problem of data unavailability in estimating low flows in the Peninsular Malaysia.

  14. Low frequency electrostatic modes in a magnetized dusty plasma

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Salimullah, M.; Hassan, M.H.A.

    1991-09-01

    The dispersion properties of low frequency electrostatic modes in a dusty plasma in the presence of a static homogeneous magnetic field are examined. It is found that the presence of the dust particles and the static magnetic field have significant effects on the dispersion relations. For the parallel propagation the electrostatic mode is slightly modified by the magnetic field for the ion acoustic branch. A new longitudinal mode arises at the extreme low frequency limit, which is unaffected by the magnetic field for the parallel propagation. For the transverse propagation the ion acoustic mode is not affected by the magnetic field. However, the undamped extreme low frequency mode is significantly modified by the presence of the magnetic field for the propagation transverse to the direction of the magnetic field. (author). 23 refs

  15. Radiative cooling and broadband phenomenon in low-frequency waves

    Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

    2000-01-01

    In this paper, we analyze the effects of radiative cooling on the pure baroclinic low-frequency waves under the approximation of equatorial -plane and semi-geostrophic condition. The results show that radiative cooling does not, exclusively, provide the damping effects on the development of low-frequency waves. Under the delicate radiative-convective equilibrium, radiative effects will alter the phase speed and wave period, and bring about the broadband of phase velocity and wave period by adjusting the vertical profiles of diabatic heating. when the intensity of diabatic heating is moderate and appropriate, it is conductive to the development and sustaining of the low-frequency waves and their broadband phenomena, not the larger, the better. The radiative cooling cannot be neglected in order to reach the moderate and appropriate intensity of diabatic heating.

  16. Prediction of broadband ground-motion time histories: Hybrid low/high-frequency method with correlated random source parameters

    Science.gov (United States)

    Liu, P.; Archuleta, R.J.; Hartzell, S.H.

    2006-01-01

    We present a new method for calculating broadband time histories of ground motion based on a hybrid low-frequency/high-frequency approach with correlated source parameters. Using a finite-difference method we calculate low- frequency synthetics (structure. We also compute broadband synthetics in a 1D velocity model using a frequency-wavenumber method. The low frequencies from the 3D calculation are combined with the high frequencies from the 1D calculation by using matched filtering at a crossover frequency of 1 Hz. The source description, common to both the 1D and 3D synthetics, is based on correlated random distributions for the slip amplitude, rupture velocity, and rise time on the fault. This source description allows for the specification of source parameters independent of any a priori inversion results. In our broadband modeling we include correlation between slip amplitude, rupture velocity, and rise time, as suggested by dynamic fault modeling. The method of using correlated random source parameters is flexible and can be easily modified to adjust to our changing understanding of earthquake ruptures. A realistic attenuation model is common to both the 3D and 1D calculations that form the low- and high-frequency components of the broadband synthetics. The value of Q is a function of the local shear-wave velocity. To produce more accurate high-frequency amplitudes and durations, the 1D synthetics are corrected with a randomized, frequency-dependent radiation pattern. The 1D synthetics are further corrected for local site and nonlinear soil effects by using a 1D nonlinear propagation code and generic velocity structure appropriate for the site’s National Earthquake Hazards Reduction Program (NEHRP) site classification. The entire procedure is validated by comparison with the 1994 Northridge, California, strong ground motion data set. The bias and error found here for response spectral acceleration are similar to the best results that have been published by

  17. Study of the effect of the deposition parameters on the structural, electric and optical characteristics of polymorphous silicon films prepared by low frequency PECVD

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Moreno, M., E-mail: mmoreno@inaoep.mx [Instituto Nacional de Astrofisica, Optica y Electronica, INAOE, Puebla (Mexico); Torres, A. [Instituto Nacional de Astrofisica, Optica y Electronica, INAOE, Puebla (Mexico); Ambrosio, R. [Universidad Autonoma de Ciudad Juarez, Electrical Deparment, Chihuahua (Mexico); Zuniga, C.; Torres-Rios, A.; Monfil, K.; Rosales, P.; Itzmoyotl, A. [Instituto Nacional de Astrofisica, Optica y Electronica, INAOE, Puebla (Mexico)

    2011-10-25

    In this work we present our results on the deposition and characterization of polymorphous silicon (pm-Si:H) films prepared by low frequency plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition (LF-PECVD). We have studied the effect of the plasma deposition parameters (as the chamber pressure and gas flow rates of SiH{sub 4} and H{sub 2}) on the structural, electric, and optical characteristics of the films. The temperature dependence of conductivity ({sigma}(T)), activation energy (E{sub a}), optical band gap (E{sub g}) and deposition rate (V{sub d}) were extracted for pm-Si:H films deposited at different pressure values and different gas flow rates. We observed that the chamber pressure is an important parameter that has a significant effect on the electric characteristics, and as well on the morphology of the pm-Si:H films (deduced from atomic force microscopy). It was found an optimal pressure range, in order to produce pm-Si:H films with high E{sub a} and room temperature conductivity, {sigma}{sub RT}, which are key parameters for thermal detection applications.

  18. Study of the effect of the deposition parameters on the structural, electric and optical characteristics of polymorphous silicon films prepared by low frequency PECVD

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Moreno, M.; Torres, A.; Ambrosio, R.; Zuniga, C.; Torres-Rios, A.; Monfil, K.; Rosales, P.; Itzmoyotl, A.

    2011-01-01

    In this work we present our results on the deposition and characterization of polymorphous silicon (pm-Si:H) films prepared by low frequency plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition (LF-PECVD). We have studied the effect of the plasma deposition parameters (as the chamber pressure and gas flow rates of SiH 4 and H 2 ) on the structural, electric, and optical characteristics of the films. The temperature dependence of conductivity (σ(T)), activation energy (E a ), optical band gap (E g ) and deposition rate (V d ) were extracted for pm-Si:H films deposited at different pressure values and different gas flow rates. We observed that the chamber pressure is an important parameter that has a significant effect on the electric characteristics, and as well on the morphology of the pm-Si:H films (deduced from atomic force microscopy). It was found an optimal pressure range, in order to produce pm-Si:H films with high E a and room temperature conductivity, σ RT , which are key parameters for thermal detection applications.

  19. Low-frequency radio absorption in Cassiopeia A

    Science.gov (United States)

    Arias, M.; Vink, J.; de Gasperin, F.; Salas, P.; Oonk, J. B. R.; van Weeren, R. J.; van Amesfoort, A. S.; Anderson, J.; Beck, R.; Bell, M. E.; Bentum, M. J.; Best, P.; Blaauw, R.; Breitling, F.; Broderick, J. W.; Brouw, W. N.; Brüggen, M.; Butcher, H. R.; Ciardi, B.; de Geus, E.; Deller, A.; van Dijk, P. C. G.; Duscha, S.; Eislöffel, J.; Garrett, M. A.; Grießmeier, J. M.; Gunst, A. W.; van Haarlem, M. P.; Heald, G.; Hessels, J.; Hörandel, J.; Holties, H. A.; van der Horst, A. J.; Iacobelli, M.; Juette, E.; Krankowski, A.; van Leeuwen, J.; Mann, G.; McKay-Bukowski, D.; McKean, J. P.; Mulder, H.; Nelles, A.; Orru, E.; Paas, H.; Pandey-Pommier, M.; Pandey, V. N.; Pekal, R.; Pizzo, R.; Polatidis, A. G.; Reich, W.; Röttgering, H. J. A.; Rothkaehl, H.; Schwarz, D. J.; Smirnov, O.; Soida, M.; Steinmetz, M.; Tagger, M.; Thoudam, S.; Toribio, M. C.; Vocks, C.; van der Wiel, M. H. D.; Wijers, R. A. M. J.; Wucknitz, O.; Zarka, P.; Zucca, P.

    2018-05-01

    Context. Cassiopeia A is one of the best-studied supernova remnants. Its bright radio and X-ray emission is due to shocked ejecta. Cas A is rather unique in that the unshocked ejecta can also be studied: through emission in the infrared, the radio-active decay of 44Ti, and the low-frequency free-free absorption caused by cold ionised gas, which is the topic of this paper. Aims: Free-free absorption processes are affected by the mass, geometry, temperature, and ionisation conditions in the absorbing gas. Observations at the lowest radio frequencies can constrain a combination of these properties. Methods: We used Low Frequency Array (LOFAR) Low Band Antenna observations at 30-77 MHz and Very Large Array (VLA) L-band observations at 1-2 GHz to fit for internal absorption as parametrised by the emission measure. We simultaneously fit multiple UV-matched images with a common resolution of 17″ (this corresponds to 0.25 pc for a source at the distance of Cas A). The ample frequency coverage allows us separate the relative contributions from the absorbing gas, the unabsorbed front of the shell, and the absorbed back of the shell to the emission spectrum. We explored the effects that a temperature lower than the 100-500 K proposed from infrared observations and a high degree of clumping can have on the derived physical properties of the unshocked material, such as its mass and density. We also compiled integrated radio flux density measurements, fit for the absorption processes that occur in the radio band, and considered their effect on the secular decline of the source. Results: We find a mass in the unshocked ejecta of M = 2.95 ± 0.48 M⊙ for an assumed gas temperatureof T = 100 K. This estimate is reduced for colder gas temperatures and, most significantly, if the ejecta are clumped. We measure the reverse shock to have a radius of 114″± 6″ and be centred at 23:23:26, +58:48:54 (J2000). We also find that a decrease in the amount of mass in the unshocked ejecta

  20. Faraday rotation at low frequencies: magnetoionic material of the large FRII radio galaxy PKS J0636-2036

    Science.gov (United States)

    O'Sullivan, S. P.; Lenc, E.; Anderson, C. S.; Gaensler, B. M.; Murphy, T.

    2018-04-01

    We present a low-frequency, broad-band polarization study of the FRII radio galaxy PKS J0636-2036 (z = 0.0551), using the Murchison Widefield Array (MWA) from 70 to 230 MHz. The northern and southern hotspots (separated by ˜14.5 arcmin on the sky) are resolved by the MWA (3.3 arcmin resolution) and both are detected in linear polarization across the full frequency range. A combination of Faraday rotation measure (RM) synthesis and broad-band polarization model fitting is used to constrain the Faraday depolarization properties of the source. For the integrated southern hotspot emission, two-RM-component models are strongly favoured over a single RM component, and the best-fitting model requires Faraday dispersions of approximately 0.7 and 1.2 rad m-2 (with a mean RM of ˜50 rad m-2). High-resolution imaging at 5 arcsec with the Australia Telescope Compact Array shows significant sub-structure in the southern hotspot and highlights some of the limitations in the polarization modelling of the MWA data. Based on the observed depolarization, combined with extrapolations of gas density scaling relations for group environments, we estimate magnetic field strengths in the intergalactic medium between ˜0.04 and 0.5 μG. We also comment on future prospects of detecting more polarized sources at low frequencies.

  1. A comprehensive assessment of cardiovascular autonomic control using photoplethysmograms recorded from the earlobe and fingers

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kiselev, A R; Mironov, S A; Karavaev, A S; Kulminskiy, D D; Prokhorov, M D; Skazkina, V V; Borovkova, E I; Ponomarenko, V I; Shvartz, V A

    2016-01-01

    We compare the spectral indices of photoplethysmogram variability (PPGV) estimated using photoplethysmograms recorded from the earlobe and the middle fingers of the right and left hand and analyze their correlation with similar indices of heart rate variability (HRV) in 30 healthy subjects (26 men) aged 27 (25, 29) years (median with inter-quartile ranges) at rest and under the head-up tilt test. The following spectral indices of PPGV and HRV were compared: mean heart rate (HR), total spectral power (TP), high-frequency (HF) and low-frequency (LF) ranges of TP in percents (HF% and LF%), LF/HF ratio, and spectral coherence. We assess also the index S of synchronization between the LF oscillations in HRV and PPGV. The constancy of blood pressure (BP) and moderate increase of HR under the tilt test indicate the presence of fast processes of cardiovascular adaptation with the increase of the sympathetic activity in studied healthy subjects. The impact of respiration on the PPGV spectrum (accessed by HF%) is less than on the HRV spectrum. It is shown that the proportion of sympathetic vascular activity (accessed by LF%) is constant in the PPGV of three analyzed PPGs during the tilt test. The PPGV for the ear PPG was less vulnerable to breathing influence accessed by HF% (independently from body position) than for PPGs from fingers. We reveal the increase of index S under the tilt test indicating the activation of interaction between the heart and distal vessels. The PPGV spectra for finger PPGs from different hands are highly coherent, but differ substantially from the PPGV spectrum for the ear PPG. We conclude that joint analysis of frequency components of PPGV (for the earlobe and finger PPGs of both hands) and HRV and assessment of their synchronization provide additional information about cardiovascular autonomic control. (paper)

  2. Prediction and analysis of infra and low-frequency noise of upwind horizontal axis wind turbine using statistical wind speed model

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Lee, Gwang-Se; Cheong, Cheolung, E-mail: ccheong@pusan.ac.kr [School of Mechanical Engineering, Pusan National University, Busan, 609-745, Rep. of Korea (Korea, Republic of)

    2014-12-15

    Despite increasing concern about low-frequency noise of modern large horizontal-axis wind turbines (HAWTs), few studies have focused on its origin or its prediction methods. In this paper, infra- and low-frequency (the ILF) wind turbine noise are closely examined and an efficient method is developed for its prediction. Although most previous studies have assumed that the ILF noise consists primarily of blade passing frequency (BPF) noise components, these tonal noise components are seldom identified in the measured noise spectrum, except for the case of downwind wind turbines. In reality, since modern HAWTs are very large, during rotation, a single blade of the turbine experiences inflow with variation in wind speed in time as well as in space, breaking periodic perturbations of the BPF. Consequently, this transforms acoustic contributions at the BPF harmonics into broadband noise components. In this study, the ILF noise of wind turbines is predicted by combining Lowson’s acoustic analogy with the stochastic wind model, which is employed to reproduce realistic wind speed conditions. In order to predict the effects of these wind conditions on pressure variation on the blade surface, unsteadiness in the incident wind speed is incorporated into the XFOIL code by varying incident flow velocities on each blade section, which depend on the azimuthal locations of the rotating blade. The calculated surface pressure distribution is subsequently used to predict acoustic pressure at an observing location by using Lowson’s analogy. These predictions are compared with measured data, which ensures that the present method can reproduce the broadband characteristics of the measured low-frequency noise spectrum. Further investigations are carried out to characterize the IFL noise in terms of pressure loading on blade surface, narrow-band noise spectrum and noise maps around the turbine.

  3. Prediction and analysis of infra and low-frequency noise of upwind horizontal axis wind turbine using statistical wind speed model

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Gwang-Se Lee

    2014-12-01

    Full Text Available Despite increasing concern about low-frequency noise of modern large horizontal-axis wind turbines (HAWTs, few studies have focused on its origin or its prediction methods. In this paper, infra- and low-frequency (the ILF wind turbine noise are closely examined and an efficient method is developed for its prediction. Although most previous studies have assumed that the ILF noise consists primarily of blade passing frequency (BPF noise components, these tonal noise components are seldom identified in the measured noise spectrum, except for the case of downwind wind turbines. In reality, since modern HAWTs are very large, during rotation, a single blade of the turbine experiences inflow with variation in wind speed in time as well as in space, breaking periodic perturbations of the BPF. Consequently, this transforms acoustic contributions at the BPF harmonics into broadband noise components. In this study, the ILF noise of wind turbines is predicted by combining Lowson’s acoustic analogy with the stochastic wind model, which is employed to reproduce realistic wind speed conditions. In order to predict the effects of these wind conditions on pressure variation on the blade surface, unsteadiness in the incident wind speed is incorporated into the XFOIL code by varying incident flow velocities on each blade section, which depend on the azimuthal locations of the rotating blade. The calculated surface pressure distribution is subsequently used to predict acoustic pressure at an observing location by using Lowson’s analogy. These predictions are compared with measured data, which ensures that the present method can reproduce the broadband characteristics of the measured low-frequency noise spectrum. Further investigations are carried out to characterize the IFL noise in terms of pressure loading on blade surface, narrow-band noise spectrum and noise maps around the turbine.

  4. Low-frequency Periodic Error Identification and Compensation for Star Tracker Attitude Measurement

    Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

    WANG Jiongqi; XIONG Kai; ZHOU Haiyin

    2012-01-01

    The low-frequency periodic error of star tracker is one of the most critical problems for high-accuracy satellite attitude determination.In this paper an approach is proposed to identify and compensate the low-frequency periodic error for star tracker in attitude measurement.The analytical expression between the estimated gyro drift and the low-frequency periodic error of star tracker is derived firstly.And then the low-frequency periodic error,which can be expressed by Fourier series,is identified by the frequency spectrum of the estimated gyro drift according to the solution of the first step.Furthermore,the compensated model of the low-frequency periodic error is established based on the identified parameters to improve the attitude determination accuracy.Finally,promising simulated experimental results demonstrate the validity and effectiveness of the proposed method.The periodic error for attitude determination is eliminated basically and the estimation precision is improved greatly.

  5. Nonlinear Modelling of Low Frequency Loudspeakers

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Olsen, Erling Sandermann

    1997-01-01

    In the Danish LoDist project on distortion from dynamic low frequency loudspeakers a detailed nonlinear model of loudspeakers has been developed. The model has been implemented in a PC program so that it can be used to create signals for listening tests and analysis. Also, different methods...

  6. Nonlinear Modelling of Low Frequency Loudspeakers

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Olsen, Erling Sandermann

    1997-01-01

    In the Danish LoDist project on distortion from dynamic low-frequency loudspeakers, a detailed nonlinear model of loudspeakers has been developed. The model has been implemented in a PC program so that it can be used to create signals for listening tests and analysis. Also, different methods...

  7. Recognition memory for low- and high-frequency-filtered emotional faces: Low spatial frequencies drive emotional memory enhancement, whereas high spatial frequencies drive the emotion-induced recognition bias.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rohr, Michaela; Tröger, Johannes; Michely, Nils; Uhde, Alarith; Wentura, Dirk

    2017-07-01

    This article deals with two well-documented phenomena regarding emotional stimuli: emotional memory enhancement-that is, better long-term memory for emotional than for neutral stimuli-and the emotion-induced recognition bias-that is, a more liberal response criterion for emotional than for neutral stimuli. Studies on visual emotion perception and attention suggest that emotion-related processes can be modulated by means of spatial-frequency filtering of the presented emotional stimuli. Specifically, low spatial frequencies are assumed to play a primary role for the influence of emotion on attention and judgment. Given this theoretical background, we investigated whether spatial-frequency filtering also impacts (1) the memory advantage for emotional faces and (2) the emotion-induced recognition bias, in a series of old/new recognition experiments. Participants completed incidental-learning tasks with high- (HSF) and low- (LSF) spatial-frequency-filtered emotional and neutral faces. The results of the surprise recognition tests showed a clear memory advantage for emotional stimuli. Most importantly, the emotional memory enhancement was significantly larger for face images containing only low-frequency information (LSF faces) than for HSF faces across all experiments, suggesting that LSF information plays a critical role in this effect, whereas the emotion-induced recognition bias was found only for HSF stimuli. We discuss our findings in terms of both the traditional account of different processing pathways for HSF and LSF information and a stimulus features account. The double dissociation in the results favors the latter account-that is, an explanation in terms of differences in the characteristics of HSF and LSF stimuli.

  8. [Effect of low frequency magnetic fields used in magnetotherapy and magnetostimulation on the rehabilitation results of patients after ischemic stroke].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Woldańska-Okońska, Marta; Czernicki, Jan

    2007-01-01

    New methods of rehabilitation should be introduced in order to reduce disability resulting from stroke. During the twelve months of follow-up, effect of low frequency magnetic field (If mf) on the course of patient rehabilitation following ischemic stroke was evaluated on in-patient (acute and subacute period of the stroke) and outpatient (chronic period) basis with the use of Mathew et al's and Barthel's scales. Lf mf (20 procedures of 20-min. duration) of magnetotherapy (I group--placebo, II--group 5.6 mT induction, 10 Hz frequency and sinusoidal shape, III group--2.8 mT induction, 10 Hz frequency and sinusoidal shape) and magnetostimulation (IV group--M1P1 program of Viofor JPS system, 16 min a day) was applied as early as in the subacute period of the stroke (1-8 weeks). The data obtained were presented in the form of percentage changes in the pain levels as well as in the form of the arithmetical mean and standard deviation (X +/- SD). The ANOVA test was used for a statistical evaluation of the data obtained in the tests. The results obtained indicate beneficial effects of If mf in the III and IV group of patients in the Barthel's scale and Mathew scale, which were observed during the examination 12 months after the stroke. The recommended doses of If mf seem to be adequate to obtain therapeutic effects and may be used in the early period of rehabilitation. The neurological and functional improvement persisted for a long-period of the out-patient treatment, which was confirmed during the control examination 12 months after the ischemic stroke. As no adverse effects (which could be attributed to If mf), were observed, this method of physical therapy can be recognized as a safe one and worth making popular in clinical practice.

  9. Time-frequency analysis of stimulus frequency otoacoustic emissions and their changes with efferent stimulation in guinea pigs

    Science.gov (United States)

    Berezina-Greene, Maria A.; Guinan, John J.

    2015-12-01

    To aid in understanding their origin, stimulus frequency otoacoustic emissions (SFOAEs) were measured at a series of tone frequencies using the suppression method, both with and without stimulation of medial olivocochlear (MOC) efferents, in anesthetized guinea pigs. Time-frequency analysis showed SFOAE energy peaks in 1-3 delay components throughout the measured frequency range (0.5-12 kHz). One component's delay usually coincided with the phase-gradient delay. When multiple delay components were present, they were usually near SFOAE dips. Below 2 kHz, SFOAE delays were shorter than predicted from mechanical measurements. With MOC stimulation, SFOAE amplitude was decreased at most frequencies, but was sometimes enhanced, and all SFOAE delay components were affected. The MOC effects and an analysis of model data suggest that the multiple SFOAE delay components arise at the edges of the traveling-wave peak, not far basal of the peak. Comparisons with published guinea-pig neural data suggest that the short latencies of low-frequency SFOAEs may arise from coherent reflection from an organ-of-Corti motion that has a shorter group delay than the traveling wave.

  10. Prospective assessment of the frequency of low gradient severe aortic stenosis with preserved left ventricular ejection fraction: Critical impact of aortic flow misalignment and pressure recovery phenomenon.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ringle, Anne; Castel, Anne-Laure; Le Goffic, Caroline; Delelis, François; Binda, Camille; Bohbot, Yohan; Ennezat, Pierre Vladimir; Guerbaai, Raphaëlle A; Levy, Franck; Vincentelli, André; Graux, Pierre; Tribouilloy, Christophe; Maréchaux, Sylvestre

    2018-02-10

    The frequency of paradoxical low-gradient severe aortic stenosis (AS) varies widely across studies. The impact of misalignment of aortic flow and pressure recovery phenomenon on the frequency of low-gradient severe AS with preserved left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) has not been evaluated in prospective studies. To investigate prospectively the impact of aortic flow misalignment by Doppler and lack of pressure recovery phenomenon correction on the frequency of low-gradient (LG) severe aortic stenosis (AS) with preserved LVEF. Aortic jet velocities and mean pressure gradient (MPG) were obtained by interrogating all windows in 68 consecutive patients with normal LVEF and severe AS (aortic valve area [AVA] ≤1cm 2 ) on the basis of the apical imaging window alone (two-dimensional [2D] apical approach). Patients were classified as having LG or high-gradient (HG) AS according to MPG 35mL/m 2 or ≤35mL/m 2 , on the basis of the 2D apical approach, the multiview approach (multiple windows evaluation) and AVA corrected for pressure recovery. The proportion of LG severe AS was 57% using the 2D apical approach alone. After the multiview approach and correction for pressure recovery, the proportion of LG severe AS decreased from 57% to 13% (LF-LG severe AS decreased from 23% to 3%; NF-LG severe AS decreased from 34% to 10%). As a result, 25% of patients were reclassified as having HG severe AS (AVA ≤1cm 2 and MPG ≥40mmHg) and 19% as having moderate AS. Hence, 77% of patients initially diagnosed with LG severe AS did not have "true" LG severe AS when the multiview approach and the pressure recovery phenomenon correction were used. Aortic flow misevaluation, resulting from lack of use of multiple windows evaluation and pressure recovery phenomenon correction, accounts for a large proportion of incorrectly graded AS and considerable overestimation of the frequency of LG severe AS with preserved LVEF. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.

  11. The Measurement of Low Frequency Magnetic Field of Two Kinds of GSM900 Mobile Phone

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Mehri Kaviani Moghadam

    2008-06-01

    Full Text Available Introduction:  The  use  of  mobile  communication  systems  has  dramatically  increased  over  the  past  decade. Although many studies have been performed to determine the effect of radio frequency (RF but  less attention has been paid to the possible biological impact of exposure to extremely low frequency  (ELF components.   The objective of this study is two folds. One is to design the equipments needed for the measurement of  the ELF fields of two types of GSM900 mobile phone. Secondly, use a protocol suitable for an accurate  assessment of the ELF fields.  Materials  and Methods:  First  a  home-made  search  coil  was  provided  and  calibrated precisely  under  several experiments. Using Fast Fourier Transform, the power spectrum density of the induced voltage in  the search coil was analyzed and the amplitudes of 217 Hz and its harmonics were extracted and then the  distribution of magnetic field in the back side of mobile phones was determined.  Results: The values of B-field on the back side of the two kinds of GSM mobile phone were different.  They  were  between  50  to  160  µT in  Nokia  3310  and  14  to  30  µT in  Nokia  8310.  Considering  the  difference between the amplitudes of frequency components at 217 Hz and its harmonics in the two kinds  of mobile phone, a range of magnetic flux density at different times in a five day period was measured.  Discussion and Conclusion: These findings emphasize the need for considering the distribution of low  frequency magnetic field from mobile phone when biological effects of magnetic fields are studied. To  determine  the  intensity  windowing  effect,  one  must  consider  the  physical  characteristics  of  the  fundamental  frequency  component  wave  (217  Hz  and  its  harmonics  produced  by  the  mobile  phone  similar to the one generated under a real situation.

  12. Heart Rate Variability and Autonomic Modulations in Preeclampsia.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Shaza M Musa

    Full Text Available Although the exact pathophysiology of preeclampsia is not well understood, autonomic nervous system imbalance is suggested as one of the main factors.To investigate heart rate variability (HRV and autonomic modulations in Sudanese pregnant women with preeclampsia.A case-control study (60 women in each arm was conducted at Omdurman Maternity Hospital-Sudan, during the period from June to August, 2014. Cases were women presented with preeclampsia and healthy pregnant women were the controls. Studied groups were matched for important determinants of HRV. Natural logarithm (Ln of total power (TP, high frequency (HF, low frequency (LF and very low frequency (VLF were used to determine HRV. Normalized low and high frequencies (LF Norm and HF Norm were used to evaluate sympathetic and parasympathetic autonomic modulations respectively.Patients with preeclampsia achieved significantly higher LF Norm [49.80 (16.25 vs. 44.55 (19.15, P = 0.044] and LnLF/HF [0.04 (0.68 vs. -0.28 (0.91, P = 0.023] readings, but lower HF Norm [49.08 (15.29 vs. 55.87 (19.56, P = 0.012], compared with healthy pregnant women. Although all other HRV measurements were higher in the patients with preeclampsia compared with the controls, only LnVLF [4.50 (1.19 vs. 4.01 (1.06, P = 0.017] and LnLF [4.01 (1.58 vs. 3.49 (1.23, P = 0.040] reached statistical significance.The study adds further evidence for the dominant cardiac sympathetic modulations on patients with preeclampsia, probably secondary to parasympathetic withdrawal in this group. However, the higher LnVLF and LnLF readings achieved by preeclamptic women compared with the controls are unexpected in the view that augmented sympathetic modulations usually depresses all HRV parameters including these two measures.

  13. Ambulatory ECG and analysis of heart rate variability in Parkinson's disease.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Haapaniemi, T H; Pursiainen, V; Korpelainen, J T; Huikuri, H V; Sotaniemi, K A; Myllylä, V V

    2001-03-01

    Cardiovascular reflex tests have shown both sympathetic and parasympathetic failure in Parkinson's disease. These tests, however, describe the autonomic responses during a restricted time period and have great individual variability, providing a limited view of the autonomic cardiac control mechanisms. Thus, they do not reflect tonic autonomic regulation. The aim was to examine tonic autonomic cardiovascular regulation in untreated patients with Parkinson's disease. 24 Hour ambulatory ECG was recorded in 54 untreated patients with Parkinson's disease and 47 age matched healthy subjects. In addition to the traditional spectral (very low frequency, VLF; low frequency, LF; high frequency, HF) and non-spectral components of heart rate variability, instantaneous beat to beat variability (SD1) and long term continuous variability (SD2) derived from Poincaré plots, and the slope of the power law relation were analysed. All spectral components (plaw relation (pParkinson's disease than in the control subjects. The Unified Parkinson's disease rating scale total and motor scores had a negative correlation with VLF and LF power spectrum values and the power law relation slopes. Patients with mild hypokinesia had higher HF values than patients with more severe hypokinesia. Tremor and rigidity were not associated with the HR variability parameters. Parkinson's disease causes dysfunction of the diurnal autonomic cardiovascular regulation as demonstrated by the spectral measures of heart rate variability and the slope of the power law relation. This dysfunction seems to be more profound in patients with more severe Parkinson's disease.

  14. Comparison of a low carbohydrate and low fat diet for weight maintenance in overweight or obese adults enrolled in a clinical weight management program

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Curry Chelsea

    2007-11-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background Recent evidence suggests that a low carbohydrate (LC diet may be equally or more effective for short-term weight loss than a traditional low fat (LF diet; however, less is known about how they compare for weight maintenance. The purpose of this study was to compare body weight (BW for participants in a clinical weight management program, consuming a LC or LF weight maintenance diet for 6 months following weight loss. Methods Fifty-five (29 low carbohydrate diet; 26 low fat diet overweight/obese middle-aged adults completed a 9 month weight management program that included instruction for behavior, physical activity (PA, and nutrition. For 3 months all participants consumed an identical liquid diet (2177 kJ/day followed by 1 month of re-feeding with solid foods either low in carbohydrate or low in fat. For the remaining 5 months, participants were prescribed a meal plan low in dietary carbohydrate (~20% or fat (~30%. BW and carbohydrate or fat grams were collected at each group meeting. Energy and macronutrient intake were assessed at baseline, 3, 6, and 9 months. Results The LC group increased BW from 89.2 ± 14.4 kg at 3 months to 89.3 ± 16.1 kg at 9 months (P = 0.84. The LF group decreased BW from 86.3 ± 12.0 kg at 3 months to 86.0 ± 14.0 kg at 9 months (P = 0.96. BW was not different between groups during weight maintenance (P = 0.87. Fifty-five percent (16/29 and 50% (13/26 of participants for the LC and LF groups, respectively, continued to decrease their body weight during weight maintenance. Conclusion Following a 3 month liquid diet, the LC and LF diet groups were equally effective for BW maintenance over 6 months; however, there was significant variation in weight change within each group.

  15. On Low-level Cognitive Components of Speech

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Feng, Ling; Hansen, Lars Kai

    2005-01-01

    In this paper we analyze speech for low-level cognitive features using linear component analysis. We demonstrate generalizable component 'fingerprints' stemming from both phonemes and speaker. Phonemes are fingerprints found at the basic analysis window time scale (20 msec), while speaker...... 'voiceprints' are found at time scales around 1000 msec. The analysis is based on homomorphic filtering features and energy based sparsification....

  16. Identification of Natural Frequency of Low Rise Building on Soft Ground Profile using Ambient Vibration Method

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kamarudin, A. F.; Zainal Abidin, M. H.; Mokhatar, S. N.; Daud, M. E.; Ibrahim, A.; Ibrahim, Z.; Noh, M. S. Md

    2018-04-01

    Natural frequency is the rate at which a body to vibrate or oscillate. Application of ambient vibration (AV) excitation is widely used nowadays as the input motion for building predominant frequency, fo, and ground fundamental frequency, Fo, prediction due to simple, fast, non-destructive, simple handling operation and reliable result. However, it must be emphasized and caution to isolate these frequencies (fo and Fo) from spurious frequencies of site-structure effects especially to low rise building on soft ground deposit. In this study, identification of fo and Fo by using AV measurements were performed on ground and 4-storey primary school reinforced concrete (RC) building at Sekolah Kebangsaan (SK) Sg. Tongkang, Rengit, Johor using 1 Hz of tri-axial seismometer sensor. Overlapping spectra between Fourier Amplitude Spectra (FAS) from and Horizontal to Vertical Spectra Ratio (HVSR) were used to distinguish respective frequencies of building and ground natural frequencies. Three dominant frequencies were identified from the FAS curves at 1.91 Hz, 1.98 Hz and 2.79 Hz in longitudinal (East West-EW), transverse (North South-NS) and vertical (UD) directions. It is expected the building has deformed in translational mode based on the first peak frequency by respective NS and EW components of FAS spectrum. Vertical frequency identified from the horizontal spectrums, might induces to the potential of rocking effect experienced by the school building. Meanwhile, single peak HVSR spectrum at low ground fundamental frequency concentrated at 0.93 Hz indicates to the existence deep contrast of soft deposit. Strong interaction between ground and building at similar frequency (0.93 Hz) observed from the FAS curves on the highest floor has shown the building to behave as a dependent unit against ground response as one rigid mass.

  17. Evaluation of mental stress by physiological indices derived from finger plethysmography.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Minakuchi, Emiko; Ohnishi, Eriko; Ohnishi, Junji; Sakamoto, Shigeko; Hori, Miyo; Motomura, Miwa; Hoshino, Junichi; Murakami, Kazuo; Kawaguchi, Takayasu

    2013-10-12

    Quantitative evaluation of mental stress is important to prevent stress-related disorders. Finger plethysmography (FPG) is a simple noninvasive method to monitor peripheral circulation, and provides many physiological indices. Our purpose is to investigate how FPG-derived indices reflect on mental stress, and to clarify any association between these physiological indices and subjective indices of mental stress. Thirty-one healthy women (mean age, 22 years ± 2) participated. The participants rested by sitting on a chair for 10 min. They then performed a computerized version of the Stroop color-word conflict test (CWT) for 10 min. Finally, they rested for 10 min. FPG was recorded throughout the experiment. The participants completed a brief form of the Profile of Mood States (POMS) questionnaire before and after the test. Using the FPG data, we conducted chaos analysis and fast Fourier transform analysis, and calculated chaotic attractors, the largest Lyapunov exponent, a high-frequency (HF) component, a low-to-high-frequency (LF/HF) ratio, finger pulse rate and finger pulse wave amplitude. The HF component decreased and the LF/HF ratio increased significantly during the test (P stress. Our findings indicate that FPG is one of the easiest methods to evaluate mental stress quantitatively. In particular, the largest Lyapunov exponent and the LF/HF ratio might be associated with acute mental stress. Farther examination is needed to find any association between the physiological indices and various types of mental stress.

  18. On low-frequency whistler propagation in ionosphere

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Mazur, V.A.

    1988-01-01

    The propagation along the Earth surface of an electromagnetic wave with frequency below the ion gyrofrequency is theoretically investigated. In Hall layer of the ionosphere this wave is the whistler mode. It is shown that - contrary to previous works - Ohmic dissipation makes impossible the long-distance propagation of low-frequency whistlers. A many-layer model of the medium is used. The geomagnetic field is considered inclined. The eigen modes and evolution of the initial perturbation are considered

  19. High-Frequency Repetitive Sensory Stimulation as Intervention to Improve Sensory Loss in Patients with Complex Regional Pain Syndrome I.

    Science.gov (United States)

    David, Marianne; Dinse, Hubert R; Mainka, Tina; Tegenthoff, Martin; Maier, Christoph

    2015-01-01

    Achieving perceptual gains in healthy individuals or facilitating rehabilitation in patients is generally considered to require intense training to engage neuronal plasticity mechanisms. Recent work, however, suggested that beneficial outcome similar to training can be effectively acquired by a complementary approach in which the learning occurs in response to mere exposure to repetitive sensory stimulation (rSS). For example, high-frequency repetitive sensory stimulation (HF-rSS) enhances tactile performance and induces cortical reorganization in healthy subjects and patients after stroke. Patients with complex regional pain syndrome (CRPS) show impaired tactile performance associated with shrinkage of cortical maps. We here investigated the feasibility and efficacy of HF-rSS, and low-frequency rSS (LF-rSS) to enhance tactile performance and reduce pain intensity in 20 patients with CRPS type I. Intermittent high- or low-frequency electrical stimuli were applied for 45 min/day to all fingertips of the affected hand for 5 days. Main outcome measures were spatial two-point-discrimination thresholds and mechanical detection thresholds measured on the tip of the index finger bilaterally. Secondary endpoint was current pain intensity. All measures were assessed before and on day 5 after the last stimulation session. HF-rSS applied in 16 patients improved tactile discrimination on the affected hand significantly without changes contralaterally. Current pain intensity remained unchanged on average, but decreased in four patients by ≥30%. This limited pain relief might be due to the short stimulation period of 5 days only. In contrast, after LF-rSS, tactile discrimination was impaired in all four patients, while detection thresholds and pain were not affected. Our data suggest that HF-rSS could be used as a novel approach in CRPS treatment to improve sensory loss. Longer treatment periods might be required to induce consistent pain relief.

  20. Low and high frequency Madden-Julian oscillations in austral summer: interannual variations

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Izumo, Takeshi [Research Institute For Global Change (JAMSTEC), Yokohama (Japan); LOCEAN, IRD-CNRS-UPMC, Paris (France); Masson, Sebastien; Vialard, Jerome; Madec, Gurvan [LOCEAN, IRD-CNRS-UPMC, Paris (France); Boyer Montegut, Clement de [IFREMER, Brest (France); Behera, Swadhin K. [Research Institute For Global Change (JAMSTEC), Yokohama (Japan); Takahashi, Keiko [Earth Simulator Center (JAMSTEC), Yokohama (Japan); Yamagata, Toshio [Research Institute For Global Change (JAMSTEC), Yokohama (Japan); University of Tokyo, Tokyo (Japan)

    2010-09-15

    The Madden-Julian oscillation (MJO) is the main component of intraseasonal variability of the tropical convection, with clear climatic impacts at an almost-global scale. Based on satellite observations, it is shown that there are two types of austral-summer MJO events (broadly defined as 30-120 days convective variability with eastward propagation of about 5 m/s). Equatorial MJO events have a period of 30-50 days and tend to be symmetric about the equator, whereas MJO events centered near 8 S tend to have a longer period of 55-100 days. The lower-frequency variability is associated with a strong upper-ocean response, having a clear signature in both sea surface temperature and its diurnal cycle. These two MJO types have different interannual variations, and are modulated by the Indian Ocean Dipole (IOD). Following a negative IOD event, the lower-frequency southern MJO variability increases, while the higher-frequency equatorial MJO strongly diminishes. We propose two possible explanations for this change in properties of the MJO. One possibility is that changes in the background atmospheric circulation after an IOD favour the development of the low-frequency MJO. The other possibility is that the shallower thermocline ridge and mixed layer depth, by enhancing SST intraseasonal variability and thus ocean-atmosphere coupling in the southwest Indian Ocean (the breeding ground of southern MJO onset), favour the lower-frequency southern MJO variability. (orig.)

  1. [Effect of eicosapentaenoic acid on mRNA expression of tight junction protein ZO-1 in intestinal epithelial cells after Escherichia coli LF82 infection].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hao, Li-Jun; Lin, Yan; Zhang, Wei; Tian, Jiao; Wang, Ya; Chen, Peng-De; Hu, Chong-Kang; Zeng, Ling-Chao; Yang, Jie; Wang, Bao-Xi; Jiang, Xun

    2017-06-01

    To investigate the change in the expression of tight junction protein ZO-1 in intestinal epithelial cells (Caco-2 cells) and the protective effect of eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) after adherent-invasive Escherichia coli (E.coli) LF82 infection. The Caco-2 cell line was used to establish an in vitro model of tight junction of intestinal epithelial cells. Caco-2 cells were divided into EPA treatment groups (0, 25, 50, 100, and 200 μmol/L EPA) and EPA (0, 25, 50, 100, and 200 μmol/L EPA)+E.coli LF82 treatment (0, 6, and 12 hours) groups. A microscope was used to observe the morphological characteristics of the cells. MTT assay was used to determine the cell growth curve. The activity of alkaline phosphatase (ALP) at both sides of the cell membrane was compared to evaluate the Caco-2 cell model. MTT assay and flow cytometry were used to investigate the effects of different concentrations of EPA on the survival rate and apoptosis rate of Caco-2 cells. RT-qPCR was used to measure the mRNA expression of ZO-1 in Caco-2 cells after EPA and/or E.coli LF82 treatment. ELISA was used to measure the change in the level of tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) in culture supernatant. After EPA treatment (25 and 50 μmol/L), the proliferation of Caco-2 cells was induced in a dose-dependent manner. The survival rates of the cells were significantly higher than those in the control group (PE.coli LF82 treatment groups had decreasing mRNA expression of ZO-1 in Caco-2 cells over the time of treatment and had significantly lower mRNA expression of ZO-1 than the untreated group (PE.coli LF82 and 25 or 50 μmol/L EPA for 6 or 12 hours showed an increase in the mRNA expression of ZO-1 with the increasing concentration of EPA, as well as significantly higher mRNA expression of ZO-1 than the Caco-2 cells treated with E.coli LF82 alone (PE.coli LF82 alone for 6 or 12 hours had increasing secretion of TNF-α over the time of treatment and had significantly higher secretion than the untreated

  2. Clamped seismic metamaterials: ultra-low frequency stop bands

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Achaoui, Y; Enoch, S; Guenneau, S; Antonakakis, T; Brûlé, S; Craster, R V

    2017-01-01

    The regularity of earthquakes, their destructive power, and the nuisance of ground vibration in urban environments, all motivate designs of defence structures to lessen the impact of seismic and ground vibration waves on buildings. Low frequency waves, in the range 1–10 Hz for earthquakes and up to a few tens of Hz for vibrations generated by human activities, cause a large amount of damage, or inconvenience; depending on the geological conditions they can travel considerable distances and may match the resonant fundamental frequency of buildings. The ultimate aim of any seismic metamaterial, or any other seismic shield, is to protect over this entire range of frequencies; the long wavelengths involved, and low frequency, have meant this has been unachievable to date. Notably this is scalable and the effects also hold for smaller devices in ultrasonics. There are three approaches to obtaining shielding effects: bragg scattering, locally resonant sub-wavelength inclusions and zero-frequency stop-band media. The former two have been explored, but the latter has not and is examined here. Elastic flexural waves, applicable in the mechanical vibrations of thin elastic plates, can be designed to have a broad zero-frequency stop-band using a periodic array of very small clamped circles. Inspired by this experimental and theoretical observation, all be it in a situation far removed from seismic waves, we demonstrate that it is possible to achieve elastic surface (Rayleigh) wave reflectors at very large wavelengths in structured soils modelled as a fully elastic layer periodically clamped to bedrock. We identify zero frequency stop-bands that only exist in the limit of columns of concrete clamped at their base to the bedrock. In a realistic configuration of a sedimentary basin 15 m deep we observe a zero frequency stop-band covering a broad frequency range of 0–30 Hz. (paper)

  3. Superposition of automatic and voluntary aspects of grip force control in humans during object manipulation.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Frederic Danion

    Full Text Available When moving grasped objects, people automatically modulate grip force (GF with movement-dependent load force (LF in order to prevent object slip. However, GF can also be modulated voluntarily as when squeezing an object. Here we investigated possible interactions between automatic and voluntary GF control. Participants were asked to generate horizontal cyclic movements (between 0.6 and 2.0 Hz of a hand-held object that was restrained by an elastic band such that the load force (LF reached a peak once per movement cycle, and to simultaneously squeeze the object at each movement reversal (i.e., twice per cycle. Participants also performed two control tasks in which they either only moved (between 0.6 and 2.0 Hz or squeezed (between 1.2 and 4.0 Hz the object. The extent to which GF modulation in the simultaneous task could be predicted from the two control tasks was assessed using power spectral analyses. At all frequencies, the GF power spectra from the simultaneous task exhibited two prominent components that occurred at the cycle frequency (ƒ and at twice this frequency (2ƒ, whereas the spectra from the movement and squeeze control task exhibited only single peaks at ƒ and 2ƒ, respectively. At lower frequencies, the magnitudes of both frequency components in the simultaneous task were similar to the magnitudes of the corresponding components in the control tasks. However, as frequency increased, the magnitudes of both components in the simultaneous task were greater than the magnitudes of the corresponding control task components. Moreover, the phase relationship between the ƒ components of GF and LF began to drift from the value observed in the movement control task. Overall these results suggest that, at lower movement frequencies, voluntary and automatic GF control processes operate at different hierarchical levels. Several mechanisms are discussed to account for interaction effects observed at higher movement frequencies.

  4. Measurement of low-frequency noise in rooms

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Pedersen, Steffen; Møller, Henrik; Persson-Waye, Kerstin

    2006-01-01

    Measurement of low-frequency noise in rooms is problematic due to standing wave patterns. The spatial variation in the sound pressure level can typically be as much as 20-30 dB. For assessment of annoyance from low-frequency noise in dwellings, it is important to measure a level close...... rooms. The sound pressure level was measured 1) in three-dimensional corners and 2) according to current Swedish and Danish measurement methods. Furthermore, the entire sound pressure distributions were measured by scanning. The Swedish and Danish measurement methods include a corner measurement...... to the highest level present in a room, rather than a room average level. In order to ensure representative noise measurements, different positions were investigated based on theoretical considerations and observations from numerical room simulations. In addition measurements were performed in three different...

  5. LOW-FREQUENCY OSCILLATIONS IN GLOBAL SIMULATIONS OF BLACK HOLE ACCRETION

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    O'Neill, Sean M.; Reynolds, Christopher S.; Coleman Miller, M.; Sorathia, Kareem A.

    2011-01-01

    We have identified the presence of large-scale, low-frequency dynamo cycles in a long-duration, global, magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) simulation of black hole accretion. Such cycles have previously been seen in local shearing box simulations, but we discuss their evolution over 1500 inner disk orbits of a global π/4 disk wedge spanning two orders of magnitude in radius and seven scale heights in elevation above/below the disk midplane. The observed cycles manifest themselves as oscillations in azimuthal magnetic field occupying a region that extends into a low-density corona several scale heights above the disk. The cycle frequencies are 10-20 times lower than the local orbital frequency, making them potentially interesting sources of low-frequency variability when scaled to real astrophysical systems. Furthermore, power spectra derived from the full time series reveal that the cycles manifest themselves at discrete, narrowband frequencies that often share power across broad radial ranges. We explore possible connections between these simulated cycles and observed low-frequency quasi-periodic oscillations (LFQPOs) in galactic black hole binary systems, finding that dynamo cycles have the appropriate frequencies and are located in a spatial region associated with X-ray emission in real systems. Derived observational proxies, however, fail to feature peaks with rms amplitudes comparable to LFQPO observations, suggesting that further theoretical work and more sophisticated simulations will be required to form a complete theory of dynamo-driven LFQPOs. Nonetheless, this work clearly illustrates that global MHD dynamos exhibit quasi-periodic behavior on timescales much longer than those derived from test particle considerations.

  6. UMTRA ground water sampling techniques: Comparison of the traditional and low flow methods

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    1995-07-01

    This report describes the potential changes in water quality data that may occur with the conversion from MBV (multiple bore volume) to LF (low flow) sampling and provides two examples of how such a change might impact Project decisions. The existing scientific literature on LF sampling is reviewed and the new LF data from three UMTRA Uranium Mill Tailings Remedial Action Project sites are evaluated seeking answers to the questions posed above. Several possible approaches, that the UMTRA Project may take to address issues unanswered by the literature are presented and compared, and a recommendation is offered for the future direction of the LF conversion effort

  7. Impedance measurements of components for the ALS

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Corlett, J.N.; Rimmer, R.A.

    1993-05-01

    The high current and short bunch length of the ALS beam make the machine susceptible to beam instabilities over a frequency range extending to 13 GHz and beyond. All components of the storage ring have been carefully designed to minimize the impedance presented to the beam, and assemblies have been laid out to avoid resonant enclosures between components. Novel bellows shields allowing considerable mechanical movement while maintaining a low impedance are described. Results are presented of impedance measurements of ALS components and assemblies of components, using a precision coaxial wire technique in frequency domain, extending to frequencies beyond cut-off. All measurements were performed at the Lambertson Beam Electrodynamics Laboratory of the Center for Beam Physics at LBL

  8. The role of localised Ultra-Low Frequency waves in energetic electron precipitation

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rae, J.; Murphy, K. R.; Watt, C.; Mann, I. R.; Ozeke, L.; Halford, A. J.; Sibeck, D. G.; Clilverd, M. A.; Rodger, C. J.; Degeling, A. W.; Singer, H. J.

    2016-12-01

    Electromagnetic waves play pivotal roles in radiation belt dynamics through a variety of different means. Typically, Ultra-Low Frequency (ULF) waves have historically been invoked for radial diffusive transport leading to both acceleration and loss of outer radiation belt electrons. Very-Low Frequency (VLF) and Extremely-Low Frequency (ELF) waves are generally thought to provide a mechanism for localized acceleration and loss through precipitation into the ionosphere. In this study we present a new mechanism for electron loss through precipitation into the ionosphere due to direct modulation of the loss cone via localized compressional ULF waves. Observational evidence is presented demonstrating that modulation of the equatorial loss cone can occur via localized compressional wave activity. We then perform statistical computations of the probability distribution to determine how likely a given magnetic perturbation would produce a given percentage change in the bounce loss-cone (BLC). We discuss the ramifications of the action of coherent, localized compressional ULF waves on drifting electron populations; their precipitation response can be a complex interplay between electron energy, the shape of the phase space density profile at pitch angles close to the loss cone, ionospheric decay timescales, and the time-dependence of the electron source. We present a case study of compressional wave activity in tandem with riometer and balloon-borne electron precipitation across keV-MeV energies to demonstrate that the experimental measurements can be explained by our new enhanced loss cone mechanism. We determine that the two pivotal components not usually considered are localized ULF wave fields and ionospheric decay timescales. We conclude that ULF wave modulation of the loss cone is a viable candidate for direct precipitation of radiation belt electrons without any additional requirement for gyroresonant wave-particle interaction. Additional mechanisms would be

  9. Low-field nuclear magnetic resonance characterization of organic content in shales

    Science.gov (United States)

    Washburn, Kathryn E.; Birdwell, Justin E.; Seymour, Joseph D.; Kirkland, Catherine; Vogt, Sarah J.

    2013-01-01

    Low-field nuclear magnetic resonance (LF-NMR) relaxometry is a non-invasive technique commonly used to assess hydrogen-bearing fluids in petroleum reservoir rocks. Longitudinal T1 and transverse T2 relaxation time measurements made using LF-NMR on conventional reservoir systems provides information on rock porosity, pore size distributions, and fluid types and saturations in some cases. Recent improvements in LF-SNMR instrument electronics have made it possible to apply these methods to assess highly viscous and even solid organic phases within reservoir rocks. T1 and T2 relaxation responses behave very differently in solids and liquids, therefore the relationship between these two modes of relaxation can be used to differentiate organic phases in rock samples or to characterize extracted organic materials. Using T1-T2 correlation data, organic components present in shales, such as kerogen and bitumen, can be examined in laboratory relaxometry measurements. In addition, implementation of a solid-echo pulse sequence to refocus some types of T2 relaxation during correlation measurements allows for improved resolution of solid phase photons. LF-NMR measurements of T1 and T2 relaxation time correlations were carried out on raw oil shale samples from resources around the world. These shales vary widely in mineralogy, total organic carbon (TOC) content and kerogen type. NMR results were correlcated with Leco TOC and geochemical data obtained from Rock-Eval. There is excellent correlation between NMR data and programmed pyrolysis parameters, particularly TOC and S2, and predictive capability is also good. To better understand the NMR response, the 2D NMR spectra were compared to similar NMR measurements made using high-field (HF) NMR equipment.

  10. On Low-level Cognitive Components of Speech

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Feng, Ling; Hansen, Lars Kai

    2006-01-01

    In this paper we analyze speech for low-level cognitive features using linear component analysis. We demonstrate generalizable component ‘fingerprints’ stemming from both phonemes and speakers. Phonemes are fingerprints found at the basic analysis window time scale (20 msec), while speaker...... ‘voiceprints’ are found at time scales around 1000 msec. The analysis is based on homomorphic filtering features and energy based sparsification....

  11. Kinetic Scale Structure of Low-frequency Waves and Fluctuations

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    López, Rodrigo A.; Yoon, Peter H. [Institute for Physical Science and Technology, University of Maryland, College Park, MD 20742 (United States); Viñas, Adolfo F. [NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Heliophysics Science Division, Geospace Physics Laboratory, Mail Code 673, Greenbelt, MD 20771 (United States); Araneda, Jaime A., E-mail: rlopezh@umd.edu, E-mail: yoonp@umd.edu [Departamento de Física, Facultad de Ciencias Físicas y Matemáticas, Universidad de Concepción, Concepción (Chile)

    2017-08-10

    The dissipation of solar wind turbulence at kinetic scales is believed to be important for the heating of the corona and for accelerating the wind. The linear Vlasov kinetic theory is a useful tool for identifying various wave modes, including kinetic Alfvén, fast magnetosonic/whistler, and ion-acoustic (or kinetic slow), and their possible roles in the dissipation. However, the kinetic mode structure in the vicinity of ion-cyclotron modes is not clearly understood. The present paper aims to further elucidate the structure of these low-frequency waves by introducing discrete particle effects through hybrid simulations and Klimontovich formalism of spontaneous emission theory. The theory and simulation of spontaneously emitted low-frequency fluctuations are employed to identify and distinguish the detailed mode structures associated with ion-Bernstein modes versus quasi-modes. The spontaneous emission theory and simulation also confirm the findings of the Vlasov theory in that the kinetic Alfvén waves can be defined over a wide range of frequencies, including the proton cyclotron frequency and its harmonics, especially for high-beta plasmas. This implies that these low-frequency modes may play predominant roles even in the fully kinetic description of kinetic scale turbulence and dissipation despite the fact that cyclotron harmonic and Bernstein modes may also play important roles in wave–particle interactions.

  12. Frequency and Magnitude Analysis of the Macro-instability Related Component of the Tangential Force Affecting Radial Baffles in a Stirred Vessel

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    P. Hasal

    2002-01-01

    Full Text Available Experimental data obtained by measuring the tangential component of force affecting radial baffles in a flat-bottomed cylindrical mixing vessel stirred with pitched blade impellers is analysed. The maximum mean tangential force is detected at the vessel bottom. The mean force value increases somewhat with decreasing impeller off-bottom clearance and is noticeably affected by the number of impeller blades. Spectral analysis of the experimental data clearly demonstrated the presence of its macro-instability (MI related low-frequency component embedded in the total force at all values of impeller Reynolds number. The dimensionless frequency of the occurrence of the MI force component is independent of stirring speed, position along the baffle, number of impeller blades and liquid viscosity. Its mean value is about 0.074. The relative magnitude (QMI of the MI-related component of the total force is evaluated by a combination of proper orthogonal decomposition (POD and spectral analysis. Relative magnitude QMI was analysed in dependence on the frequency of the impeller revolution, the axial position of the measuring point in the vessel, the number of impeller blades, the impeller off-bottom clearance, and liquid viscosity. Higher values of QMI are observed at higher impeller off-bottom clearance height and (generally QMI decreases slightly with increasing impeller speed. The QMI value decreases in the direction from vessel bottom to liquid level. No evident difference was observed between 4 blade and 6 blade impellers. Liquid viscosity has only a marginal impact on the QMI value.

  13. MAVEN Observation of an Obliquely Propagating Low-Frequency Wave Upstream of Mars

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ruhunusiri, Suranga; Halekas, J. S.; Connerney, J. E. P.; Espley, J. R.; McFadden, J. P.; Mazelle, C.; Brain, D.; Collinson, G.; Harada, Y.; Larson, D. E.; hide

    2016-01-01

    We report Mars Atmosphere and Volatile EvolutioN (MAVEN) mission observations of a large amplitude low-frequency plasma wave that propagated oblique to the ambient magnetic field upstream of Mars along with a non-solar-wind plasma component that had a flow velocity perpendicular to the magnetic field. We consider nine possibilities for this wave that include various combinations of its propagation direction, polarization in the solar wind frame, and ion source responsible for its generation. Using the observed wave parameters and the measured plasma parameters as constraints, we uniquely identify the wave by systematically discarding these possibilities. We determine that the wave is a right-hand polarized wave that propagated upstream in the solar wind frame. We find two possibilities for the ion source that can be responsible for this wave generation. They are either newly born pickup protons or reflected solar wind protons from the bow shock.We determine that the observed non-solar-wind component is not responsible for the wave generation, and it is likely that the non-solar-wind component was merely perturbed by the passage of the wave.

  14. Voluntary reduction of force variability via modulation of low-frequency oscillations.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Park, Seoung Hoon; Casamento-Moran, Agostina; Yacoubi, Basma; Christou, Evangelos A

    2017-09-01

    Visual feedback can influence the force output by changing the power in frequencies below 1 Hz. However, it remains unknown whether visual guidance can help an individual reduce force variability voluntarily. The purpose of this study, therefore, was to determine whether an individual can voluntarily reduce force variability during constant contractions with visual guidance, and whether this reduction is associated with a decrease in the power of low-frequency oscillations (0-1 Hz) in force and muscle activity. Twenty young adults (27.6 ± 3.4 years) matched a force target of 15% MVC (maximal voluntary contraction) with ankle dorsiflexion. Participants performed six visually unrestricted contractions, from which we selected the trial with the least variability. Following, participants performed six visually guided contractions and were encouraged to reduce their force variability within two guidelines (±1 SD of the least variable unrestricted trial). Participants decreased the SD of force by 45% (P  0.2). The decrease in force variability was associated with decreased low-frequency oscillations (0-1 Hz) in force (R 2  = 0.59), which was associated with decreased low-frequency oscillations in EMG bursts (R 2  = 0.35). The reduction in low-frequency oscillations in EMG burst was positively associated with power in the interference EMG from 35 to 60 Hz (R 2  = 0.47). In conclusion, voluntary reduction of force variability is associated with decreased low-frequency oscillations in EMG bursts and consequently force output. We provide novel evidence that visual guidance allows healthy young adults to reduce force variability voluntarily likely by adjusting the low-frequency oscillations in the neural drive.

  15. The Proteome of Biologically Active Membrane Vesicles from Piscirickettsia salmonis LF-89 Type Strain Identifies Plasmid-Encoded Putative Toxins

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Cristian Oliver

    2017-09-01

    Full Text Available Piscirickettsia salmonis is the predominant bacterial pathogen affecting the Chilean salmonid industry. This bacterium is the etiological agent of piscirickettsiosis, a significant fish disease. Membrane vesicles (MVs released by P. salmonis deliver several virulence factors to host cells. To improve on existing knowledge for the pathogenicity-associated functions of P. salmonis MVs, we studied the proteome of purified MVs from the P. salmonis LF-89 type strain using multidimensional protein identification technology. Initially, the cytotoxicity of different MV concentration purified from P. salmonis LF-89 was confirmed in an in vivo adult zebrafish infection model. The cumulative mortality of zebrafish injected with MVs showed a dose-dependent pattern. Analyses identified 452 proteins of different subcellular origins; most of them were associated with the cytoplasmic compartment and were mainly related to key functions for pathogen survival. Interestingly, previously unidentified putative virulence-related proteins were identified in P. salmonis MVs, such as outer membrane porin F and hemolysin. Additionally, five amino acid sequences corresponding to the Bordetella pertussis toxin subunit 1 and two amino acid sequences corresponding to the heat-labile enterotoxin alpha chain of Escherichia coli were located in the P. salmonis MV proteome. Curiously, these putative toxins were located in a plasmid region of P. salmonis LF-89. Based on the identified proteins, we propose that the protein composition of P. salmonis LF-89 MVs could reflect total protein characteristics of this P. salmonis type strain.

  16. The Proteome of Biologically Active Membrane Vesicles from Piscirickettsia salmonis LF-89 Type Strain Identifies Plasmid-Encoded Putative Toxins.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Oliver, Cristian; Hernández, Mauricio A; Tandberg, Julia I; Valenzuela, Karla N; Lagos, Leidy X; Haro, Ronie E; Sánchez, Patricio; Ruiz, Pamela A; Sanhueza-Oyarzún, Constanza; Cortés, Marcos A; Villar, María T; Artigues, Antonio; Winther-Larsen, Hanne C; Avendaño-Herrera, Ruben; Yáñez, Alejandro J

    2017-01-01

    Piscirickettsia salmonis is the predominant bacterial pathogen affecting the Chilean salmonid industry. This bacterium is the etiological agent of piscirickettsiosis, a significant fish disease. Membrane vesicles (MVs) released by P. salmonis deliver several virulence factors to host cells. To improve on existing knowledge for the pathogenicity-associated functions of P. salmonis MVs, we studied the proteome of purified MVs from the P. salmonis LF-89 type strain using multidimensional protein identification technology. Initially, the cytotoxicity of different MV concentration purified from P. salmonis LF-89 was confirmed in an in vivo adult zebrafish infection model. The cumulative mortality of zebrafish injected with MVs showed a dose-dependent pattern. Analyses identified 452 proteins of different subcellular origins; most of them were associated with the cytoplasmic compartment and were mainly related to key functions for pathogen survival. Interestingly, previously unidentified putative virulence-related proteins were identified in P. salmonis MVs, such as outer membrane porin F and hemolysin. Additionally, five amino acid sequences corresponding to the Bordetella pertussis toxin subunit 1 and two amino acid sequences corresponding to the heat-labile enterotoxin alpha chain of Escherichia coli were located in the P. salmonis MV proteome. Curiously, these putative toxins were located in a plasmid region of P. salmonis LF-89. Based on the identified proteins, we propose that the protein composition of P. salmonis LF-89 MVs could reflect total protein characteristics of this P. salmonis type strain.

  17. High frequency repetitive sensory stimulation as intervention to improve sensory loss in patients with complex regional pain syndrome (CRPS I

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Marianne eDavid

    2015-11-01

    Full Text Available Achieving perceptual gains in healthy individuals, or facilitating rehabilitation in patients is generally considered to require intense training to engage neuronal plasticity mechanisms. Recent work, however, suggested that beneficial outcome similar to training can be effectively acquired by a complementary approach in which the learning occurs in response to mere exposure to repetitive sensory stimulation (rSS. For example, high-frequency repetitive sensory stimulation (HF-rSS enhances tactile performance and induces cortical reorganization in healthy subjects and patients after stroke. Patients with complex regional pain syndrome (CRPS show impaired tactile performance associated with shrinkage of cortical maps. We here investigated the feasibility and efficacy of HF-rSS, and low-frequency rSS (LF-rSS to enhance tactile performance and reduce pain intensity in 20 patients with CRPS type I. Intermittent high or low frequency electrical stimuli were applied for 45min/day to all fingertips of the affected hand for 5 days. Main outcome measures were spatial 2-point-discrimination thresholds and mechanical detection thresholds measured on the tip of the index finger bilaterally. Secondary endpoint was current pain intensity. All measures were assessed before and on day 5 after the last stimulation session. HF-rSS applied in 16 patients improved tactile discrimination on the affected hand significantly without changes contralaterally. Current pain intensity remained unchanged on average, but decreased in 4 patients by 30%. This limited pain relief might be due to the short stimulation period of 5 days only. In contrast, after LF-rSS, tactile discrimination was impaired in all 4 patients, while detection thresholds and pain were not affected. Our data suggest that HF-rSS could be used as a novel approach in CRPS treatment to improve sensory loss. Longer treatment periods might be required to induce consistent pain relief.

  18. Complex Signal Kurtosis and Independent Component Analysis for Wideband Radio Frequency Interference Detection

    Science.gov (United States)

    Schoenwald, Adam; Mohammed, Priscilla; Bradley, Damon; Piepmeier, Jeffrey; Wong, Englin; Gholian, Armen

    2016-01-01

    Radio-frequency interference (RFI) has negatively implicated scientific measurements across a wide variation passive remote sensing satellites. This has been observed in the L-band radiometers SMOS, Aquarius and more recently, SMAP [1, 2]. RFI has also been observed at higher frequencies such as K band [3]. Improvements in technology have allowed wider bandwidth digital back ends for passive microwave radiometry. A complex signal kurtosis radio frequency interference detector was developed to help identify corrupted measurements [4]. This work explores the use of ICA (Independent Component Analysis) as a blind source separation technique to pre-process radiometric signals for use with the previously developed real and complex signal kurtosis detectors.

  19. Gravitational dynamos and the low-frequency geomagnetic secular variation.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Olson, P

    2007-12-18

    Self-sustaining numerical dynamos are used to infer the sources of low-frequency secular variation of the geomagnetic field. Gravitational dynamo models powered by compositional convection in an electrically conducting, rotating fluid shell exhibit several regimes of magnetic field behavior with an increasing Rayleigh number of the convection, including nearly steady dipoles, chaotic nonreversing dipoles, and chaotic reversing dipoles. The time average dipole strength and dipolarity of the magnetic field decrease, whereas the dipole variability, average dipole tilt angle, and frequency of polarity reversals increase with Rayleigh number. Chaotic gravitational dynamos have large-amplitude dipole secular variation with maximum power at frequencies corresponding to a few cycles per million years on Earth. Their external magnetic field structure, dipole statistics, low-frequency power spectra, and polarity reversal frequency are comparable to the geomagnetic field. The magnetic variability is driven by the Lorentz force and is characterized by an inverse correlation between dynamo magnetic and kinetic energy fluctuations. A constant energy dissipation theory accounts for this inverse energy correlation, which is shown to produce conditions favorable for dipole drift, polarity reversals, and excursions.

  20. Passive Super-Low Frequency electromagnetic prospecting technique

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wang, Nan; Zhao, Shanshan; Hui, Jian; Qin, Qiming

    2017-03-01

    The Super-Low Frequency (SLF) electromagnetic prospecting technique, adopted as a non-imaging remote sensing tool for depth sounding, is systematically proposed for subsurface geological survey. In this paper, we propose and theoretically illustrate natural source magnetic amplitudes as SLF responses for the first step. In order to directly calculate multi-dimensional theoretical SLF responses, modeling algorithms were developed and evaluated using the finite difference method. The theoretical results of three-dimensional (3-D) models show that the average normalized SLF magnetic amplitude responses were numerically stable and appropriate for practical interpretation. To explore the depth resolution, three-layer models were configured. The modeling results prove that the SLF technique is more sensitive to conductive objective layers than high resistive ones, with the SLF responses of conductive objective layers obviously showing uprising amplitudes in the low frequency range. Afterwards, we proposed an improved Frequency-Depth transformation based on Bostick inversion to realize the depth sounding by empirically adjusting two parameters. The SLF technique has already been successfully applied in geothermal exploration and coalbed methane (CBM) reservoir interpretation, which demonstrates that the proposed methodology is effective in revealing low resistive distributions. Furthermore, it siginificantly contributes to reservoir identification with electromagnetic radiation anomaly extraction. Meanwhile, the SLF interpretation results are in accordance with dynamic production status of CBM reservoirs, which means it could provide an economical, convenient and promising method for exploring and monitoring subsurface geo-objects.

  1. The frequency dependence of friction in experiment, theory, and observations of low frequency earthquakes

    Science.gov (United States)

    Thomas, A.; Beeler, N. M.; Burgmann, R.; Shelly, D. R.

    2011-12-01

    Low frequency earthquakes (LFEs) are small amplitude, short duration events composing tectonic tremor, probably generated by shear slip on asperities downdip of the seismogenic zone. In Parkfield, Shelly and Hardebeck [2010] have identified 88 LFE families, or hypocentral locations, that contain over half a million LFEs since 2001 on a 160-km-long section of the San Andreas fault between 16 and 30 km depth. A number of studies have demonstrated the extreme sensitivity of low frequency earthquakes (LFEs) near Parkfield to stress changes ranging from contingent upon the amplitude and frequency content of the applied stress. We attempt to test this framework by comparing observations of LFEs triggered in response to stresses spanning several orders of magnitude in both frequency and amplitude (e.g. tides, teleseismic surface waves, static stress changes, etc.) to the predicted response of a single degree of freedom slider block model with rate and state dependent strength. The sensitivity of failure time in the friction model as developed in previous studies does not distinguish between shear and normal stresses; laboratory experiments show a more complicated sensitivity of failure time to normal stress change than in the published model. Because the shear and normal tidal stresses at Parkfield have different amplitudes and are not in phase, we have modified the model to include the expected sensitivity to normal stress. Our prior investigations of the response of both regular and low frequency earthquakes to tidal stresses [Thomas et al., 2009; Shelly and Johnson, 2011] are qualitatively consistent with the predictions of the friction model , as both the timing and degree (probability) of correlation are in agreement.

  2. Solar observations with a low frequency radio telescope

    Science.gov (United States)

    Myserlis, I.; Seiradakis, J.; Dogramatzidis, M.

    2012-01-01

    We have set up a low frequency radio monitoring station for solar bursts at the Observatory of the Aristotle University in Thessaloniki. The station consists of a dual dipole phased array, a radio receiver and a dedicated computer with the necessary software installed. The constructed radio receiver is based on NASA's Radio Jove project. It operates continuously, since July 2010, at 20.1 MHz (close to the long-wavelength ionospheric cut-off of the radio window) with a narrow bandwidth (~5 kHz). The system is properly calibrated, so that the recorded data are expressed in antenna temperature. Despite the high interference level of an urban region like Thessaloniki (strong broadcasting shortwave radio stations, periodic experimental signals, CBs, etc), we have detected several low frequency solar radio bursts and correlated them with solar flares, X-ray events and other low frequency solar observations. The received signal is monitored in ordinary ASCII format and as audio signal, in order to investigate and exclude man-made radio interference. In order to exclude narrow band interference and calculate the spectral indices of the observed events, a second monitoring station, working at 36 MHz, is under construction at the village of Nikiforos near the town of Drama, about 130 km away of Thessaloniki. Finally, we plan to construct a third monitoring station at 58 MHz, in Thessaloniki. This frequency was revealed to be relatively free of interference, after a thorough investigation of the region.

  3. Modal structure of variations in the tropical climate system. Pt. 2

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Barnett, T.P.; Graham, N.

    1992-01-01

    Simulations with ocean and atmospheric general circulation models and a hybrid coupled model reproduce well the observed features of variability in the low frequency (LF) mode described in Part I. The model results show the origins of the LF to be in the ocean and suggest this phenomenon is a natural mode of the tropical Pacific Basin. Air-sea interactions amplify the ocean mode by a factor of 5-6 so it obtains climatological importance. These same interactions introduce the LF to the atmosphere. The physical processes responsible for these results are presented. The LF mode of interannual variability is not directly driven by the annual cycle. But it does depend importantly on the fact that the ocean-atmosphere coupling strength vary with respect to the annual cycle. The LF mode appears to be rather sharply peaked in wave number space but broadbanded in frequency space. (orig.)

  4. Resting-state low-frequency fluctuations reflect individual differences in spoken language learning.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Deng, Zhizhou; Chandrasekaran, Bharath; Wang, Suiping; Wong, Patrick C M

    2016-03-01

    A major challenge in language learning studies is to identify objective, pre-training predictors of success. Variation in the low-frequency fluctuations (LFFs) of spontaneous brain activity measured by resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (RS-fMRI) has been found to reflect individual differences in cognitive measures. In the present study, we aimed to investigate the extent to which initial spontaneous brain activity is related to individual differences in spoken language learning. We acquired RS-fMRI data and subsequently trained participants on a sound-to-word learning paradigm in which they learned to use foreign pitch patterns (from Mandarin Chinese) to signal word meaning. We performed amplitude of spontaneous low-frequency fluctuation (ALFF) analysis, graph theory-based analysis, and independent component analysis (ICA) to identify functional components of the LFFs in the resting-state. First, we examined the ALFF as a regional measure and showed that regional ALFFs in the left superior temporal gyrus were positively correlated with learning performance, whereas ALFFs in the default mode network (DMN) regions were negatively correlated with learning performance. Furthermore, the graph theory-based analysis indicated that the degree and local efficiency of the left superior temporal gyrus were positively correlated with learning performance. Finally, the default mode network and several task-positive resting-state networks (RSNs) were identified via the ICA. The "competition" (i.e., negative correlation) between the DMN and the dorsal attention network was negatively correlated with learning performance. Our results demonstrate that a) spontaneous brain activity can predict future language learning outcome without prior hypotheses (e.g., selection of regions of interest--ROIs) and b) both regional dynamics and network-level interactions in the resting brain can account for individual differences in future spoken language learning success

  5. Resting-state low-frequency fluctuations reflect individual differences in spoken language learning

    Science.gov (United States)

    Deng, Zhizhou; Chandrasekaran, Bharath; Wang, Suiping; Wong, Patrick C.M.

    2016-01-01

    A major challenge in language learning studies is to identify objective, pre-training predictors of success. Variation in the low-frequency fluctuations (LFFs) of spontaneous brain activity measured by resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (RS-fMRI) has been found to reflect individual differences in cognitive measures. In the present study, we aimed to investigate the extent to which initial spontaneous brain activity is related to individual differences in spoken language learning. We acquired RS-fMRI data and subsequently trained participants on a sound-to-word learning paradigm in which they learned to use foreign pitch patterns (from Mandarin Chinese) to signal word meaning. We performed amplitude of spontaneous low-frequency fluctuation (ALFF) analysis, graph theory-based analysis, and independent component analysis (ICA) to identify functional components of the LFFs in the resting-state. First, we examined the ALFF as a regional measure and showed that regional ALFFs in the left superior temporal gyrus were positively correlated with learning performance, whereas ALFFs in the default mode network (DMN) regions were negatively correlated with learning performance. Furthermore, the graph theory-based analysis indicated that the degree and local efficiency of the left superior temporal gyrus were positively correlated with learning performance. Finally, the default mode network and several task-positive resting-state networks (RSNs) were identified via the ICA. The “competition” (i.e., negative correlation) between the DMN and the dorsal attention network was negatively correlated with learning performance. Our results demonstrate that a) spontaneous brain activity can predict future language learning outcome without prior hypotheses (e.g., selection of regions of interest – ROIs) and b) both regional dynamics and network-level interactions in the resting brain can account for individual differences in future spoken language learning success

  6. Frequency-dependent changes in amplitude of low-frequency oscillations in depression: A resting-state fMRI study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wang, Li; Kong, Qingmei; Li, Ke; Su, Yunai; Zeng, Yawei; Zhang, Qinge; Dai, Wenji; Xia, Mingrui; Wang, Gang; Jin, Zhen; Yu, Xin; Si, Tianmei

    2016-02-12

    We conducted this fMRI study to examine whether the alterations in amplitudes of low-frequency oscillation (LFO) of major depressive disorder (MDD) patients were frequency dependent. The LFO amplitudes (as indexed by amplitude of low-frequency fluctuation [ALFF] and fractional ALFF [fALFF]) within 4 narrowly-defined frequency bands (slow-5: 0.01-0.027Hz, slow-4: 0.027-0.073Hz, slow-3: 0.073-0.198Hz, and slow-2: 0.198-0.25Hz) were computed using resting-state fMRI data of 35 MDD patients and 32 healthy subjects. Repeated-measures analysis of variance (ANOVA) was performed on ALFF and fALFF both within the low frequency bands of slow-4 and slow-5 and within all of the four bands. We observed significant main effects of group and frequency on ALFF and fALFF in widely distributed brain regions. Importantly, significant group and frequency interaction effects were observed in the ventromedial prefrontal cortex, inferior frontal gyrus, precentral gyrus, in a left-sided fashion, the bilateral posterior cingulate and precuneus, during ANOVA both within slow-4 and slow-5 bands and within all the frequency bands. The results suggest that the alterations of LFO amplitudes in specific brain regions in MDD patients could be more sensitively detected in the slow-5 rather than the slow-4 bands. The findings may provide guidance for the frequency choice of future resting-state fMRI studies of MDD. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

  7. EFFECTIVE INDICES FOR MONITORING MENTAL WORKLOAD WHILE PERFORMING MULTIPLE TASKS.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hsu, Bin-Wei; Wang, Mao-Jiun J; Chen, Chi-Yuan; Chen, Fang

    2015-08-01

    This study identified several physiological indices that can accurately monitor mental workload while participants performed multiple tasks with the strategy of maintaining stable performance and maximizing accuracy. Thirty male participants completed three 10-min. simulated multitasks: MATB (Multi-Attribute Task Battery) with three workload levels. Twenty-five commonly used mental workload measures were collected, including heart rate, 12 HRV (heart rate variability), 10 EEG (electroencephalography) indices (α, β, θ, α/θ, θ/β from O1-O2 and F4-C4), and two subjective measures. Analyses of index sensitivity showed that two EEG indices, θ and α/θ (F4-C4), one time-domain HRV-SDNN (standard deviation of inter-beat intervals), and four frequency-domain HRV: VLF (very low frequency), LF (low frequency), %HF (percentage of high frequency), and LF/HF were sensitive to differentiate high workload. EEG α/θ (F4-C4) and LF/HF were most effective for monitoring high mental workload. LF/HF showed the highest correlations with other physiological indices. EEG α/θ (F4-C4) showed strong correlations with subjective measures across different mental workload levels. Operation strategy would affect the sensitivity of EEG α (F4-C4) and HF.

  8. Heart rate variability in newborns.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Javorka, K; Lehotska, Z; Kozar, M; Uhrikova, Z; Kolarovszki, B; Javorka, M; Zibolen, M

    2017-09-22

    Heart rate (HR) and heart rate variability (HRV) in newborns is influenced by genetic determinants, gestational and postnatal age, and other variables. Premature infants have a reduced HRV. In neonatal HRV evaluated by spectral analysis, a dominant activity can be found in low frequency (LF) band (combined parasympathetic and sympathetic component). During the first postnatal days the activity in the high frequency (HF) band (parasympathetic component) rises, together with an increase in LF band and total HRV. Hypotrophy in newborn can cause less mature autonomic cardiac control with a higher contribution of sympathetic activity to HRV as demonstrated by sequence plot analysis. During quiet sleep (QS) in newborns HF oscillations increase - a phenomenon less expressed or missing in premature infants. In active sleep (AS), HRV is enhanced in contrast to reduced activity in HF band due to the rise of spectral activity in LF band. Comparison of the HR and HRV in newborns born by physiological vaginal delivery, without (VD) and with epidural anesthesia (EDA) and via sectio cesarea (SC) showed no significant differences in HR and in HRV time domain parameters. Analysis in the frequency domain revealed, that the lowest sympathetic activity in chronotropic cardiac chronotropic regulation is in the VD group. Different neonatal pathological states can be associated with a reduction of HRV and an improvement in the health conditions is followed by changes in HRV what can be use as a possible prognostic marker. Examination of heart rate variability in neonatology can provide information on the maturity of the cardiac chronotropic regulation in early postnatal life, on postnatal adaptation and in pathological conditions about the potential dysregulation of cardiac function in newborns, especially in preterm infants.

  9. The Role of Localized Compressional Ultra-low Frequency Waves in Energetic Electron Precipitation

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rae, I. Jonathan; Murphy, Kyle R.; Watt, Clare E. J.; Halford, Alexa J.; Mann, Ian R.; Ozeke, Louis G.; Sibeck, David G.; Clilverd, Mark A.; Rodger, Craig J.; Degeling, Alex W.; Forsyth, Colin; Singer, Howard J.

    2018-03-01

    Typically, ultra-low frequency (ULF) waves have historically been invoked for radial diffusive transport leading to acceleration and loss of outer radiation belt electrons. At higher frequencies, very low frequency waves are generally thought to provide a mechanism for localized acceleration and loss through precipitation into the ionosphere of radiation belt electrons. In this study we present a new mechanism for electron loss through precipitation into the ionosphere due to a direct modulation of the loss cone via localized compressional ULF waves. We present a case study of compressional wave activity in tandem with riometer and balloon-borne electron precipitation across keV-MeV energies to demonstrate that the experimental measurements can be explained by our new enhanced loss cone mechanism. Observational evidence is presented demonstrating that modulation of the equatorial loss cone can occur via localized compressional wave activity, which greatly exceeds the change in pitch angle through conservation of the first and second adiabatic invariants. The precipitation response can be a complex interplay between electron energy, the localization of the waves, the shape of the phase space density profile at low pitch angles, ionospheric decay time scales, and the time dependence of the electron source; we show that two pivotal components not usually considered are localized ULF wave fields and ionospheric decay time scales. We conclude that enhanced precipitation driven by compressional ULF wave modulation of the loss cone is a viable candidate for direct precipitation of radiation belt electrons without any additional requirement for gyroresonant wave-particle interaction. Additional mechanisms would be complementary and additive in providing means to precipitate electrons from the radiation belts during storm times.

  10. Present and Future Modes of Low Frequency Climate Variability

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Cane, Mark A.

    2014-02-20

    This project addressed area (1) of the FOA, “Interaction of Climate Change and Low Frequency Modes of Natural Climate Variability”. Our overarching objective is to detect, describe and understand the changes in low frequency variability between model simulations of the preindustrial climate and simulations of a doubled CO2 climate. The deliverables are a set of papers providing a dynamical characterization of interannual, decadal, and multidecadal variability in coupled models with attention to the changes in this low frequency variability between pre-industrial concentrations of greenhouse gases and a doubling of atmospheric concentrations of CO2. The principle mode of analysis, singular vector decomposition, is designed to advance our physical, mechanistic understanding. This study will include external natural variability due to solar and volcanic aerosol variations as well as variability internal to the climate system. An important byproduct is a set of analysis tools for estimating global singular vector structures from the archived output of model simulations.

  11. Simple programmable voltage reference for low frequency noise measurements

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ivanov, V. E.; Chye, En Un

    2018-05-01

    The paper presents a circuit design of a low-noise voltage reference based on an electric double-layer capacitor, a microcontroller and a general purpose DAC. A large capacitance value (1F and more) makes it possible to create low-pass filter with a large time constant, effectively reducing low-frequency noise beyond its bandwidth. Choosing the optimum value of the resistor in the RC filter, one can achieve the best ratio between the transient time, the deviation of the output voltage from the set point and the minimum noise cut-off frequency. As experiments have shown, the spectral density of the voltage at a frequency of 1 kHz does not exceed 1.2 nV/√Hz the maximum deviation of the output voltage from the predetermined does not exceed 1.4 % and depends on the holding time of the previous value. Subsequently, this error is reduced to a constant value and can be compensated.

  12. Rapid diagnosis of Theileria annulata by recombinase polymerase amplification combined with a lateral flow strip (LF-RPA) in epidemic regions.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yin, Fangyuan; Liu, Junlong; Liu, Aihong; Li, Youquan; Luo, Jianxun; Guan, Guiquan; Yin, Hong

    2017-04-15

    Rapid and accurate diagnosis of Theileria annulata infection contributes to the formulation of strategies to eradicate this parasite. A simple and efficient diagnostic tool, recombinase polymerase amplification (RPA) combined with a lateral flow (LF) strip, was used in detection of Theileria and compared to other methods that require expensive instruments and skilled personnel. Herein, we established and optimized an LF-RPA method to detect the cytochrome b gene of T. annulata mitochondrial DNA from experimentally infected and field-collected blood samples. This method has many unparalleled characteristics, including that it is rapid (clear detection in 5min at constant temperature), sensitive (the limitation of detection is at least 2pg genomic DNA), and specific (no cross-reaction with other piroplasms that infect cattle). The LF-RPA assay was evaluated via testing 17 field blood samples and comparing the results of that of a PCR, showing 100% agreement, which demonstrates the ability of the LF-RPA assay to detect T. annulata infections in small number of samples (n=17). Taken together, the results indicate that this method could be used as an ideal diagnostic tool for detecting T. annulata in endemic regions with limited to fewer and local resources and could also be a potential technique for the surveillance and control of blood protozoa. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  13. A low-frequency vibration energy harvester based on diamagnetic levitation

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kono, Yuta; Masuda, Arata; Yuan, Fuh-Gwo

    2017-04-01

    This article presents 3-degree-of-freedom theoretical modeling and analysis of a low-frequency vibration energy harvester based on diamagnetic levitation. In recent years, although much attention has been placed on vibration energy harvesting technologies, few harvesters still can operate efficiently at extremely low frequencies in spite of large potential demand in the field of structural health monitoring and wearable applications. As one of the earliest works, Liu, Yuan and Palagummi proposed vertical and horizontal diamagnetic levitation systems as vibration energy harvesters with low resonant frequencies. This study aims to pursue further improvement along this direction, in terms of expanding maximum amplitude and enhancing the flexibility of the operation direction for broader application fields by introducing a new topology of the levitation system.

  14. INVESTIGATION OF THE FREQUENCY-TEMPERATURE RELATIONSHIP OF THE DIELECTRIC PERMITTIVITY OF THE PZT PIEZOCERAMICS IN THE LOW FREQUENCY RANGE

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    A. I. ZOLOTAREVSKIY

    2018-05-01

    Full Text Available Purpose. To investigate the frequency-temperature relationship of the dielectric permittivity of PZT piezoceramics in the low frequency range. Methodology. To obtain the frequency-temperature relationship of the dielectric permittivity of the PZT piezoceramics, a technique was used to determine the capacitance of the capacitor, between which plates the sample was placed. The value of the dielectric permittivity of the sample was calculated from the capacitor capacitance obtained. Findings. The frequency-temperature relationship of the dielectric permittivity of the PZT piezoceramics in the low frequency range has been obtained by the authors. The dielectric permittivity is not practically related to the frequency of the alternating voltage at a low temperature, with increasing in temperature its value increases and frequency relationship is observed. The temperature relationship of the dielectric permittivity of the PZT piezoceramics is satisfactorily described by the exponential functional dependence in the low-temperature range. The activation energy of the PZT piezoceramics polarization is determined from the graph of the dependence of the logarithm of the dielectric permittivity upon the inverse temperature. Different values of the activation energy for the two temperature regions prove on the existence of different mechanisms of the PZT piezoceramics polarization in the temperature range being investigated. Originality. The authors investigated the frequency-temperature relationship of the dielectric permittivity of the PZT piezoceramics in the low-frequency range. It is established that the temperature relationship of the dielectric permittivity of the PZT piezoceramics is satisfactorily described by an exponential functional relationship in the lowtemperature range. The activation energy of polarization is determined for two temperature sections. Practical value. The research results can be used to study the mechanism of polarization of

  15. Sizing of intergranular stress corrosion cracking using low frequency ultrasound

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Fuller, M.D.; Avioli, M.J.; Rose, J.L.

    1985-01-01

    Based upon the work thus far accomplished on low frequency sizing, the following conclusions can be drawn: the potential of low frequency ultrasound for the sizing of IGSCC seams encouraging as demonstrated in this work. If minimal walking is expected, larger values of crack height/wavelength ratios should not affect the reliability of estimates; notch data points out the validity of signal amplitude for sizing. With care in frequency consideration, the technique can be extended to cracks; when wavelength is greater than flaw size, importance of orientation and reflector shape diminishes although less so for deeper cracks; when beam profile is larger than the defect size, echo amplitude is proportional to defect area when using shear wave probes and corner reflectors; other factors, in addition to crack size, affect signal amplitude. Reference data to compensate for depth and material (HAZ) is a must; additional crack samples should be studied in order to further develop and characterize the use of low frequency ultrasonics

  16. Frequencies of inaudible high-frequency sounds differentially affect brain activity: positive and negative hypersonic effects.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ariko Fukushima

    Full Text Available The hypersonic effect is a phenomenon in which sounds containing significant quantities of non-stationary high-frequency components (HFCs above the human audible range (max. 20 kHz activate the midbrain and diencephalon and evoke various physiological, psychological and behavioral responses. Yet important issues remain unverified, especially the relationship existing between the frequency of HFCs and the emergence of the hypersonic effect. In this study, to investigate the relationship between the hypersonic effect and HFC frequencies, we divided an HFC (above 16 kHz of recorded gamelan music into 12 band components and applied them to subjects along with an audible component (below 16 kHz to observe changes in the alpha2 frequency component (10-13 Hz of spontaneous EEGs measured from centro-parieto-occipital regions (Alpha-2 EEG, which we previously reported as an index of the hypersonic effect. Our results showed reciprocal directional changes in Alpha-2 EEGs depending on the frequency of the HFCs presented with audible low-frequency component (LFC. When an HFC above approximately 32 kHz was applied, Alpha-2 EEG increased significantly compared to when only audible sound was applied (positive hypersonic effect, while, when an HFC below approximately 32 kHz was applied, the Alpha-2 EEG decreased (negative hypersonic effect. These findings suggest that the emergence of the hypersonic effect depends on the frequencies of inaudible HFC.

  17. Frequencies of inaudible high-frequency sounds differentially affect brain activity: positive and negative hypersonic effects.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Fukushima, Ariko; Yagi, Reiko; Kawai, Norie; Honda, Manabu; Nishina, Emi; Oohashi, Tsutomu

    2014-01-01

    The hypersonic effect is a phenomenon in which sounds containing significant quantities of non-stationary high-frequency components (HFCs) above the human audible range (max. 20 kHz) activate the midbrain and diencephalon and evoke various physiological, psychological and behavioral responses. Yet important issues remain unverified, especially the relationship existing between the frequency of HFCs and the emergence of the hypersonic effect. In this study, to investigate the relationship between the hypersonic effect and HFC frequencies, we divided an HFC (above 16 kHz) of recorded gamelan music into 12 band components and applied them to subjects along with an audible component (below 16 kHz) to observe changes in the alpha2 frequency component (10-13 Hz) of spontaneous EEGs measured from centro-parieto-occipital regions (Alpha-2 EEG), which we previously reported as an index of the hypersonic effect. Our results showed reciprocal directional changes in Alpha-2 EEGs depending on the frequency of the HFCs presented with audible low-frequency component (LFC). When an HFC above approximately 32 kHz was applied, Alpha-2 EEG increased significantly compared to when only audible sound was applied (positive hypersonic effect), while, when an HFC below approximately 32 kHz was applied, the Alpha-2 EEG decreased (negative hypersonic effect). These findings suggest that the emergence of the hypersonic effect depends on the frequencies of inaudible HFC.

  18. A two-component generalized extreme value distribution for precipitation frequency analysis

    Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

    Rulfová, Zuzana; Buishand, A.; Roth, M.; Kyselý, Jan

    2016-01-01

    Roč. 534, March (2016), s. 659-668 ISSN 0022-1694 R&D Projects: GA ČR(CZ) GA14-18675S Institutional support: RVO:68378289 Keywords : precipitation extremes * two-component extreme value distribution * regional frequency analysis * convective precipitation * stratiform precipitation * Central Europe Subject RIV: DG - Athmosphere Sciences, Meteorology Impact factor: 3.483, year: 2016 http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0022169416000500

  19. PROP Nontaster Women Lose More Weight Following a Low-Carbohydrate Versus a Low-Fat Diet in a Randomized Controlled Trial.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Burgess, Brenda; Raynor, Hollie A; Tepper, Beverly J

    2017-10-01

    Taste blindness to 6-n-propylthiouracil (PROP) associates with increased fat preference and intake. No studies have matched a diet to a woman's PROP phenotype to improve weight loss. This study investigated (1) whether PROP nontaster (NT) women would lose more weight following a low-carbohydrate (LC) diet than a low-fat (LF) diet, and (2) whether PROP supertaster (ST) women would lose more weight following a LF diet than a LC diet. One hundred seven women (BMI = 34.8 ± 0.5 kg/m 2 ), classified as PROP NTs (n = 47) and STs (n = 60), were randomized to a LC or LF diet within a 6-month lifestyle intervention. Assessments included 4-day dietary recalls and biobehavioral and psychosocial questionnaires. At 6 months, NTs lost more weight following the LC than the LF diet (-8.5 ± 0.5 kg vs. -6.6 ± 0.5 kg, P = 0.008); there was no difference between STs following either diet (-8.8 ± 0.4 vs. -8.9 ± 0.5, P = 0.35). Dietary self-reports were unrelated to weight loss, and prescription of a LC diet associated with greater self-efficacy. NT women lost more weight following the LC diet compared to the LF diet. Screening for PROP phenotype may help personalize diet therapy for NT women to optimize their short-term weight loss. © 2017 The Authors. Obesity published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. on behalf of The Obesity Society (TOS).

  20. Low-frequency and common genetic variation in ischemic stroke: The METASTROKE collaboration.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Malik, Rainer; Traylor, Matthew; Pulit, Sara L; Bevan, Steve; Hopewell, Jemma C; Holliday, Elizabeth G; Zhao, Wei; Abrantes, Patricia; Amouyel, Philippe; Attia, John R; Battey, Thomas W K; Berger, Klaus; Boncoraglio, Giorgio B; Chauhan, Ganesh; Cheng, Yu-Ching; Chen, Wei-Min; Clarke, Robert; Cotlarciuc, Ioana; Debette, Stephanie; Falcone, Guido J; Ferro, Jose M; Gamble, Dale M; Ilinca, Andreea; Kittner, Steven J; Kourkoulis, Christina E; Lemmens, Robin; Levi, Christopher R; Lichtner, Peter; Lindgren, Arne; Liu, Jingmin; Meschia, James F; Mitchell, Braxton D; Oliveira, Sofia A; Pera, Joana; Reiner, Alex P; Rothwell, Peter M; Sharma, Pankaj; Slowik, Agnieszka; Sudlow, Cathie L M; Tatlisumak, Turgut; Thijs, Vincent; Vicente, Astrid M; Woo, Daniel; Seshadri, Sudha; Saleheen, Danish; Rosand, Jonathan; Markus, Hugh S; Worrall, Bradford B; Dichgans, Martin

    2016-03-29

    To investigate the influence of common and low-frequency genetic variants on the risk of ischemic stroke (all IS) and etiologic stroke subtypes. We meta-analyzed 12 individual genome-wide association studies comprising 10,307 cases and 19,326 controls imputed to the 1000 Genomes (1 KG) phase I reference panel. We selected variants showing the highest degree of association (p frequencies for all IS and stroke subtypes. We showed genome-wide significance for 4 loci: ABO for all IS, HDAC9 for large vessel disease (LVD), and both PITX2 and ZFHX3 for cardioembolic stroke (CE). We further refined the association peaks for ABO and PITX2. Analyzing different allele frequency bins, we showed significant enrichment in low-frequency variants (allele frequency frequency variants (allele frequency 10% and 30%) for CE (all p low-frequency and rare variants. Larger sample sizes are needed to identify the variants associated with all IS and stroke subtypes. © 2016 American Academy of Neurology.

  1. Fabrication of SU-8 low frequency electrostatic energy harvester

    KAUST Repository

    Ramadan, Khaled S.

    2011-11-01

    A 1500μm × 1500μm × 150μm out-of-plane, gap closing, electrostatic energy harvester is designed and fabricated to harvest low-frequency ambient vibrations. SU-8 is used to fabricate the proof mass (1200μm × 1200μm × 150μm) and the 5 m springs. Different harvesters were designed to harvest at 50, 75 and 110 Hz. At 110 Hz, Simulations show that with an input vibration of 10 μm amplitude at the frequency of resonance of the structure, the energy harvester should generate an average output power density of 0.032μW/mm3. This is the most area-efficient low-frequency electrostatic harvester to-date. © 2011 IEEE.

  2. Effect of low-frequency vibrations on speckle interferometry fringes

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Vikram, C.S.; Pechersky, M.J.

    1998-01-01

    The effects of low-frequency vibrations on speckle correlation fringes have been investigated. The relatively short capture time of the camera in the low-frequency case may yield usable fringe contrast in spite of vibration. It has been shown that the fringes also shift due to the vibration. The study is in agreement with experimental observations of good-contrast correlation fringes even if the object is not on a vibration-isolated table. Some such experimental observations are also presented. copyright 1998 Society of Photo-Optical Instrumentation Engineers

  3. Low-frequency Landau-Zener-Stuckelberg interference in dissipative superconducting qubits

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Du-lingjie; Lan- Dong; Yu-Yang

    2013-01-01

    Landau-Zener-Stuckelberg (LZS) interference of continuously driven superconducting qubits is studied. Going beyond the second order perturbation expansion, we find a time dependent stationary population evolution as well as unsymmetrical microwave driven Landau-Zener transitions, resulting from the nonresonant terms which are neglected in rotating-wave approximation. For the low-frequency driving, the qubit population at equilibrium is a periodical function of time, owing to the contribution of the nonresonant terms. In order to obtain the average population, it is found that the average approximation based on the perturbation approach can be applied to the low-frequency region. For the extremely low frequency which is much smaller than the decoherence rate, we develop noncoherence approximation by dividing the evolution into discrete time steps during which the coherence is lost totally. These approximations present comprehensive analytical descriptions of LZS interference in most of parameter space of frequency and decoherence rate, agreeing well with those of the numerical simulations and providing a simple but integrated understanding to system dynamics. The application of our models to microwave cooling can obtain the minimal frequency to realize effective microwave cooling.

  4. Simulation model for studying low frequency microinstabilities

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lee, W.W.; Okuda, H.

    1976-03-01

    A 2 1 / 2 dimensional, electrostatic particle code in a slab geometry has been developed to study low frequency oscillations such as drift wave and trapped particle instabilities in a nonuniform bounded plasma. A drift approximation for the electron transverse motion is made which eliminates the high frequency oscillations at the electron gyrofrequency and its multiples. It is, therefore, possible to study the nonlinear effects such as the anomalous transport of plasmas within a reasonable computing time using a real mass ratio. Several examples are given to check the validity and usefulness of the model

  5. Weight Loss on Low-Fat vs. Low-Carb Diets by Insulin Resistance Status Among Overweight Adults & Adults with Obesity: A Randomized Pilot Trial

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gardner, Christopher D.; Offringa, Lisa; Hartle, Jennifer; Kapphahn, Kris; Cherin, Rise

    2018-01-01

    OBJECTIVE To test for differential weight loss response to Low-Fat (LF) vs. Low-Carbohydrate (LC) diets by insulin resistance status with emphasis on overall quality of both diets. METHODS Sixty-one adults, BMI 28-40 kg/m2, were randomized in a 2X2 design to LF or LC by insulin resistance status in this pilot study. Primary outcome was 6-month weight change. Participants were characterized as more insulin resistant (IR) or more insulin sensitive (IS) by median split of baseline insulin-area-under-the-curve from an oral glucose tolerance test. Intervention consisted of 14 one-hour class-based educational sessions. RESULTS Baseline % carb:% fat:% protein was 44:38:18. At 6m the LF group reported 57:21:22 and the LC group reported 22:53:25 (IR and IS combined). Six-month weight loss (kg) was 7.4 ± 6.0 (LF-IR), 10.4 ± 7.8 (LF-IS), 9.6 ± 6.6 (LC-IR), and 8.6 ± 5.6 (LC-IS). No significant main effects were detected for weight loss by diet group or IR status; no significant diet X IR interaction. Significant differences in several secondary outcomes were observed. CONCLUSION Substantial weight loss was achieved overall, but a significant diet X IR status interaction was not observed. Opportunity to detect differential response may have been limited by the focus on high diet quality for both diet groups and sample size. PMID:26638192

  6. A Sub-Hertz, Low-Frequency Vibration Isolation Platform

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ortiz, Gerardo, G.; Farr, William H.; Sannibale, Virginio

    2011-01-01

    One of the major technical problems deep-space optical communication (DSOC) systems need to solve is the isolation of the optical terminal from vibrations produced by the spacecraft navigational control system and by the moving parts of onboard instruments. Even under these vibration perturbations, the DSOC transceivers (telescopes) need to be pointed l000 fs of times more accurately than an RF communication system (parabolic antennas). Mechanical resonators have been extensively used to provide vibration isolation for groundbased, airborne, and spaceborne payloads. The effectiveness of these isolation systems is determined mainly by the ability of designing a mechanical oscillator with the lowest possible resonant frequency. The Low-Frequency Vibration Isolation Platform (LFVIP), developed during this effort, aims to reduce the resonant frequency of the mechanical oscillators into the sub-Hertz region in order to maximize the passive isolation afforded by the 40 dB/decade roll-off response of the resonator. The LFVIP also provides tip/tilt functionality for acquisition and tracking of a beacon signal. An active control system is used for platform positioning and for dampening of the mechanical oscillator. The basic idea in the design of the isolation platform is to use a passive isolation strut with an approximately equal to 100-mHz resonance frequency. This will extend the isolation range to lower frequencies. The harmonic oscillator is a second-order lowpass filter for mechanical disturbances. The resonance quality depends on the dissipation mechanisms, which are mainly hysteretic because of the low resonant frequency and the absence of any viscous medium. The LFVIP system is configured using the well-established Stewart Platform, which consists of a top platform connected to a base with six extensible struts (see figure). The struts are attached to the base and to the platform via universal joints, which permit the extension and contraction of the struts. The

  7. Sensitivity, specificity and predictive values of linear and nonlinear indices of heart rate variability in stable angina patients

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Pivatelli Flávio

    2012-10-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background Decreased heart rate variability (HRV is related to higher morbidity and mortality. In this study we evaluated the linear and nonlinear indices of the HRV in stable angina patients submitted to coronary angiography. Methods We studied 77 unselected patients for elective coronary angiography, which were divided into two groups: coronary artery disease (CAD and non-CAD groups. For analysis of HRV indices, HRV was recorded beat by beat with the volunteers in the supine position for 40 minutes. We analyzed the linear indices in the time (SDNN [standard deviation of normal to normal], NN50 [total number of adjacent RR intervals with a difference of duration greater than 50ms] and RMSSD [root-mean square of differences] and frequency domains ultra-low frequency (ULF ≤ 0,003 Hz, very low frequency (VLF 0,003 – 0,04 Hz, low frequency (LF (0.04–0.15 Hz, and high frequency (HF (0.15–0.40 Hz as well as the ratio between LF and HF components (LF/HF. In relation to the nonlinear indices we evaluated SD1, SD2, SD1/SD2, approximate entropy (−ApEn, α1, α2, Lyapunov Exponent, Hurst Exponent, autocorrelation and dimension correlation. The definition of the cutoff point of the variables for predictive tests was obtained by the Receiver Operating Characteristic curve (ROC. The area under the ROC curve was calculated by the extended trapezoidal rule, assuming as relevant areas under the curve ≥ 0.650. Results Coronary arterial disease patients presented reduced values of SDNN, RMSSD, NN50, HF, SD1, SD2 and -ApEn. HF ≤ 66 ms2, RMSSD ≤ 23.9 ms, ApEn ≤−0.296 and NN50 ≤ 16 presented the best discriminatory power for the presence of significant coronary obstruction. Conclusion We suggest the use of Heart Rate Variability Analysis in linear and nonlinear domains, for prognostic purposes in patients with stable angina pectoris, in view of their overall impairment.

  8. Planck 2015 results. XXV. Diffuse low-frequency Galactic foregrounds

    CERN Document Server

    Ade, P.A.R.; Alves, M.I.R.; Arnaud, M.; Ashdown, M.; Aumont, J.; Baccigalupi, C.; Banday, A.J.; Barreiro, R.B.; Bartlett, J.G.; Bartolo, N.; Battaner, E.; Benabed, K.; Benoit, A.; Benoit-Levy, A.; Bernard, J.P.; Bersanelli, M.; Bielewicz, P.; Bock, J.J.; Bonaldi, A.; Bonavera, L.; Bond, J.R.; Borrill, J.; Bouchet, F.R.; Boulanger, F.; Bucher, M.; Burigana, C.; Butler, R.C.; Calabrese, E.; Cardoso, J.F.; Catalano, A.; Challinor, A.; Chamballu, A.; Chary, R.R.; Chiang, H.C.; Christensen, P.R.; Colombi, S.; Colombo, L.P.L.; Combet, C.; Couchot, F.; Coulais, A.; Crill, B.P.; Curto, A.; Cuttaia, F.; Danese, L.; Davies, R.D.; Davis, R.J.; de Bernardis, P.; de Rosa, A.; de Zotti, G.; Delabrouille, J.; Delouis, J.M.; Desert, F.X.; Dickinson, C.; Diego, J.M.; Dole, H.; Donzelli, S.; Dore, O.; Douspis, M.; Ducout, A.; Dupac, X.; Efstathiou, G.; Elsner, F.; Ensslin, T.A.; Eriksen, H.K.; Falgarone, E.; Fergusson, J.; Finelli, F.; Forni, O.; Frailis, M.; Fraisse, A.A.; Franceschi, E.; Frejsel, A.; Galeotta, S.; Galli, S.; Ganga, K.; Ghosh, T.; Giard, M.; Giraud-Heraud, Y.; Gjerlow, E.; Gonzalez-Nuevo, J.; Gorski, K.M.; Gratton, S.; Gregorio, A.; Gruppuso, A.; Gudmundsson, J.E.; Hansen, F.K.; Hanson, D.; Harrison, D.L.; Helou, G.; Henrot-Versille, S.; Hernandez-Monteagudo, C.; Herranz, D.; Hildebrandt, S.R.; Hivon, E.; Hobson, M.; Holmes, W.A.; Hornstrup, A.; Hovest, W.; Huffenberger, K.M.; Hurier, G.; Jaffe, A.H.; Jaffe, T.R.; Jones, W.C.; Juvela, M.; Keihanen, E.; Keskitalo, R.; Kisner, T.S.; Kneissl, R.; Knoche, J.; Kunz, M.; Kurki-Suonio, H.; Lagache, G.; Lahteenmaki, A.; Lamarre, J.M.; Lasenby, A.; Lattanzi, M.; Lawrence, C.R.; Leahy, J.P.; Leonardi, R.; Lesgourgues, J.; Levrier, F.; Liguori, M.; Lilje, P.B.; Linden-Vornle, M.; Lopez-Caniego, M.; Lubin, P.M.; Macias-Perez, J.F.; Maggio, G.; Maino, D.; Mandolesi, N.; Mangilli, A.; Maris, M.; Marshall, D.J.; Martin, P.G.; Martinez-Gonzalez, E.; Masi, S.; Matarrese, S.; McGehee, P.; Meinhold, P.R.; Melchiorri, A.; Mendes, L.; Mennella, A.; Migliaccio, M.; Mitra, S.; Miville-Deschenes, M.A.; Moneti, A.; Montier, L.; Morgante, G.; Mortlock, D.; Moss, A.; Munshi, D.; Murphy, J.A.; Naselsky, P.; Nati, F.; Natoli, P.; Netterfield, C.B.; Norgaard-Nielsen, H.U.; Noviello, F.; Novikov, D.; Novikov, I.; Orlando, E.; Oxborrow, C.A.; Paci, F.; Pagano, L.; Pajot, F.; Paladini, R.; Paoletti, D.; Partridge, B.; Pasian, F.; Patanchon, G.; Pearson, T.J.; Peel, M.; Perdereau, O.; Perotto, L.; Perrotta, F.; Pettorino, V.; Piacentini, F.; Piat, M.; Pierpaoli, E.; Pietrobon, D.; Plaszczynski, S.; Pointecouteau, E.; Polenta, G.; Pratt, G.W.; Prezeau, G.; Prunet, S.; Puget, J.L.; Rachen, J.P.; Reach, W.T.; Rebolo, R.; Reinecke, M.; Remazeilles, M.; Renault, C.; Renzi, A.; Ristorcelli, I.; Rocha, G.; Rosset, C.; Rossetti, M.; Roudier, G.; Rubino-Martin, J.A.; Rusholme, B.; Sandri, M.; Santos, D.; Savelainen, M.; Savini, G.; Scott, D.; Seiffert, M.D.; Shellard, E.P.S.; Spencer, L.D.; Stolyarov, V.; Stompor, R.; Strong, A.W.; Sudiwala, R.; Sunyaev, R.; Sutton, D.; Suur-Uski, A.S.; Sygnet, J.F.; Tauber, J.A.; Terenzi, L.; Toffolatti, L.; Tomasi, M.; Tristram, M.; Tucci, M.; Tuovinen, J.; Umana, G.; Valenziano, L.; Valiviita, J.; Van Tent, B.; Vidal, M.; Vielva, P.; Villa, F.; Wade, L.A.; Wandelt, B.D.; Watson, R.; Wehus, I.K.; Wilkinson, A.; Yvon, D.; Zacchei, A.; Zonca, A.

    2016-01-01

    (abridged) We discuss the Galactic foreground emission between 20 and 100GHz based on observations by Planck/WMAP. The Commander component-separation tool has been used to separate the various astrophysical processes in total intensity. Comparison with RRL templates verifies the recovery of the free-free emission along the Galactic plane. Comparison of the high-latitude Halpha emission with our free-free map shows residuals that correlate with dust optical depth, consistent with a fraction (~30%) of Halpha having been scattered by high-latitude dust. We highlight a number of diffuse spinning dust morphological features at high latitude. There is substantial spatial variation in the spinning dust spectrum, with the emission peak ranging from below 20GHz to more than 50GHz. There is a strong tendency for the spinning dust component near many prominent HII regions to have a higher peak frequency, suggesting that this increase in peak frequency is associated with dust in the photodissociation regions around the n...

  9. Extremely low frequency magnetic fields and health risks

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    M.I. Buzdugan

    2009-10-01

    Full Text Available In a world abounding in artificially created electromagnetic fields, we consider that a new approach regarding their possible harmful effects on living beings becomes mandatory. The paper reviews briefly the results of some epidemiological studies, the ICNIRP (International Committee on Non-Ionizing Radiation Protection Guidelines and the latest document of the SCENIHR (an organism of the European Commission regarding extremely low frequency (ELF magnetic fields. We are convinced that the best conduct that might be adopted on this matter is the policy of the prudential avoidance. Several examples of possible harmful effects determined by extremely low frequency magnetic fields dedicated to building services engineering in residences are presented, along with several methods of mitigating them.

  10. Low-frequency fields - health risk assessment

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Bernhardt, J.

    1993-01-01

    The author briefly reviews the biological actions and effects of low-frequency fields, epidemiological studies and discusses health risks in detail. He describes the assessment principles of the International Commission on Non-ionizing Radiation Protection (ICNIRP), medical principles for risk assessment, determination of limits and thesholds, and aspects of prevention. This is supplemented to by several fables and literature list. (Uhe) [de

  11. Frequency-Dependent Tidal Triggering of Low Frequency Earthquakes Near Parkfield, California

    Science.gov (United States)

    Xue, L.; Burgmann, R.; Shelly, D. R.

    2017-12-01

    The effect of small periodic stress perturbations on earthquake generation is not clear, however, the rate of low-frequency earthquakes (LFEs) near Parkfield, California has been found to be strongly correlated with solid earth tides. Laboratory experiments and theoretical analyses show that the period of imposed forcing and source properties affect the sensitivity to triggering and the phase relation of the peak seismicity rate and the periodic stress, but frequency-dependent triggering has not been quantitatively explored in the field. Tidal forcing acts over a wide range of frequencies, therefore the sensitivity to tidal triggering of LFEs provides a good probe to the physical mechanisms affecting earthquake generation. In this study, we consider the tidal triggering of LFEs near Parkfield, California since 2001. We find the LFEs rate is correlated with tidal shear stress, normal stress rate and shear stress rate. The occurrence of LFEs can also be independently modulated by groups of tidal constituents at semi-diurnal, diurnal and fortnightly frequencies. The strength of the response of LFEs to the different tidal constituents varies between LFE families. Each LFE family has an optimal triggering frequency, which does not appear to be depth dependent or systematically related to other known properties. This suggests the period of the applied forcing plays an important role in the triggering process, and the interaction of periods of loading history and source region properties, such as friction, effective normal stress and pore fluid pressure, produces the observed frequency-dependent tidal triggering of LFEs.

  12. Subjective evaluation of noise from neighbours with focus on low frequencies

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Mortensen, Frank Rysgaard

    1999-01-01

    There is a growing tendency to use lightweight constructions in the building industry. One unwanted side effect of this tendency is poor sound insulation at low frequencies. The purpose of this investigation has been to examine the subjective effects of the resulting increase of low frequency noise...

  13. An investigation of twenty-one cases of low-frequency noise complaints

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Pedersen, Christian Sejer; Møller, Henrik; Persson-Waye, Kerstin

    2007-01-01

    Twenty-one cases of low-frequency noise complaints were thoroughly investigated with the aim of answering the question whether it is real physical sound or low-frequency tinnitus that causes the annoyance. Noise recordings were made in the homes of the complainants taking the spatial variation...

  14. Spontaneous low-frequency oscillations in cerebral vessels

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Schytz, Henrik W; Hansson, Andreas; Phillip, Dorte

    2010-01-01

    ). Analysis of CA by measurement of spontaneous oscillations in the low-frequency spectrum in cerebral vessels might be a useful tool for assessing risk and investigating different treatment strategies in carotid artery disease (CAD) and stroke. We reviewed studies exploring spontaneous oscillations...

  15. Vibration Isolation Study in Scanning Probe Microscopy Part I: Low Frequency

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Oliva, A.I.; Espinosa-Faller, F.J.; Aguilar, M.

    1998-01-01

    A study of a low frequency isolation device based in a pneumatic system is presented. It consists of four cylinders which are closed and sealed with an elastic membrane on which the load is applied. Each cylinder made of PVC is formed by two chambers divided by a plate with a small hole for communication and damping. Air contained into chambers acts, in combination with the the elastic membranes, as a damper. Scanning probe techniques can be supported by this device in order to reduce the low frequency noises that affects them. Advantages of this isolator are discussed and compared. A theoretical approximation for this model is presented and compared with the experimental results obtained and show that it can isolate noises up to ∼ 2 Hz. The low frequency isolator has stability and fast response to external perturbations. This simple and economical low frequency isolator can be reproduced easily and its design depends on the work specific requirements. (Author) 9 refs

  16. Relationships between thermic effect of food, insulin resistance and autonomic nervous activity

    OpenAIRE

    Watanabe, Tomonori; Nomura, Masahiro; Nakayasu, Kimiko; Kawano, Tomohito; Ito, Susumu; Nakaya, Yutaka

    2006-01-01

    Background: The thermic effect of food (TEF) is higher in lean than in obese human subjects. Objective: Relationships between TEF and insulin resistance during meals, from the point of view of autonomic nervous activity, were evaluated. Methods : Autonomic nervous activity was evaluated in 20 young adults using the spectral analysis of heart rate variability from one hour before to two hours after a meal. Heart rate data were analyzed based on low frequency components (LF power, 0.04 - 0.15Hz...

  17. Theory and experiment research for ultra-low frequency maglev vibration sensor

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zheng, Dezhi; Liu, Yixuan; Guo, Zhanshe; Zhao, Xiaomeng; Fan, Shangchun

    2015-10-01

    A new maglev sensor is proposed to measure ultra-low frequency (ULF) vibration, which uses hybrid-magnet levitation structure with electromagnets and permanent magnets as the supporting component, rather than the conventional spring structure of magnetoelectric vibration sensor. Since the lower measurement limit needs to be reduced, the equivalent bearing stiffness coefficient and the equivalent damping coefficient are adjusted by the sensitivity unit structure of the sensor and the closed-loop control system, which realizes both the closed-loop control and the solving algorithms. A simple sensor experimental platform is then assembled based on a digital hardware system, and experimental results demonstrate that the lower measurement limit of the sensor is increased to 0.2 Hz under these experimental conditions, indicating promising results of the maglev sensor for ULF vibration measurements.

  18. Theory and experiment research for ultra-low frequency maglev vibration sensor

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Zheng, Dezhi; Liu, Yixuan; Guo, Zhanshe; Fan, Shangchun; Zhao, Xiaomeng

    2015-01-01

    A new maglev sensor is proposed to measure ultra-low frequency (ULF) vibration, which uses hybrid-magnet levitation structure with electromagnets and permanent magnets as the supporting component, rather than the conventional spring structure of magnetoelectric vibration sensor. Since the lower measurement limit needs to be reduced, the equivalent bearing stiffness coefficient and the equivalent damping coefficient are adjusted by the sensitivity unit structure of the sensor and the closed-loop control system, which realizes both the closed-loop control and the solving algorithms. A simple sensor experimental platform is then assembled based on a digital hardware system, and experimental results demonstrate that the lower measurement limit of the sensor is increased to 0.2 Hz under these experimental conditions, indicating promising results of the maglev sensor for ULF vibration measurements

  19. Theory and experiment research for ultra-low frequency maglev vibration sensor

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Zheng, Dezhi; Liu, Yixuan, E-mail: xuan61x@163.com; Guo, Zhanshe; Fan, Shangchun [School of Instrument Science and Opto-electronics Engineering, Beihang University, Beijing 100191 (China); Zhao, Xiaomeng [Laser Medicine Laboratory, Institute of Biomedical Engineering, Chinese Academy of medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Tianjin 300192 (China)

    2015-10-15

    A new maglev sensor is proposed to measure ultra-low frequency (ULF) vibration, which uses hybrid-magnet levitation structure with electromagnets and permanent magnets as the supporting component, rather than the conventional spring structure of magnetoelectric vibration sensor. Since the lower measurement limit needs to be reduced, the equivalent bearing stiffness coefficient and the equivalent damping coefficient are adjusted by the sensitivity unit structure of the sensor and the closed-loop control system, which realizes both the closed-loop control and the solving algorithms. A simple sensor experimental platform is then assembled based on a digital hardware system, and experimental results demonstrate that the lower measurement limit of the sensor is increased to 0.2 Hz under these experimental conditions, indicating promising results of the maglev sensor for ULF vibration measurements.

  20. Independent control of ion current and ion impact energy onto electrodes in dual frequency plasma devices

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Boyle, P C; Ellingboe, A R; Turner, M M

    2004-01-01

    Dual frequency capacitive discharges are designed to offer independent control of the flux and energy of ions impacting on an object immersed in a plasma. This is desirable in applications such as the processing of silicon wafers for microelectronics manufacturing. In such discharges, a low frequency component couples predominantly to the ions, while a high frequency component couples predominantly to electrons. Thus, the low frequency component controls the ion energy, while the high frequency component controls the plasma density. Clearly, this desired behaviour is not achieved for arbitrary configurations of the discharge, and in general one expects some unwanted coupling of ion flux and energy. In this paper we use computer simulations with the particle-in-cell method to show that the most important governing parameter is the ratio of the driving frequencies. If the ratio of the high and low frequencies is great enough, essentially independent control of the ion energy and flux is possible by manipulation of the high and low frequency power sources. Other operating parameters, such as pressure, discharge geometry, and absolute power, are of much less significance

  1. Building a good initial model for full-waveform inversion using frequency shift filter

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wang, Guanchao; Wang, Shangxu; Yuan, Sanyi; Lian, Shijie

    2018-05-01

    Accurate initial model or available low-frequency data is an important factor in the success of full waveform inversion (FWI). The low-frequency helps determine the kinematical relevant components, low-wavenumber of the velocity model, which are in turn needed to avoid FWI trap in local minima or cycle-skipping. However, in the field, acquiring data that common point of low- and high-frequency signal, then utilize the high-frequency data to obtain the low-wavenumber velocity model. It is well known that the instantaneous amplitude envelope of a wavelet is invariant under frequency shift. This means that resolution is constant for a given frequency bandwidth, and independent of the actual values of the frequencies. Based on this property, we develop a frequency shift filter (FSF) to build the relationship between low- and high-frequency information with a constant frequency bandwidth. After that, we can use the high-frequency information to get a plausible recovery of the low-wavenumber velocity model. Numerical results using synthetic data from the Marmousi and layer model demonstrate that our proposed envelope misfit function based on the frequency shift filter can build an initial model with more accurate long-wavelength components, when low-frequency signals are absent in recorded data.

  2. Alpha band frequency differences between low-trait and high-trait anxious individuals.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ward, Richard T; Smith, Shelby L; Kraus, Brian T; Allen, Anna V; Moses, Michael A; Simon-Dack, Stephanie L

    2018-01-17

    Trait anxiety has been shown to cause significant impairments on attentional tasks. Current research has identified alpha band frequency differences between low-trait and high-trait anxious individuals. Here, we further investigated the underlying alpha band frequency differences between low-trait and high-trait anxious individuals during their resting state and the completion of an inhibition executive functioning task. Using human participants and quantitative electroencephalographic recordings, we measured alpha band frequency in individuals both high and low in trait anxiety during their resting state, and while they completed an Eriksen Flanker Task. Results indicated that high-trait anxious individuals exhibit a desynchronization in alpha band frequency from a resting state to when they complete the Eriksen Flanker Task. This suggests that high-trait anxious individuals maintain fewer attentional resources at rest and must martial resources for task performance as compared with low-trait anxious individuals, who appear to maintain stable cognitive resources between rest and task performance. These findings add to the cognitive neuroscience literature surrounding the role of alpha band frequency in low-trait and high-trait anxious individuals.

  3. Robust low frequency current ripple elimination algorithm for grid-connected fuel cell systems with power balancing technique

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Kim, Jong-Soo; Choe, Gyu-Yeong; Lee, Byoung-Kuk [School of Information and Communication Engineering, Sungkyunkwan University, 300 Cheoncheon-dong, Jangan-gu, Suwon, Gyeonggi-do 440-746 (Korea, Republic of); Kang, Hyun-Soo [R and D Center, Advanced Drive Technology (ADT) Company, 689-26 Geumjeong-dong, Gunpo-si, Gyeonggi-do 435-862 (Korea, Republic of)

    2011-05-15

    The low frequency current ripple in grid-connected fuel cell systems is generated from dc-ac inverter operation, which generates 60 Hz fundamental component, and gives harmful effects on fuel cell stack itself, such as making cathode surface responses slower, causing an increase of more than 10% in the fuel consumption, creating oxygen starvation, causing a reduction in the operating lifetime, and incurring a nuisance tripping such as overload situation. With these reasons, low frequency current ripple makes fuel cell system unstable and lifetime of fuel cell stack itself short. This paper presents a fast and robust control algorithm to eliminate low frequency current ripple in grid-connected fuel cell systems. Compared with the conventional methods, in the proposed control algorithm, dc link voltage controller is shifted from dc-dc converter to dc-ac inverter, resulting that dc-ac inverter handles dc link voltage control and output current control simultaneously with help of power balancing technique. The results indicate that the proposed algorithm can not only completely eliminate current ripple but also significantly reduce the overshoot or undershoot during transient states without any extra hardware. The validity of the proposed algorithm is verified by computer simulations and also by experiments with a 1 kW laboratory prototype. (author)

  4. Orbiting low frequency array for radio astronomy

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Rajan, Rai Thilak; Rajan, Raj; Engelen, Steven; Bentum, Marinus Jan; Verhoeven, Chris

    2011-01-01

    Recently new and interesting science drivers have emerged for very low frequency radio astronomy from 0.3 MHz to 30 MHz. However Earth bound radio observations at these wavelengths are severely hampered by ionospheric distortions, man made interference, solar flares and even complete reflection

  5. Temperature characterization of deep and shallow defect centers of low noise silicon JFETs

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Arnaboldi, Claudio; Fascilla, Andrea; Lund, M.W.; Pessina, Gianluigi

    2004-01-01

    We have selected different low noise JFET processes that have shown outstanding dynamic and noise performance at both room temperature and low temperatures. We have studied JFETs made with a process optimized for cryogenic operation, testing several devices of varying capacitance. For most of them, we have been able to detect the presence of shallow individual traps at low temperature which create low frequency (LF) Generation-Recombination (G-R) noise. For one device type no evidence of traps has been observed at the optimum temperature of operation (around 100 K). It had a very small residual LF noise. This device has been cooled down to 14 K. From below 100 K down to 14 K the noise was observed to increase due to G-R noise originating from donor atoms (dopants) inside the channel. A very simple theoretical interpretation confirms the nature of G-R noise from these very shallow trapping centers. We also studied devices from a process optimized for room temperature operation and found noise corresponding to the presence of a single deep level trap. Even for this circumstance the theory was experimentally confirmed. The measurement approach we used allowed us to achieve a very high accuracy in the modeling of the measured G-R noise. The ratio of the density of the atoms responsible for G-R noise above the doping concentration, N T /N d , has been verified with a sensitivity around 10 -7

  6. Weight loss on low-fat vs. low-carbohydrate diets by insulin resistance status among overweight adults and adults with obesity: A randomized pilot trial.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gardner, Christopher D; Offringa, Lisa C; Hartle, Jennifer C; Kapphahn, Kris; Cherin, Rise

    2016-01-01

    To test for differential weight loss response to low-fat (LF) vs. low-carbohydrate (LC) diets by insulin resistance status with emphasis on overall quality of both diets. Sixty-one adults, BMI 28-40 kg/m(2) , were randomized in a 2 × 2 design to LF or LC by insulin resistance status in this pilot study. Primary outcome was 6-month weight change. Participants were characterized as more insulin resistant (IR) or more insulin sensitive (IS) by median split of baseline insulin-area-under-the-curve from an oral glucose tolerance test. Intervention consisted of 14 one-hour class-based educational sessions. Baseline % carbohydrate:% fat:% protein was 44:38:18. At 6 months, the LF group reported 57:21:22 and the LC group reported 22:53:25 (IR and IS combined). Six-month weight loss (kg) was 7.4 ± 6.0 (LF-IR), 10.4 ± 7.8 (LF-IS), 9.6 ± 6.6 (LC-IR), and 8.6 ± 5.6 (LC-IS). No significant main effects were detected for weight loss by diet group or IR status; there was no significant diet × IR interaction. Significant differences in several secondary outcomes were observed. Substantial weight loss was achieved overall, but a significant diet × IR status interaction was not observed. Opportunity to detect differential response may have been limited by the focus on high diet quality for both diet groups and sample size. © 2015 The Obesity Society.

  7. Characteristics of low-frequency oscillation intensity of airsea turbulent heat fluxes over the northwest Pacific

    Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

    2009-01-01

    Based on the daily turbulent heat fluxes and related meteorological variables datasets (1985-2006) from Objectively Analyzed air-sea Fluxes (OAFlux) Project of Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI), characteristics of low-frequency oscillation intensity of air-sea turbulent heat fluxes over the northwest Pacific are analyzed by linear perturbation method and correlation analysis. It can be concluded that: 1) the distribution of low-frequency oscillation intensity of latent heat flux (LHF) over the northwest Pacific is mainly affected by that of low-frequency oscillation intensity of anomalous air-sea humidity gradient (Δq′) as well as mean air-sea humidity gradient ( Δ q), while the distribution of low-frequency oscillation intensity of sensible heat flux (SHF) is mainly affected by that of low-frequency oscillation intensity of anomalous air-sea temperature gradient (ΔT′). 2) The low-frequency oscillation of turbulent heat fluxes over the northwest Pacific is the strongest in winter and the weakest in summer. And the seasonal transition of low-frequency oscillation intensity of LHF is jointly influenced by those of low-frequency oscillation intensity of Δq′, low-frequency oscillation intensity of anomalous wind speed (U′), Δ q and mean wind speed (U ), while the seasonal transition of low-frequency oscillation intensity of SHF is mainly influenced by those of low-frequency oscillation intensity of ΔT′ and U . 3) Over the tropical west Pacific and sea areas north of 20°N, the low-frequency oscillation of LHF (SHF) is mainly influenced by atmospheric variables qa′ (Ta′) and U′, indicating an oceanic response to overlying atmospheric forcing. In contrast, over the tropical eastern and central Pacific south of 20°N, qs′ (Ts′) also greatly influences the low-frequency oscillation of LHF (SHF).

  8. A new method for calculation of low-frequency coupling impedance

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kurennoy, S.S.; Stupakov, G.V.

    1993-05-01

    In high-energy proton accelerators and storage rings the bunch length is typically at least a few times larger than the radius of the vacuum chamber. For example, the SSC will have an rms bunch length above 6 cm and a beam-pipe radius below 2 cm. The main concern for beam stability in such a machine is the low-frequency impedance, i.e., the coupling impedance at frequencies wen below the cut-off frequency of the vacuum chamber. In the present paper we develop a new analytical approach for calculation of the low-frequency impedance of axisymmetric structures that allows us to give quick and reliable estimates of contributions to the impedance from various chamber discontinuities. Simple formulae for the longitudinal impedance of some typical discontinuities are obtained

  9. Low frequency phononic band structures in two-dimensional arc-shaped phononic crystals

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Xu, Zhenlong; Wu, Fugen; Guo, Zhongning

    2012-01-01

    The low frequency phononic band structures of two-dimensional arc-shaped phononic crystals (APCs) were studied by the transfer matrix method in cylindrical coordinates. The results showed the first phononic band gaps (PBGs) of APCs from zero Hz with low modes. Locally resonant (LR) gaps were obtained with higher-order rotation symmetry, due to LR frequencies corresponding to the speeds of acoustic waves in the materials. These properties can be efficiently used in a structure for low frequencies that are forbidden, or in a device that permits a narrow window of frequencies. -- Highlights: ► We report a new class of quasi-periodic hetero-structures, arc-shaped phononic crystals (APCs). ► The results show the first PBGs start with zero Hz with low modes. ► Locally resonant (LR) gaps were obtained with higher-order rotation symmetry, due to LR frequencies corresponding to the speeds of acoustic waves in the materials.

  10. Do our reconstructions of ENSO have too much low-frequency variability?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Loope, G. R.; Overpeck, J. T.

    2017-12-01

    Reconstructing the spectrum of Pacific SST variability has proven to be difficult both because of complications with proxy systems such as tree rings and the relatively small number of records from the tropical Pacific. We show that the small number of long coral δ18O and Sr/Ca records has caused a bias towards having too much low-frequency variability in PCR, CPS, and RegEM reconstructions of Pacific variability. This occurs because the individual coral records used in the reconstructions have redder spectra than the shared signal (e.g. ENSO). This causes some of the unshared, low-frequency signal from local climate, salinity and possibly coral biology to bleed into the reconstruction. With enough chronologies in a reconstruction, this unshared noise cancels out but the problem is exacerbated in our longest reconstructions where fewer records are available. Coral proxies tend to have more low-frequency variability than SST observations so this problem is smaller but can still be seen in pseudoproxy experiments using observations and reanalysis data. The identification of this low-frequency bias in coral reconstructions helps bring the spectra of ENSO reconstructions back into line with both models and observations. Although our analysis is mostly constrained to the 20th century due to lack of sufficient data, we expect that as more long chronologies are developed, the low-frequency signal in ENSO reconstructions will be greatly reduced.

  11. AFM Morphology Study of Si1-Y GeY:H Films Deposited by LF PE CVD from Silane-Germane with Different

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Sanchez, L; Kosarev, A

    2005-01-01

    The morphology of Si 1-Y Ge Y :H films in the range of Y=0.23 to 0.9 has been studied by AFM. The films were deposited by Low Frequency (LF) PE CVD at substrate temperature T s =300 C and discharge frequency f=110 kHz from silane+germane mixture with and without, Ar and H 2 dilution. The films were deposited on silicon and glass substrates. AFM images were taken and analyzed for 2 x 2 mm 2 area. All the images demonstrated ''grain'' like structure, which was characterized by the height distribution function F(H) average roughness , standard height deviation Rq, lateral correlation length L c area distribution function F(s), mean grain area , diameter distribution function F(d), and mean grain diameter . The roughness of the films monotonically increases with Y for all dilutions, but more significantly in the films deposited without dilution. L c continuously grows with Y in the films deposited without dilution, while more complex behavior L c (Y) is observed in the films deposited with H- or Ar dilution. The sharpness of F(H) characterized by curtosis γ depends on dilution and the sharpest F(H) are for the films deposited with Ar (γ=5.30,Y=0.23) and without dilution (γ=4.3, Y=0.45). Isothermal annealing caused increase of , L c in the films deposited with H- and Ar dilutions, while in the films prepared without dilution the behavior was more complex, depending on the substrates. Significant narrowing of the height distribution was observed in the films deposited with H dilution or without dilution

  12. Very low-carbohydrate versus isocaloric high-carbohydrate diet in dietary obese rats.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Axen, Kathleen V; Axen, Kenneth

    2006-08-01

    The effects of a very low-carbohydrate (VLC), high-fat (HF) dietary regimen on metabolic syndrome were compared with those of an isocaloric high-carbohydrate (HC), low-fat (LF) regimen in dietary obese rats. Male Sprague-Dawley rats, made obese by 8 weeks ad libitum consumption of an HF diet, developed features of the metabolic syndrome vs. lean control (C) rats, including greater visceral, subcutaneous, and hepatic fat masses, elevated plasma cholesterol levels, impaired glucose tolerance, and fasting and post-load insulin resistance. Half of the obese rats (VLC) were then fed a popular VLC-HF diet (Weeks 9 and 10 at 5% and Weeks 11 to 14 at 15% carbohydrate), and one-half (HC) were pair-fed an HC-LF diet (Weeks 9 to 14 at 60% carbohydrate). Energy intakes of pair-fed VLC and HC rats were less than C rats throughout Weeks 9 to 14. Compared with HC rats, VLC rats exhibited impaired insulin and glycemic responses to an intraperitoneal glucose load at Week 10 and lower plasma triacylglycerol levels but retarded loss of hepatic, retroperitoneal, and total body fat at Week 14. VLC, HC, and C rats no longer differed in body weight, plasma cholesterol, glucose tolerance, or fasting insulin resistance at Week 14. Progressive decreases in fasting insulin resistance in obese groups paralleled concomitant reductions in hepatic, retroperitoneal, and total body fat. When energy intake was matched, the VLC-HF diet provided no advantage in weight loss or in improving those components of the metabolic syndrome induced by dietary obesity and may delay loss of hepatic and visceral fat as compared with an HC-LF diet.

  13. Stable dynamics in forced systems with sufficiently high/low forcing frequency.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bartuccelli, M; Gentile, G; Wright, J A

    2016-08-01

    We consider parametrically forced Hamiltonian systems with one-and-a-half degrees of freedom and study the stability of the dynamics when the frequency of the forcing is relatively high or low. We show that, provided the frequency is sufficiently high, Kolmogorov-Arnold-Moser (KAM) theorem may be applied even when the forcing amplitude is far away from the perturbation regime. A similar result is obtained for sufficiently low frequency, but in that case we need the amplitude of the forcing to be not too large; however, we are still able to consider amplitudes which are outside of the perturbation regime. In addition, we find numerically that the dynamics may be stable even when the forcing amplitude is very large, well beyond the range of validity of the analytical results, provided the frequency of the forcing is taken correspondingly low.

  14. Analysis of Power System Low Frequency Oscillation Based on Energy Shift Theory

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhang, Junfeng; Zhang, Chunwang; Ma, Daqing

    2018-01-01

    In this paper, a new method for analyzing low-frequency oscillation between analytic areas based on energy coefficient is proposed. The concept of energy coefficient is proposed by constructing the energy function, and the low-frequency oscillation is analyzed according to the energy coefficient under the current operating conditions; meanwhile, the concept of model energy is proposed to analyze the energy exchange behavior between two generators. Not only does this method provide an explanation of low-frequency oscillation from the energy point of view, but also it helps further reveal the dynamic behavior of complex power systems. The case analysis of four-machine two-area and the power system of Jilin Power Grid proves the correctness and effectiveness of the proposed method in low-frequency oscillation analysis of power system.

  15. One-dimensional low spatial frequency LIPSS with rotating orientation on fused silica

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Schwarz, Simon, E-mail: simon.schwarz@h-ab.de; Rung, Stefan; Hellmann, Ralf

    2017-07-31

    Highlights: • Generation of one-dimensional low spatial frequency LIPSS on transparent material. • Varying the angle of incidence results in a rotation of the one-dimensional LSFL. • Rotation angle of LSFL decreases with increasing the applied fluence. • Orientation of the LSFL is mirror-inverted when reversing the scanning direction. - Abstract: We report on the generation of one-dimensional low spatial frequency LIPSS on transparent material. The influence of the applied laser fluence and angle of incidence on the periodicity, orientation and quality of the one-dimensional low spatial frequency LIPSS is investigated, facilitating the generation of highly uniform LIPSS alongside a line. Most strikingly, however, we observe a previously unreported effect of a pronounced rotation of the one-dimensional low spatial frequency LIPSS for varying angle of incidence upon inclined laser irradiation.

  16. Mitigation of low-frequency groundnoise from runways

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Eerden, F.J.M. van der; Salomons, E.M.; Beeks, A.A.F.M.

    2007-01-01

    With the extra runway at Amsterdam Schiphol Airport, introduced in 2003, the noise nuisance for local residents increased due to increased groundnoise. In a case study the effect of enhanced ground absorption on the propagation of low-frequency noise from aircraft ground operations, e.g. departing

  17. On-line low and high frequency acoustic leak detection and location for an automated steam generator protection system

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Gaubatz, D.C.; Gluekler, E.L.

    1990-01-01

    Two on-line acoustic leak detection systems were operated and installed on a 76 MW hockey stick steam generator in the Sodium Components Test Installation (SCTI) at the Energy Technology Engineering Center (ETEC) in Southern California. The low frequency system demonstrated the capability to detect and locate leaks, both intentional and unintentional. No false alarms were issued during the two year test program even with adjacent blasting activities, pneumatic drilling, shuttle rocket engine testing nearby, scrams of the SCTI facility, thermal/hydraulic transient testing, and pump/control valve operations. For the high frequency system the capability to detect water into sodium reactions was established utilizing frequencies as high as 300 kHz. The high frequency system appeared to be sensitive to noise generated by maintenance work and system valve operations. Subsequent development work which is incomplete as of this date showed much more promise for the high frequency system. (author). 13 figs

  18. Prediction of the Low Frequency Wave Field on Open Coastal Beaches

    National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

    Ozkan-Haller, H. T

    2005-01-01

    ... (both abrupt and gradual) affect the resulting low frequency wave climate. 3. The assessment of the importance of interactions between different modes of time-varying motions in the nearshore region, as well as interactions between these modes and the incident wave field. 4. To arrive at a predictive understanding of low frequency motions.

  19. Physiological Effects of Visual Stimulation with Forest Imagery

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Chorong Song

    2018-01-01

    Full Text Available This study was aimed to clarify the physiological effects of visual stimulation using forest imagery on activity of the brain and autonomic nervous system. Seventeen female university students (mean age, 21.1 ± 1.0 years participated in the study. As an indicator of brain activity, oxyhemoglobin (oxy-Hb concentrations were measured in the left and right prefrontal cortex using near-infrared time-resolved spectroscopy. Heart rate variability (HRV was used as an indicator of autonomic nervous activity. The high-frequency (HF component of HRV, which reflected parasympathetic nervous activity, and the ratio of low-frequency (LF and high-frequency components (LF/HF, which reflected sympathetic nervous activity, were measured. Forest and city (control images were used as visual stimuli using a large plasma display window. After sitting at rest viewing a gray background for 60 s, participants viewed two images for 90 s. During rest and visual stimulation, HRV and oxy-Hb concentration in the prefrontal cortex were continuously measured. Immediately thereafter, subjective evaluation of feelings was performed using a modified semantic differential (SD method. The results showed that visual stimulation with forest imagery induced (1 a significant decrease in oxy-Hb concentrations in the right prefrontal cortex and (2 a significant increase in perceptions of feeling “comfortable,” “relaxed,” and “natural.”

  20. Adherent-invasive Escherichia coli, strain LF82 disrupts apical junctional complexes in polarized epithelia

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ossa Juan C

    2009-08-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background Although bacteria are implicated in the pathogenesis of chronic inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD, mechanisms of intestinal injury and immune activation remain unclear. Identification of adherent-invasive Escherichia coli (AIEC strains in IBD patients offers an opportunity to characterize the pathogenesis of microbial-induced intestinal inflammation in IBD. Previous studies have focused on the invasive phenotype of AIEC and the ability to replicate and survive in phagocytes. However, the precise mechanisms by which these newly identified microbes penetrate the epithelial lining remain to be clarified. Therefore, the aim of this study was to delineate the effects of AIEC, strain LF82 (serotype O83:H1 on model polarized epithelial monolayers as a contributor to intestinal injury in IBD. Results Infection of T84 and Madin-Darby Canine Kidney-I polarized epithelial cell monolayers with AIEC, strain LF82 led to a reduction in transepithelial electrical resistance and increased macromolecular (10 kilodalton dextran flux. Basolateral AIEC infection resulted in more severe disruption of the epithelial barrier. Increased permeability was accompanied by a redistribution of the tight junction adaptor protein, zonula occludens-1, demonstrated by confocal microscopy and formation of gaps between cells, as shown by transmission electron microscopy. After 4 h of infection of intestine 407 cells, bacteria replicated in the cell cytoplasm and were enclosed in membrane-bound vesicles positive for the late endosomal marker, LAMP1. Conclusion These findings indicate that AIEC, strain LF82 disrupts the integrity of the polarized epithelial cell barrier. This disruption enables bacteria to penetrate into the epithelium and replicate in the host cell cytoplasm. These findings provide important links between microbes related to IBD, the intestinal epithelial cell barrier and disease pathogenesis.