Natural Sunlight Shapes Crude Oil-Degrading Bacterial Communities in Northern Gulf of Mexico Surface Waters

OpenAIRE

Bacosa, Hernando P.; Liu, Zhanfei; Erdner, Deana L.

2015-01-01

Following the Deepwater Horizon (DWH) spill in 2010, an enormous amount of oil was observed in the deep and surface waters of the northern Gulf of Mexico. Surface waters are characterized by intense sunlight and high temperature during summer. While the oil-degrading bacterial communities in the deep-sea plume have been widely investigated, the effect of natural sunlight on those in oil polluted surface waters remains unexplored to date. In this study, we incubated surface water from the DWH ...

Prediction of maximum earthquake intensities for the San Francisco Bay region

Science.gov (United States)

Borcherdt, Roger D.; Gibbs, James F.

1975-01-01

The intensity data for the California earthquake of April 18, 1906, are strongly dependent on distance from the zone of surface faulting and the geological character of the ground. Considering only those sites (approximately one square city block in size) for which there is good evidence for the degree of ascribed intensity, the empirical relation derived between 1906 intensities and distance perpendicular to the fault for 917 sites underlain by rocks of the Franciscan Formation is: Intensity = 2.69 - 1.90 log (Distance) (km). For sites on other geologic units intensity increments, derived with respect to this empirical relation, correlate strongly with the Average Horizontal Spectral Amplifications (AHSA) determined from 99 three-component recordings of ground motion generated by nuclear explosions in Nevada. The resulting empirical relation is: Intensity Increment = 0.27 +2.70 log (AHSA), and average intensity increments for the various geologic units are -0.29 for granite, 0.19 for Franciscan Formation, 0.64 for the Great Valley Sequence, 0.82 for Santa Clara Formation, 1.34 for alluvium, 2.43 for bay mud. The maximum intensity map predicted from these empirical relations delineates areas in the San Francisco Bay region of potentially high intensity from future earthquakes on either the San Andreas fault or the Hazard fault.

Prediction of maximum earthquake intensities for the San Francisco Bay region

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Borcherdt, R.D.; Gibbs, J.F.

1975-01-01

The intensity data for the California earthquake of Apr 18, 1906, are strongly dependent on distance from the zone of surface faulting and the geological character of the ground. Considering only those sites (approximately one square city block in size) for which there is good evidence for the degree of ascribed intensity, the empirical relation derived between 1906 intensities and distance perpendicular to the fault for 917 sites underlain by rocks of the Franciscan formation is intensity = 2.69 - 1.90 log (distance) (km). For sites on other geologic units, intensity increments, derived with respect to this empirical relation, correlate strongly with the average horizontal spectral amplifications (AHSA) determined from 99 three-component recordings of ground motion generated by nuclear explosions in Nevada. The resulting empirical relation is intensity increment = 0.27 + 2.70 log (AHSA), and average intensity increments for the various geologic units are -0.29 for granite, 0.19 for Franciscan formation, 0.64 for the Great Valley sequence, 0.82 for Santa Clara formation, 1.34 for alluvium, and 2.43 for bay mud. The maximum intensity map predicted from these empirical relations delineates areas in the San Francisco Bay region of potentially high intensity from future earthquakes on either the San Andreas fault or the Hayward fault.

Effects of concentrated sunlight on organic photovoltaics

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Tromholt, Thomas; Katz, Eugene A.; Hirsch, Baruch

2010-01-01

We report the effects of concentrated sunlight on key photovoltaic parameters and stability of organic photovoltaics (OPV). Sunlight collected and concentrated outdoors was focused into an optical fiber and delivered onto a 1 cm2 bulk-heterojunction cell. Sunlight concentration C was varied gradu...

Natural sunlight shapes crude oil-degradingbacterial communities in northern Gulf of Mexico surface waters

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Hernando P Bacosa

2015-12-01

Full Text Available Following the Deepwater Horizon (DWH spill in 2010, an enormous amount of oil was observed in the deep and surface waters of the northern Gulf of Mexico. Surface waters are characterized by intense sunlight and high temperature during summer. While the oil-degrading bacterial communities in the deep-sea plume have been widely investigated, the effect of natural sunlight on those in oil polluted surface waters remains unexplored to date. In this study, we incubated surface water from the DWH site with amendments of crude oil, Corexit dispersant, or both for 36 d under natural sunlight in the northern Gulf of Mexico. The bacterial community was analyzed over time for total abundance, density of alkane and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon degraders, and community composition via pyrosequencing. Our results showed that, for treatments with oil and/or Corexit, sunlight significantly reduced bacterial diversity and evenness and was a key driver of shifts in bacterial community structure. In samples containing oil or dispersant, sunlight greatly reduced abundance of the Cyanobacterium Synechococcus but increased the relative abundances of Alteromonas, Marinobacter, Labrenzia, Sandarakinotalea, Bartonella, and Halomonas. Dark samples with oil were represented by members of Thalassobius, Winogradskyella, Alcanivorax, Formosa, Pseudomonas, Eubacterium, Erythrobacter, Natronocella, and Coxiella. Both oil and Corexit inhibited the Candidatus Pelagibacter with or without sunlight exposure. For the first time, we demonstrated the effects of light in structuring microbial communities in water with oil and/or Corexit. Overall, our findings improve understanding of oil pollution in surface water, and provide unequivocal evidence that sunlight is a key factor in determining bacterial community composition and dynamics in oil polluted marine waters.

Enhanced photocatalytic activity of nanocellulose supported zinc oxide composite for RhB dye as well as ciprofloxacin drug under sunlight/visible light

Science.gov (United States)

Tavker, Neha; Sharma, Manu

2018-05-01

Zinc oxide nanoparticles were synthesised from zinc acetate di-hydrate via co-precipitation method. Nanocellulose was isolated from agrowaste using chemo-mechanical treatments and characterized. Nanocellulose supported zinc oxide composites were prepared through in-situ method by adding different amounts of nanocellulose. The photocatalytic efficiency of pure Zno and nanocellulose supported ZnO was calculated using RhB dye under visible light and sun light. The composites which had nanocellulose in greater ratio showed higher degradation efficiency in sunlight rather than visible light for both; dye and drug. All the composites showed high rate of photodegradation compared to bare ZnO and bare nanocellulose. The enhancement in photocatalytic activity was observed maximum where the amount of cellulose was maximum. The maximum observed rate was 0.025 min-1 using Ciprofloxacin drug due to the increase in lifetime of Z4 sample delaying the electron and hole pair recombination. The degrading efficiency of nanocellulose supported zinc oxide (NC/ZnO) composite for RhB was found to be 35% in visible, 76% in sunlight and 75% for ciprofloxacin under sunlight.

Port Sunlight, essai architectural et social

OpenAIRE

Machet, Laurence

2017-01-01

The purpose of this article is to examine the city of Port Sunlight, its history, design and originality. Created by William Lever in 1888 in order to house his newly-built soap factory, Port Sunlight is part of the numerous “factory villages” built in the wake of the industrial revolution according to philanthropic and utilitarian principles. But this article intends to show that Port Sunlight differs from other factory towns. Its careful design, elaborate architecture and public facilities ...

Maximum intensity projection MR angiography using shifted image data

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Machida, Yoshio; Ichinose, Nobuyasu; Hatanaka, Masahiko; Goro, Takehiko; Kitake, Shinichi; Hatta, Junicchi.

1992-01-01

The quality of MR angiograms has been significantly improved in past several years. Spatial resolution, however, is not sufficient for clinical use. On the other hand, MR image data can be filled at anywhere using Fourier shift theorem, and the quality of multi-planar reformed image has been reported to be improved remarkably using 'shifted data'. In this paper, we have clarified the efficiency of 'shifted data' for maximum intensity projection MR angiography. Our experimental studies and theoretical consideration showd that the quality of MR angiograms has been significantly improved using 'shifted data' as follows; 1) remarkable reduction of mosaic artifact, 2) improvement of spatial continuity for the blood vessels, and 3) reduction of variance for the signal intensity along the blood vessels. In other words, the angiograms looks much 'finer' than conventional ones, although the spatial resolution is not improved theoretically. Furthermore, we found the quality of MR angiograms dose not improve significantly with the 'shifted data' more than twice as dense as ordinal ones. (author)

The maximum possible stress intensity factor for a crack in an unknown residual stress field

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Coules, H.E.; Smith, D.J.

2015-01-01

Residual and thermal stress fields in engineering components can act on cracks and structural flaws, promoting or inhibiting fracture. However, these stresses are limited in magnitude by the ability of materials to sustain them elastically. As a consequence, the stress intensity factor which can be applied to a given defect by a self-equilibrating stress field is also limited. We propose a simple weight function method for determining the maximum stress intensity factor which can occur for a given crack or defect in a one-dimensional self-equilibrating stress field, i.e. an upper bound for the residual stress contribution to K I . This can be used for analysing structures containing defects and subject to residual stress without any information about the actual stress field which exists in the structure being analysed. A number of examples are given, including long radial cracks and fully-circumferential cracks in thick-walled hollow cylinders containing self-equilibrating stresses. - Highlights: • An upper limit to the contribution of residual stress to stress intensity factor. • The maximum K I for self-equilibrating stresses in several geometries is calculated. • A weight function method can determine this maximum for 1-dimensional stress fields. • Simple MATLAB scripts for calculating maximum K I provided as supplementary material.

Carotenoids content and sunlight susceptibility

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Oppezzo, Oscar J.; Costa, Cristina; Pizarro, Ramon A.

2005-01-01

Full text: An environmental pink pigmented bacterium was isolated and identified as Rhodococcus sp. Pigmentation mutants were obtained by chemical mutagenesis. Pigments present in the wild type strain (RMB90), in a pale yellow mutant (RMB91) and in two mutants exhibiting increased pigmentation (RMB92 and RMB93), were extracted with chloroform-methanol and analyzed by reverse phase HPLC. Survival of these strains after exposure to sunlight and ultraviolet radiation from artificial sources was studied under different physiological and irradiation conditions. The ability of RMB91 to survive sunlight exposure was reduced with respect to that of RMB90. Resistance was similar in both strains when bacteria grew in the presence of a carotenoid synthesis inhibitor, which had no effect on survival of RMB91. Reduced sunlight resistance in RMB91 was also observed during irradiations under N2. Using artificial radiation sources, non pigmented bacteria were less resistant to UVA, but not to UVB or UVC. Lethal effects of sunlight and UVA on RMB92 and RMB93 were increased with respect to the wild type strain. Carotenoids protect Rhodococcus sp against deleterious effects of sunlight. In non-photosynthetic bacteria studied to date, photo protection by carotenoids was dependent on [O 2 ]. This is not the case with Rhodococcus sp RMB90, suggesting the occurrence of a different mechanism for protection. UVA radiation seems to playa key role in photo-damage. (author)

Genotoxic action of sunlight upon Bacillus subtilis spores

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Munakata, Nobuo

1989-01-01

Samples of Bacillus subtilis spores dried on membrane filter were exposed to natural sunlight from solar-noon time at Tokyo. The survival and mutation induction of wild-type (UVR) and repair-deficient (UVS) spores were determined on 66 occasions since 1979. Two of the values were considered to be useful in monitoring solar UV intensity; the inverse of the time (in minutes) of exposure to kill 63% of the UVS spores ('sporocidal index') and the induced mutation frequency at 60 minutes of exposure of the UVR spores ('mutagenic index'). Both values were varied greatly due to time of a year, weather and other conditions. Estimates of year-round changes under clear skies were obtained by connecting the maximum values attained in these years. In these curves, there are more than 7-fold differences in the genotoxicity between winter and summer months, with major increases observed in early spring and decreases through autumn. Using a series of UV cut-off filters, the wavelengths most effective for the sporocidal actions were estimated to be in the range of 308 - 325 nm, shorter wavelengths being effective when the genotoxicity was higher. Sunburn meter of Robertson-Berger type seems to respond to slightly longer wavelength components of the solar spectrum. However, a reasonable correlation was obtained between the reading of the meter and the sporocidal index. (author)

ORIGINAL ARTICLES Surgical practice in a maximum security prison

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Prison Clinic, Mangaung Maximum Security Prison, Bloemfontein. F Kleinhans, BA (Cur) .... HIV positivity rate and the use of the rectum to store foreign objects. ... fruit in sunlight. Other positive health-promoting factors may also play a role,.

Natural Sunlight Shapes Crude Oil-Degrading Bacterial Communities in Northern Gulf of Mexico Surface Waters.

Science.gov (United States)

Bacosa, Hernando P; Liu, Zhanfei; Erdner, Deana L

2015-01-01

Following the Deepwater Horizon (DWH) spill in 2010, an enormous amount of oil was observed in the deep and surface waters of the northern Gulf of Mexico. Surface waters are characterized by intense sunlight and high temperature during summer. While the oil-degrading bacterial communities in the deep-sea plume have been widely investigated, the effect of natural sunlight on those in oil polluted surface waters remains unexplored to date. In this study, we incubated surface water from the DWH site with amendments of crude oil, Corexit dispersant, or both for 36 days under natural sunlight in the northern Gulf of Mexico. The bacterial community was analyzed over time for total abundance, density of alkane and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon degraders, and community composition via pyrosequencing. Our results showed that, for treatments with oil and/or Corexit, sunlight significantly reduced bacterial diversity and evenness and was a key driver of shifts in bacterial community structure. In samples containing oil or dispersant, sunlight greatly reduced abundance of the Cyanobacterium Synechococcus but increased the relative abundances of Alteromonas, Marinobacter, Labrenzia, Sandarakinotalea, Bartonella, and Halomonas. Dark samples with oil were represented by members of Thalassobius, Winogradskyella, Alcanivorax, Formosa, Pseudomonas, Eubacterium, Erythrobacter, Natronocella, and Coxiella. Both oil and Corexit inhibited the Candidatus Pelagibacter with or without sunlight exposure. For the first time, we demonstrated the effects of light in structuring microbial communities in water with oil and/or Corexit. Overall, our findings improve understanding of oil pollution in surface water, and provide unequivocal evidence that sunlight is a key factor in determining bacterial community composition and dynamics in oil polluted marine waters.

Photochemical effects of sunlight.

Science.gov (United States)

Daniels, F

1972-07-01

The importance of sunlight in bringing about not only photosynthesis in plants, but also other photochemical effects, is reviewed. More effort should be devoted to photochemical storage of the sun's energy without the living plant. There is no theoretical reason to believe that such reactions are impossible. Ground rules for searching for suitable solar photochemical reactions are given, and a few attempts are described, but nothing successful has yet been found. Future possibilities are suggested. Photogalvanic cells which convert sunlight into electricity deserve further research. Eugene Rabinowitch has been an active pioneer in these fields.

Effect of artificial sunlight on the retention of external calcein marks on lake trout

Science.gov (United States)

Honeyfield, D.C.; Kehler, T.; Fletcher, J.W.; Mohler, J.W.

2008-01-01

When choosing a fish marking technique to address fishery related questions, it is important to consider factors that affect mark retention. Calcein, a chemical marking agent, is under investigation for potential use on fish. Two laboratory trials were conducted with calcein-marked lake trout Salvelinus namaycush to determine the effect of artificial sunlight on calcein mark intensity. In trial 1, fish exposed to 18,000 lx for 7 d lost 90% or more of the calcein mark intensity (relative to the colorimetric key, mg/L) on the head, body, ventral region, and pectoral fins relative to mark intensity in fish that were maintained in darkness. In trial 2, light intensity was reduced 2.5-3.0-fold. After 7 d of light exposure, calcein mark intensity on the head was reduced by 40-45% relative to mark intensity in fish that were held in darkness; by day 14, calcein mark intensity on the head was reduced by 55-60% relative to that of dark-treated fish. No further decline was observed in light-exposed fish, and head mark intensity values did not differ among days 14, 21, and 28 for this treatment group. Of the four areas evaluated, the head and pectoral fin were more easily read using a colorimetric key than the lateral or ventral regions of the fish. The concentration of calcein spotted on filter paper to devise the colorimetric key ranged from 1 to 100 mg/L. A difference of approximately 7 mg/L in apparent calcein mark intensity means for the head region could be detected using the colorimetric key. These trials showed that calcein mark intensity on lake trout declined when fish were exposed to artificial sunlight, and the use of a colorimetric key improved the objectivity of calcein mark intensity assessment.

Modified optical fiber daylighting system with sunlight transportation in free space.

Science.gov (United States)

Vu, Ngoc-Hai; Pham, Thanh-Tuan; Shin, Seoyong

2016-12-26

We present the design, optical simulation, and experiment of a modified optical fiber daylighting system (M-OFDS) for indoor lighting. The M-OFDS is comprised of three sub-systems: concentration, collimation, and distribution. The concentration part is formed by coupling a Fresnel lens with a large-core plastic optical fiber. The sunlight collected by the concentration sub-system is propagated in a plastic optical fiber and then collimated by the collimator, which is a combination of a parabolic mirror and a convex lens. The collimated beam of sunlight travels in free space and is guided to the interior by directing flat mirrors, where it is diffused uniformly by a distributor. All parameters of the system are calculated theoretically. Based on the designed system, our simulation results demonstrated a maximum optical efficiency of 71%. The simulation results also showed that sunlight could be delivered to the illumination destination at distance of 30 m. A prototype of the M-OFDS was fabricated, and preliminary experiments were performed outdoors. The simulation results and experimental results confirmed that the M-OFDS was designed effectively. A large-scale system constructed by several M-OFDSs is also proposed. The results showed that the presented optical fiber daylighting system is a strong candidate for an inexpensive and highly efficient application of solar energy in buildings.

Sunlight technologies for photochemical deactivation of organic pollutants in water

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Acher, A.; Fischer, E.; Tornheim, R. [The Volcani Center, Inst. of Soils and Water, Bet Dagan (Israel); Manor, Y. [Sheba Medical Center, Central Virology Lab., Ramat Gan (Israel)

1997-12-31

Sensitized-photochemical oxidation methods aimed at use in water treatment technologies for deactivation of biotic (microorganisms) and/or of xenobiotic (pesticides) pollutants in water were developed using global solar radiation or concentrated sunlight (up to 250 suns). The solar global radiation was used either for detoxification of industrial waste water from a pesticide factory to allow their discharge into the urban sewer, or for disinfection of domestric effluents to be used in crop irrigation. The disinfection process was eventually carried out in an experimental pilot-scale plant, capable of disinfection up to 50 m{sup 3}/h of effluent supplied by an activated sludge sewage treatment plant located in Tel-Aviv area. The treated effluents did not show any regrowth of the microorganisms during 7 days. The solar concentrated radiation experiments performed using facilities of the Sun Tower of The Weizman Institute of Science, Rehovot. The concentrated sunlight was provided by different combination of several computer controlled heliostates, up to 8, that track the sun and focus the received sunlight onto the target situated on the roof of the sun-tower. The sunlight intensities measured on the target reached up to 200 kW/m{sup 2}. The experiments were performed either batch- or continuous-wise. The water-samples exposed to disinfection were the above effluent, filtered and supplemented with vaccine strain poliovirus or with different concentrations of an industrial potential pollutant (bromacil), MB 2 mg/L and two concentrations of dissolved oxygen (8.0 or 40.0 mg O{sub 2}/L). An exposure time of 2-3 seconds at 150 kW/m{sup 2} was decreased the microorganisms alive (counts) by five orders of magnitude. A comparison between the two above water treatment technologies is presented. (orig./SR)

Estimate of annual daily maximum rainfall and intense rain equation for the Formiga municipality, MG, Brazil

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Giovana Mara Rodrigues Borges

2016-11-01

Full Text Available Knowledge of the probabilistic behavior of rainfall is extremely important to the design of drainage systems, dam spillways, and other hydraulic projects. This study therefore examined statistical models to predict annual daily maximum rainfall as well as models of heavy rain for the city of Formiga - MG. To do this, annual maximum daily rainfall data were ranked in decreasing order that best describes the statistical distribution by exceedance probability. Daily rainfall disaggregation methodology was used for the intense rain model studies and adjusted with Intensity-Duration-Frequency (IDF and Exponential models. The study found that the Gumbel model better adhered to the data regarding observed frequency as indicated by the Chi-squared test, and that the exponential model best conforms to the observed data to predict intense rains.

Ultra-accelerated natural sunlight exposure testing

Science.gov (United States)

Jorgensen, Gary J.; Bingham, Carl; Goggin, Rita; Lewandowski, Allan A.; Netter, Judy C.

2000-06-13

Process and apparatus for providing ultra accelerated natural sunlight exposure testing of samples under controlled weathering without introducing unrealistic failure mechanisms in exposed materials and without breaking reciprocity relationships between flux exposure levels and cumulative dose that includes multiple concurrent levels of temperature and relative humidity at high levels of natural sunlight comprising: a) concentrating solar flux uniformly; b) directing the controlled uniform sunlight onto sample materials in a chamber enclosing multiple concurrent levels of temperature and relative humidity to allow the sample materials to be subjected to accelerated irradiance exposure factors for a sufficient period of time in days to provide a corresponding time of about at least a years worth of representative weathering of the sample materials.

Life-threatening motor vehicle crashes in bright sunlight

OpenAIRE

Redelmeier, Donald A.; Raza, Sheharyar

2017-01-01

Abstract Bright sunlight may create visual illusions that lead to driver error, including fallible distance judgment from aerial perspective. We tested whether the risk of a life-threatening motor vehicle crash was increased when driving in bright sunlight. This longitudinal, case-only, paired-comparison analysis evaluated patients hospitalized because of a motor vehicle crash between January 1, 1995 and December 31, 2014. The relative risk of a crash associated with bright sunlight was estim...

Photocatalytic degradation of phenol by iodine doped tin oxide nanoparticles under UV and sunlight irradiation

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Al-Hamdi, Abdullah M.; Sillanpää, Mika [Laboratory of Green Chemistry, Lappeenranta University of Technology, Sammonkatu 12, 50130 Mikkeli (Finland); Dutta, Joydeep, E-mail: dutta@squ.edu.om [Chair in Nanotechnology, Water Research Center, Sultan Qaboos University, P.O. Box 17, 123 Al-Khoudh (Oman)

2015-01-05

Highlights: • A sol–gel method used to synthesize tin oxide nanoparticles. • Nanoparticles of tin oxide doped with different iodine concentrations. • Degradation studies carried up with UV–vis, TOC, HPLC and GC instruments. • 1% iodine doped tin dioxide showed maximum photodegradation efficiency. - Abstract: Iodine doped tin oxide (SnO{sub 2}:I) nanoparticles were prepared by sol–gel synthesis and their photocatalytic activities with phenol as a test contaminant were studied. In the presence of the catalysts, phenol degradation under direct sunlight was comparable to what was achieved under laboratory conditions. Photocatalytic oxidation reactions were studied by varying the catalyst loading, light intensity, illumination time, pH of the reactant and phenol concentration. Upon UV irradiation in the presence of SnO{sub 2}:I nanoparticles, phenol degrades very rapidly within 30 min, forming carboxylic acid which turns the solution acidic. Phenol degradation rate with 1% iodine doped SnO{sub 2} nanoparticles is at least an order of magnitude higher compared to the degradation achieved through undoped SnO{sub 2} nanoparticles under similar illumination conditions.

Photocatalytic degradation of phenol by iodine doped tin oxide nanoparticles under UV and sunlight irradiation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Al-Hamdi, Abdullah M.; Sillanpää, Mika; Dutta, Joydeep

2015-01-01

Highlights: • A sol–gel method used to synthesize tin oxide nanoparticles. • Nanoparticles of tin oxide doped with different iodine concentrations. • Degradation studies carried up with UV–vis, TOC, HPLC and GC instruments. • 1% iodine doped tin dioxide showed maximum photodegradation efficiency. - Abstract: Iodine doped tin oxide (SnO 2 :I) nanoparticles were prepared by sol–gel synthesis and their photocatalytic activities with phenol as a test contaminant were studied. In the presence of the catalysts, phenol degradation under direct sunlight was comparable to what was achieved under laboratory conditions. Photocatalytic oxidation reactions were studied by varying the catalyst loading, light intensity, illumination time, pH of the reactant and phenol concentration. Upon UV irradiation in the presence of SnO 2 :I nanoparticles, phenol degrades very rapidly within 30 min, forming carboxylic acid which turns the solution acidic. Phenol degradation rate with 1% iodine doped SnO 2 nanoparticles is at least an order of magnitude higher compared to the degradation achieved through undoped SnO 2 nanoparticles under similar illumination conditions

Sunlight-induced DNA damage in human mononuclear cells

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Møller, Peter; Wallin, Hakan; Holst, Erik

2002-01-01

of sunlight was comparable to the interindividual variation, indicating that sunlight exposure and the individual's background were the two most important determinants for the basal level of DNA damage. Influence of other lifestyle factors such as exercise, intake of foods, infections, and age could......In this study of 301 blood samples from 21 subjects, we found markedly higher levels of DNA damage (nonpyrimidine dimer types) in the summer than in the winter detected by single-cell gel electrophoresis. The level of DNA damage was influenced by the average daily influx of sunlight ... to blood sampling. The 3 and 6 day periods before sampling influenced DNA damage the most. The importance of sunlight was further emphasized by a positive association of the DNA damage level to the amount of time the subjects had spent in the sun over a 3 day period prior to the sampling. The effect...

Ultra-Accelerated Natural Sunlight Exposure Testing Facilities

Science.gov (United States)

Lewandowski, Allan A.; Jorgensen, Gary J.

2004-11-23

A multi-faceted concentrator apparatus for providing ultra-accelerated natural sunlight exposure testing for sample materials under controlled weathering conditions comprising: facets that receive incident natural sunlight, transmits VIS/NIR and reflects UV/VIS onto a secondary reflector that delivers a uniform flux of UV/VIS onto a sample exposure plane located near a center of a facet array in a chamber that provide concurrent levels of temperature and/or relative humidity at high levels of up to 100.times. of natural sunlight that allow sample materials to be subjected to accelerated irradiance exposure factors for a significant period of time of about 3 to 10 days to provide a corresponding time of about at least a years worth representative weathering of sample materials.

Traceable calibration of photovoltaic reference cells using natural sunlight

Science.gov (United States)

Müllejans, H.; Zaaiman, W.; Pavanello, D.; Dunlop, E. D.

2018-02-01

At the European Solar Test Installation (ESTI) photovoltaic (PV) reference cells are calibrated traceably to SI units via the World Radiometric Reference (WRR) using natural sunlight. The Direct Sunlight Method (DSM) is described in detail and the latest measurement results and an updated uncertainty budget are reported. These PV reference cells then provide a practical means for measuring the irradiance of natural or simulated sunlight during the calibration of other PV devices.

Effects of water stress and light intensity on chlorophyll fluorescence parameters and pigments of Aloe vera L.

Science.gov (United States)

Hazrati, Saeid; Tahmasebi-Sarvestani, Zeinolabedin; Modarres-Sanavy, Seyed Ali Mohammad; Mokhtassi-Bidgoli, Ali; Nicola, Silvana

2016-09-01

Aloe vera L. is one of the most important medicinal plants in the world. In order to determine the effects of light intensity and water deficit stress on chlorophyll (Chl) fluorescence and pigments of A. vera, a split-plot in time experiment was laid out in a randomized complete block design with four replications in a research greenhouse. The factorial combination of three light intensities (50, 75 and 100% of sunlight) and four irrigation regimes (irrigation after depleting 20, 40, 60 and 80% of soil water content) were considered as main factors. Sampling time was considered as sub factor. The first, second and third samplings were performed 90, 180 and 270 days after imposing the treatments, respectively. The results demonstrated that the highest light intensity and the severe water stress decreased maximum fluorescence (Fm), variable fluorescence (Fv)/Fm, quantum yield of PSII photochemistry (ФPSII), Chl and photochemical quenching (qP) but increased non-photochemical quenching (NPQ), minimum fluorescence (F0) and Anthocyanin (Anth). Additionally, the highest Fm, Fv/Fm, ФPSII and qP and the lowest NPQ and F0 were observed when 50% of sunlight was blocked and irrigation was done after 40% soil water depletion. Irradiance of full sunlight and water deficit stress let to the photoinhibition of photosynthesis, as indicated by a reduced quantum yield of PSII, ФPSII, and qP, as well as higher NPQ. Thus, chlorophyll florescence measurements provide valuable physiological data. Close to half of total solar radiation and irrigation after depleting 40% of soil water content were selected as the most efficient treatments. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.

Successful pacing using a batteryless sunlight-powered pacemaker.

Science.gov (United States)

Haeberlin, Andreas; Zurbuchen, Adrian; Schaerer, Jakob; Wagner, Joerg; Walpen, Sébastien; Huber, Christoph; Haeberlin, Heinrich; Fuhrer, Juerg; Vogel, Rolf

2014-10-01

Today's cardiac pacemakers are powered by batteries with limited energy capacity. As the battery's lifetime ends, the pacemaker needs to be replaced. This surgical re-intervention is costly and bears the risk of complications. Thus, a pacemaker without primary batteries is desirable. The goal of this study was to test whether transcutaneous solar light could power a pacemaker. We used a three-step approach to investigate the feasibility of sunlight-powered cardiac pacing. First, the harvestable power was estimated. Theoretically, a subcutaneously implanted 1 cm(2) solar module may harvest ∼2500 µW from sunlight (3 mm implantation depth). Secondly, ex vivo measurements were performed with solar cells placed under pig skin flaps exposed to a solar simulator and real sunlight. Ex vivo measurements under real sunlight resulted in a median output power of 4941 µW/cm(2) [interquartile range (IQR) 3767-5598 µW/cm(2), median skin flap thickness 3.0 mm (IQR 2.7-3.3 mm)]. The output power strongly depended on implantation depth (ρSpearman = -0.86, P pacemaker powered by a 3.24 cm(2) solar module was implanted in vivo in a pig to measure output power and to pace. In vivo measurements showed a median output power of >3500 µW/cm(2) (skin flap thickness 2.8-3.84 mm). Successful batteryless VVI pacing using a subcutaneously implanted solar module was performed. Based on our results, we estimate that a few minutes of direct sunlight (irradiating an implanted solar module) allow powering a pacemaker for 24 h using a suitable energy storage. Thus, powering a pacemaker by sunlight is feasible and may be an alternative energy supply for tomorrow's pacemakers. Published on behalf of the European Society of Cardiology. All rights reserved. © The Author 2014. For permissions please email: journals.permissions@oup.com.

The maximum theoretical performance of unconcentrated solar photovoltaic and thermoelectric generator systems

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Bjørk, Rasmus; Nielsen, Kaspar Kirstein

2017-01-01

The maximum efficiency for photovoltaic (PV) and thermoelectric generator (TEG) systems without concentration is investigated. Both a combined system where the TEG is mounted directly on the back of the PV and a tandem system where the incoming sunlight is split, and the short wavelength radiation...

Influence of light intensity on the photodegradation of bisphenol A polycarbonate

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Diepens, M.; Gijsman, P.

2009-01-01

The influence of light intensity on the photodegradation rate and photodegradation mechanisms of an unstabilized BPA-PC film was studied by irradiating the BPA-PC samples with a wavelength distribution comparable to terrestrial sunlight and varying irradiation intensities. The highest intensity used

Sunlight stability and rain-fastness of formulations of Baculovirus heliothis

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ignoffo, C.M.; Garcia, C.; Saathoff, S.G.

1997-01-01

Sunlight-Ultraviolet, with an activity spectrum from 290 to 400 nm, is the most destructive factor affecting the persistence of baculoviruses. Benzopurpurin (a disazo dye) and carbon provided the best protection when polyhedral inclusion bodies (PIB) of Baculovirus heliothis were exposed to an artificial spectrum simulating sunlight-UV (UV). Greater than 75% of the original PIB activity was still present after 48 h of sunlight-UV. When sprayed on soybeans and exposed to natural sunlight, only formulations with carbon provided significant protection of PIB. The half-life of formulations were PIB-only 4.9 +/- 1.4 h (mean +/- SE), PIB + polymer (pyrrolidone-based sticker) 3.3 +/- 0.6 h, PIB + polymer + benzopurpurin 3.4 +/- 0.7 h, and PIB + polymer + carbon 27.7 +/- 5.2 h. PIB of B. heliothis tenaciously adhere to soybean, Glycine max (L.) Merrill, leaflets after spraying and drying. Less than 6% of the PIB activity of nonformulated PIB was lost after a drenching, simulated rainfall. More than 97% of the original PIB activity of carbon formulations was still present on soybean leaflets after 10 h of exposure to sunlight-UV. In contrast, 20% was present for formulations without carbon

Prevalence and sunlight photolysis of controlled and chemotherapeutic drugs in aqueous environments

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lin, Angela Yu-Chen; Lin, Yen-Ching; Lee, Wan-Ning

2014-01-01

This study addresses the occurrences and natural fates of chemotherapeutics and controlled drugs when found together in hospital effluents and surface waters. The results revealed the presence of 11 out of 16 drugs in hospital effluents, and the maximum detected concentrations were at the μg L −1 level in the hospital effluents and the ng L −1 level in surface waters. The highest concentrations corresponded to meperidine, morphine, 5-fluorouracil and cyclophosphamide. The sunlight photolysis of the target compounds was investigated, and the results indicated that morphine and codeine can be significantly attenuated, with half-lives of 0.27 and 2.5 h, respectively, in natural waters. Photolysis can lower the detected environmental concentrations, also lowering the estimated environmental risks of the target drugs to human health. Nevertheless, 5-fluorouracil and codeine were found to have a high risk quotient (RQ), demonstrating the high risks of directly releasing hospital wastewater into the environment. - Highlights: • High occurrence of chemotherapeutics and controlled substances in aqueous systems. • Photolysis lowers the detected concentrations of morphine and codeine. • 5-fluorouracil and codeine in hospital effluents have high risk quotients. - Chemotherapeutics and controlled drugs occur at significant levels in hospital effluents and surface waters. Natural sunlight photolysis reduces their environmental occurrence

Genotoxic action of sunlight upon Bacillus subtilis spores: monitoring studies at Tokyo, Japan.

Science.gov (United States)

Munakata, N

1989-12-01

Samples of Bacillus subtilis spores dried on membrane filter were exposed to natural sunlight from solar-noon time at Tokyo. The survival and mutation induction of wild-type (UVR) and repair-deficient (UVS) spores were determined on 66 occasions since 1979. Two of the values were considered to be useful in monitoring solar UV intensity; the inverse of the time (in minutes) of exposure to kill 63% of the UVS spores ("sporocidal index") and the induced mutation frequency at 60 minutes of exposure of the UVR spores ("mutagenic index"). Both values were varied greatly due to time of a year, weather and other conditions. Estimates of year-round changes under clear skies were obtained by connecting the maximum values attained in these years. In these curves, there are more than 7-fold differences in the genotoxicity between winter and summer months, with major increases observed in early spring and decreases through autumn. Using a series of UV cut-off filters, the wavelengths most effective for the sporocidal actions were estimated to be in the range of 308-325 nm, shorter wavelengths being effective when the genotoxicity was higher. Sunburn meter of Robertson-Berger type seems to respond to slightly longer wavelength components of the solar spectrum. However, a reasonable correlation was obtained between the reading of the meter and the sporocidal index.

Dynamic light absorption of biomass-burning organic carbon photochemically aged under natural sunlight

Science.gov (United States)

Zhong, M.; Jang, M.

2014-02-01

Wood-burning aerosol produced under smoldering conditions was photochemically aged with different relative humidity (RH) and NOx conditions using a 104 m3 dual outdoor chamber under natural sunlight. Light absorption of organic carbon (OC) was measured over the course of photooxidation using a UV-visible spectrometer connected to an integrating sphere. At high RH, the color decayed rapidly. NOx slightly prolonged the color of wood smoke, suggesting that NOx promotes the formation of chromophores via secondary processes. Overall, the mass absorption cross section (integrated between 280 and 600 nm) of OC increased by 11-54% (except high RH) in the morning and then gradually decreased by 19-68% in the afternoon. This dynamic change in light absorption of wood-burning OC can be explained by two mechanisms: chromophore formation and sunlight bleaching. To investigate the effect of chemical transformation on light absorption, wood smoke particles were characterized using various spectrometers. The intensity of fluorescence, which is mainly related to polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), rapidly decreased with time, indicating the potential bleaching of PAHs. A decline of levoglucosan concentrations evinced the change of primary organic aerosol with time. The aerosol water content measured by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy showed that wood-burning aerosol became less hygroscopic as photooxidation proceeded. A similar trend in light absorption changes has been observed in ambient smoke aerosol originating from the 2012 County Line wildfire in Florida. We conclude that the biomass-burning OC becomes less light absorbing after 8-9 h sunlight exposure compared to fresh wood-burning OC.

Dynamic light absorption of biomass burning organic carbon photochemically aged under natural sunlight

Science.gov (United States)

Zhong, M.; Jang, M.

2013-08-01

Wood burning aerosol produced under smoldering conditions was photochemically aged with different relative humidity (RH) and NOx conditions using a 104 m3 dual outdoor chamber under natural sunlight. Light absorption of organic carbon (OC) was measured over the course of photooxidation using a UV-visible spectrometer connected to an integrating sphere. At high RH, the color decayed rapidly. NOx slightly prolonged the color of wood smoke, suggesting that NOx promotes the formation of chromophores via secondary processes. Overall, the mass absorption cross-section (integrated between 280 nm and 600 nm) of OC increased by 11-54% (except high RH) in the morning and then gradually decreased by 19-68% in the afternoon. This dynamic change in light absorption of wood burning OC can be explained by two mechanisms: chromophore formation and sunlight bleaching. To investigate the effect of chemical transformation on light absorption, wood smoke particles were characterized using various spectrometers. The intensity of fluorescence, which is mainly related to polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), rapidly decreased with time indicating the potential bleaching of PAHs. A decline of levoglucosan concentrations evinced the change of POA with time. The aerosol water content measured by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy showed that wood burning aerosol became less hygroscopic as photooxidation proceeded. A similar trend in light absorption changes has been observed in ambient smoke aerosol originating from the 2012 County Line Wildfire in Florida. We conclude that the biomass burning OC becomes less light absorbing after 8-9 h sunlight exposure compared to fresh wood burning OC.

Maximum Historical Seismic Intensity Map of S. Miguel Island (azores)

Science.gov (United States)

Silveira, D.; Gaspar, J. L.; Ferreira, T.; Queiroz, G.

The Azores archipelago is situated in the Atlantic Ocean where the American, African and Eurasian lithospheric plates meet. The so-called Azores Triple Junction located in the area where the Terceira Rift, a NW-SE to WNW-ESE fault system with a dextral component, intersects the Mid-Atlantic Ridge, with an approximate N-S direction, dominates its geological setting. S. Miguel Island is located in the eastern segment of the Terceira Rift, showing a high diversity of volcanic and tectonic structures. It is the largest Azorean island and includes three active trachytic central volcanoes with caldera (Sete Cidades, Fogo and Furnas) placed in the intersection of the NW-SE Ter- ceira Rift regional faults with an E-W deep fault system thought to be a relic of a Mid-Atlantic Ridge transform fault. N-S and NE-SW faults also occur in this con- text. Basaltic cinder cones emplaced along NW-SE fractures link that major volcanic structures. The easternmost part of the island comprises an inactive trachytic central volcano (Povoação) and an old basaltic volcanic complex (Nordeste). Since the settle- ment of the island, early in the XV century, several destructive earthquakes occurred in the Azores region. At least 11 events hit S. Miguel Island with high intensity, some of which caused several deaths and significant damages. The analysis of historical documents allowed reconstructing the history and the impact of all those earthquakes and new intensity maps using the 1998 European Macrosseismic Scale were produced for each event. The data was then integrated in order to obtain the maximum historical seismic intensity map of S. Miguel. This tool is regarded as an important document for hazard assessment and risk mitigation taking in account that indicates the location of dangerous seismogenic zones and provides a comprehensive set of data to be applied in land-use planning, emergency planning and building construction.

Pulmonary nodules: sensitivity of maximum intensity projection versus that of volume rendering of 3D multidetector CT data

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Peloschek, Philipp; Sailer, Johannes; Weber, Michael; Herold, Christian J.; Prokop, Mathias; Schaefer-Prokop, Cornelia

2007-01-01

PURPOSE: To prospectively compare maximum intensity projection (MIP) and volume rendering (VR) of multidetector computed tomographic (CT) data for the detection of small intrapulmonary nodules. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This institutional review board-approved prospective study included 20 oncology

The effects of sunlight exposure on the neutron response of CN-85 track detector

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ahmad, N.; Mirza, N.M.; Mirza, S.K.; Tufail, M.

1996-01-01

The effect of sunlight exposure on the neutron response of CN-85 track detectors has been studied. It has been observed that the response during the first 28 days of sunlight exposure is slightly enhanced (10%) and then deceases continuously with increase in the sunlight exposure. After 84 days of sunlight exposure the response of the exposed detector relative to an unexposed detector is only 22%. It is also observed that the response can not be maintained by wrapping the CN-85 etch track detectors in typewriter black carbon papers if they are exposed to sunlight. (author)

Is the poleward migration of tropical cyclone maximum intensity associated with a poleward migration of tropical cyclone genesis?

Science.gov (United States)

Daloz, Anne Sophie; Camargo, Suzana J.

2018-01-01

A recent study showed that the global average latitude where tropical cyclones achieve their lifetime-maximum intensity has been migrating poleward at a rate of about one-half degree of latitude per decade over the last 30 years in each hemisphere. However, it does not answer a critical question: is the poleward migration of tropical cyclone lifetime-maximum intensity associated with a poleward migration of tropical cyclone genesis? In this study we will examine this question. First we analyze changes in the environmental variables associated with tropical cyclone genesis, namely entropy deficit, potential intensity, vertical wind shear, vorticity, skin temperature and specific humidity at 500 hPa in reanalysis datasets between 1980 and 2013. Then, a selection of these variables is combined into two tropical cyclone genesis indices that empirically relate tropical cyclone genesis to large-scale variables. We find a shift toward greater (smaller) average potential number of genesis at higher (lower) latitudes over most regions of the Pacific Ocean, which is consistent with a migration of tropical cyclone genesis towards higher latitudes. We then examine the global best track archive and find coherent and significant poleward shifts in mean genesis position over the Pacific Ocean basins.

Investigation of sunlight-induced deterioration of aroma of pummelo (Citrus maxima) essential oil.

Science.gov (United States)

Sun, Hao; Ni, Hui; Yang, Yuanfan; Wu, Ling; Cai, Hui-nong; Xiao, An-feng; Chen, Feng

2014-12-10

Deterioration of aromas of pummelo essential oil (EO) induced by sunlight was compared to those induced by heat and oxygen exposure using the techniques of sensory evaluation and GC-MS analysis. The sunlight-exposed EO was found to possess an oily off-flavor odor, which was significantly different from its counterparts induced by oxygen and heat. The strong oily note of the sunlight-exposed EO was attributed to the existence of linalool oxides and limonene oxides, as well as the lack of neral and geranial, for which UV sunlight was revealed to be the critical contributor causing the chemical reactions for the aroma changes. The results demonstrated that UV sunlight could significantly affect the aroma of the pummelo EO, providing valuable information that will benefit the production and storage of EO-based aromatic products.

Spatial and Temporal Trends in the Location of the Lifetime Maximum Intensity of Tropical Cyclones

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Sarah A. Tennille

2017-10-01

Full Text Available The climatology of tropical cyclones is an immediate research need, specifically to better understand their long-term patterns and elucidate their future in a changing climate. One important pattern that has recently been detected is the poleward shift of the lifetime maximum intensity (LMI of tropical cyclones. This study further assessed the recent (1977–2015 spatial changes in the LMI of tropical cyclones, specifically those of tropical storm strength or stronger in the North Atlantic and northern West Pacific basins. Analyses of moving decadal means suggested that LMI locations migrated south in the North Atlantic and north in the West Pacific. In addition to a linear trend, there is a cyclical migration of LMI that is especially apparent in the West Pacific. Relationships between LMI migration and intensity were explored, as well as LMI location relative to landfall. The southerly trend of LMI in the North Atlantic was most prevalent in the strongest storms, resulting in these storms reaching their LMI farther from land. The relationship between intensity and LMI migration in the West Pacific was not as clear, but the most intense storms have been reaching LMI closer to their eventual landfall location. This work adds to those emphasizing the importance of understanding the climatology of the most intense hurricanes and shows there are potential human impacts resulting from any migration of LMI.

Terrestrial photovoltaic power systems with sunlight concentration. Annual progress report, January 1, 1975--December 31, 1975

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Backus, C.E.

1976-01-31

This annual report is for the second year of a program to investigate the characteristics of the components and the total system using sunlight concentrated onto solar cells. The second year was primarily to experimentally investigate the conclusions of the first year of analytical studies. Cells have been fabricated that are designed for different intensities. Typically the efficiency of a cell will increase from its 11 percent at AM1 peak to efficiency at the designed concentration level and return to its initial efficiency at about 3 times its designed concentration level. The developed cells have been tested under high intensity simulators and in concentrated sunlight and have shown to have the predicted response. The experimental testing of passive cooling limitations for cooling cells with just finned arrangements in the back of the cell has been completed in the controlled environment of a wind tunnel. These experiments have confirmed the heat transfer coefficients that had been used in the analytical studies. Testing was done to collect heat transfer coefficients for actual wind conditions and these data show good agreement with the controlled wind tunnel data. Four photovoltaic/concentrator system experiments have been started with CR of about 3, 10, 25, and 100. System analysis has indicated that photovoltaic concentration systems may be attractive in low solar irradiation areas such as Cleveland.

Exogenous indirect photoinactivation of bacterial pathogens and indicators in water with natural and synthetic photosensitizers in simulated sunlight with reduced UVB.

Science.gov (United States)

Maraccini, P A; Wenk, J; Boehm, A B

2016-08-01

To investigate the UVB-independent and exogenous indirect photoinactivation of eight human health-relevant bacterial species in the presence of photosensitizers. Eight bacterial species were exposed to simulated sunlight with greatly reduced UVB light intensity in the presence of three synthetic photosensitizers and two natural photosensitizers. Inactivation curves were fit with shoulder log-linear or first-order kinetic models, from which the presence of a shoulder and magnitude of inactivation rate constants were compared. Eighty-four percent reduction in the UVB light intensity roughly matched a 72-95% reduction in the overall bacterial photoinactivation rate constants in sensitizer-free water. With the UVB light mostly reduced, the exogenous indirect mechanism contribution was evident for most bacteria and photosensitizers tested, although most prominently with the Gram-positive bacteria. Results confirm the importance of UVB light in bacterial photoinactivation and, with the reduction of the UVB light intensity, that the Gram-positive bacteria are more vulnerable to the exogenous indirect mechanism than Gram-negative bacteria. UVB is the most important range of the sunlight spectrum for bacterial photoinactivation. In aquatic environments where photosensitizers are present and there is high UVB light attenuation, UVA and visible wavelengths can contribute to exogenous indirect photoinactivation. © 2016 The Society for Applied Microbiology.

SU-E-T-174: Evaluation of the Optimal Intensity Modulated Radiation Therapy Plans Done On the Maximum and Average Intensity Projection CTs

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Jurkovic, I [University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, San Antonio, TX (United States); Stathakis, S; Li, Y; Patel, A; Vincent, J; Papanikolaou, N; Mavroidis, P [Cancer Therapy and Research Center University of Texas Health Sciences Center at San Antonio, San Antonio, TX (United States)

2014-06-01

Purpose: To determine the difference in coverage between plans done on average intensity projection and maximum intensity projection CT data sets for lung patients and to establish correlations between different factors influencing the coverage. Methods: For six lung cancer patients, 10 phases of equal duration through the respiratory cycle, the maximum and average intensity projections (MIP and AIP) from their 4DCT datasets were obtained. MIP and AIP datasets had three GTVs delineated (GTVaip — delineated on AIP, GTVmip — delineated on MIP and GTVfus — delineated on each of the 10 phases and summed up). From the each GTV, planning target volumes (PTV) were then created by adding additional margins. For each of the PTVs an IMRT plan was developed on the AIP dataset. The plans were then copied to the MIP data set and were recalculated. Results: The effective depths in AIP cases were significantly smaller than in MIP (p < 0.001). The Pearson correlation coefficient of r = 0.839 indicates strong degree of positive linear relationship between the average percentage difference in effective depths and average PTV coverage on the MIP data set. The V2 0 Gy of involved lung depends on the PTV coverage. The relationship between PTVaip mean CT number difference and PTVaip coverage on MIP data set gives r = 0.830. When the plans are produced on MIP and copied to AIP, r equals −0.756. Conclusion: The correlation between the AIP and MIP data sets indicates that the selection of the data set for developing the treatment plan affects the final outcome (cases with high average percentage difference in effective depths between AIP and MIP should be calculated on AIP). The percentage of the lung volume receiving higher dose depends on how well PTV is covered, regardless of on which set plan is done.

Recovery of hexavalent chromium from water using photoactive TiO2-montmorillonite under sunlight

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ridha Djellabi

2016-04-01

Full Text Available Hexavalent chromium was removed from water under sunlight using a synthesized TiO2-montmorillonite (TiO2-M employing tartaric acid as a hole scavenger. Cr(VI species was then reduced to Cr(III species by electrons arising from TiO2 particles. After that, the produced Cr(III species  was transferred to montmorillonite  due to electrostatic attractions leading to  set free TiO2 particles for a further Cr(VI species reduction. Furthermore, produced Cr(III, after Cr(VI reduction, does not  penetrate into the solution. The results indicate that no dark adsorption of Cr(VI species on TiO2-M is present, however, the reduction of Cr(VI species under sunlight increased strongly as a function of tartaric acid concentration up to 60 ppm, for which the extent of reduction is maximum within 3 h. On the other hand, the reduction extent of Cr(VI species is maximum with an initial concentration of Cr(VI species lower than 30 ppm by the use of 0.2 g/L of TiO2-M. Nevertheless, the increase of the Cr(VI initial concentration led to increase the amount of Cr(VI species reduced (capacity of reduction until a Cr(VI concentration of 75 and 100 ppm, for which  it remained constant at around 221 mg/g. For comparison, the increase of Cr(VI species concentration in the case of the commercial TiO2 P25 under the same conditions exhibited its deactivation when the reduced amount decreased from 198.1 to 157.6 mg/g as the concentration increased from 75 to 100 ppm.

Accelerated stability testing of organic photovoltaics using concentrated sunlight

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Katz, Eugene A.; Manor, Assaf; Mescheloff, Asaf

2012-01-01

We suggest to use concentrated sunlight for accelerated studies of light-induced mechanisms in the degradation of organic photovoltaics (OPV) based on the polymer (P3HT)/fullerene (PCBM) bulk heterojunctions. Two particular cases of the degradation are reported.......We suggest to use concentrated sunlight for accelerated studies of light-induced mechanisms in the degradation of organic photovoltaics (OPV) based on the polymer (P3HT)/fullerene (PCBM) bulk heterojunctions. Two particular cases of the degradation are reported....

Diagnostic of annual cycle and effects of the ENSO about the maximum intensity of duration rains between 1 and 24 hours at the Andes of Colombia

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Poveda, German; Mesa, Oscar; Toro, Vladimir; Agudelo, Paula; Alvarez, Juan F; Arias, Paola; Moreno, Hernan; Salazar, Luis; Vieira, Sara

2002-01-01

We study the distribution of maximum rainfall events during the annual cycle, for storms ranging from 1 to 24-hour in duration; by using information over 51 rain gauges locate at the Colombian Andes. Also, the effects of both phases of ENSO (El Nino and La Nina) are quantified. We found that maximum rainfall intensity events occur during the rainy periods of march-may and September-November. There is a strong similarity between the annual cycle of mean total rainfall and that of the maximum intensities of rainfall over the tropical Andes. This result is quite consistent throughout the three ranges of the Colombian Andes. At inter annual timescales, we found that both phases of ENSO are associated with disturbances of maximum rainfall events; since during La Nina there are more intense precipitation events than during El Nino, overall, for durations longer than 3 hours, rainfall intensity gets reduced by one order of magnitude with respect to shorter durations (1-3 hours). The most extreme recorded rainfall events are apparently not associated with the annual and inter annual large scales forcing and appear to be randomly generated by the important role of the land surface atmosphere in the genesis and dynamics of intense storm over central Colombia

Visual performance with sport-tinted contact lenses in natural sunlight.

Science.gov (United States)

Erickson, Graham B; Horn, Fraser C; Barney, Tyler; Pexton, Brett; Baird, Richard Y

2009-05-01

The use of tinted and clear contact lenses (CLs) in all aspects of life is becoming a more popular occurrence, particularly in athletic activities. This study broadens previous research regarding performance-tinted CLs and their effects on measures of visual performance. Thirty-three subjects (14 male, 19 female) were fitted with clear B&L Optima 38, 50% visible light transmission Amber and 36% visible light transmission Gray-Green Nike Maxsight CLs in an individualized randomized sequence. Subjects were dark-adapted with welding goggles before testing and in between subtests involving a Bailey-Lovie chart and the Haynes Distance Rock test. The sequence of testing was repeated for each lens modality. The Amber and Gray-Green lenses enabled subjects to recover vision faster in bright sunlight compared with clear lenses. Also, subjects were able to achieve better visual recognition in bright sunlight when compared with clear lenses. Additionally, the lenses allowed the subjects to alternate fixation between a bright and shaded target at a more rapid rate in bright sunlight as compared with clear lenses. Subjects preferred both the Amber and Gray-Green lenses over clear lenses in the bright and shadowed target conditions. The results of the current study show that Maxsight Amber and Gray-Green lenses provide better contrast discrimination in bright sunlight, better contrast discrimination when alternating between bright and shaded target conditions, better speed of visual recovery in bright sunlight, and better overall visual performance in bright and shaded target conditions compared with clear lenses.

Psoriasis, Psoralen and Sunlight

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

R.P.C Naik

1979-01-01

Full Text Available Topical or oral administration of photoactive furocumarins followed by exposure to ultra violet light from artificial sources has been shown previously to clear psoriatic lesions. Sunlight has been chosen as the source of UVL m two separate paired comparison studies using topical and, oral 4,5, 8 trimethylpsoralen. Two out of 21 on topical therapy and none out of 6 patients on oral paired-comparison study showed faster clearance of the drug treated lesions compared to control sites.

Assessment of photoreactivation following ultraviolet light disinfection

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kashimada, K.; Kamiko, N.; Yamamoto, K.; Ohgaki, S.

1996-01-01

Photoreactivation of microorganisms following UV disinfection is one of the research topics of interest in assessing the performance of UV disinfection, because there is little consensus on how the visible light intensity relates to the photoreactivation rate and the maximum survival in wastewater treatment processes. Apparent photoreactivation by a fluorescent lamp was observed in case of indicator bacteria (heterotrophic bacteria, coliform bacteria, fecal coliforms) in raw sewage, but not E. coli B and E. coli K12 A/λ(F+). Inactivation of fecal coliform was observed simultaneously during photoreactivation process by sunlight. Dose rate at 360 nm wave length as visible light intensity showed that it was a useful indicator for assessing the photoreactivation rate and the maximum survival when photoreactivation took place by both fluorescent lamp and sunlight. The model for photoreactivation was developed. The photoreactivation rate increased with increasing visible light intensity at 360 nm. However, the maximum survival value may not be affected by visible light intensity. (author)

DNA damage by ethylbenzenehydroperoxide formed from carcinogenic ethylbenzene by sunlight irradiation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Toda, Chitose; Uchida, Takafumi; Midorikawa, Kaoru; Murata, Mariko; Hiraku, Yusuke; Okamoto, Yoshinori; Ueda, Koji; Kojima, Nakao; Kawanishi, Shosuke

2003-01-01

Ethylbenzene, widely used in human life, is a non-mutagenic carcinogen. Sunlight-irradiated ethylbenzene caused DNA damage in the presence of Cu 2+ , but unirradiated ethylbenzene did not. A Cu + -specific chelator bathocuproine inhibited DNA damage and catalase showed a little inhibitory effect. The scopoletin assay revealed that peroxides and H 2 O 2 were formed in ethylbenzene exposed to sunlight. These results suggest that Cu + and alkoxyl radical mainly participate in DNA damage, and H 2 O 2 partially does. When catalase was added, DNA damage at thymine and cytosine was inhibited. Ethylbenzenehydroperoxide, identified by GC/MS analysis, induced the formation of 8-oxo-7,8-dihydro-2 ' -deoxyguanosine and caused DNA damage at consecutive guanines, as observed with cumenehydroperoxide. Equimolar concentrations of H 2 O 2 and acetophenone were produced by the sunlight-irradiation of 1-phenylethanol, a further degraded product of ethylbenzene. These results indicate a novel pathway that oxidative DNA damage induced by the peroxide and H 2 O 2 derived from sunlight-irradiated ethylbenzene may lead to expression of the carcinogenicity

Theory of direct sunlight transmission through orthogonal screen cells

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Aljofi, E.K.

2006-01-01

The Purpose of this paper is to investigate the feasibility of using the Rawshan screens to control high light intensity and to avoid excessive solar radiation penetrating inside the building interior. The exploration of the environmental characteristics of this device indicates an ideal solution to utilize available daylight in the arid atmosphere, reduces energy consumption due to the us of artificial light and ensures the continuity of the traditional architecture and the country heritage. A systematic analysis of direct sunlight transmission has been explored using a mathematical approach. The study intends to construct a predictive tool for the architects through which different specifications of the Rawshan screens were identified as far as direct beam of light concerned. The predictive tool was set-up to investigate various parameters of the screen such as the screen configurations, the aperture configurations, the change in orientation and the effect of the sky condition. The analysis of light transmission through the screen were set-up for orthogonal shapes

A generic approach for sunlight and shadow impact computation on large city models

OpenAIRE

Jaillot , Vincent; Pedrinis , Frédéric; Servigne , Sylvie; Gesquière , Gilles

2017-01-01

International audience; Study of sunlight and shadow effects on the city has become more accessible with the development of 3D citymodels. It allows measuring when and how an object is exposed to the sunlight, which enables conducting manyrelated studies such as energy analyses or urban planning. While many works have been done for this purpose, itmay be interesting to know which objects (terrain, buildings, trees, etc.) prevent other objects from beingexposed to the sunlight. In this paper w...

Sunlight exposure and sun sensitivity associated with disability progression in multiple sclerosis

NARCIS (Netherlands)

D'hooghe, M. B.; Haentjens, P.; Nagels, G.; Garmyn, M.; De Keyser, J.

Background: Sunlight and vitamin D have been inversely associated with the risk of multiple sclerosis (MS). Objective: We investigated sunlight exposure and sun sensitivity in relation to disability progression in MS. Methods: We conducted a survey among persons with MS, registered by the Flemish MS

Fluorescent and high intensity discharge lamp use in chambers and greenhouses

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Langhans, R.W. [Cornell Univ., Ithaca, NY (United States)

1994-12-31

Fluorescent and High Intensity Discharge lamps have opened up great opportunities for researchers to study plant growth under controlled environment conditions and for commercial growers to increase plant production during low/light periods. This report describes the advantages and disadvantages of using each lamp in growth chambers, growth rooms and greenhouses. Growth Chambers are small (3m x 4/m and smaller) walk-in or reach-in enclosures with programmable, accurate temperature, relative humidity (RH) and irradiance control over wide ranges. The intent of growth chambers was to replicate sunlight conditions and transfer research results directly to the greenhouse or outside. It was realized that sunlight and outside conditions could not be mimicked. Growth chambers are also used to study irradiance and spectral fluxes. Growth Rooms are usually large rooms (larger than 3m x 4m) with only lamp irradiance, but providing relatively limited ranges of environmental control (i.e., 10 to 30 C temperature, 50 to 90% RH and ambient to 1000 ppm CO{sub 2}), and commonly independent of outside conditions. Irradiance requirements for growth rooms are similar to those of growth chambers. Growth rooms are also used for growing a large number of plants in a uniform standard environment condition and in commercial horticulture for tissue culture, seed germination (plugs) and seedling growth. Greenhouses are designed to allow maximum sunlight penetration through the structure. Initially greenhouses were used to extend the growing season. Then as heating systems, and cooling systems improved, they were used year round. Low light during the winter months reduced plant growth, but with the advent of efficient lamps (HID and fluorescent) it became possible to increase growth to rates close to that in summer months. Supplementary lighting is used during low light periods of the year and anytime to ensure consistent total daily irradiance for research plants.

[Polish guidelines of 2001 for maximum admissible intensities in high frequency EMF versus European Union recommendations].

Science.gov (United States)

Aniołczyk, Halina

2003-01-01

In 1999, a draft of amendments to maximum admissible intensities (MAI) of electromagnetic fields (0 Hz-300 GHz) was prepared by Professor H. Korniewicz of the Central Institute for Labour Protection, Warsaw, in cooperation with the Nofer Institute of Occupational Medicine, Łódź (radio- and microwaves) and the Military Institute of Hygiene and Epidemiology, Warsaw (pulse radiation). Before 2000, the development of the national MAI guidelines for the frequency range of 0.1 MHz-300 GHz was based on the knowledge of biological and health effects of EMF exposure available on the turn of the 1960s. A current basis for establishing the MAI international standards is a well-documented thermal effect measured by the value of a specific absorption rate (SAR), whereas the effects of resonant absorption imposes the nature of the functional dependency on EMF frequency. The Russian standards, already thoroughly analyzed, still take so-called non-thermal effects and the conception of energetic load for a work-shift with its progressive averaging (see hazardous zone in Polish guidelines) as a basis for setting maximum admissible intensities. The World Health Organization recommends a harmonization of the EMF protection guidelines, existing in different countries, with the guidelines of the International Commission for Non-Ionizing Radiation Protection (ICNIRP), and its position is supported by the European Union.

Toxicological impact of cadmium-based quantum dots towards aquatic biota: Effect of natural sunlight exposure

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Silva, B.F. [Department of Biology, Faculty of Science, University of Porto, Rua do Campo Alegre, 4169-007 Porto (Portugal); CIIMAR, Interdisciplinary Centre of Marine and Environmental Research, Rua dos Bragas, 289, 4050-123 Porto (Portugal); Andreani, T. [Centro de Investigação em Química da Universidade do Porto, Rua do Campo Alegre, 687, 4169-007 Porto (Portugal); Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Faculty of Science, University of Porto, Rua do Campo Alegre, 4169-007 Porto (Portugal); CITAB − Centre for Research and Technology of Agro-Environmental and Biological Sciences, University of Trás-os-Montes e Alto Douro, UTAD, Vila Real (Portugal); Gavina, A., E-mail: anacsgavina@gmail.com [Department of Biology, Faculty of Science, University of Porto, Rua do Campo Alegre, 4169-007 Porto (Portugal); CIIMAR, Interdisciplinary Centre of Marine and Environmental Research, Rua dos Bragas, 289, 4050-123 Porto (Portugal); Vieira, M.N. [Department of Biology, Faculty of Science, University of Porto, Rua do Campo Alegre, 4169-007 Porto (Portugal); CIIMAR, Interdisciplinary Centre of Marine and Environmental Research, Rua dos Bragas, 289, 4050-123 Porto (Portugal); Pereira, C.M. [Centro de Investigação em Química da Universidade do Porto, Rua do Campo Alegre, 687, 4169-007 Porto (Portugal); Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Faculty of Science, University of Porto, Rua do Campo Alegre, 4169-007 Porto (Portugal); Rocha-Santos, T. [Department of Chemistry and Centre for Environmental and Marine Studies (CESAM), University of Aveiro, Campus de Santiago, 3810-193 Aveiro (Portugal); and others

2016-07-15

Highlights: • Under sunlight exposure, all QDs form particle aggregates in the different media. • CdSeS/ZnS QDs showed lower toxic effects to V. fischeri before sunlight exposure. • Sunlight exposure decreased the toxicity of CdS 480 in all organisms. • Sunlight exposure increased the toxicity of CdS 380 QDs for D. magna. • Shell of QDs seemed to make them less harmful to aquatic organisms. - Abstract: Cadmium-based quantum dots (QDs) are increasingly applied in existent and emerging technologies, especially in biological applications due to their exceptional photophysical and functionalization properties. However, they are very toxic compounds due to the high reactive and toxic cadmium core. The present study aimed to determine the toxicity of three different QDs (CdS 380, CdS 480 and CdSeS/ZnS) before and after the exposure of suspensions to sunlight, in order to assess the effect of environmentally relevant irradiation levels in their toxicity, which will act after their release to the environment. Therefore, a battery of ecotoxicological tests was performed with organisms that cover different functional and trophic levels, such as Vibrio fischeri, Raphidocelis subcapitata, Chlorella vulgaris and Daphnia magna. The results showed that core-shell type QDs showed lower toxic effects to V. fischeri in comparison to core type QDs before sunlight exposure. However, after sunlight exposure, there was a decrease of CdS 380 and CdS 480 QD toxicity to bacterium. Also, after sunlight exposure, an effective decrease of CdSeS/ZnS and CdS 480 toxicity for D. magna and R. subcapitata, and an evident increase in CdS 380 QD toxicity, at least for D. magna, were observed. The results of this study suggest that sunlight exposure has an effect in the aggregation and precipitation reactions of larger QDs, causing the degradation of functional groups and formation of larger bulks which may be less prone to photo-oxidation due to their diminished surface area. The same

Cathodic protection of carbon steel in natural seawater: Effect of sunlight radiation

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Benedetti, Alessandro [Istituto per l' Energetica e le Interfasi, IENI - CNR, Milano, via Roberto Cozzi 53 20125 Milano (Italy)], E-mail: alessandro.benedetti@cnr.it; Magagnin, Luca [Dip. Chimica, Materiali e Ing. Chimica G. Natta, Politecnico di Milano, via Mancinelli 7, 20131 Milano (Italy); Passaretti, Francesca [Istituto per l' Energetica e le Interfasi IENI - CNR, Lecco, c.so Promessi Sposi 29, 23900 Lecco (Italy); Chelossi, Elisabetta; Faimali, Marco [Istituto di Scienze Marine, ISMAR- CNR - Via De Marini 6, 16149, Genova (Italy); Montesperelli, Giampiero [Universita di Roma - Tor Vergata, Dipartimento di Scienze e Tecnologie Chimiche, Via della Ricerca Scientifica 00133, Roma (Italy)

2009-11-01

Cathodic protection of metals in seawater is known to be influenced by chemical-physical parameters affecting cathodic processes (oxygen discharge, hydrogen evolution and calcareous deposit precipitation). In shallow seawater, these parameters are influenced by sunlight photoperiod and photosynthetic activity. The results presented here represent the first step in studies dedicated to cathodic protection in shallow photic seawater. This paper reports on carbon steel protected at -850 mV vs. Ag/AgCl (oxygen limiting current regime) in the presence of sunlight radiation but in the absence of biological and photosynthetic activity, the role of which deserves future research. Comparison of results obtained by exposing electrochemical cells to daylight cycles in both biologically inactivated natural seawater and in NaCl 3.5 wt.% solutions showed that sunlight affects current densities and that calcareous deposit interfere with light-currents effects. Sunlight radiation and induced heating of the solution have been separated, highlighting results not otherwise obvious: (1) observed current waves concomitant with sunlight radiation depend fundamentally on solar radiation, (2) solar radiation can determine current enhancements from early to late phases of aragonite crystal growth, (3) a three-day-old CaCO{sub 3} layer reduces but does not eliminate the amplitude of the current waves. Theoretical calculations for oxygen limiting currents and additional field tests showed that sunlight, rather than bulk solution heating, is the main cause of daily current enhancements. This was confirmed by polarizations performed at -850 and -1000 mV vs. Ag/AgCl (constant bulk temperature), during which the electrode was irradiated with artificial lighting. This test also confirmed O{sub 2} discharge to be the cathodic process involved. A mechanism of radiation conversion to heat in the oxygen diffusion layer region is proposed.

The relationship between long-term sunlight radiation and cognitive decline in the REGARDS cohort study

Science.gov (United States)

Kent, Shia T.; Kabagambe, Edmond K.; Wadley, Virginia G.; Howard, Virginia J.; Crosson, William L.; Al-Hamdan, Mohammad Z.; Judd, Suzanne E.; Peace, Fredrick; McClure, Leslie A.

2014-04-01

Sunlight may be related to cognitive function through vitamin D metabolism or circadian rhythm regulation. The analysis presented here sought to test whether ground and satellite measures of solar radiation are associated with cognitive decline. The study used a 15-year residential history merged with satellite and ground monitor data to determine sunlight (solar radiation) and air temperature exposure for a cohort of 19,896 cognitively intact black and white participants aged 45+ from the 48 contiguous United States. Exposures of 15, 10, 5, 2, and 1-year were used to predict cognitive status at the most recent assessment in logistic regression models; 1-year insolation and maximum temperatures were chosen as exposure measures. Solar radiation interacted with temperature, age, and gender in its relationships with incident cognitive impairment. After adjustment for covariates, the odds ratio (OR) of cognitive decline for solar radiation exposure below the median vs above the median in the 3rd tertile of maximum temperatures was 1.88 (95 % CI: 1.24, 2.85), that in the 2nd tertile was 1.33 (95 % CI: 1.09, 1.62), and that in the 1st tertile was 1.22 (95 % CI: 0.92, 1.60). We also found that participants under 60 years old had an OR = 1.63 (95 % CI: 1.20, 2.22), those 60-80 years old had an OR = 1.18 (95 % CI: 1.02, 1.36), and those over 80 years old had an OR = 1.05 (0.80, 1.37). Lastly, we found that males had an OR = 1.43 (95 % CI: 1.22, 1.69), and females had an OR = 1.02 (0.87, 1.20). We found that lower levels of solar radiation were associated with increased odds of incident cognitive impairment.

Effect of Chinese traditional medicine anti-fatigue prescription on the concentration of the serum testosterone and cortisol in male rats under stress of maximum intensive training

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Dong Ling; Si Xulan

2008-01-01

Objective: To study the effect of chinese traditional medicine anti-fatigue prescription on the concentration of the serum testosterone (T) and cortisol (C) in male rats under the stress of maximum intensive training. Methods: Wistar male rat models of stress under maximum intensity training were established (n=40) and half of them were treated with Chinese traditional medicine anti-fatigue prescription twenty undisturbed rats served as controls. Testosterone and cortisol serum levels were determined with RIA at the end of the seven weeks' experiment. Results: Maximum intensive training would cause the level of the serum testosterone lowered, the concentration of the cortisol elevated and the ratio of T/C reduced. The serum T levels and T/C ratio were significantly lower and cortisol levels significantly higher in the untreated models than those in the treated models and controls (P<0.01). The levels of the two hormones were markedly corrected in the treated models with no significantly differences from those in the controls. However, the T/C ratio was still significantly lower than that in the controls (P <0.05) due to a relatively slightly greater degree of reduction of T levels. Conclusion: Anti-fatigue prescription can not only promote the recovery of fatigue after the maximum intensive training but also strengthen the anabolism of the rats. (authors)

Roles of sunlight and natural ventilation for controlling infection: historical and current perspectives.

Science.gov (United States)

Hobday, R A; Dancer, S J

2013-08-01

Infections caught in buildings are a major global cause of sickness and mortality. Understanding how infections spread is pivotal to public health yet current knowledge of indoor transmission remains poor. To review the roles of natural ventilation and sunlight for controlling infection within healthcare environments. Comprehensive literature search was performed, using electronic and library databases to retrieve English language papers combining infection; risk; pathogen; and mention of ventilation; fresh air; and sunlight. Foreign language articles with English translation were included, with no limit imposed on publication date. In the past, hospitals were designed with south-facing glazing, cross-ventilation and high ceilings because fresh air and sunlight were thought to reduce infection risk. Historical and recent studies suggest that natural ventilation offers protection from transmission of airborne pathogens. Particle size, dispersal characteristics and transmission risk require more work to justify infection control practices concerning airborne pathogens. Sunlight boosts resistance to infection, with older studies suggesting potential roles for surface decontamination. Current knowledge of indoor transmission of pathogens is inadequate, partly due to lack of agreed definitions for particle types and mechanisms of spread. There is recent evidence to support historical data on the effects of natural ventilation but virtually none for sunlight. Modern practice of designing healthcare buildings for comfort favours pathogen persistence. As the number of effective antimicrobial agents declines, further work is required to clarify absolute risks from airborne pathogens along with any potential benefits from additional fresh air and sunlight. Copyright © 2013 The Healthcare Infection Society. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

OPTIMASI SUDUT KEMIRINGAN PANEL SURYA PADA PROTOTIPE SISTEM PENJEJAK MATAHARI AKTIF

OpenAIRE

Tamimi, S.; Indrasari, W.; Iswanto, B. H.

2016-01-01

The main problem on solar energy is instability power which generated by the solar panels, because it depends on the sunlight intensity which accepted by the solar panels. The intensity of sunlight received by the solar panels can be maximized by installing solar panels with a right angle so it will be obtained the maximum output power. This study has been carried out optimization angle of the solar panels that will be used on the active prototype solar tracking system. The optimization is ta...

Adaptive fluid lens and sunlight redirection system : exploring a novel way of redirecting and altering sunlight in large span roofs

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Heinzelmann, F.; Bristogianni, T.; Teuffel, P.; Stouffs, R.; Sariyildiz, S.

2013-01-01

The paper describes a novel system to alter and redirect sunlight under large span roofs with the help of a fluid lens system. Focus lies on the computational design, testing, measurement and evaluation of the performance of a physical prototype.

Sunlight suppressing rejection of 280- to 320-nm UV-radiation-induced skin tumors in mice

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Morison, W.L.; Kelley, S.P.

1985-01-01

Repeated exposure of female C3H/HeNCR- mice to sunlight prevented the normal immunologic rejection of a UV-induced tumor. This systemic immunologic alteration was transferred to syngeneic lethally X-irradiated animals with lymphoid cells from mice exposed to sunlight. The lymphoid cells also were able to suppress the capacity of lymphoid cells from normal animals to reject a UV-induced tumor. The 295- to 320-nm wave band appeared to be responsible for this immunosuppressive effect of sunlight because suppression was prevented by filtration of the radiation through Mylar and by application of a sunscreen containing para-aminobenzoic acid. These observations may have importance in understanding the pathogenesis of sunlight-induced skin cancer in humans

Sunlight exposure during leisure activities and risk of prostate cancer in Montréal, Canada, 2005-2009.

Science.gov (United States)

Yu, Jennifer; Lavoué, Jérôme; Parent, Marie-Élise

2014-07-28

Prostate cancer (PCa) is the leading cause of cancer in men in many developed countries, but no modifiable risk factors have been identified. A handful of analytical studies have suggested a possible etiological role for sunlight exposure. We report here on the association between leisure-time sunlight exposure during adulthood and PCa risk in the context of a population-based case-control study. In all, 1,904 PCa cases were ascertained across Montreal French hospitals between 2005 and 2009. Concurrently, 1,962 population controls, frequency matched to cases by age (±5 years), were selected from the electoral list for French-speakers in Greater Montreal. Interviews elicited the frequency of engagement in any leisure activity during adulthood. This was used to derive cumulative sunlight exposure indices: a cumulative number of leisure activities events entailing sunlight exposure and a cumulative duration of sunlight exposure during leisure activities. Unconditional logistic regression was conducted to yield odds ratios (OR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) for estimating the association between sunlight exposure indices and PCa risk, adjusting for age, ancestry, family history of PCa, PCa screening, education, solar protection, body mass index and physical activity. Compared with men in the upper quartile category for the number of sunlight exposure events, men never exposed during leisure time had an OR of 1.32 (95% CI: 0.82-2.14). ORs were 1.11, 0.91 and 1.00 for the first to the third quartiles of exposure, respectively. Similar results were observed for cumulative duration of exposure to sunlight, and by PCa aggressiveness. These findings provide little evidence of an association between sunlight exposure during leisure-time and PCa risk. Men with no sunlight exposure appeared at somewhat higher risks but none of the estimates achieved statistical significance.

Natural organic matter and sunlight accelerate the degradation of 17ss-estradiol in water

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Leech, Dina M.; Snyder, Matthew T.; Wetzel, Robert G.

2009-01-01

Nanomolar concentrations of steroid hormones such as 17β-estradiol can influence the reproductive development and sex ratios of invertebrate and vertebrate populations. Thus their release into surface and ground waters from wastewater facilities and agricultural applications of animal waste is of environmental concern. Many of these compounds are chromophoric and susceptible to photolytic degradation. High intensity UV-C radiation has been demonstrated to degrade some of these compounds in engineered systems. However, the degradation efficacy of natural solar radiation in shallow fresh waters is less understood. Here photolytic experiments with 17β-estradiol demonstrated modest photodegradation (∼ 26%) when exposed to simulated sunlight between 290 and 720 nm. Photodegradation significantly increased (∼ 40-50%) in the presence of 2.0-15.0 mg/l of dissolved organic carbon (DOC) derived from humic acids of the Suwannee River, GA. However, rates of photodegradation reached a threshold at approximately 5.0 mg/l DOC. Observed suppression of photolysis in the presence of a radical inhibitor (i.e. 2-propanol) indicated that a significant proportion of the degradation was due to radicals formed from the photolysis of DOC. Although photodegradation was greatest in full sunlight containing UV-B (290-320 nm), degradation was also detected with UV-A (320-400 nm) and visible light (400-720 nm) alone

Natural organic matter and sunlight accelerate the degradation of 17ss-estradiol in water

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Leech, Dina M. [Institute of Marine Sciences, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, 3431 Arendell Street, Morehead City, NC 28557 (United States)], E-mail: dmleech@email.unc.edu; Snyder, Matthew T.; Wetzel, Robert G. [Department of Environmental Sciences and Engineering, School of Public Health, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27599 (United States)

2009-03-01

Nanomolar concentrations of steroid hormones such as 17{beta}-estradiol can influence the reproductive development and sex ratios of invertebrate and vertebrate populations. Thus their release into surface and ground waters from wastewater facilities and agricultural applications of animal waste is of environmental concern. Many of these compounds are chromophoric and susceptible to photolytic degradation. High intensity UV-C radiation has been demonstrated to degrade some of these compounds in engineered systems. However, the degradation efficacy of natural solar radiation in shallow fresh waters is less understood. Here photolytic experiments with 17{beta}-estradiol demonstrated modest photodegradation ({approx} 26%) when exposed to simulated sunlight between 290 and 720 nm. Photodegradation significantly increased ({approx} 40-50%) in the presence of 2.0-15.0 mg/l of dissolved organic carbon (DOC) derived from humic acids of the Suwannee River, GA. However, rates of photodegradation reached a threshold at approximately 5.0 mg/l DOC. Observed suppression of photolysis in the presence of a radical inhibitor (i.e. 2-propanol) indicated that a significant proportion of the degradation was due to radicals formed from the photolysis of DOC. Although photodegradation was greatest in full sunlight containing UV-B (290-320 nm), degradation was also detected with UV-A (320-400 nm) and visible light (400-720 nm) alone.

Natural sunlight bleaching of the aluminum center in quartz

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lin Min; Yin Gongming; Han Kongyan; Bao Jifei; Liu Jingwei; Jia Li

2007-01-01

The effect of sunlight bleaching on ESR signals from the aluminum center in quartz is reported for two samples of sand-sized quartz, one from a granite and one from a beach sand. The grains were exposed to direct sunlight for periods of time up to 500 h, with bleaching carried out in four different cities in China that are from 50 to 3600 m above sea level. Each sample bleached to the same residual level, ∼55% for the granite and 80% for the beach sand of the initial value after a 200 Gy dose had been given. After 200 h, the bleaching level reached was independent of the height above sea level

Hypovitaminosis D in patients undergoing kidney transplant: the importance of sunlight exposure

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Cristiane F. Vilarta

Full Text Available OBJECTIVES: Recent studies have shown a high prevalence of hypovitaminosis D, defined as a serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D level less than 30 ng/ml, in both healthy populations and patients with chronic kidney disease. Patients undergoing kidney transplant are at an increased risk of skin cancer and are advised to avoid sunlight exposure. Therefore, these patients might share two major risk factors for hypovitaminosis D: chronic kidney disease and low sunlight exposure. This paper describes the prevalence and clinical characteristics of hypovitaminosis D among patients undergoing kidney transplant. METHODS: We evaluated 25-hydroxyvitamin D serum levels in a representative sample of patients undergoing kidney transplant. We sought to determine the prevalence of hypovitaminosis D, compare these patients with a control group, and identify factors associated with hypovitaminosis D (e.g., sunlight exposure and dietary habits. RESULTS: Hypovitaminosis D was found in 79% of patients undergoing kidney transplant, and the major associated factor was low sunlight exposure. These patients had higher creatinine and intact parathyroid hormone serum levels, with 25-hydroxyvitamin D being inversely correlated with intact parathyroid hormone serum levels. Compared with the control group, patients undergoing kidney transplant presented a higher prevalence of 25-hydroxyvitamin D deficiency and lower serum calcium, phosphate and albumin but higher creatinine and intact parathyroid hormone levels. CONCLUSIONS: Our results confirmed the high prevalence of hypovitaminosis D in patients undergoing kidney transplant. Therapeutic strategies such as moderate sunlight exposure and vitamin D supplementation should be seriously considered for this population.

Air Ambient-Operated pNIPAM-Based Flexible Actuators Stimulated by Human Body Temperature and Sunlight.

Science.gov (United States)

Yamamoto, Yuki; Kanao, Kenichiro; Arie, Takayuki; Akita, Seiji; Takei, Kuniharu

2015-05-27

Harnessing a natural power source such as the human body temperature or sunlight should realize ultimate low-power devices. In particular, macroscale and flexible actuators that do not require an artificial power source have tremendous potential. Here we propose and demonstrate electrically powerless polymer-based actuators operated at ambient conditions using a packaging technique in which the stimulating power source is produced by heat from the human body or sunlight. The actuating angle, force, and reliability are discussed as functions of temperature and exposure to sunlight. Furthermore, a wearable device platform and a smart curtain actuated by the temperature of human skin and sunlight, respectively, are demonstrated as the first proof-of-concepts. These nature-powered actuators should realize a new class of ultimate low-power devices.

Effects of light intensity on growth, anatomy and forage quality of two tropical grasses (Brachiaria brizantha and Panicum maximum var. trichoglume).

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Deinum, B.; Sulastri, R.D.; Zeinab, M.H.J.; Maassen, A.

1996-01-01

Effects of light intensity on growth, histology and anatomy, and nutritive value were studied in seedlings of two shade tolerant species: Brachiaria brizantha and Panicum maximum var. trichoglume. They were studied under greenhouse conditions in pots with sandy soil and sufficient N and cut after a

Hybrid sunlight/LED illumination and renewable solar energy saving concepts for indoor lighting.

Science.gov (United States)

Tsuei, Chih-Hsuan; Sun, Wen-Shing; Kuo, Chien-Cheng

2010-11-08

A hybrid method for using sunlight and light-emitting diode (LED) illumination powered by renewable solar energy for indoor lighting is simulated and presented in this study. We can illuminate an indoor space and collect the solar energy using an optical switching system. When the system is turned off, the full spectrum of the sunlight is concentrated by a concentrator, to be absorbed by solar photovoltaic devices that provide the electricity to power the LEDs. When the system is turned on, the sunlight collected by the concentrator is split into visible and non-visible rays by a beam splitter. The visible rays pass through the light guide into a light box where it is mixed with LED light to ultimately provide uniform illumination by a diffuser. The non-visible rays are absorbed by the solar photovoltaic devices to provide electrical power for the LEDs. Simulation results show that the efficiency of the hybrid sunlight/LED illumination with the renewable solar energy saving design is better than that of LED and traditional lighting systems.

Charles Burchfield: "October Wind and Sunlight in the Woods."

Science.gov (United States)

Fitzgerald, Gaynell

1986-01-01

Based on Charles Burchfield's watercolor, "October Wind and Sunlight in the Woods," the goal of this lesson is to introduce students in grades seven through nine to Burchfield's use of symbolism. (JDH)

A sunlight-induced method for rapid biosynthesis of silver nanoparticles using an Andrachnea chordifolia ethanol extract

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Karimi Zarchi, A.A.; Faridi Majidi, R. [Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Department of Nanomedicine, School of Advanced Medical Technologies, Tehran (Iran, Islamic Republic of); Mokhtari, N.; Shahverdi, A.R. [Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Department of Pharmaceutical Biotechnology and Medicinal Plants Research Center, Faculty of Pharmacy, Tehran (Iran, Islamic Republic of); Arfan, M.; Rehman, T.; Ali, M. [University of Peshawar, Institute of Chemical Sciences, Peshawar, Khyber Pakhtoonkhwa (Pakistan); Amini, M. [Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Department of Medicinal Chemistry, Faculty of Pharmacy, Tehran (Iran, Islamic Republic of)

2011-05-15

In this study a sunlight-induced method for rapid synthesis of silver nanoparticles using an ethanol extract of Andrachnea chordifolia is described. The silver nitrate solutions (1 mM) containing the ethanol extract of Andrachnea chordifolia were irradiated by both sunlight radiation and by sunlight radiation passed through different colored filters (red, yellow or green). The smallest size of silver nanoparticles was obtained when a silver ion solution was irradiated for 5 minutes by direct sunlight radiation. Further examination of the shape and size and of the surface chemistry of these biogenic silver nanoparticles, which were prepared under sunlight radiation, was carried out using transmission electron microscopy and infrared spectroscopy, respectively. Transmission electron microscopy images show spherical particles with an average size of 3.4 nm. Hydroxyl residues were also detected on the surface of these biogenic silver nanoparticles fabricated using plant extract of Andrachnea chordifolia under sunlight radiation. Our study on the reduction of silver ions by this plant extract in darkness shows that the synthesis process can take place under dark conditions at much longer incubations (48 hours). Larger silver polydispersed nanoparticles ranging in size from 3 to 30 nm were obtained when the silver ions were treated with the ethanol extract of Andrachnea chordifolia under dark conditions for 48 hours. (orig.)

Evaluation of the effects of repeated hand washing, sunlight, smoke and dirt on the persistence of deltamethrin on insecticide-treated nets.

Science.gov (United States)

Kayedi, M H; Lines, J D; Haghdoost, A A; Vatandoost, M H; Rassi, Y; Khamisabady, K

2008-08-01

Field studies were carried out in Iran to evaluate the effect of various factors (washing, sun, smoke, dust and dirt) on the residual insecticidal activity of PermaNet (a brand of long-lasting insecticidal net), and on nets conventionally treated with deltamethrin (K-O Tab), using bioassay tests. Thirty-two nets were washed five or 15 times, and eight nets were not washed at all. Nets were washed vigorously in cold tap water (17 degrees C, pH 8.9) with a detergent. Hand rubbing continued for 3min. After washing, some nets were exposed to dense smoke from a dung-hay fire for 3min and were also left exposed to the dusty wind between washes. One group of nets was exposed to the sunlight for the full 3-d interval between washes; another was exposed to sunlight for just 3h after each wash; two other groups were kept in the shade. There was a significantly greater loss of activity in nets exposed to the sun throughout the 3-d interval between washes: that is, for a total of 15 to 45 d. However, short sunlight exposure (maximum 3h between washes) during drying did not have any effect. We did not find any significant effect of exposure to dirt, dust and smoke after washing. It is concluded that the effect of sun is much smaller than that of washing, and that drying nets for a few hours in the sun is not harmful.

Effect of solution temperature, light intensity and light in combination with sunlight using mirror duct on growth of leaf lettuce (Lactuca savtiva L. cv. 'Greenwave')

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Shimizu, H.; Kushida, M.; Fujinuma, W.; Sekine, M.; Kaiho, K.; Arai, H.; Shibusawa, S.

2004-01-01

Leaf lettuce crops (Lactuca sativa L. cv. 'Greenwave') were grown in a plant production system using a Mirror Duct which intensified sunlight and transferred it to the inside of buildings. This system was expected to reduce the operational energy and lighting cost. The experiments were conducted under four photosynthetic photon flux densities (PPF) of 140,160, 180, and 200 micro mol mE-2 sE-1, in two light conditions, fluorescent light only and fluorescent light plus sunlight transferred with the Mirror Duct, and were repeated five times in total from August 2002 to July 2003. Five different solution temperatures were finally obtained through all the experiments due to temperature changes inside the experiment facility. Variance was analyzed to estimate the effect of these environmental factors on the growth of leaf lettuce. It was found that the fresh weight of leaf lettuce increased as PPF increased and the rate of increase of weight was 0.6 to 1.0 g per unit PPF in both 17.4 deg C and 23.5 deg C solution temperatures; the solution temperature had a significant effect upon the fresh weight; and a difference in fresh weight at harvest of between 40 and 60 g was observed between 17.4 deg C and 23.5 deg C solution temperatures. The light containing 10% sunlight was not effective for increasing fresh weight at harvest compared to the fluorescent lamp

Bleaching of the thermoluminescence of feldspars by sunlight

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Robertson, G.B.; Prescott, J.R.; Hutton, J.T.

1991-01-01

Feldspars are an important component of materials used for thermoluminescence (TL) and photoluminescence (PL) dating of sediments; and successful dating implies a knowledge of the degree of re-setting by exposure to sunlight of the stored luminescence energy. We have studied the bleaching by full sunlight of the TL of six alkali feldspars of representative composition and of one oligoclase. The high potassium and high sodium feldspars are the brightest, and are also the least easily bleached, whereas those of intermediate (K-Na) composition bleach quickly. On a time scale of upwards of 16 h, all samples would have bleached enough for them to be useful for TL dating. A search was made for individual glow curve peaks that bleach particularly quickly (and are thus similar to the well-known 325 o C peak used in the TL dating of quartz). In the samples studied, there was only one glow curve peak that was selectively susceptible to bleaching: the 280 o C peak in oligoclase. (author)

Can Skin Exposure to Sunlight Prevent Liver Inflammation?

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Shelley Gorman

2015-05-01

Full Text Available Liver inflammation contributes towards the pathology of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD. Here we discuss how skin exposure to sunlight may suppress liver inflammation and the severity of NAFLD. Following exposure to sunlight-derived ultraviolet radiation (UVR, the skin releases anti-inflammatory mediators such as vitamin D and nitric oxide. Animal modeling studies suggest that exposure to UVR can prevent the development of NAFLD. Association studies also support a negative link between circulating 25-hydroxyvitamin D and NAFLD incidence or severity. Clinical trials are in their infancy and are yet to demonstrate a clear beneficial effect of vitamin D supplementation. There are a number of potentially interdependent mechanisms whereby vitamin D could dampen liver inflammation, by inhibiting hepatocyte apoptosis and liver fibrosis, modulating the gut microbiome and through altered production and transport of bile acids. While there has been a focus on vitamin D, other mediators induced by sun exposure, such as nitric oxide may also play important roles in curtailing liver inflammation.

Photosynthesis, photoprotection, and growth of shade-tolerant tropical tree seedlings under full sunlight.

Science.gov (United States)

Krause, G Heinrich; Winter, Klaus; Matsubara, Shizue; Krause, Barbara; Jahns, Peter; Virgo, Aurelio; Aranda, Jorge; García, Milton

2012-09-01

High solar radiation in the tropics is known to cause transient reduction in photosystem II (PSII) efficiency and CO(2) assimilation in sun-exposed leaves, but little is known how these responses affect the actual growth performance of tropical plants. The present study addresses this question. Seedlings of five woody neotropical forest species were cultivated under full sunlight and shaded conditions. In full sunlight, strong photoinhibition of PSII at midday was documented for the late-successional tree species Ormosia macrocalyx and Tetragastris panamensis and the understory/forest gap species, Piper reticulatum. In leaves of O. macrocalyx, PSII inhibition was accompanied by substantial midday depression of net CO(2) assimilation. Leaves of all species had increased pools of violaxanthin-cycle pigments. Other features of photoacclimation, such as increased Chl a/b ratio and contents of lutein, β-carotene and tocopherol varied. High light caused strong increase of tocopherol in leaves of T. panamensis and another late-successional species, Virola surinamensis. O. macrocalyx had low contents of tocopherol and UV-absorbing substances. Under full sunlight, biomass accumulation was not reduced in seedlings of T. panamensis, P. reticulatum, and V. surinamensis, but O. macrocalyx exhibited substantial growth inhibition. In the highly shade-tolerant understory species Psychotria marginata, full sunlight caused strongly reduced growth of most individuals. However, some plants showed relatively high growth rates under full sun approaching those of seedlings at 40 % ambient irradiance. It is concluded that shade-tolerant tropical tree seedlings can achieve efficient photoacclimation and high growth rates in full sunlight.

Recent Developments in Maximum Power Point Tracking Technologies for Photovoltaic Systems

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Nevzat Onat

2010-01-01

Full Text Available In photovoltaic (PV system applications, it is very important to design a system for operating of the solar cells (SCs under best conditions and highest efficiency. Maximum power point (MPP varies depending on the angle of sunlight on the surface of the panel and cell temperature. Hence, the operating point of the load is not always MPP of PV system. Therefore, in order to supply reliable energy to the load, PV systems are designed to include more than the required number of modules. The solution to this problem is that switching power converters are used, that is called maximum power point tracker (MPPT. In this study, the various aspects of these algorithms have been analyzed in detail. Classifications, definitions, and basic equations of the most widely used MPPT technologies are given. Moreover, a comparison was made in the conclusion.

Measuring Physical Activity Intensity

Medline Plus

Full Text Available ... Older Adults Overcoming Barriers Measuring Physical Activity Intensity Target Heart Rate & Estimated Maximum Heart Rate Perceived Exertion ( ... a heavy backpack Other Methods of Measuring Intensity Target Heart Rate and Estimated Maximum Heart Rate Perceived ...

Biological Effects of Sunlight, Ultraviolet Radiation, Visible Light, Infrared Radiation and Vitamin D for Health.

Science.gov (United States)

Holick, Michael F

2016-03-01

Humans evolved in sunlight and had depended on sunlight for its life giving properties that was appreciated by our early ancestors. However, for more than 40 years the lay press and various medical and dermatology associations have denounced sun exposure because of its association with increased risk for skin cancer. The goal of this review is to put into perspective the many health benefits that have been associated with exposure to sunlight, ultraviolet A (UVA) ultraviolet B (UVB), visible and infrared radiation. Copyright© 2016 International Institute of Anticancer Research (Dr. John G. Delinassios), All rights reserved.

Constrained Maximum Likelihood Estimation of Relative Abundances of Protein Conformation in a Heterogeneous Mixture from Small Angle X-Ray Scattering Intensity Measurements

Science.gov (United States)

Onuk, A. Emre; Akcakaya, Murat; Bardhan, Jaydeep P.; Erdogmus, Deniz; Brooks, Dana H.; Makowski, Lee

2015-01-01

In this paper, we describe a model for maximum likelihood estimation (MLE) of the relative abundances of different conformations of a protein in a heterogeneous mixture from small angle X-ray scattering (SAXS) intensities. To consider cases where the solution includes intermediate or unknown conformations, we develop a subset selection method based on k-means clustering and the Cramér-Rao bound on the mixture coefficient estimation error to find a sparse basis set that represents the space spanned by the measured SAXS intensities of the known conformations of a protein. Then, using the selected basis set and the assumptions on the model for the intensity measurements, we show that the MLE model can be expressed as a constrained convex optimization problem. Employing the adenylate kinase (ADK) protein and its known conformations as an example, and using Monte Carlo simulations, we demonstrate the performance of the proposed estimation scheme. Here, although we use 45 crystallographically determined experimental structures and we could generate many more using, for instance, molecular dynamics calculations, the clustering technique indicates that the data cannot support the determination of relative abundances for more than 5 conformations. The estimation of this maximum number of conformations is intrinsic to the methodology we have used here. PMID:26924916

Polyphenolic composition and antioxidant capacity of legume based swards are affected by light intensity in a Mediterranean agroforestry system.

Science.gov (United States)

Re, Giovanni Antonio; Piluzza, Giovanna; Sanna, Federico; Molinu, Maria Giovanna; Sulas, Leonardo

2018-06-01

In Mediterranean grazed woodlands, microclimate changes induced by trees influence the growth and development of the understory, but very little is known about its polyphenolic composition in relation to light intensity. We investigated the bioactive compounds and antioxidant capacity of different legume-based swards and variations due to full sunlight and partial shade. The research was carried out in a cork oak agrosilvopastoral system in Sardinia. The highest values of DPPH reached 7 mmol TEAC 100 g -1 DW, total phenolics 67.1 g GAE kg -1 DW and total flavonoids 7.5 g CE kg -1 DW. Compared to full sunlight, partial shade reduced DPPH values by 29 and 42%, and the total phenolic content by 23 and 53% in 100% legume mixture and semi natural pasture. Twelve phenolic compounds were detected: chlorogenic acid in 80% legume mixture (partial shade) and verbascoside in pure sward of bladder clover (full sunlight) were the most abundant. Light intensity significantly affected antioxidant capacity, composition and levels of phenolic compounds. Our results provide new insights into the effects of light intensity on plant secondary metabolites from legume based swards, underlining the important functions provided by agroforestry systems. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.

Sunlight inactivation of Escherichia coli in waste stabilization microcosms in a sahelian region (Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso).

Science.gov (United States)

Maïga, Ynoussa; Denyigba, Kokou; Wethe, Joseph; Ouattara, Aboubakar Sidiki

2009-02-09

Experiments on sunlight inactivation of Escherichia coli were conducted from November 2006 to June 2007 in eight outdoors microcosms with different depths filled with maturation pond wastewater in order to determine pond depth influence on sunlight inactivation of E. coli. The long-term aim was to maximize sunlight inactivation of waterborne pathogens in waste stabilization ponds (WSPs) in sahelian regions where number of sunny days enable longer exposure of wastewater to sunlight. The inactivation was followed during daylight from 8.00 h to 17.00 h and during the night. Sunlight inactivation rates (K(S)), as a function of cumulative global solar radiation (insolation), were 16 and 24 times higher than the corresponding dark inactivation (K(D)) rates, respectively in cold and warm season. In warm season, E. coli was inactivated far more rapidly. Inactivation of E. coli follows the evolution of radiation during the day. In shallow depth microcosms, E. coli was inactivated far more rapidly than in high depth microcosms. The physical chemical parameters [pH, dissolved oxygen (DO)] of microcosms water were higher in shallow depth microcosms than in high depth microcosms suggesting a synergistic effect of sunlight and these parameters to damage E. coli. To increase the efficiency of the elimination of waterborne bacteria, the use of maturation ponds with intermediate depths (0.4m) would be advisable in view of the high temperatures and thus evaporation recorded in sahelian regions.

Sunlight persistence and rainfastness of spray-dried formulations of baculovirus isolated from Anagrapha falcifera (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae).

Science.gov (United States)

Tamez-Guerra, P; McGuire, M R; Behle, R W; Hamm, J J; Sumner, H R; Shasha, B S

2000-04-01

Nuclear polyhedrosis viruses such as the one isolated from the celery looper, Anagrapha falcifera (Kirby) (AfMNPV), have the potential to be successful bioinsecticides if improved formulations can prevent rapid loss of insecticidal activity from environmental conditions such as sunlight and rainfall. We tested 16 spray-dried formulations of AfMNPV to determine the effect of different ingredients (e.g., lignin, corn flour, and so on) on insecticidal activity after simulated rain and simulated sunlight (at Peoria, IL) and natural sunlight exposures (at Tifton, GA). The most effective formulation contained pregelatinized corn flour and potassium lignate, which retained more than half of its original activity after 5 cm of simulated rain, and almost full activity after 8 h of simulated sunlight. In Georgia, formulations made with and without lignin were compared for persistence of insecticidal activity when exposed to natural sunlight. In addition, the effect of fluorescent brighteners as formulation components and spray tank additives was tested. Results showed that the formulations with lignin had more insecticidal activity remaining after sunlight exposure than formulations without lignin. The inclusion of brighteners in the formulation did not improve initial activity or virus persistence. However, a 1% tank mix significantly enhanced activity and improved persistence. Scanning electron micrographs revealed discreet particles, and transmission electron micrographs showed virus embedded within microgranules. Results demonstrated that formulations made with natural ingredients could improve persistence of virus-based biopesticides.

Turning Sunlight into Electricity-Inorganic Solar Cells and Beyond

Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

Home; Journals; Resonance – Journal of Science Education; Volume 16; Issue 12. Turning Sunlight into Electricity - Inorganic Solar Cells and Beyond. A K Shukla. Volume 16 Issue 12 December 2011 pp 1294-1302. Fulltext. Click here to view fulltext PDF. Permanent link:

Sunlight-enhanced catalytic degradation over Ag–CuO ...

Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

Herein, we report sunlight-activated photo-catalysis response of direct current radio frequency (DC/RF)-sputtered Ag–CuO nanoparticles thin films.We have adopted this approach for facile removal and easy recovery of thin filmsafter use. Ag was incorporated at 2.5 and 5.4 wt% with reference to pure CuO. Structural ...

Sunlight creates oxygenated species in water-soluble fractions of Deepwater horizon oil

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Ray, Phoebe Z. [Department of Chemistry, University of New Orleans, New Orleans, LA 70148 (United States); Chen, Huan [National High Magnetic Field Laboratory, Florida State University, 1800 East Paul Dirac Drive, Tallahassee, FL 32310-4005 (United States); Podgorski, David C. [National High Magnetic Field Laboratory, Florida State University, 1800 East Paul Dirac Drive, Tallahassee, FL 32310-4005 (United States); Future Fuels Institute, Florida State University, 1800 East Paul Dirac Drive, Tallahassee, FL 32310-4005 (United States); McKenna, Amy M. [National High Magnetic Field Laboratory, Florida State University, 1800 East Paul Dirac Drive, Tallahassee, FL 32310-4005 (United States); Tarr, Matthew A., E-mail: mtarr@uno.edu [Department of Chemistry, University of New Orleans, New Orleans, LA 70148 (United States)

2014-09-15

Graphical abstract: Sunlight oxygenates petroleum. - Highlights: • Oxidation seen in water-soluble oil fraction after exposure to simulated sunlight. • Oxygen addition occurred across a wide range of carbon number and DBE. • Oil compounds were susceptible to addition of multiple oxygens to each molecule. • Results provide understanding of fate of oil on water after exposure to sunlight. - Abstract: In order to assess the impact of sunlight on oil fate, Macondo well oil from the Deepwater Horizon (DWH) rig was mixed with pure water and irradiated with simulated sunlight. After irradiation, the water-soluble organics (WSO) from the dark and irradiated samples were extracted and characterized by ultrahigh resolution Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance mass spectrometry (FT-ICR MS). Liquid–liquid extraction yielded two fractions from dark and irradiated water/oil mixtures: acidic WSOs (negative-ion electrospray (ESI)), and base/neutral WSOs (positive-ion ESI) coupled to FT-ICR MS to catalog molecular-level transformations that occur to Macondo-derived WSOs after solar irradiation. Such direct measure of oil phototransformation has not been previously reported. The most abundant heteroatom class detected in the irradiated WSO acid fractions correspond to molecules that contain five oxygens (O{sub 5}), while the most abundant acids in the dark samples contain two oxygen atoms per molecule (O{sub 2}). Higher-order oxygen classes (O{sub 5}–O{sub 9}) were abundant in the irradiated samples, but <1.5% relative abundance in the dark sample. The increased abundance of higher-order oxygen classes in the irradiated samples relative to the dark samples indicates that photooxidized components of the Macondo crude oil become water-soluble after irradiation. The base/neutral fraction showed decreased abundance of pyridinic nitrogen (N{sub 1}) concurrent with an increased abundance of N{sub 1}O{sub x} classes after irradiation. The predominance of higher

PRKCZ methylation is associated with sunlight exposure in a North American but not a Mediterranean population

Science.gov (United States)

Sunlight exposure has been shown to alter DNA methylation patterns across several human cell-types, including T-lymphocytes. Since epigenetic changes establish gene expression profiles, changes in DNA methylation induced by sunlight exposure warrant investigation. The purpose of this study was to as...

Passive radiative cooling below ambient air temperature under direct sunlight.

Science.gov (United States)

Raman, Aaswath P; Anoma, Marc Abou; Zhu, Linxiao; Rephaeli, Eden; Fan, Shanhui

2014-11-27

Cooling is a significant end-use of energy globally and a major driver of peak electricity demand. Air conditioning, for example, accounts for nearly fifteen per cent of the primary energy used by buildings in the United States. A passive cooling strategy that cools without any electricity input could therefore have a significant impact on global energy consumption. To achieve cooling one needs to be able to reach and maintain a temperature below that of the ambient air. At night, passive cooling below ambient air temperature has been demonstrated using a technique known as radiative cooling, in which a device exposed to the sky is used to radiate heat to outer space through a transparency window in the atmosphere between 8 and 13 micrometres. Peak cooling demand, however, occurs during the daytime. Daytime radiative cooling to a temperature below ambient of a surface under direct sunlight has not been achieved because sky access during the day results in heating of the radiative cooler by the Sun. Here, we experimentally demonstrate radiative cooling to nearly 5 degrees Celsius below the ambient air temperature under direct sunlight. Using a thermal photonic approach, we introduce an integrated photonic solar reflector and thermal emitter consisting of seven layers of HfO2 and SiO2 that reflects 97 per cent of incident sunlight while emitting strongly and selectively in the atmospheric transparency window. When exposed to direct sunlight exceeding 850 watts per square metre on a rooftop, the photonic radiative cooler cools to 4.9 degrees Celsius below ambient air temperature, and has a cooling power of 40.1 watts per square metre at ambient air temperature. These results demonstrate that a tailored, photonic approach can fundamentally enable new technological possibilities for energy efficiency. Further, the cold darkness of the Universe can be used as a renewable thermodynamic resource, even during the hottest hours of the day.

Effects of Sunlight Exposure on the Quality Parameters of Bottled ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

PROF HORSFALL

microbial population (total coliform) of the bottled water with increasing exposure to sunlight was observed. ... safe drinking water which has led to the tremendous ... degradation under high temperature (Bach et al., ..... Solar and photocatalytic.

Analytic Models for Sunlight Charging of a Rapidly Spinning Satellite

National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

Tautz, Maurice

2003-01-01

... photoelectrons can be blocked by local potential barriers. In this report, we discuss two analytic models for sunlight charging of a rapidly spinning spherical satellite, both of which are based on blocked photoelectron currents...

Morning reduction of photosynthetic capacity before midday depression.

Science.gov (United States)

Koyama, Kohei; Takemoto, Shuhei

2014-03-17

Midday depression of photosynthesis has important consequences for ecosystem carbon exchange. Recent studies of forest trees have demonstrated that latent reduction of photosynthetic capacity can begin in the early morning, preceding the midday depression. We investigated whether such early morning reduction also occurs in an herbaceous species, Oenothera biennis. Diurnal changes of the photosynthetic light response curve (measured using a light-emitting diode) and incident sunlight intensity were measured under field conditions. The following results were obtained: (1) the light-saturated photosynthetic rate decreased beginning at sunrise; (2) the incident sunlight intensity on the leaves increased from sunrise; and (3) combining (1) and (2), the net photosynthetic rate under natural sunlight intensity increased from sunrise, reached a maximum at mid-morning, and then showed midday depression. Our results demonstrate that the latent morning reduction of photosynthetic capacity begins at sunrise, preceding the apparent midday depression, in agreement with previous studies of forest trees.

On the apparent velocity of integrated sunlight. 2: 1983-1992 and comparisons with magnetograms

Science.gov (United States)

Deming, Drake; Plymate, Claude

1994-01-01

We report additional results in our program to monitor the wavelength stability of lines in the 2.3 micrometer spectrum of integrated sunlight. We use the McMath Fourier transform spectrometer (FTS) of the National Solar Observatory to monitor 16 delta V = 2 lines of (12)C(16)O, as well as five atomic lines. Wavenumber calibration is achieved using a low-pressure N2O absorption cell and checked against terrestrial atmospheric lines. Imperfect optical integration of the solar disk remains the principal source of error, but this error has been reduced by improved FTS/telescope collimation and observing procedures. The present results include data from an additional 13 quarterly observing runs since 1985. We continue to find that the apparent velocity of integrated sunlight is variable, in the sense of having a greater reshift at solar maximum. This is supported by the temporal dependence of the integrated light velocity, and by the presence of a correlation between velocity and the disk-averaged magnetic flux derived from Kitt Peak magnetograms. The indicated peak-to-peak apparent velocity amplitude over a solar cycle is approximately the same as the velocity amplitude of the Sun's motion about the solar system barycenter. This represents about half the amplitude which we inferred in Paper I (Deming et al. 1987), but the present result has a much greater statistical significance. Our results have implications for those investigations which search for the Doppler signatures of planetary-mass companions to solar-type stars. We contrast our results to the recent finding by McMillan et al. 1993 that solar absorption lines in the violet spectral region are wavelength-stable over the solar cycle.

Temporal Stability of the Microbial Community in Sewage-Polluted Seawater Exposed to Natural Sunlight Cycles and Marine Microbiota

Science.gov (United States)

Sassoubre, Lauren M.; Yamahara, Kevan M.

2015-01-01

Billions of gallons of untreated wastewater enter the coastal ocean each year. Once sewage microorganisms are in the marine environment, they are exposed to environmental stressors, such as sunlight and predation. Previous research has investigated the fate of individual sewage microorganisms in seawater but not the entire sewage microbial community. The present study used next-generation sequencing (NGS) to examine how the microbial community in sewage-impacted seawater changes over 48 h when exposed to natural sunlight cycles and marine microbiota. We compared the results from microcosms composed of unfiltered seawater (containing naturally occurring marine microbiota) and filtered seawater (containing no marine microbiota) to investigate the effect of marine microbiota. We also compared the results from microcosms that were exposed to natural sunlight cycles with those from microcosms kept in the dark to investigate the effect of sunlight. The microbial community composition and the relative abundance of operational taxonomic units (OTUs) changed over 48 h in all microcosms. Exposure to sunlight had a significant effect on both community composition and OTU abundance. The effect of marine microbiota, however, was minimal. The proportion of sewage-derived microorganisms present in the microcosms decreased rapidly within 48 h, and the decrease was the most pronounced in the presence of both sunlight and marine microbiota, where the proportion decreased from 85% to 3% of the total microbial community. The results from this study demonstrate the strong effect that sunlight has on microbial community composition, as measured by NGS, and the importance of considering temporal effects in future applications of NGS to identify microbial pollution sources. PMID:25576619

Effect of sunlight irradiation on photocatalytic pyrene degradation in contaminated soils by micro-nano size TiO2

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chang Chien, S.W.; Chang, C.H.; Chen, S.H.; Wang, M.C.; Madhava Rao, M.; Satya Veni, S.

2011-01-01

The enhanced catalytic pyrene degradation in quartz sand and alluvial and red soils by micro-nano size TiO 2 in the presence and absence of sunlight was investigated. The results showed that the synergistic effect of sunlight irradiation and TiO 2 was more efficient on pyrene degradation in quartz sand and red and alluvial soils than the corresponding reaction system without sunlight irradiation. In the presence of sunlight irradiation, the photooxidation (without TiO 2 ) of pyrene was very pronounced in alluvial and red soils and especially in quartz sand. However, in the absence of sunlight irradiation, the catalytic pyrene degradation by TiO 2 and the photooxidation (without TiO 2 ) of pyrene were almost nil. This implicates that ultra-violet (UV) wavelength range of sunlight plays an important role in TiO 2 -enhanced photocatalytic pyrene degradation and in photooxidation (without TiO 2 ) of pyrene. The percentages of photocatalytic pyrene degradation by TiO 2 in quartz sand, alluvial and red soils under sunlight irradiation were 78.3, 23.4, and 31.8%, respectively, at 5 h reaction period with a 5% (w/w) dose of the amended catalyst. The sequence of TiO 2 -enhanced catalytic pyrene degradation in quartz sand and alluvial and red soils was quartz sand > red soil > alluvial soil, due to different texture and total organic carbon (TOC) contents of the quartz sand and other two soils. The differential Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectra of degraded pyrene in alluvial soil corroborate that TiO 2 -enhanced photocatalytic degradation rate of degraded pyrene was much greater than photooxidation (without TiO 2 ) rate of degraded pyrene. Based on the data obtained, the importance for the application of TiO 2 -enhanced photocatalytic pyrene degradation and associated organic contaminants in contaminated soils was elucidated. - Highlights: → Synergistic effect of sunlight irradiation and TiO 2 promoted degradation of pyrene. → Micro-nano size TiO 2 enhanced

Dietary calcium intake and sunlight exposure among children aged ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Nutritional rickets can be caused by either or both calcium and vitamin D deficiencies, and can frequently occur in Africa. In Ethiopia, limited evidence exists regarding the calcium intake of children and their sunlight exposure practices. The purpose of this study was to assess information regarding dietary calcium intake and ...

Comparison of germicidal activity of sunlight with the response of a sunburning meter

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Billen, D; Green, A E.S.

1975-01-01

In the present work, we compare germicidal activity of sunlight on strain AB 2480 with the irradiance of sunlight as measured with a Sunburning Ultraviolet Meter (manufactured by the Skin and Cancer Hospital, Temple University Health Sciences Center, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania). This instrument, an adaptation by Berger of one developed by Robertson (1972), uses a magnesium tungstate phosphor with a response approximating that of the erythema action spectrum. The light emitted by the phosphor is detected by a phototube which produces a proportional electric current, the signal used in these experiments. (auth)

Effect of sunlight, transport and storage vessels on drinking water ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Effect of sunlight, transport and storage vessels on drinking water quality in rural Ghana. ... on drinking water quality in rural Ghana. K Obiri-Danso, E Amevor, LA Andoh, K Jones ... Full Text: EMAIL FREE FULL TEXT EMAIL FREE FULL TEXT

Holick's rule and vitamin D from sunlight.

Science.gov (United States)

Dowdy, John C; Sayre, Robert M; Holick, Michael F

2010-07-01

Holick's rule says that sun exposure 1/4 of a minimal erythemal dose (MED) over 1/4 of a body is equivalent to 1000 International Units (IU) oral vitamin D3. Webb and Engelsen recently commented that the ultraviolet (UV) spectrum used to establish Holick's rule is unknown. They consequently used a spring midday Boston solar spectrum to estimate ample sunlight exposures for previtamin D3 (preD3) at various locations. Literature review found the source upon which this rule is based was a fluorescent sunlamp (FS lamp). The FS spectrum is known and its relative weighting against the action spectra for erythema and the preD3 is significantly different from the solar spectrum used to derive the standard vitamin D effective dose (SDD). The preD3 effectiveness of the solar spectrum per unit erythemal hazard is greater than the FS lamp by a factor of 1.32. Consequently, UV exposure estimates based on Boston reference sunlight, instead of the UV lamp employed in the originating experiments, over estimate UV exposure equivalent to approximately 1000 IU orally by approximately 1/3. This redefinition of SDD impacts risk/benefit assessments of optimal/feasible sun exposure for vitamin D maintenance and the application of Holick's rule to rational public health messages. Copyright (c) 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Leaf area index estimation in a pine plantation with LAI-2000 under direct sunlight conditions: relationship with inventory and hydrologic variables

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Molina, A.; Campo, A. D. del

2011-01-01

LAI is a key factor in light and rainfall interception processes in forest stands and, for this reason, is called to play an important role in global change adaptive silviculture. Therefore, it is necessary to develop practical and operative methodologies to measure this parameter as well as simple relationships with other silviculture variables. This work has studied 1) the feasibility of LAI-2000 sensor in estimating LAI-stand when readings are taken under direct sunlight conditions; and 2) the ability of LAI in studying rainfall partitioned into throughfall (T) in an Aleppo pine stand after different thinning intensities, as well as its relationships to basal area, (G), cover (FCC), and tree density (D). Results showed that the angular correction scheme applied to LAI-2000 direct-sunlight readings stabilized them for different solar angles, allowing a better operational use of LAI-2000 in Mediterranean areas, where uniform overcast conditions are difficult to meet and predict. Forest cover showed the highest predictive ability of LAI (R 2 = 0.98; S = 0.28), then G (R 2 = 0.96; S = 0.43) and D (R 2 = 0.50; S = 0.28). In the hydrological plane, T increased with thinning intensity, being G the most explanatory variable (R 2 = 0.81; S = 3.07) and LAI the one that showed the poorest relation with it (R 2 = 0.69; S = 3.95). These results open a way for forest hydrologic modeling taking LAI as an input variable either estimated form LAI-2000 or deducted from inventory data. (Author) 36 refs.

Carcinogenic effect of sequential artificial sunlight and UV-A irradiation in hairless mice. Consequences for solarium 'therapy'

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Staberg, B.; Wulf, H.C.; Poulsen, T.; Klemp, P.; Brodthagen, H.

1983-01-01

The carcinogenic effect of artificial UV sunlight followed by UV-A irradiation in human solaria doses has been studied with the use of the hairless mouse as an animal model. Artificial sunlight exposure alone induced only a moderate skin tumor incidence (animals with at least one tumor) of 0.15 after one year, and UV-A irradiation alone induced no tumor formation. However, the combination of artificial sunlight exposure and subsequent UV-A irradiation significantly increased the tumor incidence to 0.72. We conclude that, in humans, tanning with UV-A for cosmetic purposes may not be an innocuous procedure

Photolytic debromination pathway of polybrominated diphenyl ethers in hexane by sunlight

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wei, Hua; Zou, Yonghong; Li, An; Christensen, Erik R.; Rockne, Karl J.

2013-01-01

The objective of this work is to identify the photolytic debromination pathways of polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs). Thirteen PBDEs (BDEs 209, 208, 207, 206, 196, 183, 154, 153, 100, 99, 85, 47 and 28) in hexane were individually exposed to sunlight for up to 64 h. A total of 180 PBDEs were screened and 74 BDE debromination products were detected. The disappearance rate constant increased exponentially with increasing number of bromines. While no evident difference in debromination preference among ortho, meta and para bromines was found for heavier congeners, the vulnerability rank order was meta ≥ ortho > para for the lighter congeners (≤8 Br). The total molar mass of PBDEs continuously decreased during sunlight exposure, indicating PBDEs were transformed to non-PBDE compounds. A stochastic least squares debromination pathway model was developed to simulate the reactions and determine the yields to extend the results beyond the experimental observations. -- Highlights: ► 74 PBDEs are identified as the products of debromination via photolysis. ► Debromination is more likely at meta than para positions for PBDEs with ≤8 bromines. ► The stochastic least squares model results agree with and expand the experimental observations. ► Mass imbalance indicates a significant loss of PBDE mass during sunlight exposure. -- The PBDE debromination products and pathways identified in this work will assist in future studies on their environmental fate

Sunlight exposure or vitamin D supplementation for vitamin D-deficient non-western immigrants: a randomized clinical trial

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Wicherts, I.S.; Boeke, A.J.P.; van der Meer, I.M.; van Schoor, N.M.; Knol, D.L.; Lips, P.T.A.M.

2011-01-01

Summary: Vitamin D deficiency is very common in non-western immigrants. In this randomized clinical trial, vitamin D 800 IU/day or 100,000 IU/3 months were compared with advised sunlight exposure. Vitamin D supplementation was more effective than advised sunlight exposure in improving vitamin D

Persistence of marine fish environmental DNA and the influence of sunlight.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Elizabeth A Andruszkiewicz

Full Text Available Harnessing information encoded in environmental DNA (eDNA in marine waters has the potential to revolutionize marine biomonitoring. Whether using organism-specific quantitative PCR assays or metabarcoding in conjunction with amplicon sequencing, scientists have illustrated that realistic organism censuses can be inferred from eDNA. The next step is establishing ways to link information obtained from eDNA analyses to actual organism abundance. This is only possible by understanding the processes that control eDNA concentrations. The present study uses mesocosm experiments to study the persistence of eDNA in marine waters and explore the role of sunlight in modulating eDNA persistence. We seeded solute-permeable dialysis bags with water containing indigenous eDNA and suspended them in a large tank containing seawater. Bags were subjected to two treatments: half the bags were suspended near the water surface where they received high doses of sunlight, and half at depth where they received lower doses of sunlight. Bags were destructively sampled over the course of 87 hours. eDNA was extracted from water samples and used as template for a Scomber japonicus qPCR assay and a marine fish-specific 12S rRNA PCR assay. The latter was subsequently sequenced using a metabarcoding approach. S. japonicus eDNA, as measured by qPCR, exhibited first order decay with a rate constant ~0.01 hr -1 with no difference in decay rate constants between the two experimental treatments. eDNA metabarcoding identified 190 organizational taxonomic units (OTUs assigned to varying taxonomic ranks. There was no difference in marine fish communities as measured by eDNA metabarcoding between the two experimental treatments, but there was an effect of time. Given the differences in UVA and UVB fluence received by the two experimental treatments, we conclude that sunlight is not the main driver of fish eDNA decay in the experiments. However, there are clearly temporal effects that

Electricity from Sunlight: The Future of Photovoltaics. Worldwatch Paper 52.

Science.gov (United States)

Flavin, Christopher

Solar photovoltaic cells have been called the ultimate energy technology, environmentally benign and without moving parts, solar cells directly convert sunlight into electricity. Photovoltaic energy conversion is fundamentally different from all other forms of electricity generation. Without turbines, generators or other mechanical equipment, it…

Reversible degradation in ITO-containing organic photovoltaics under concentrated sunlight

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Galagan, Y.O.; Mescheloff, A.; Veenstra, S.C.; Andriessen, H.A.J.M.; Katz, E.A.

2015-01-01

Stabilities of ITO-containing and ITO-free organic solar cells were investigated under simulated AM 1.5G illumination and under concentrated natural sunlight. In both cases ITO-free devices exhibit high stability, while devices containing ITO show degradation of their photovoltaic performance. The

Technical-economic feasibility of orbiting sunlight reflectors

Science.gov (United States)

Alferov, Z.; Minin, V.

1986-02-01

The use of deflectors in orbit as a means of providing artificial illumination is examined. Considerations of technical and economic feasibility are addressed. Three main areas of application are distinguished: reflecting sunlight onto the surface of the Earth; concentration of the flow of solar energy on an orbiting receiver; and retransmission of optical radiation. The advantages of the artificial Earth illumination application of the orbiting reflector scheme in terms of energy savings in lighting cities, and additional daylight time for critical periods of farming operations are discussed.

Commonly recommended daily intake of vitamin D is not sufficient if sunlight exposure is limited

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Glerup, H; Mikkelsen, K; Poulsen, L

2000-01-01

OBJECTIVES: Sunlight exposure of the skin is known to be the most important source of vitamin D. The aims of this study were: (i) to estimate vitamin D status amongst sunlight-deprived individuals (veiled Arab women, veiled ethnic Danish Moslem women and Danish controls); and (ii) through food...... intake analysis to estimate the oral intake of vitamin D necessary to keep a normal vitamin D status in sunlight-deprived individuals. DESIGN: Cross-sectional study amongst randomly selected Moslem women of Arab origin living in Denmark. Age-matched Danish women were included as controls. To control...... for racial differences, a group of veiled ethnic Danish Moslem women (all Caucasians) was included. SETTING: Primary Health Care Centre, City Vest and Department of Endocrinology and Metabolism C, University Hospital of Aarhus, Aarhus Amtssygehus, Aarhus, Denmark. SUBJECTS: Sixty-nine Arab women (60 veiled...

Effect of sunlight on the survival of pathogenic E. coli in freshwater and sea water

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Surendraraj, Alagarsamy; Farvin, Sabeena; Thampuran, N.

2011-01-01

An enteropathogenic group of E. coli are the emerging category of pathogen of public health significance. Several recent pathogenic E. coli outbreaks are associated with drinking water. Aquaculture, the fast emerging food production sector also poses a pathogenic EHEC outbreak risk, as it regularly...... uses cow dung, a reservoir of this organism. Hence, a experiment was set up to study the duration of survival of pathogenic E. coli under sunlight and darkness. Eight pathogenic E. coli isolates from clinical (EPEC, ETEC, EHEC, EAEC), veterinary (CTE3, CTE4) and environmental sources (ASHE3, Rao II......) were studied for their survival under sunlight and darkness in fresh water and seawater. Effect of direct sunlight on the viable but nonculturable (VBNC) state of cultures was also studied. The results of the study indicated a distinct pattern between freshwater system and seawater system. Pathogenic E...

Effect of sunlight shielding on leaf structure and amino acids ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Light sensitive albino tea cultivar 'Jinguang' (Camellia sinensis) which grows albinism leaf in yellow colour, results to high level of amino acids but low levels of photosynthetic pigments including chlorophylls, neoxanthin, violaxanthin, phytoxanthin and β-carotene when it is exposed to high sunlight illumination in the ...

Maximum-intensity-projection CT angiography for evaluating head and neck tumors. Usefulness of helical CT and auto bone masking method

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sakai, Osamu; Nakashima, Noriko; Ogawa, Chiaki; Shen, Yun; Takata, Yasunori; Azemoto, Shougo.

1994-01-01

Angiographic images of 10 adult patients with head and neck tumors were obtained by helical computed tomography (CT) using maximum intensity projection (MIP). In all cases, the vasculature of the head and neck region was directly demonstrated. In the head and neck, bone masking is a more important problem than in other regions. We developed an effective automatic bone masking method (ABM) using 2D/3D connectivity. Helical CT angiography with MIP and ABM provided accurate anatomic depiction, and was considered to be helpful in preoperative evaluation of head and neck tumors. (author)

Biodegradation and photooxidation of crude oil under natural sunlight in the northern Gulf of Mexico

Science.gov (United States)

Bacosa, H. P.; Erdner, D.; Liu, Z.

2016-02-01

An enormous amount of oil was observed in the deep and surface waters of the northern Gulf of Mexico (nGoM) following the Deepwater Horizon (DWH) spill. While the oil degradation and bacterial communities in the deep-sea plume have been widely investigated, the effect of sunlight on oil and bacterial assemblages in surface waters have received less attention. In this study, we amended surface water collected near the DWH site with crude oil and/or Corexit dispersant and incubated under natural sunlight in the nGoM for 36 d in summer of 2013. The residual alkanes, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), and alkalyted PAHs were analyzed by GC-MS, and bacterial community was determined via pyrosequencing. The results show that n-alkane biodegradation rate constants (first order) were ca. ten-fold higher than the photooxidation rate constants. While biodegradation was characterized by a lag phase, photooxidation rate constants for the 2-3 ring and 4-5 ring PAHs, were 0.08-0.98 day-1 and 0.01-0.07 day-1, respectively. Compared to biodegradation, photooxidation increased the transformation of 4-5 ring PAHs by 70% and 3-4 ring alkylated PAHs by 36%. Sunlight significantly reduced bacterial diversity and a driver of shifts in bacterial community structure in oil and Corexit treatments. In amended treatments, sunlight increased the relative abundances of Alteromonas, Marinobacter, Labrenzia, Sandarakinotalea, Halomonas and Bartonella, while the dark treatments enriched Thalassobius, Winogradskyella, Alcanivorax, Formosa, Eubacterium, Erythrobacter, Natronocella, and Pseudomonas. This suggests that different bacteria are degrading the hydrocarbons in the dark and under light exposure. In a follow up study using DNA-Stable isotope probing (SIP), we identified the alkane and PAH degraders using 13C-labeled hexadecane and phenanthrene, respectively. The results of metagenomic and metatranscriptomic analyses in the light and dark incubations will be presented. For the first

Errors in short circuit measurements due to spectral mismatch between sunlight and solar simulators

Science.gov (United States)

Curtis, H. B.

1976-01-01

Errors in short circuit current measurement were calculated for a variety of spectral mismatch conditions. The differences in spectral irradiance between terrestrial sunlight and three types of solar simulator were studied, as well as the differences in spectral response between three types of reference solar cells and various test cells. The simulators considered were a short arc xenon lamp AMO sunlight simulator, an ordinary quartz halogen lamp, and an ELH-type quartz halogen lamp. Three types of solar cells studied were a silicon cell, a cadmium sulfide cell and a gallium arsenide cell.

The Photocatalytic Activity of TiO2-Zeolite Composite for Degradation of Dye Using Synthetic UV and Jeddah Sunlight

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Laila M. Al-Harbi

2015-01-01

Full Text Available In this research different composites of impregnated TiO2 with LTA or FAU zeolites were used as different weight% ratio for photodegradation of organic dye. Normal laboratory UV-lamps were used as a source of UV irradiation. In addition a setup of system of mirrors was used to collect real Jeddah sunlight. A comparison of UV and real sunlight photodegradation activity showed that the real sunlight enhances new centers of active sites exhibiting higher catalytic activity than that of UV irradiated samples.

Preparation of K-doped TiO{sub 2} nanostructures by wet corrosion and their sunlight-driven photocatalytic performance

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Shin, Eunhye; Jin, Saera; Kim, Jiyoon; Chang, Sung-Jin [Department of Chemistry, Chung-Ang University, Seoul 06974 (Korea, Republic of); Jun, Byung-Hyuk [Neutron Science Division, Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute, Daejeon 34057 (Korea, Republic of); Park, Kwang-Won, E-mail: bryan.kwangwon.park@gmail.com [Department of Chemistry, Chung-Ang University, Seoul 06974 (Korea, Republic of); Hong, Jongin, E-mail: hongj@cau.ac.kr [Department of Chemistry, Chung-Ang University, Seoul 06974 (Korea, Republic of)

2016-08-30

Highlights: • Potassium-doped TiO{sub 2} nanowire networks were prepared by the corrosion reaction of Ti nanoparticles in an alkaline solution. • They were applied to sunlight-driven photocatalytic degradation of differently charged dye molecules. • The adsorption of the dye molecules on the photocatalyst surface is crucial for their sunlight-driven photodegradation. - Abstract: K-doped TiO{sub 2} nanowire networks were prepared by the corrosion reaction of Ti nanoparticles in an alkaline (potassium hydroxide: KOH) solution. The prepared nanostructures were characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET) analysis, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), Raman spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction (XRD) and photoluminescence (PL) spectra. Their sunlight-driven photocatalytic activity was also investigated with differently charged dye molecules, such as methylene blue, rhodamine B and methyl orange. The adsorption of the dye molecules on the photocatalyst surface would play a critical role in their selective photodegradation under sunlight illumination.

Comparison Study On Sunlight Or Gamma Radiation Aging Resistance Of Poly (Vinyl Pyrrolidone) Aqueous Solution With PVP Nanogel

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Doan Binh; Pham Thu Hong; Nguyen Nguyet Dieu; Nguyen Thanh Duoc

2011-01-01

Comparison study on sunlight or gamma-radiation aging resistance of poly (vinyl pyrrolidone) (PVP) aqueous solution with PVP nanogel at 0.5% was carried out. Sunlight or gamma- radiation aging resistance of PVP aqueous solution and nanogel was evaluated on the basis of their intrinsic viscosity, UV-VIS absorbance, weight averaged molecular weight (M w ). The PVP aqueous solution and nanogel exposed to sunlight in the storage duration of 3 months and to gamma radiation at absorbed doses of 0, 15, 30, 50 kGy were used for this study. Furthermore, the stability of PVP nanogel and of PVP aqueous solution was also studied on the change of their intrinsic viscosity, UV-VIS absorbance, weight averaged molecular weight, particle size distribution and coil size. The experimental results were shown that the aging resistance of PVP nanogel was higher than that of PVP aqueous solution when exposed to gamma radiation or sunlight. (author)

Sunlight-enhanced calcareous deposition on cathodic stainless steel in natural seawater

Digital Repository Service at National Institute of Oceanography (India)

Eashwar, M.; SathishKumar, P.; Ravishankar, R.; Subramanian, G.

In replicate series of experiments in natural seawater, one in full darkness and the other in a 1:1 diurnal cycle with as little as 5 percent of natural solar illumination, sunlight promoted calcareous deposition on cathodic stainless steel surfaces...

Colour Counts: Sunlight and Skin Type as Drivers of Vitamin D Deficiency at UK Latitudes.

Science.gov (United States)

Webb, Ann R; Kazantzidis, Andreas; Kift, Richard C; Farrar, Mark D; Wilkinson, Jack; Rhodes, Lesley E

2018-04-07

Sunlight exposure, with resulting cutaneous synthesis, is a major source of vitamin D for many, while dietary intake is low in modern diets. The constitutive pigment in skin determines skin type, observed as white, brown, or black skin. The melanin pigment absorbs ultraviolet radiation (UVR) and protects underlying skin from damage caused by UVR. It also reduces the UVR available for vitamin D synthesis in the skin. It has been shown that the white-skinned population of the UK are able to meet their vitamin D needs with short, daily lunchtime exposures to sunlight. We have followed the same methodology, based on a 10-year UK all-weather UVR climatology, observation (sun exposure, diet, vitamin D status), and UVR intervention studies with Fitzpatrick skin type V (brown) adults, to determine whether sunlight at UK latitudes could provide an adequate source of vitamin D for this section of the population. Results show that to meet vitamin D requirements, skin type V individuals in the UK need ~25 min daily sunlight at lunchtime, from March to September. This makes several assumptions, including that forearms and lower legs are exposed June-August; only exposing hands and face at this time is inadequate. For practical and cultural reasons, enhanced oral intake of vitamin D should be considered for this population.

Colour Counts: Sunlight and Skin Type as Drivers of Vitamin D Deficiency at UK Latitudes

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ann R. Webb

2018-04-01

Full Text Available Sunlight exposure, with resulting cutaneous synthesis, is a major source of vitamin D for many, while dietary intake is low in modern diets. The constitutive pigment in skin determines skin type, observed as white, brown, or black skin. The melanin pigment absorbs ultraviolet radiation (UVR and protects underlying skin from damage caused by UVR. It also reduces the UVR available for vitamin D synthesis in the skin. It has been shown that the white-skinned population of the UK are able to meet their vitamin D needs with short, daily lunchtime exposures to sunlight. We have followed the same methodology, based on a 10-year UK all-weather UVR climatology, observation (sun exposure, diet, vitamin D status, and UVR intervention studies with Fitzpatrick skin type V (brown adults, to determine whether sunlight at UK latitudes could provide an adequate source of vitamin D for this section of the population. Results show that to meet vitamin D requirements, skin type V individuals in the UK need ~25 min daily sunlight at lunchtime, from March to September. This makes several assumptions, including that forearms and lower legs are exposed June–August; only exposing hands and face at this time is inadequate. For practical and cultural reasons, enhanced oral intake of vitamin D should be considered for this population.

Why We Need More Nature at Work: Effects of Natural Elements and Sunlight on Employee Mental Health and Work Attitudes.

Science.gov (United States)

An, Mihyang; Colarelli, Stephen M; O'Brien, Kimberly; Boyajian, Melanie E

2016-01-01

This study investigated the effects of natural elements and direct and indirect sunlight exposure on employee mental health and work attitudes. We recruited participants via an online panel from the United States and India, and analyzed data from 444 employees. Natural elements and sunlight exposure related positively to job satisfaction and organizational commitment, and negatively to depressed mood and anxiety. Direct sunlight was a dominant predictor of anxiety; indirect sunlight was a dominant predictor of depressed mood, job satisfaction, and organizational commitment. Natural elements buffered the relationship between role stressors and job satisfaction, depressed mood, and anxiety. We also found that depressed mood partially mediated the relationship between natural elements and job satisfaction. We discuss scientific and policy implications of these findings.

Why We Need More Nature at Work: Effects of Natural Elements and Sunlight on Employee Mental Health and Work Attitudes

Science.gov (United States)

An, Mihyang; Colarelli, Stephen M.; O'Brien, Kimberly; Boyajian, Melanie E.

2016-01-01

This study investigated the effects of natural elements and direct and indirect sunlight exposure on employee mental health and work attitudes. We recruited participants via an online panel from the United States and India, and analyzed data from 444 employees. Natural elements and sunlight exposure related positively to job satisfaction and organizational commitment, and negatively to depressed mood and anxiety. Direct sunlight was a dominant predictor of anxiety; indirect sunlight was a dominant predictor of depressed mood, job satisfaction, and organizational commitment. Natural elements buffered the relationship between role stressors and job satisfaction, depressed mood, and anxiety. We also found that depressed mood partially mediated the relationship between natural elements and job satisfaction. We discuss scientific and policy implications of these findings. PMID:27214041

Tropospheric nitrogen dioxide inversions based on spectral measurements of scattered sunlight

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Vlemmix, T.

2011-01-01

This thesis describes the development of inversion methods for tropospheric nitrogen dioxide (NO2), based on ground based observations of scattered sunlight with themulti-axis differential optical absorption spectroscopy (MAX-DOAS) technique. NO2 is an atmospheric trace gas which, when present near

Modification of Sunlight Radiation through Colored Photo-Selective Nets Affects Anthocyanin Profile in Vaccinium spp. Berries.

Science.gov (United States)

Zoratti, Laura; Jaakola, Laura; Häggman, Hely; Giongo, Lara

2015-01-01

In recent years, the interest on the effects of the specific wavelengths of the light spectrum on growth and metabolism of plants has been increasing markedly. The present study covers the effect of modified sunlight conditions on the accumulation of anthocyanin pigments in two Vaccinium species: the European wild bilberry (V. myrtillus L.) and the cultivated highbush blueberry (V. corymbosum L.). The two Vaccinium species were grown in the same test field in the Alps of Trentino (Northern Italy) under modified light environment. The modification of sunlight radiation was carried out in field, through the use of colored photo-selective nets throughout the berry ripening during two consecutive growing seasons. The anthocyanin profile was then assessed in berries at ripeness. The results indicated that the light responses of the two Vaccinium species studied were different. Although both studied species are shade-adapted plants, 90% shading of sunlight radiation was beneficial only for bilberry plants, which accumulated the highest content of anthocyanins in both seasons. The same condition, instead, was not favorable for blueberries, whose maturation was delayed for at least two weeks, and anthocyanin accumulation was significantly decreased compared to berries grown under sunlight conditions. Moreover, the growing season had strong influence on the anthocyanin accumulation in both species, in relation to temperature flow and sunlight spectra composition during the berry ripening period. Our results suggest that the use of colored photo-selective nets may be a complementary agricultural practice for cultivation of Vaccinium species. However, further studies are needed to analyze the effect of the light spectra modifications to other nutritional properties, and to elucidate the molecular mechanisms behind the detected differences between the two relative Vaccinium species.

Increased polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon toxicity following their photomodification in natural sunlight: impacts on the duckweed Lemna gibba L. G-3

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Huang, X.D.; Dixon, D.G.; Greenberg, B.M.

1995-01-01

The authors previously demonstrated that simulated solar radiation (SSR), with a fluence rate of only 40 mumol m -2 sec -1 , increased polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) toxicity to the duckweed Lemna gibba and that PAHs photomodified in SSR (generally oxygenation of the ring system) are more toxic than the parent compounds (Huang et al., Environ. Toxicol. Chem., 1993, 12, 1067-1077). It is not known, however, to what extent toxicity of PAHs can increase due to photomodification. Thus, natural sunlight, which has a high fluence rate (approximately 2000 mumol m -2 sec -1 ), was used to photomodify anthracene, benzo[a]pyrene, fluoranthene, phenanthrene, and pyrene. Toxicity was based on growth inhibition of L. gibba, measured as the rate of production of new leaves over an 8-day period. Initially, the toxicity of the PAHs applied in intact form was probed, with the compounds demonstrating greater toxicity in sunlight than in SSR. Next the PAHs were photomodified in sunlight prior to incubation with the plants. The half-lives of the PAHs in sunlight ranged from 12 min to 30 hr. Although most of the products of PAH photomodification are not yet identified, the degree that PAH toxicity increased following photomodification in sunlight could still be probed. The mixtures of photomodified chemicals that were derived from each PAH in sunlight were applied of L. gibba and growth inhibition under 100 mumol m -2 sec -1 of SSR was determined. The LC50s for the PAH photoproducts generated in sunlight were an order of magnitude lower than the LC50s for the PAHs applied in intact form. (author)

IS THERE A LINK BETWEEN SUNLIGHT EXPOSURE AND 25-HYDROXYVITAMIN D DEFICIENCY IN CHRONIC KIDNEY DISEASE PATIENTS?

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Angela Yee-Moon Wang

2012-06-01

In conclusion, our study confirmed an extremely high prevalence of vitamin D deficiency and an important association between outdoor sunlight exposure and 25(OHD deficiency in Chinese stage 3-5 CKD patients. Further study is needed to determine whether increasing daily outdoor sunlight exposure may represent a cost-free treatment for correcting nutritional 25(OHD deficiency in the CKD population.

Ocean color remote sensing using polarization properties of reflected sunlight

Science.gov (United States)

Frouin, R.; Pouliquen, E.; Breon, F.-M.

1994-01-01

The effects of the atmosphere and surface on sunlight backscattered to space by the ocean may be substantially reduced by using the unpolarized component of reflectance instead of total reflectance. At 450 nm, a wavelength of interest in ocean color remote sensing, and for typical conditions, 45% of the unpolarized reflectance may originate from the water body instead of 20% of the total reflectance, which represents a gain of a factor 2.2 in useful signal for water composition retrieval. The best viewing geometries are adjacent to the glitter region; they correspond to scattering angles around 100 deg, but they may change slightly depending on the polarization characteristics of the aerosols. As aerosol optical thickness increases, the atmosphere becomes less efficient at polarizing sunlight, and the enhancement of the water body contribution to unpolarized reflectance is reduced. Since the perturbing effects are smaller on unpolarized reflectance, at least for some viewing geometries, they may be more easily corrected, leading to a more accurate water-leaving signal and, therefore, more accurate estimates of phytoplankton pigment concentration.

A new mathematical approximation of sunlight attenuation in rocks for surface luminescence dating

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Laskaris, Nikolaos, E-mail: nick.laskaris@gmail.com [University of the Aegean, Department of Mediterranean Studies, Laboratory of Archaeometry, 1 Demokratias Avenue, Rhodes 85100 (Greece); Liritzis, Ioannis, E-mail: liritzis@rhodes.aegean.gr [University of the Aegean, Department of Mediterranean Studies, Laboratory of Archaeometry, 1 Demokratias Avenue, Rhodes 85100 (Greece)

2011-09-15

The attenuation of sunlight through different rock surfaces and the thermoluminescence (TL) or Optical stimulated luminescence (OSL) residuals clock resetting derived from sunlight induced eviction of electrons from electron traps, is a prerequisite criterion for potential dating. The modeling of change of residual luminescence as a function of two variables, the solar radiation path length (or depth) and exposure time offers further insight into the dating concept. The double exponential function modeling based on the Lambert-Beer law, valid under certain assumptions, constructed by a quasi-manual equation fails to offer a general and statistically sound expression of the best fit for most rock types. A cumulative log-normal distribution fitting provides a most satisfactory mathematical approximation for marbles, marble schists and granites, where absorption coefficient and residual luminescence parameters are defined per each type of rock or marble quarry. The new model is applied on available data and age determination tests. - Highlights: > Study of aattenuation of sunlight through different rock surfaces. > Study of the thermoluminescence (TL) or Optical stimulated luminescence (OSL) residuals as a function of depth. > A Cumulative Log-Normal Distribution fitting provides the most satisfactory modeling for marbles, marble schists and granites. > The new model (Cummulative Log-Norm Fitting) is applied on available data and age determination tests.

A new mathematical approximation of sunlight attenuation in rocks for surface luminescence dating

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Laskaris, Nikolaos; Liritzis, Ioannis

2011-01-01

The attenuation of sunlight through different rock surfaces and the thermoluminescence (TL) or Optical stimulated luminescence (OSL) residuals clock resetting derived from sunlight induced eviction of electrons from electron traps, is a prerequisite criterion for potential dating. The modeling of change of residual luminescence as a function of two variables, the solar radiation path length (or depth) and exposure time offers further insight into the dating concept. The double exponential function modeling based on the Lambert-Beer law, valid under certain assumptions, constructed by a quasi-manual equation fails to offer a general and statistically sound expression of the best fit for most rock types. A cumulative log-normal distribution fitting provides a most satisfactory mathematical approximation for marbles, marble schists and granites, where absorption coefficient and residual luminescence parameters are defined per each type of rock or marble quarry. The new model is applied on available data and age determination tests. - Highlights: → Study of aattenuation of sunlight through different rock surfaces. → Study of the thermoluminescence (TL) or Optical stimulated luminescence (OSL) residuals as a function of depth. → A Cumulative Log-Normal Distribution fitting provides the most satisfactory modeling for marbles, marble schists and granites. → The new model (Cummulative Log-Norm Fitting) is applied on available data and age determination tests.

Sunlight exposure is important for preventing hip fractures in patients with Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease, or stroke.

Science.gov (United States)

Iwamoto, J; Takeda, T; Matsumoto, H

2012-04-01

Hypovitaminosis D as a result of malnutrition or sunlight deprivation, increased bone resorption, low bone mineral density (BMD), or an increased risk of falls may contribute to an increased risk of hip fractures in patients with neurological diseases, including Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease, and stroke. The purpose of this study was to clarify the efficacy of sunlight exposure for reducing the risk of hip fractures in patients with such neurological diseases. The English literature was searched using PubMed, and randomized controlled trials evaluating the efficacy of sunlight exposure for reducing the risk of hip fractures in patients with Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease, and stroke were identified. The relative risk and the 95% confidence interval were calculated for individual randomized controlled trials, and a pooled data analysis (meta-analysis) was performed. Three randomized controlled trials were identified. Sunlight exposure improved hypovitaminosis D and increased the BMD. The relative risk (95% confidence interval) of hip fractures was 0.22 (0.05, 1.01) for Alzheimer's disease, 0.27 (0.08, 0.96) for Parkinson's disease, and 0.17 (0.02, 1.36) for stroke. The relative risk (95% confidence interval) calculated for the pooled data analysis was 0.23 (0.10, 0.56) (P = 0.0012), suggesting a significant risk reduction rate of 77%. The present meta-analysis added additional evidence indicating the efficacy of sunlight exposure for reducing the risk of hip fractures in patients with Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease, and stroke. © 2011 John Wiley & Sons A/S.

Human Influence on Tropical Cyclone Intensity

Science.gov (United States)

Sobel, Adam H.; Camargo, Suzana J.; Hall, Timothy M.; Lee, Chia-Ying; Tippett, Michael K.; Wing, Allison A.

2016-01-01

Recent assessments agree that tropical cyclone intensity should increase as the climate warms. Less agreement exists on the detection of recent historical trends in tropical cyclone intensity.We interpret future and recent historical trends by using the theory of potential intensity, which predicts the maximum intensity achievable by a tropical cyclone in a given local environment. Although greenhouse gas-driven warming increases potential intensity, climate model simulations suggest that aerosol cooling has largely canceled that effect over the historical record. Large natural variability complicates analysis of trends, as do poleward shifts in the latitude of maximum intensity. In the absence of strong reductions in greenhouse gas emissions, future greenhouse gas forcing of potential intensity will increasingly dominate over aerosol forcing, leading to substantially larger increases in tropical cyclone intensities.

Image coding based on maximum entropy partitioning for identifying ...

Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

A new coding scheme based on maximum entropy partitioning is proposed in our work, particularly to identify the improbable intensities related to different emotions. The improbable intensities when used as a mask decode the facial expression correctly, providing an effectiveplatform for future emotion categorization ...

Modification of Sunlight Radiation through Colored Photo-Selective Nets Affects Anthocyanin Profile in Vaccinium spp. Berries.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Laura Zoratti

Full Text Available In recent years, the interest on the effects of the specific wavelengths of the light spectrum on growth and metabolism of plants has been increasing markedly. The present study covers the effect of modified sunlight conditions on the accumulation of anthocyanin pigments in two Vaccinium species: the European wild bilberry (V. myrtillus L. and the cultivated highbush blueberry (V. corymbosum L..The two Vaccinium species were grown in the same test field in the Alps of Trentino (Northern Italy under modified light environment. The modification of sunlight radiation was carried out in field, through the use of colored photo-selective nets throughout the berry ripening during two consecutive growing seasons. The anthocyanin profile was then assessed in berries at ripeness.The results indicated that the light responses of the two Vaccinium species studied were different. Although both studied species are shade-adapted plants, 90% shading of sunlight radiation was beneficial only for bilberry plants, which accumulated the highest content of anthocyanins in both seasons. The same condition, instead, was not favorable for blueberries, whose maturation was delayed for at least two weeks, and anthocyanin accumulation was significantly decreased compared to berries grown under sunlight conditions. Moreover, the growing season had strong influence on the anthocyanin accumulation in both species, in relation to temperature flow and sunlight spectra composition during the berry ripening period.Our results suggest that the use of colored photo-selective nets may be a complementary agricultural practice for cultivation of Vaccinium species. However, further studies are needed to analyze the effect of the light spectra modifications to other nutritional properties, and to elucidate the molecular mechanisms behind the detected differences between the two relative Vaccinium species.

Photoelectrochemical-type sunlight photodetector based on MoS2/graphene heterostructure

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Huang, Zongyu; Han, Weijia; Chander, D Sathish; Qi, Xiang; Zhang, Han; Tang, Hongli; Ren, Long

2015-01-01

We have fabricated a novel sunlight photo-detector based on a MoS 2 /graphene heterostructure. The MoS 2 /graphene heterostructure was prepared by a facile hydrothermal method along with a subsequent annealing process followed by a substrate-induced high selective nucleation and growth mechanism. The microstructures and morphologies of the two-dimensional MoS 2 /graphene heterostructure can be experimentally confirmed by x-ray diffraction (XRD), Raman spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and a UV–vis absorption spectrometer. Photoresponse investigations performed by a photoelectrochemical (PEC) measurement system indicate that the synthesized MoS 2 /graphene heterostructure shows superior photoresponse activities under the illumination of sunlight in contrast with bare MoS 2 and graphene. The improved photoresponsivity can be attributed to the enhanced light absorption, strong light–matter interaction and the extremely efficient charge separation of the heterostructure. The structure and performances of the MoS 2 /graphene heterostructure suggest promising applications in the field of photonics and optoelectronics. (paper)

Photodegradation of pharmaceuticals in the aquatic environment by sunlight and UV-A, -B and -C irradiation.

Science.gov (United States)

Kawabata, Kohei; Sugihara, Kazumi; Sanoh, Seigo; Kitamura, Shigeyuki; Ohta, Shigeru

2013-01-01

In order to investigate the effect of sunlight on the persistence and ecotoxicity of pharmaceuticals contaminating the aquatic environment, we exposed nine pharmaceuticals (acetaminophen (AA), amiodarone (AM), dapsone (DP), dexamethasone (DX), indomethacin (IM), naproxen (NP), phenytoin (PH), raloxifene (RL), and sulindac (SL)) in aqueous media to sunlight and to ultraviolet (UV) irradiation at 254, 302 or 365 nm (UV-C, UV-B or UV-A, respectively). Degradation of the pharmaceuticals was monitored by means of high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). Sunlight completely degraded AM, DP and DX within 6 hr, and partly degraded the other pharmaceuticals, except AA and PH, which were not degraded. Similar results were obtained with UV-B, while UV-A was less effective (both UV-A and -B are components of sunlight). All the pharmaceuticals were photodegraded by UV-C, which is used for sterilization in sewage treatment plants. Thus, the photodegradation rates of pharmaceuticals are dependent on both chemical structure and the wavelength of UV exposure. Toxicity assay using the luminescent bacteria test (ISO11348) indicated that UV irradiation reduced the toxicity of some pharmaceuticals to aquatic organisms by decreasing their amount (photodegradation) and increased the toxicity of others by generating toxic photoproduct(s). These results indicate the importance of investigating not only parent compounds, but also photoproducts in the risk assessment of pharmaceuticals in aquatic environments.

Effect of grape bunch sunlight exposure and UV radiation on phenolics and volatile composition of Vitis vinifera L. cv. Pinot noir wine.

Science.gov (United States)

Song, Jianqiang; Smart, Richard; Wang, Hua; Dambergs, Bob; Sparrow, Angela; Qian, Michael C

2015-04-15

The effect of canopy leaf removal and ultraviolet (UV) on Pinot noir grape and wine composition was investigated in this study. Limited basal leaf removal in the fruit zone was conducted, compared to shaded bunches. The UV exposure was controlled using polycarbonate screens to block UV radiation, and acrylic screens to pass the UV. The results showed that bunch sunlight and UV exposure significantly increased the Brix and pH in the grape juice, and increased substantially wine colour density, anthocyanins, total pigment, total phenolics and tannin content. Bunch sunlight and UV exposure affected terpene alcohols, C13-norisprenoids and other volatile composition of the wine differently. Sunlight exposure and UV resulted in increase of nerol, geraniol and citronellol but not linalool. Sunlight exposure slightly increased the concentration of β-ionone, but the increase was not statistically significant for UV treatment. Neither sunlight nor UV treatment showed any impact on the concentration of β-damascenone. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Effect on light intensity and mineral nutrition on carbohydrate and organic acid content in leaves of young coffee plants

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Georgiev, G.; Vento, Kh.

1975-01-01

Young coffee plants (Coffea arabica, L., var. Caturra) were grown under different conditions of mineral nutrition (1/8 N-P-K, N-P-K, 3 N-P-K, N 1/2-P-K and N-2P-K) and illumination (directly in the sunlight or shaded) with the aim of studying the effect of light and mineral nutrition on carbohydrate and organic acid content of the leaves. For determining these compounds 14 CO 2 was used. Sugars were separated after the method of paper chromatography. The results obtained showed that the incorporation of 14 C in sugars and organic acids was more intensive in plants grown directly in the sunlight, while in starch 14 C was incorporated more intensively in the shaded plants. Carbohydrate content rose parallel to the increase of nitrogen in the nutrient solution. Changingthe rate of phosphorus from 1/2P to two doses exerted highest effect on 14 C incorporation in starch and in hemicellulose. (author)

Use of sunlight to degrade oxytetracycline in marine aquaculture's waters

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Leal, J.F.; Esteves, V.I.; Santos, E.B.H.

2016-01-01

Oxytracycline (OTC) is a broad spectrum antibiotic authorized for use in European aquaculture. Its photo-degradation has been widely studied in synthetic aqueous solutions, sometimes resorting to expensive methods and without proven effectiveness in natural waters. Thus, this work studied the possibility to apply the solar photo-degradation for removal of OTC from marine aquaculture's waters. For that, water samples were collected at different locals of the water treatment circuit, from two different aquaculture companies. Water samples were firstly characterized regarding to pH, salinity, total suspended solids (TSS), organic carbon and UV–Vis spectroscopic characteristics. Then, the samples were spiked with OTC and irradiated using simulated sunlight in order to evaluate the matrix effects on OTC photo-degradation. From kinetic results, the apparent quantum yields and the outdoor half-life times, at 40°N for midsummer and midwinter days were estimated by the first time for these conditions. For a midsummer day, at sea level, the outdoor half-life time predicted for OTC in these aquaculture's waters ranged between 21 and 25 min. Additionally, the pH and salinity effects on the OTC photo-degradation were evaluated and it has been shown that high pH values and the presence of sea salt increase the OTC photo-degradation rate in aquaculture's waters, compared to results in deionised water. The results are very promising to apply this low-cost methodology using the natural sunlight in aquaculture's waters to remove OTC. - Highlights: • Oxytetracycline (OTC) is one of the most used antibiotics in aquaculture. • OTC photolysis in marine aquaculture's water is faster than in deionised water. • The sunlight radiation quickly remove the OTC from aquaculture's water. • Outdoor half-life for a midsummer day is 21–25 min in aquaculture's water. • High pH's and salinities increase the OTC photo-degradation. - This work

Gross rainfall amount and maximum rainfall intensity in 60-minute influence on interception loss of shrubs: a 10-year observation in the Tengger Desert.

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, Zhi-Shan; Zhao, Yang; Li, Xin-Rong; Huang, Lei; Tan, Hui-Juan

2016-05-17

In water-limited regions, rainfall interception is influenced by rainfall properties and crown characteristics. Rainfall properties, aside from gross rainfall amount and duration (GR and RD), maximum rainfall intensity and rainless gap (RG), within rain events may heavily affect throughfall and interception by plants. From 2004 to 2014 (except for 2007), individual shrubs of Caragana korshinskii and Artemisia ordosica were selected to measure throughfall during 210 rain events. Various rainfall properties were auto-measured and crown characteristics, i.e., height, branch and leaf area index, crown area and volume of two shrubs were also measured. The relative interceptions of C. korshinskii and A. ordosica were 29.1% and 17.1%, respectively. Rainfall properties have more contributions than crown characteristics to throughfall and interception of shrubs. Throughfall and interception of shrubs can be explained by GR, RI60 (maximum rainfall intensities during 60 min), RD and RG in deceasing importance. However, relative throughfall and interception of two shrubs have different responses to rainfall properties and crown characteristics, those of C. korshinskii were closely related to rainfall properties, while those of A. ordosica were more dependent on crown characteristics. We highlight long-term monitoring is very necessary to determine the relationships between throughfall and interception with crown characteristics.

Converting sunlight into audible sound by means of the photoacoustic effect: The Heliophone.

Science.gov (United States)

Roozen, N B; Glorieux, C; Liu, L; Rychtáriková, M; Van der Donck, T; Jacobs, A

2016-09-01

One hundred and thirty-five years after Alexander Graham Bell and his assistant Charles Sumner Tainter explored the photoacoustic effect, and about 40 years after Rosencwaig and Gersho modeled the effect in a photoacoustic cell configuration, the phenomenon is revisited in a "Heliophone" device that converts sunlight into sound. The light is focused on a carbon blackened copper coated Kapton foil in an acoustic cell by means of a compound parabolic collimator, and its intensity is modulated by a mechanical chopper. A horn is employed to make the sound audible without electronic amplification. The description of the photoacoustic effect that was introduced by Rosencwaig and Gersho is extended to a cell-horn configuration, in which the periodically heated air above the foil acts as an oscillating piston, driving acoustic waves in the horn. The pressure in the cavity-horn assembly is calculated by considering the air layer piston as an equivalent volume velocity source. The importance of the carbon black (soot) layer to enhance light absorption, but above all to enhance the photothermal excitation efficiency, is elucidated by means of an experimentally supported physical model.

Genome-Wide Transcriptional Profiles of the Berry Skin of Two Red Grape Cultivars (Vitis vinifera) in Which Anthocyanin Synthesis Is Sunlight-Dependent or -Independent

Science.gov (United States)

Guan, Le; Xin, Hai-Ping; Li, Ji-Hu; Li, Shao-Hua

2014-01-01

Global gene expression was analyzed in the berry skin of two red grape cultivars, which can (‘Jingyan’) or cannot (‘Jingxiu’) synthesize anthocyanins after sunlight exclusion from fruit set until maturity. Gene transcripts responding to sunlight exclusion in ‘Jingyan’ were less complex than in ‘Jingxiu’; 528 genes were induced and 383 repressed in the former, whereas 2655 genes were induced and 205 suppressed in ‘Jingxiu’. They were regulated either in the same or opposing manner in the two cultivars, or in only one cultivar. In addition to VvUFGT and VvMYBA1, some candidate genes (e.g. AOMT, GST, and ANP) were identified which are probably involved in the differential responses of ‘Jingxiu’ and ‘Jingyan’ to sunlight exclusion. In addition, 26 MYB, 14 bHLH and 23 WD40 genes responded differently to sunlight exclusion in the two cultivars. Interestingly, all of the 189 genes classified as being relevant to ubiquitin-dependent protein degradation were down-regulated by sunlight exclusion in ‘Jingxiu’, but the majority (162) remained unchanged in ‘Jingyan’ berry skin. It would be of interest to determine the precise role of the ubiquitin pathway following sunlight exclusion, particularly the role of COP9 signalosome, cullins, RING-Box 1, and COP1-interacting proteins. Only a few genes in the light signal system were found to be regulated by sunlight exclusion in either or both cultivars. This study provides a valuable overview of the transcriptome changes and gives insight into the genetic background that may be responsible for sunlight-dependent versus -independent anthocyanin biosynthesis in berry skin. PMID:25158067

The maximum entropy method of moments and Bayesian probability theory

Science.gov (United States)

Bretthorst, G. Larry

2013-08-01

The problem of density estimation occurs in many disciplines. For example, in MRI it is often necessary to classify the types of tissues in an image. To perform this classification one must first identify the characteristics of the tissues to be classified. These characteristics might be the intensity of a T1 weighted image and in MRI many other types of characteristic weightings (classifiers) may be generated. In a given tissue type there is no single intensity that characterizes the tissue, rather there is a distribution of intensities. Often this distributions can be characterized by a Gaussian, but just as often it is much more complicated. Either way, estimating the distribution of intensities is an inference problem. In the case of a Gaussian distribution, one must estimate the mean and standard deviation. However, in the Non-Gaussian case the shape of the density function itself must be inferred. Three common techniques for estimating density functions are binned histograms [1, 2], kernel density estimation [3, 4], and the maximum entropy method of moments [5, 6]. In the introduction, the maximum entropy method of moments will be reviewed. Some of its problems and conditions under which it fails will be discussed. Then in later sections, the functional form of the maximum entropy method of moments probability distribution will be incorporated into Bayesian probability theory. It will be shown that Bayesian probability theory solves all of the problems with the maximum entropy method of moments. One gets posterior probabilities for the Lagrange multipliers, and, finally, one can put error bars on the resulting estimated density function.

Sunlight Induced Rapid Oil Absorption and Passive Room-Temperature Release: An Effective Solution toward Heavy Oil Spill Cleanup

KAUST Repository

Wu, Mengchun

2018-05-18

Rapid cleanup and easy recovery of spilled heavy oils is always a great challenge due to their high viscosity (>103 mPa s). One of the efficient methods to absorb highly viscous oils is to reduce their viscosity by increasing their temperature. In this work, the authors integrate the sunlight‐induced light‐to‐heat conversion effect of polypyrrole (PPy) and thermoresponsive property of poly(N‐isopropylacrylamide) (PNIPAm) into the melamine sponge, which successfully delivers a fast heavy oil absorption under sunlight and passive oil release underwater at room temperature. Thanks to the rationally designed functionalities, the PNIPAm/PPy functionalized sponges possess oleophilicity and hydrophobicity under sunlight. Due to the photothermal effect of PPy, the sponges locally heat up contacting heavy oil under sunlight and reduce its viscosity to a point where the oil voluntarily flow into the pores of the sponge. The material in this work is able to rapidly absorb the heavy oil with room temperature viscosity as high as ≈1.60 × 105 mPa s. The absorbed oil can be passively forced out the sponge underwater at room temperature due to the hydrophilicity of PNIPAm. The sunlight responsive and multifunctional sponge represents a meaningful attempt in coming up with a sustainable solution toward heavy oil spill.

Sunlight Induced Rapid Oil Absorption and Passive Room-Temperature Release: An Effective Solution toward Heavy Oil Spill Cleanup

KAUST Repository

Wu, Mengchun; Shi, Yusuf; Chang, Jian; Li, Renyuan; Ong, Chi Siang; Wang, Peng

2018-01-01

Rapid cleanup and easy recovery of spilled heavy oils is always a great challenge due to their high viscosity (>103 mPa s). One of the efficient methods to absorb highly viscous oils is to reduce their viscosity by increasing their temperature. In this work, the authors integrate the sunlight‐induced light‐to‐heat conversion effect of polypyrrole (PPy) and thermoresponsive property of poly(N‐isopropylacrylamide) (PNIPAm) into the melamine sponge, which successfully delivers a fast heavy oil absorption under sunlight and passive oil release underwater at room temperature. Thanks to the rationally designed functionalities, the PNIPAm/PPy functionalized sponges possess oleophilicity and hydrophobicity under sunlight. Due to the photothermal effect of PPy, the sponges locally heat up contacting heavy oil under sunlight and reduce its viscosity to a point where the oil voluntarily flow into the pores of the sponge. The material in this work is able to rapidly absorb the heavy oil with room temperature viscosity as high as ≈1.60 × 105 mPa s. The absorbed oil can be passively forced out the sponge underwater at room temperature due to the hydrophilicity of PNIPAm. The sunlight responsive and multifunctional sponge represents a meaningful attempt in coming up with a sustainable solution toward heavy oil spill.

Patterns and timing of sunlight exposure and risk of basal cell and squamous cell carcinomas of the skin – a case–control study

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Iannacone, Michelle R; Fenske, Neil A; Rollison, Dana E; Wang, Wei; Stockwell, Heather G; O’Rourke, Kathleen; Giuliano, Anna R; Sondak, Vernon K; Messina, Jane L; Roetzheim, Richard G; Cherpelis, Basil S

2012-01-01

Non-melanoma skin cancer (NMSC), comprised of basal (BCC) and squamous (SCC) cell carcinomas, is the most common cancer in Caucasians. Ultraviolet radiation (UVR) exposure is the most important environmental risk factor for NMSC. However, the precise relationship between UVR and the risk of NMSC is complex, and the relationship may differ by skin cancer type. A case–control study was conducted among Florida residents to investigate measures of patterns (intermittent vs. continuous) and timing (childhood vs. adulthood) of sunlight exposure in BCC and SCC. Participants included 218 BCC and 169 SCC cases recruited from a university dermatology clinic and 316 controls with no history of skin or other cancers. A history of blistering sunburn (a measure of intermittent sunlight exposure) was associated with both BCC (OR = 1.96, 95% CI = 1.27-3.03) and SCC (OR = 2.02, 95% CI = 1.22-3.33). Additionally, having a job in the sun for ≥3 months for 10 years or longer (a measure of continuous sunlight exposure) was also associated with both BCC and SCC in our study population. With the exception of younger age at first blistering sunburn, measures of younger age at sunlight exposure tended to be associated with SCC, but not BCC risk. Results from the current study suggest that sunlight exposure is associated with both BCC and SCC risk regardless of the pattern in which the exposure was received (i.e. intermittent vs. continuous). The data also suggest that sunlight exposure at a younger age may be more important for SCC but not BCC, however additional studies are needed to further characterize sunlight exposure-response relationships in different types of NMSC

Comparison of maximum intensity projection and digitally reconstructed radiographic projection for carotid artery stenosis measurement

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hyde, Derek E.; Habets, Damiaan F.; Fox, Allan J.; Gulka, Irene; Kalapos, Paul; Lee, Don H.; Pelz, David M.; Holdsworth, David W.

2007-01-01

Digital subtraction angiography is being supplanted by three-dimensional imaging techniques in many clinical applications, leading to extensive use of maximum intensity projection (MIP) images to depict volumetric vascular data. The MIP algorithm produces intensity profiles that are different than conventional angiograms, and can also increase the vessel-to-tissue contrast-to-noise ratio. We evaluated the effect of the MIP algorithm in a clinical application where quantitative vessel measurement is important: internal carotid artery stenosis grading. Three-dimensional computed rotational angiography (CRA) was performed on 26 consecutive symptomatic patients to verify an internal carotid artery stenosis originally found using duplex ultrasound. These volumes of data were visualized using two different postprocessing projection techniques: MIP and digitally reconstructed radiographic (DRR) projection. A DRR is a radiographic image simulating a conventional digitally subtracted angiogram, but it is derived computationally from the same CRA dataset as the MIP. By visualizing a single volume with two different projection techniques, the postprocessing effect of the MIP algorithm is isolated. Vessel measurements were made, according to the NASCET guidelines, and percentage stenosis grades were calculated. The paired t-test was used to determine if the measurement difference between the two techniques was statistically significant. The CRA technique provided an isotropic voxel spacing of 0.38 mm. The MIPs and DRRs had a mean signal-difference-to-noise-ratio of 30:1 and 26:1, respectively. Vessel measurements from MIPs were, on average, 0.17 mm larger than those from DRRs (P<0.0001). The NASCET-type stenosis grades tended to be underestimated on average by 2.4% with the MIP algorithm, although this was not statistically significant (P=0.09). The mean interobserver variability (standard deviation) of both the MIP and DRR images was 0.35 mm. It was concluded that the MIP

Diffused sunlight driven highly synergistic pathway for complete mineralization of organic contaminants using reduced graphene oxide supported photocatalyst

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Babu, Sundaram Ganesh; Ramalingam Vinoth [SRM Research Institute, SRM University, Kattankulathur 603203, Chennai, Tamilnadu (India); Neppolian, Bernaurdshaw, E-mail: neppolian.b@res.srmuniv.ac.in [SRM Research Institute, SRM University, Kattankulathur 603203, Chennai, Tamilnadu (India); Dionysiou, Dionysios D. [Environmental Engineering and Science Program, Department of Biomedical, Chemical and Environmental Engineering, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, OH 45221-0012 (United States); Ashokkumar, Muthupandian [The School of Chemistry, University of Melbourne, Parkville, Melbourne, Victoria 3010 (Australia)

2015-06-30

Highlights: • Diffused sunlight is firstly used as an effective source for the degradation of organics. • More than 10 fold synergistic effect is achieved by sono-photocatalysis. • rGO enhances the degradation efficiency up to 54% as compared with CuO–TiO{sub 2} alone. • Plausible mechanism and intermediates formed are supported with experimental studies. - Abstract: Diffused sunlight is found to be an effective light source for the efficient degradation and mineralization of organic pollutant (methyl orange as a probe) by sono-photocatalytic degradation using reduced graphene oxide (rGO) supported CuO–TiO{sub 2} photocatalyst. The prepared catalysts are characterized by XRD, XPS, UV–vis DRS, PL, photoelectrochemical, SEM-EDS and TEM. A 10 fold synergy is achieved for the first time by combining sonochemical and photocatalytic degradation under diffused sunlight. rGO loading augments the activity of bare CuO–TiO{sub 2} more than two fold. The ability of rGO in storing, transferring, and shuttling electrons at the heterojunction between TiO{sub 2} and CuO facilitates the separation of photogenerated electron–hole pairs, as evidenced by the photoluminescence results. The complete mineralization of MO and the by-products within a short span of time is confirmed by TOC analysis. Further, hydroxyl radical mediated degradation under diffused sunlight is confirmed by LC–MS. This system shows similar activity for the degradation of methylene blue and 4-chlorophenol indicating the versatility of the catalyst for the degradation of various pollutants. This investigation is likely to open new possibilities for the development of highly efficient diffused sunlight driven TiO{sub 2} based photocatalysts for the complete mineralization of organic contaminants.

Photodegradation of 2,4-Dichlorophenol in Aqueous Systems under Simulated and Natural Sunlight

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Dorota Gryglik

2016-01-01

Full Text Available The work presents results of studies on 2,4-dichlorophenol (2,4-DCP degradation in aqueous solutions using photochemically initiated processes by simulated and natural sunlight. A number of possible substrate photodegradation routes were investigated, by both direct photolysis and photosensitized oxidation process. The major role of singlet oxygen in 2,4-DCP photodegradation was proved. Rose Bengal and derivatives of porphine and phthalocyanine were used as sensitizers. The influences of various process parameters on the reaction rate were investigated. On the basis of experimental data reaction rate constants of 2,4-DCP photosensitized oxidation were determined. The possibility of using natural sunlight to degrade 2,4-DCP in water in the middle latitudes was stated. The acute toxicity bioassay was conducted with the marine bacterium Vibrio fischeri as a bioluminescent indicator. The obtained results encourage further research on this process.

Reflected Sunlight Reduction and Characterization for a Deep-Space Optical Receiver Antenna (DSORA)

Science.gov (United States)

Clymer, B. D.

1990-01-01

A baffle system for the elimination of first-order specular and diffuse reflection of sunlight from the sunshade of a deep-space optical receiver telescope is presented. This baffle system consists of rings of 0.5cm blades spaced 2.5 cm apart on the walls of GO hexagonal sunshade tubes that combine to form the telescope sunshade. The shadow cast by the blades, walls, and rims of the tubes prevent all first-order reflections of direct sunlight from reaching the primary mirror of the telescope. A reflection model of the sunshade without baffles is also presented for comparison. Since manufacturers of absorbing surfaces do not measure data near grazing incidence, the reflection properties at anticipated angles of incidence must be characterized. A description of reflection from matte surfaces in term of bidirectional reflection distribution function (BRDF) is presented along with a discussion of measuring BRDF near grazing incidence.

Sunlight Effects on Immune System: Is There Something Else in addition to UV-Induced Immunosuppression?

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

D. H. González Maglio

2016-01-01

Full Text Available Sunlight, composed of different types of radiation, including ultraviolet wavelengths, is an essential source of light and warmth for life on earth but has strong negative effects on human health, such as promoting the malignant transformation of skin cells and suppressing the ability of the human immune system to efficiently detect and attack malignant cells. UV-induced immunosuppression has been extensively studied since it was first described by Dr. Kripke and Dr. Fisher in the late 1970s. However, skin exposure to sunlight has not only this and other unfavorable effects, for example, mutagenesis and carcinogenesis, but also a positive one: the induction of Vitamin D synthesis, which performs several roles within the immune system in addition to favoring bone homeostasis. The impact of low levels of UV exposure on the immune system has not been fully reported yet, but it bears interesting differences with the suppressive effect of high levels of UV radiation, as shown by some recent studies. The aim of this article is to put some ideas in perspective and pose some questions within the field of photoimmunology based on established and new information, which may lead to new experimental approaches and, eventually, to a better understanding of the effects of sunlight on the human immune system.

Sunlight Effects on Immune System: Is There Something Else in addition to UV-Induced Immunosuppression?

Science.gov (United States)

Paz, M. L.; Leoni, J.

2016-01-01

Sunlight, composed of different types of radiation, including ultraviolet wavelengths, is an essential source of light and warmth for life on earth but has strong negative effects on human health, such as promoting the malignant transformation of skin cells and suppressing the ability of the human immune system to efficiently detect and attack malignant cells. UV-induced immunosuppression has been extensively studied since it was first described by Dr. Kripke and Dr. Fisher in the late 1970s. However, skin exposure to sunlight has not only this and other unfavorable effects, for example, mutagenesis and carcinogenesis, but also a positive one: the induction of Vitamin D synthesis, which performs several roles within the immune system in addition to favoring bone homeostasis. The impact of low levels of UV exposure on the immune system has not been fully reported yet, but it bears interesting differences with the suppressive effect of high levels of UV radiation, as shown by some recent studies. The aim of this article is to put some ideas in perspective and pose some questions within the field of photoimmunology based on established and new information, which may lead to new experimental approaches and, eventually, to a better understanding of the effects of sunlight on the human immune system. PMID:28070504

Dual-energy CT angiography in peripheral arterial occlusive disease - accuracy of maximum intensity projections in clinical routine and subgroup analysis

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kau, Thomas; Eicher, Wolfgang; Reiterer, Christian; Niedermayer, Martin; Rabitsch, Egon; Hausegger, Klaus A.; Senft, Birgit

2011-01-01

To evaluate the accuracy of dual-energy CT angiography (DE-CTA) maximum intensity projections (MIPs) in symptomatic peripheral arterial occlusive disease (PAOD). In 58 patients, DE-CTA of the lower extremities was performed on dual-source CT. In a maximum of 35 arterial segments, severity of the most stenotic lesion was graded (<10%, 10-49% and 50-99% luminal narrowing or occlusion) independently by two radiologists, with DSA serving as the reference standard. In DSA, 52.3% of segments were significantly stenosed or occluded. Agreement of DE-CTA MIPs with DSA was good in the aorto-iliac and femoro-popliteal regions (κ = 0.72; κ = 0.66), moderate in the crural region (κ = 0.55), slight in pedal arteries (κ = 0.10) and very good in bypass segments (κ = 0.81). Accuracy was 88%, 78%, 74%, 55% and 82% for the respective territories and moderate (75%) overall, with good sensitivity (84%) and moderate specificity (67%). Sensitivity and specificity was 82% and 76% in claudicants and 84% and 61% in patients with critical limb ischaemia. While correlating well with DSA above the knee, accuracy of DE-CTA MIPs appeared to be moderate in the calf and largely insufficient in calcified pedal arteries, especially in patients with critical limb ischaemia. (orig.)

Knowledge of vitamin D and perceptions and attitudes toward sunlight among Chinese middle-aged and elderly women: a population survey in Hong Kong

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Lee Ka-Kui

2006-09-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Physical and biological risk factors for vitamin D inadequacy are known; however, cultural- and population-specific behaviours and attitudes that influence these risk factors, particularly among Asian people, are less well documented. To understand more about prevailing attitudes and behaviour toward sunlight and knowledge of vitamin D among a population at greater risk of impaired vitamin D status, poor bone health and osteoporosis, we conducted a telephone interview survey of 547 middle-aged and elderly Chinese women living in Hong Kong. Methods All telephone interviews were conducted using the Computer Assisted Telephone Technique and target respondents were selected by random sampling. Interviews were conducted in Cantonese and eighteen main questions were asked pertaining to personal characteristics, perceptions, attitudes and behaviour toward sunlight, and knowledge about vitamin D. Results The survey results showed that 62.3% (n = 341 did not like going in the sun and 66.7% of respondents spent an average of 6–10 hours indoors, between 6:30 am and 7:00 pm, during weekdays. However, 58% of people thought that they had enough exposure to sunlight. The majority had heard of vitamin D, but knowledge about the role and sources of vitamin D was low. Among those who knew that sunlight was a source of vitamin D, the majority spent less than 1 h in the sun in the past week (76.4% vs 23.6%, 1 h in the sun in the past week, chi-square p Conclusion The survey revealed considerable ignorance and confusion about the role of sunlight in vitamin D production, and the function and sources of vitamin D. Attitudes and behaviour toward sunlight were largely negative and many took measures to avoid sunlight, particularly among younger (middle-aged women who had good awareness of vitamin D.

Patterns and timing of sunlight exposure and risk of basal cell and squamous cell carcinomas of the skin – a case–control study

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Iannacone Michelle R

2012-09-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Non-melanoma skin cancer (NMSC, comprised of basal (BCC and squamous (SCC cell carcinomas, is the most common cancer in Caucasians. Ultraviolet radiation (UVR exposure is the most important environmental risk factor for NMSC. However, the precise relationship between UVR and the risk of NMSC is complex, and the relationship may differ by skin cancer type. Methods A case–control study was conducted among Florida residents to investigate measures of patterns (intermittent vs. continuous and timing (childhood vs. adulthood of sunlight exposure in BCC and SCC. Participants included 218 BCC and 169 SCC cases recruited from a university dermatology clinic and 316 controls with no history of skin or other cancers. Results A history of blistering sunburn (a measure of intermittent sunlight exposure was associated with both BCC (OR = 1.96, 95% CI = 1.27-3.03 and SCC (OR = 2.02, 95% CI = 1.22-3.33. Additionally, having a job in the sun for ≥3 months for 10 years or longer (a measure of continuous sunlight exposure was also associated with both BCC and SCC in our study population. With the exception of younger age at first blistering sunburn, measures of younger age at sunlight exposure tended to be associated with SCC, but not BCC risk. Conclusions Results from the current study suggest that sunlight exposure is associated with both BCC and SCC risk regardless of the pattern in which the exposure was received (i.e. intermittent vs. continuous. The data also suggest that sunlight exposure at a younger age may be more important for SCC but not BCC, however additional studies are needed to further characterize sunlight exposure-response relationships in different types of NMSC.

Occurrence and Impact of Insects in Maximum Growth Plantations

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Nowak, J.T.; Berisford, C.W.

2001-01-01

Investigation of the relationships between intensive management practices and insect infestation using maximum growth potential studies of loblolly pine constructed over five years using a hierarchy of cultural treatments-monitoring differences in growth and insect infestation levels related to the increasing management intensities. This study shows that tree fertilization can increase coneworm infestation and demonstrated that tip moth management tree growth, at least initially.

A full-sunlight-driven photocatalyst with super long-persistent energy storage ability.

Science.gov (United States)

Li, Jie; Liu, Yuan; Zhu, Zhijian; Zhang, Guozhu; Zou, Tao; Zou, Zhijun; Zhang, Shunping; Zeng, Dawen; Xie, Changsheng

2013-01-01

A major drawback of traditional photocatalysts like TiO2 is that they can only work under illumination, and the light has to be UV. As a solution for this limitation, visible-light-driven energy storage photocatalysts have been developed in recent years. However, energy storage photocatalysts that are full-sunlight-driven (UV-visible-NIR) and possess long-lasting energy storage ability are lacking. Here we report, a Pt-loaded and hydrogen-treated WO3 that exhibits a strong absorption at full-sunlight spectrum (300-1,000 nm), and with a super-long energy storage time of more than 300 h to have formaldehyde degraded in dark. In this new material system, the hydrogen treated WO3 functions as the light harvesting material and energy storage material simultaneously, while Pt mainly acts as the cocatalyst to have the energy storage effect displayed. The extraordinary full-spectrum absorption effect and long persistent energy storage ability make the material a potential solar-energy storage and an effective photocatalyst in practice.

Bleaching of the thermoluminescence of feldspars by selected wavelengths present in sunlight

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Robertson, G.B.; Prescott, J.R.; Hutton, J.T.

1993-01-01

Feldspars occur in many sediments, and dating them by thermoluminescence (TL) requires a knowledge of how efficiently sunlight bleaches these minerals. The relative bleaching efficiencies of various wavelengths have been investigated for four alkali feldspars and an oligoclase, using the natural TL of the samples and the artificial TL induced by laboratory irradiation, bleached by wavelengths in the range 322-550 nm. Ultraviolet wavelengths are more efficient than the longer wavelengths at bleaching all the glow-curve peaks and are responsible for most of the phototransfer from high-temperature peaks to low-temperature peaks. Some feldspars show an initial increase in TL intensity with bleaching. Two sanidines of similar bulk composition but different TL glow curves show different dependences on bleaching wavelength. In a sodic sanidine with a dominant 240 o C peak the energy required to bleach to 50% was a thousand times greater at 550 nm than at 322 nm. In contrast, another sanidine with a complex glow curve between 150 and 450 o C showed a much slower change in the 330 o C peak with wavelength - a factor of 10 between 322 and 550 nm - with a region between 400 and 500 nm which was almost independent of wavelength. This behaviour is explained by competing mechanisms of phototransfer and bleaching which depend on wavelength in different ways. (author)

Persistence of Bacteroides ovatus under simulated sunlight irradiation

KAUST Repository

Dong, Shengkun

2014-07-04

Background: Bacteroides ovatus, a member of the genus Bacteroides, is considered for use in molecular-based methods as a general fecal indicator. However, knowledge on its fate and persistence after a fecal contamination event remains limited. In this study, the persistence of B. ovatus was evaluated under simulated sunlight exposure and in conditions similar to freshwater and seawater. By combining propidium monoazide (PMA) treatment and quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) detection, the decay rates of B. ovatus were determined in the presence and absence of exogenous photosensitizers and in salinity up to 39.5 parts per thousand at 27°C. Results: UVB was found to be important for B. ovatus decay, averaging a 4 log10 of decay over 6 h of exposure without the presence of extracellular photosensitizers. The addition of NaNO2, an exogenous sensitizer producing hydroxyl radicals, did not significantly change the decay rate of B. ovatus in both low and high salinity water, while the exogenous sensitizer algae organic matter (AOM) slowed down the decay of B. ovatus in low salinity water. At seawater salinity, the decay rate of B. ovatus was slower than that in low salinity water, except when both NaNO2 and AOM were present. Conclusion: The results of laboratory experiments suggest that if B. ovatus is released into either freshwater or seawater environment in the evening, 50% of it may be intact by the next morning; if it is released at noon, only 50% may be intact after a mere 5 min of full spectrum irradiation on a clear day. This study provides a mechanistic understanding to some of the important environmental relevant factors that influenced the inactivation kinetics of B. ovatus in the presence of sunlight irradiation, and would facilitate the use of B. ovatus to indicate the occurrence of fecal contamination.

Changes of Physiological Tremor Following Maximum Intensity Exercise in Male and Female Young Swimmers

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Gajewski Jan

2015-12-01

Full Text Available Purpose. The aim of this study was to determine the changes in postural physiological tremor following maximum intensity effort performed on arm ergometer by young male and female swimmers. Methods. Ten female and nine male young swimmers served as subjects in the study. Forearm tremor was measured accelerometrically in the sitting position before the 30-second Wingate Anaerobic Test on arm ergometer and then 5, 15 and 30 minutes post-test. Results. Low-frequency tremor log-amplitude (L1−5 increased (repeated factor: p < 0.05 from −7.92 ± 0.45 to −7.44 ± 0.45 and from −6.81 ± 0.52 to −6.35 ± 0.58 in women and men, respectively (gender: p < 0.05 5 minute post-test. Tremor log-amplitude (L15−20 increased (repeated factor: p < 0.001 from −9.26 ± 0.70 to −8.59 ± 0.61 and from −8.79 ± 0.65 to −8.39 ± 0.79 in women and men, respectively 5 minute post-test. No effect of gender was found for high frequency range.The increased tremor amplitude was observed even 30 minute post-exercise. Mean frequency of tremor spectra gradually decreased post-exercises (p < 0.001. Conclusions. Exercise-induced changes in tremor were similar in males and females. A fatigue produced a decrement in the mean frequency of tremor what suggested decreased muscle stiffness post-exercise. Such changes intremorafter exercise may be used as the indicator of fatigue in the nervous system.

Reduction of intensity variations on a photovoltaic array with compound parabolic concentrators

Science.gov (United States)

Greenman, P.; Ogallagher, J.; Winston, R.; Costogue, E.

1979-01-01

The reduction of nonuniformities in the intensity distribution of light focused on a photovoltaic array by a compound parabolic concentrator is investigated. The introduction of small distortions into the surfaces of the reflector in order to diffuse the incident collimated light to fill the angular acceptance of the concentrator is calculated by means of ray tracing to decrease the irradiance nonuniformity at the cost of a lowered effective concentration of the concentrator. Measurements of the intensity distribution on a scale test model in terrestrial sunlight with corrugated aluminized mylar reflectors are shown to be in good agreement with the ray tracing results. A two-stage concentrator consisting of a focusing primary and a nonimaging secondary is also shown to result in a fairly uniform intensity distribution except in the case of a 4-deg incidence angle, which may be corrected by the introduction of distortions into one or both concentration stages.

Prevention of hip fractures by exposure to sunlight and pharmacotherapy in patients with Alzheimer's disease.

Science.gov (United States)

Iwamoto, Jun; Sato, Yoshihiro; Tanaka, Kiyoshi; Takeda, Tsuyoshi; Matsumoto, Hideo

2009-01-01

Hypovitaminosis D and K due to malnutrition or sunlight deprivation, compensatory hyperparathyroidism, increased bone resorption, low bone mineral density (BMD), and an increased risk of falls may contribute to an increased risk of hip fractures in patients with Alzheimer's disease. The purpose of the present study was to clarify the efficacy of interventions against hip fractures in patients with Alzheimer's disease. With respect to randomized controlled trials (RCTs) regarding Alzheimer's disease and hip fractures, the literature was searched with PubMed. Three RCTs were identified, and the relative risk (RR) and 95% confidence interval (CI) were calculated for individual RCTs. Exposure to sunlight with calcium supplementation, menatetrenone (vitamin K2) plus calcium and vitamin D supplementation, and risedronate plus calcium and vitamin D supplementation improved hypovitaminosis D and hyperparathyroidism, contributing to a reduction in bone resorption. Risedronate itself strongly decreased bone resorption. Menatetrenone also decreased the serum level of undercarboxylated osteocalcin. The three interventions increased metacarpal BMD and reduced the incidence of hip fractures. The respective RRs (95% CI) were 0.22 (0.049-0.999), 0.13 (0.031-0.554), and 0.26 (0.100- 0.690). The present study clarified the efficacy of three interventions, including exposure to sunlight, menatetrenone, and risedronate with calcium and/or vitamin D supplementation against hip fractures in patients with Alzheimer's disease.

Climate-simulated raceway pond culturing: quantifying the maximum achievable annual biomass productivity of Chlorella sorokiniana in the contiguous USA

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Huesemann, M.; Chavis, A.; Edmundson, S.; Rye, D.; Hobbs, S.; Sun, N.; Wigmosta, M.

2017-09-13

Chlorella sorokiniana (DOE 1412) emerged as one of the most promising microalgae strains from the NAABB consortium project, with a remarkable doubling time under optimal conditions of 2.57 hr-1. However, its maximum achievable annual biomass productivity in outdoor ponds in the contiguous United States remained unknown. In order to address this knowledge gap, this alga was cultured in indoor LED-lighted and temperature-controlled raceways in nutrient replete freshwater (BG-11) medium at pH 7 under conditions simulating the daily sunlight intensity and water temperature fluctuations during three seasons in Southern Florida, an optimal outdoor pond culture location for this organism identified by biomass growth modeling. Prior strain characterization indicated that the average maximum specific growth rate (µmax) at 36 ºC declined continuously with pH, with µmax corresponding to 5.92, 5.83, 4.89, and 4.21 day-1 at pH 6, 7, 8, and 9, respectively. In addition, the maximum specific growth rate declined nearly linearly with increasing salinity until no growth was observed above 35 g/L NaCl. In the climate-simulated culturing studies, the volumetric ash-free dry weight-based biomass productivities during the linear growth phase were 57, 69, and 97 mg/L-day for 30-year average light and temperature simulations for January (winter), March (spring), and July (summer), respectively, which corresponds to average areal productivities of 11.6, 14.1, and 19.9 g/m2-day at a constant pond depth of 20.5 cm. The photosynthetic efficiencies (PAR) in the three climate-simulated pond culturing experiments ranged from 4.1 to 5.1%. The annual biomass productivity was estimated as ca. 15 g/m2-day, nearly double the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) 2015 State of Technology annual cultivation productivity of 8.5 g/m2-day, but this is still significantly below the projected 2022 target of ca. 25 g/m2-day (U.S. DOE, 2016) for economic microalgal biofuel production, indicating the need for

Stochastic conditional intensity processes

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Bauwens, Luc; Hautsch, Nikolaus

2006-01-01

model allows for a wide range of (cross-)autocorrelation structures in multivariate point processes. The model is estimated by simulated maximum likelihood (SML) using the efficient importance sampling (EIS) technique. By modeling price intensities based on NYSE trading, we provide significant evidence......In this article, we introduce the so-called stochastic conditional intensity (SCI) model by extending Russell’s (1999) autoregressive conditional intensity (ACI) model by a latent common dynamic factor that jointly drives the individual intensity components. We show by simulations that the proposed...... for a joint latent factor and show that its inclusion allows for an improved and more parsimonious specification of the multivariate intensity process...

HISTORY OF SUNLIGHT EXPOSURE IS A RISK FACTOR FOR AGE-RELATED MACULAR DEGENERATION

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Schick, T.; Ersoy, L.; Lechanteur, Y.T.; Saksens, N.T.; Hoyng, C.B.; Hollander, A.I. den; Kirchhof, B.; Fauser, S.

2016-01-01

PURPOSE: To evaluate effects of current and past sunlight exposure and iris color on early and late age-related macular degeneration (AMD). METHODS: Of 3,701 individuals from the EUGENDA database, 752 (20.3%) showed early AMD, 1,179 (31.9%) late AMD, and 1,770 (47.8%) were controls. Information

Morphology-controlled electrodeposition of Cu2O microcrystalline particle films for application in photocatalysis under sunlight

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wu, Guodong; Zhai, Wei; Sun, Fengqiang; Chen, Wei; Pan, Zizhao; Li, Weishan

2012-01-01

Graphical abstract: Display Omitted Highlights: ► PEG was used to electro-deposit Cu 2 O microcrystalline particle films. ► Morphologies of Cu 2 O microcrystals could be controlled by the amount of PEG. ► The films showed regularly varied photocatalytic activities under sunlight. ► The films could be recycled and showed stable activities. -- Abstract: Morphology-controlled Cu 2 O microcrystalline particle films had been successfully electrodeposited on tin-doped indium oxide glass substrates in CuSO 4 solutions containing different amounts of polyethylene glycol (PEG) additives. With an increase of PEG, microcrystals gradually changed from irregular shapes to cubes, octahedrons, and spherical shapes. Sizes increasingly became smaller with an increase of PEG under the same deposition time. These films had been first used as recyclable photocatalysts and showed excellent and photocatalytic activities in photodegradation of methylene blue (MB) under sunlight. Activities were regularly varied relative to the morphologies of films controlled by the amount of PEG and could be further enhanced by adding a little amount of hydrogen peroxide in the MB solution. The method for controllable preparation of Cu 2 O microcrystals with photocatalytic activities was simple and inexpensive. The as-prepared particle films could also be used in photodegradation of many other pollutants under sunlight.

Sunlight Modulates Fruit Metabolic Profile and Shapes the Spatial Pattern of Compound Accumulation within the Grape Cluster.

Science.gov (United States)

Reshef, Noam; Walbaum, Natasha; Agam, Nurit; Fait, Aaron

2017-01-01

Vineyards are characterized by their large spatial variability of solar irradiance (SI) and temperature, known to effectively modulate grape metabolism. To explore the role of sunlight in shaping fruit composition and cluster uniformity, we studied the spatial pattern of incoming irradiance, fruit temperature and metabolic profile within individual grape clusters under three levels of sunlight exposure. The experiment was conducted in a vineyard of Cabernet Sauvignon cv. located in the Negev Highlands, Israel, where excess SI and midday temperatures are known to degrade grape quality. Filtering SI lowered the surface temperature of exposed fruits and increased the uniformity of irradiance and temperature in the cluster zone. SI affected the overall levels and patterns of accumulation of sugars, organic acids, amino acids and phenylpropanoids, across the grape cluster. Increased exposure to sunlight was associated with lower accumulation levels of malate, aspartate, and maleate but with higher levels of valine, leucine, and serine, in addition to the stress-related proline and GABA. Flavan-3-ols metabolites showed a negative response to SI, whereas flavonols were highly induced. The overall levels of anthocyanins decreased with increased sunlight exposure; however, a hierarchical cluster analysis revealed that the members of this family were grouped into three distinct accumulation patterns, with malvidin anthocyanins and cyanidin-glucoside showing contrasting trends. The flavonol-glucosides, quercetin and kaempferol, exhibited a logarithmic response to SI, leading to improved cluster uniformity under high-light conditions. Comparing the within-cluster variability of metabolite accumulation highlighted the stability of sugars, flavan-3-ols, and cinnamic acid metabolites to SI, in contrast to the plasticity of flavonols. A correlation-based network analysis revealed that extended exposure to SI modified metabolic coordination, increasing the number of negative

Coupled optic-thermodynamic analysis of a novel wireless power transfer system using concentrated sunlight for space applications

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zhong, Ming-Liang; Li, Yun-Ze; Mao, Yu-Feng; Liang, Yi-Hao; Liu, Jia

2017-01-01

Highlights: • A novel space wireless power transfer system is proposed. • Concentrated sunlight is used as the medium to avoid multiple conversions. • Fresnel lens and optical fiber bundle make the system compact and space-qualified. • Coupled optic-thermodynamic model is developed to analyze link efficiencies. • End-to-end efficiency achieved is as twice as that of microwave or laser system. - Abstract: The energy generation and supply for in-orbit spacecraft have become an urgent problem concerning efficient and economical utilization of spacecraft formation flying. To fill the gap between the requirement of inter-spacecraft energy transfer and the development of wireless power transfer, this paper presents a novel wireless power transfer system whose transmission medium is concentrated sunlight. The system concentrates sunlight using a Fresnel lens, and changes the direction of concentrated sunlight beam with optical fibers. The light energy is converted to thermal form by a heat collector, and then it is utilized to generate electricity by a Stirling engine integrated with linear alternator. Equipments employed on fractionated spacecraft shall be supported by this electric energy. A coupled optic-thermodynamic model was developed to analyze system link efficiencies. This system offers characteristics such as high flexibility, relatively low cost for launch and maintenance, and most importantly, high end-to-end efficiency. Simulation results show that the geometric concentration ratio and the temperature ratio of expansion and compression spaces are two key parameters of this system. Output power of 234.3 W was achieved on the distance of 100 m, and the end-to-end efficiency of the system was above 20%.

Photolysis of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons adsorbed on spruce [Picea abies (L.) Karst.] needles under sunlight irradiation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Niu Junfeng; Chen Jingwen; Martens, D.; Quan Xie; Yang Fenglin; Kettrup, A.; Schramm, K.-W.

2003-01-01

Photolysis of PAHs on surfaces may determine their ultimate fate in the environment. - Photolysis of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) sorbed on surfaces of spruce [Picea abies (L.) Karst.] needles under sunlight irradiation was investigated. PAHs were produced by combustion of polyvinyl chloride (PVC), wood, high-density polyethylene (HDPE), and styrene in a stove. The factors of sunlight irradiation on the surfaces of spruce needles were taken into consideration when investigating the kinetic parameters. The photolysis of the 18 PAHs under study follows first-order kinetics. The photolysis half-lives range from 15 h for dibenzo(a,h)anthracene to 75 h for phenanthrene. Photolysis of some PAHs on surfaces of spruce needles may play an important role on the fate of PAHs in the environment

Sunlight reflection off the spacecraft with a solar sail on the surface of mars

Science.gov (United States)

Starinova, O. L.; Rozhkov, M. A.; Gorbunova, I. V.

2018-05-01

Modern technologies make it possible to fulfill many projects in the field of space exploration. One such project is the colonization of Mars and providing favorable conditions for living on it. Authors propose principles of functioning of the spacecraft with a solar sail, intended to create a thermal and light spot in a predetermined area of the Martian surface. This additional illumination can maintain and support certain climatic conditions on a small area where a Mars base could be located. This paper investigate the possibility of the spacecraft continuously reflect the sunlight off the solar sail on the small area of the Mars surface. The mathematical motion model in such condition of the solar sail's orientation is considered and used for motion simulation session. Moreover, the analysis of this motion is performed. Thus, were obtained parameters of the synchronic non-Keplerian orbit and spacecraft construction. In addition, were given recommendations for further applying satellites to reflect the sunlight on a planet's surface.

Effects of UV, sunlight and X-ray radiation on quiescent human cells in culture

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kantor, G.J.

1986-01-01

Nondividing human diploid fibroblasts (HDF) in culture have been used to study the effect on cell lethality of ultraviolet light, natural sunlight and X-rays. A lethal effect is defined as cellular degeneration, loss from the culture and inability to exclude vital strains. Far- and mid-UV have a readily observable lethal effect (cell loss), with DNA and DNA damage as the critical target and critical damage respectively. In part, natural sunlight kills cells by a similar mechanism but has an additional lethal effect at longer exposure times. This additional effect is expressed by the retention of the dead cells in culture, in contrast to the UV-induced promotion of cell degeneration and loss. Relatively large doses of X-rays that destroy proliferative capacity, have no detectable lethal effect on the maintenance of non-dividing cells. The biological response of nondividing HDF to radiations from different parts of the electromagnetic spectrum is dissimilar. (author)

Dose-Response Effect of Sunlight on Vitamin D2 Production in Agaricus bisporus Mushrooms

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Urbain, Paul; Jakobsen, Jette

2015-01-01

The dose response effect of UV-B irradiation from sunlight on vitamin D2 content of sliced Agaricus bisporus (white button mushroom) during the process of sun-drying was investigated.Real-time UV-B and UV-A data were obtained using a high-performance spectroradiometer. During the first hour...

Measuring Physical Activity Intensity

Medline Plus

Full Text Available ... Measuring Intensity Target Heart Rate and Estimated Maximum Heart Rate Perceived Exertion (Borg Rating of Perceived Exertion Scale) Get Email Updates To receive email updates about this page, enter your email ... ...

Generation of intensity duration frequency curves and intensity temporal variability pattern of intense rainfall for Lages/SC

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Célio Orli Cardoso

2014-04-01

Full Text Available The objective of this work was to analyze the frequency distribution and intensity temporal variability of intense rainfall for Lages/SC from diary pluviograph data. Data on annual series of maximum rainfalls from rain gauges of the CAV-UDESC Weather Station in Lages/SC were used from 2000 to 2009. Gumbel statistic distribution was applied in order to obtain the rainfall height and intensity in the following return periods: 2, 5, 10, 15 and 20 years. Results showed intensity-duration-frequency curves (I-D-F for those return periods, as well as I-D-F equations: i=2050.Tr0,20.(t+30-0,89, where i was the intensity, Tr was the rainfall return periods and t was the rainfall duration. For the intensity of temporal variability pattern along of the rainfall duration time, the convective, or advanced pattern was the predominant, with larger precipitate rainfalls in the first half of the duration. The same pattern presented larger occurrences in the spring and summer stations.

Effect of exposure to sunlight and phosphorus-limitation on bacterial degradation of coloured dissolved organic matter (CDOM) in freshwater.

Science.gov (United States)

Kragh, Theis; Søndergaard, Morten; Tranvik, Lars

2008-05-01

This study reports on the interacting effect of photochemical conditioning of dissolved organic matter and inorganic phosphorus on the metabolic activity of bacteria in freshwater. Batch cultures with lake-water bacteria and dissolved organic carbon (DOC) extracted from a humic boreal river were arranged in an experimental matrix of three levels of exposure to simulated sunlight and three levels of phosphorus concentration. We measured an increase in bacterial biomass, a decrease in DOC and bacterial respiration as CO(2) production and O(2) consumption over 450 h. These measurements were used to calculate bacterial growth efficiency (BGE). Bacterial degradation of DOC increased with increasing exposure to simulated sunlight and availability of phosphorus and no detectable growth occurred on DOC that was not pre-exposed to simulated sunlight. The outcome of photochemical degradation of DOC changed with increasing availability of phosphorus, resulting in an increase in BGE from about 5% to 30%. Thus, the availability of phosphorus has major implications for the quantitative transfer of carbon in microbial food webs.

Gamma-ray spectra deconvolution by maximum-entropy methods

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Los Arcos, J.M.

1996-01-01

A maximum-entropy method which includes the response of detectors and the statistical fluctuations of spectra is described and applied to the deconvolution of γ-ray spectra. Resolution enhancement of 25% can be reached for experimental peaks and up to 50% for simulated ones, while the intensities are conserved within 1-2%. (orig.)

Microbial diversity from chlorophyll maximum, oxygen minimum and bottom zones in the southwestern Atlantic Ocean

Science.gov (United States)

Medina-Silva, Renata; de Oliveira, Rafael R.; Pivel, Maria A. G.; Borges, Luiz G. A.; Simão, Taiz L. L.; Pereira, Leandro M.; Trindade, Fernanda J.; Augustin, Adolpho H.; Valdez, Fernanda P.; Eizirik, Eduardo; Utz, Laura R. P.; Groposo, Claudia; Miller, Dennis J.; Viana, Adriano R.; Ketzer, João M. M.; Giongo, Adriana

2018-02-01

Conspicuous physicochemical vertical stratification in the deep sea is one of the main forces driving microbial diversity in the oceans. Oxygen and sunlight availability are key factors promoting microbial diversity throughout the water column. Ocean currents also play a major role in the physicochemical stratification, carrying oxygen down to deeper zones as well as moving deeper water masses up towards shallower depths. Water samples within a 50-km radius in a pockmark location of the southwestern Atlantic Ocean were collected and the prokaryotic communities from different water depths - chlorophyll maximum, oxygen minimum and deep-sea bottom (down to 1355 m) - were described. At phylum level, Proteobacteria were the most frequent in all water depths, Cyanobacteria were statistically more frequent in chlorophyll maximum zone, while Thaumarchaeota were significantly more abundant in both oxygen minimum and bottom waters. The most frequent microorganism in the chlorophyll maximum and oxygen minimum zones was a Pelagibacteraceae operational taxonomic unit (OTU). At the bottom, the most abundant genus was the archaeon Nitrosopumilus. Beta diversity analysis of the 16S rRNA gene sequencing data uncovered in this study shows high spatial heterogeneity among water zones communities. Our data brings important contribution for the characterisation of oceanic microbial diversity, as it consists of the first description of prokaryotic communities occurring in different oceanic water zones in the southwestern Atlantic Ocean.

ZnO-graphene quantum dots heterojunctions for natural sunlight-driven photocatalytic environmental remediation

Science.gov (United States)

Kumar, Suneel; Dhiman, Ankita; Sudhagar, Pitchaimuthu; Krishnan, Venkata

2018-07-01

In this work, we report the formation of heterojunctions comprising of graphene quantum dots (GQD) decorated ZnO nanorods (NR) and its use as efficient photocatalysts for environmental remediation. The heterojunctions has been designed to be active both in the UV and visible light regions and anticipated utilize the maximum part of the solar light spectrum. In this view, we examined the photocatalytic performance of our heterojunctions towards the degradation of colored pollutant (methylene blue (MB) dye) and a colorless pollutant (carbendazim (CZ) fungicide) under sunlight irradiation. Compared to bare photocatalyst ZnO and GQD, the heterojunction with 2 wt% of GQD (ZGQD2) showed the best photocatalytic activity by effectively degrading (about 95%) of organic pollutants (MB and CZ) from water within a short span of 70 min. The superior photocatalytic activity of these ZnO-GQD heterojunctions could be attributed to efficient charge carrier separation lead suppressed recombination rate at photocatalyst interfaces. In addition to the enhanced light absorption from UV to visible region, the high specific surface area of ZGQD2 heterojunction (353.447 m2 g-1) also imparts strong adsorption capacity for pollutants over catalyst surface, resulting in high photoactivity. Based on the obtained results, band gap alignment at ZnO-GQD heterojunction and active species trapping experiments, a plausible mechanism is proposed for photocatalytic reaction. The excellent photostability and recyclability of the ZnO-GQD heterojunctions fostering as promising photocatalyst candidate for environmental remediation applications.

Sunlight exposure and sun sensitivity associated with disability progression in multiple sclerosis.

Science.gov (United States)

D'hooghe, M B; Haentjens, P; Nagels, G; Garmyn, M; De Keyser, J

2012-04-01

Sunlight and vitamin D have been inversely associated with the risk of multiple sclerosis (MS). We investigated sunlight exposure and sun sensitivity in relation to disability progression in MS. We conducted a survey among persons with MS, registered by the Flemish MS society, Belgium, and stratified data according to relapsing-onset and progressive-onset MS. We used Kaplan-Meier survival and Cox proportional hazard regression analyses with time to Expanded Disability Status Scale (EDSS) 6 as outcome measure. Hazard ratios for the time from onset and from birth were calculated for the potentially predictive variables, adjusting for age at onset, gender and immunomodulatory treatment. 704 (51.3%) of the 1372 respondents had reached EDSS 6. In relapsing-onset MS, respondents reporting equal or higher levels of sun exposure than persons of the same age in the last 10 years had a decreased risk of reaching EDSS 6. In progressive-onset MS, increased sun sensitivity was associated with an increased hazard of reaching EDSS 6. The association of higher sun exposure with a better outcome in relapsing-onset MS may be explained by either a protective effect or reverse causality. Mechanisms underlying sun sensitivity might influence progression in progressive-onset MS.

Phenotypic plasticity of Neonotonia wightii and Pueraria phaseoloidesgrown under different light intensities

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

LEONARDO D.T. SANTOS

2015-03-01

Full Text Available Plants have the ability to undergo morphophysiological changes based on availability of light. The present study evaluated biomass accumulation, leaf morphoanatomy and physiology of Neonotonia wightii andPueraria phaseoloides grown in full sunlight, as well as in 30% and 50% shade. Two assays were performed, one for each species, using a randomized block design with 10 replicates. A higher accumulation of fresh mass in the shoot of the plants was observed for both species under cultivation in 50% shade, while no differences were detected between the full sunlight and 30% shade. N. wightii and P. phaseoloides showed increase in area and reduction in thickness leaf when cultivated in 50% shade. There were no changes in photosynthetic rate, stomatal conductance, water use efficiency and evapotranspiration of P. phaseoloidesplants because growth environment. However, the shade treatments caused alterations in physiological parameters of N. wightii. In both species, structural changes in the mesophyll occurred depending on the availability of light; however, the amount of leaf blade tissue remained unaltered. Despite the influence of light intensity variation on the morphophysiological plasticity ofN. wightiiand P. phaseoloides, no effects on biomass accumulation were observed in response to light.

Validation of new 3D post processing algorithm for improved maximum intensity projections of MR angiography acquisitions in the brain

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Bosmans, H; Verbeeck, R; Vandermeulen, D; Suetens, P; Wilms, G; Maaly, M; Marchal, G; Baert, A L [Louvain Univ. (Belgium)

1995-12-01

The objective of this study was to validate a new post processing algorithm for improved maximum intensity projections (mip) of intracranial MR angiography acquisitions. The core of the post processing procedure is a new brain segmentation algorithm. Two seed areas, background and brain, are automatically detected. A 3D region grower then grows both regions towards each other and this preferentially towards white regions. In this way, the skin gets included into the final `background region` whereas cortical blood vessels and all brain tissues are included in the `brain region`. The latter region is then used for mip. The algorithm runs less than 30 minutes on a full dataset on a Unix workstation. Images from different acquisition strategies including multiple overlapping thin slab acquisition, magnetization transfer (MT) MRA, Gd-DTPA enhanced MRA, normal and high resolution acquisitions and acquisitions from mid field and high field systems were filtered. A series of contrast enhanced MRA acquisitions obtained with identical parameters was filtered to study the robustness of the filter parameters. In all cases, only a minimal manual interaction was necessary to segment the brain. The quality of the mip was significantly improved, especially in post Gd-DTPA acquisitions or using MT, due to the absence of high intensity signals of skin, sinuses and eyes that otherwise superimpose on the angiograms. It is concluded that the filter is a robust technique to improve the quality of MR angiograms.

Validation of new 3D post processing algorithm for improved maximum intensity projections of MR angiography acquisitions in the brain

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bosmans, H.; Verbeeck, R.; Vandermeulen, D.; Suetens, P.; Wilms, G.; Maaly, M.; Marchal, G.; Baert, A.L.

1995-01-01

The objective of this study was to validate a new post processing algorithm for improved maximum intensity projections (mip) of intracranial MR angiography acquisitions. The core of the post processing procedure is a new brain segmentation algorithm. Two seed areas, background and brain, are automatically detected. A 3D region grower then grows both regions towards each other and this preferentially towards white regions. In this way, the skin gets included into the final 'background region' whereas cortical blood vessels and all brain tissues are included in the 'brain region'. The latter region is then used for mip. The algorithm runs less than 30 minutes on a full dataset on a Unix workstation. Images from different acquisition strategies including multiple overlapping thin slab acquisition, magnetization transfer (MT) MRA, Gd-DTPA enhanced MRA, normal and high resolution acquisitions and acquisitions from mid field and high field systems were filtered. A series of contrast enhanced MRA acquisitions obtained with identical parameters was filtered to study the robustness of the filter parameters. In all cases, only a minimal manual interaction was necessary to segment the brain. The quality of the mip was significantly improved, especially in post Gd-DTPA acquisitions or using MT, due to the absence of high intensity signals of skin, sinuses and eyes that otherwise superimpose on the angiograms. It is concluded that the filter is a robust technique to improve the quality of MR angiograms

A phytotron for plant stress research: how far can artificial lighting compare to natural sunlight?

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Thiel, S.; Döhring, T.; Köfferlein, M.; Kosak, A.; Martin, P.; Seidlitz, H.K.

1996-01-01

Plants have adapted very efficiently to their natural light habitat. Artificial plant illumination, therefore, requires careful design. Not only the quantity of radiation per area or volume (intensity) but also the spectral quality has to match seasonal and diurnal variations of natural global radiation as close as possible. The GSF Research Center has developed a phytotron system especially devoted to plant stress research, where these requirements are of particular importance. The phytotron consists of seven closed chambers (4 walk-in size chambers, two medium and one small sun simulator). Our contribution outlines the basic design of the lighting and presents spectral data. A good approximation of terrestrial global radiation is achieved if several commercially available lamp types are combined and adequate filters are applied to reject unwanted infrared and harmful ultraviolet radiation. A programmable switch control for the individual lamp banks allows a variation of both spectrum and intensity of the illumination. Spectroradiometric measurements show that the maximum level of illumination in the small and in the medium size chambers can compete both in spectral distribution and in intensity with outdoor global radiation for solar elevations up to 60°. The maximum light level available inside the large walk-in chambers reaches an irradiance corresponding to solar elevation of 50°. The UV-B: UV-A: PAR ratio, which mirrors the spectral balance of plant lighting, can be adjusted to values following the diurnal variation of natural global radiation.(author)

MR tractography; Visualization of structure of nerve fiber system from diffusion weighted images with maximum intensity projection method

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kinosada, Yasutomi; Okuda, Yasuyuki (Mie Univ., Tsu (Japan). School of Medicine); Ono, Mototsugu (and others)

1993-02-01

We developed a new noninvasive technique to visualize the anatomical structure of the nerve fiber system in vivo, and named this technique magnetic resonance (MR) tractography and the acquired image an MR tractogram. MR tractography has two steps. One is to obtain diffusion-weighted images sensitized along axes appropriate for depicting the intended nerve fibers with anisotropic water diffusion MR imaging. The other is to extract the anatomical structure of the nerve fiber system from a series of diffusion-weighted images by the maximum intensity projection method. To examine the clinical usefulness of the proposed technique, many contiguous, thin (3 mm) coronal two-dimensional sections of the brain were acquired sequentially in normal volunteers and selected patients with paralyses, on a 1.5 Tesla MR system (Signa, GE) with an ECG-gated Stejskal-Tanner pulse sequence. The structure of the nerve fiber system of normal volunteers was almost the same as the anatomy. The tractograms of patients with paralyses clearly showed the degeneration of nerve fibers and were correlated with clinical symptoms. MR tractography showed great promise for the study of neuroanatomy and neuroradiology. (author).

Nanocrystalline dye-sensitized solar cells having maximum performance

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kroon, M.; Bakker, N.J.; Smit, H.J.P. [ECN Solar Energy, Petten (Netherlands); Liska, P.; Thampi, K.R.; Wang, P.; Zakeeruddin, S.M.; Graetzel, M. [LPI-ISIC, Ecole Polytechnique Federale de Lausanne EPFL, Station 6, CH-1015 Lausanne (Switzerland); Hinsch, A. [Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems ISE, Heidenhofstr.2, D-79110 Freiburg (Germany); Hore, S.; Wuerfel, U.; Sastrawan, R. [Freiburg Materials Research Centre FMF, Stefan-Meier Str. 21, 79104 Freiburg (Germany); Durrant, J.R.; Palomares, E. [Centre for Electronic Materials and Devices, Department of Chemistry, Imperial College London, Exhibition road SW7 2AY (United Kingdom); Pettersson, H.; Gruszecki, T. [IVF Industrial Research and Development Corporation, Argongatan 30, SE-431 53 Moelndal (Sweden); Walter, J.; Skupien, K. [Cracow University of Technology CUTECH, Jana Pawla II 37, 31-864 Cracow (Poland); Tulloch, G.E. [Greatcell Solar SA GSA, Ave Henry-Warnery 4, 1006 Lausanne (Switzerland)

2007-01-15

This paper presents an overview of the research carried out by a European consortium with the aim to develop and test new and improved ways to realise dye-sensitized solar cells (DSC) with enhanced efficiencies and stabilities. Several new areas have been explored in the field of new concepts and materials, fabrication protocols for TiO2 and scatterlayers, metal oxide blocking layers, strategies for co-sensitization and low temperature processes of platinum deposition. Fundamental understanding of the working principles has been gained by means of electrical and optical modelling and advanced characterization techniques. Cost analyses have been made to demonstrate the potential of DSC as a low cost thin film PV technology. The combined efforts have led to maximum non-certified power conversion efficiencies under full sunlight of 11% for areas <0c2 cm{sup 2} and 10c1% for a cell with an active area of 1c3 cm{sup 2}. Lifetime studies revealed negligible device degradation after 1000 hrs of accelerated tests under thermal stress at 80C in the dark and visible light soaking at 60C. An outlook summarizing future directions in the research and large-scale production of DSC is presented.

Fabrication of Heterostructured g-C{sub 3}N{sub 4}/Ag-TiO{sub 2} Hybrid Photocatalyst with Enhanced Performance in Photocatalytic Conversion of CO{sub 2} Under Simulated Sunlight Irradiation

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Li, Hailong [School of Energy Science and Engineering, Central South University, Changsha, 410083 (China); Department of Civil Engineering, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (Hong Kong); Gao, Yan; Wu, Xianying [School of Energy Science and Engineering, Central South University, Changsha, 410083 (China); Lee, Po-Heng [Department of Civil & Environmental Engineering, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (Hong Kong); Shih, Kaimin, E-mail: kshih@hku.hk [Department of Civil Engineering, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (Hong Kong)

2017-04-30

Highlights: • Combination of g-C{sub 3}N{sub 4} and Ag-TiO{sub 2} resulted in significant synergy for CO{sub 2} reduction. • The optimal electron consumption rate for CN/AgTi was 12.7 times higher than that for TiO{sub 2}. • CN/AgTi was superior than g-C{sub 3}N{sub 4} and Ag-TiO{sub 2} in use of sunlight for CO{sub 2} conversion. - Abstract: Heterostructured g-C{sub 3}N{sub 4}/Ag-TiO{sub 2} (CN/AgTi) hybrid catalysts were fabricated through a facile solvent evaporation followed by a calcination process, using graphitic carbon nitride (g-C{sub 3}N{sub 4}) and Ag-TiO{sub 2} (AgTi) as precursors. The phase compositions, optical properties, and morphologies of the catalysts were systematically characterized. The heterostructured combination of g-C{sub 3}N{sub 4}, titania (TiO{sub 2}) and silver nanoparticles (Ag NPs) resulted in significant synergy for catalytic conversion of CO{sub 2} in the presence of water vapor under simulated sunlight irradiation. The optimal CN/AgTi composite with a g-C{sub 3}N{sub 4} to AgTi mass ratio of 8% exhibited the maximum CO{sub 2} photoreduction activity, achieving a CO{sub 2} conversion of 47 μmol, CH{sub 4} yield of 28 μmol, and CO yield of 19 μmol per gram of catalyst during a 3 h simulated sunlight irradiation. Under the experimental conditions, the rate of electron consumption was calculated to be 87.3 μmol/g·h, which was 12.7 times, 7.9 times, and 2.0 times higher than those for TiO{sub 2}, g-C{sub 3}N{sub 4} and AgTi, respectively. The combination of g-C{sub 3}N{sub 4} and AgTi resulted in more sunlight harvesting for electron and hole generations. Photoinduced electrons transferred through the heterjunction between g-C{sub 3}N{sub 4} and TiO{sub 2}, and further from TiO{sub 2} to Ag NPs with lower Fermi level greatly suppressed the recombination of electron-hole pairs, and hence resulted in electron accumulation on Ag NPs deposited on the TiO{sub 2} surface in the CN/AgTi. Abundant electrons accumulated on the Ag

Trends in Intense Typhoon Minimum Sea Level Pressure

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Stephen L. Durden

2012-01-01

Full Text Available A number of recent publications have examined trends in the maximum wind speed of tropical cyclones in various basins. In this communication, the author focuses on typhoons in the western North Pacific. Rather than maximum wind speed, the intensity of the storms is measured by their lifetime minimum sea level pressure (MSLP. Quantile regression is used to test for trends in storms of extreme intensity. The results indicate that there is a trend of decreasing intensity in the most intense storms as measured by MSLP over the period 1951–2010. However, when the data are broken into intervals 1951–1987 and 1987–2010, neither interval has a significant trend, but the intensity quantiles for the two periods differ. Reasons for this are discussed, including the cessation of aircraft reconnaissance in 1987. The author also finds that the average typhoon intensity is greater in El Nino years, while the intensity of the strongest typhoons shows no significant relation to El Nino Southern Oscillation.

Plant Leaf Imaging using Time of Flight Camera under Sunlight, Shadow and Room Conditions

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Kazmi, Wajahat; Foix, Sergi; Alenya, Guillem

2012-01-01

In this article, we analyze the effects of ambient light on Time of Flight (ToF) depth imaging for a plant's leaf in sunlight, shadow and room conditions. ToF imaging is sensitive to ambient light and we try to find the best possible integration times (IT) for each condition. This is important in...

A pathway for sustainable conversion of sunlight to hydrogen using proposed compact CPV system

KAUST Repository

Burhan, Muhammad; Shahzad, Muhammad Wakil; Oh, Seung Jin; Ng, Kim Choon

2018-01-01

Solar energy being intermittent in nature, can provide a sustainable, steady and high density energy source when converted into electrolytic hydrogen. However, in current photovoltaic market trend with 99% conventional single junction PV panels, this cannot be achieved efficiently and economically. The advent of the multi-junction solar cells (MJCs), with cell-efficiency exceeding 46%, has yet to receive wide spread acceptance in the current PV market in form of concentrated photovoltaic (CPV) system, because of its system design complexity, limiting its application scope and customers. The objective of this paper is to develop a low cost compact CPV system that will not only eliminate its application and installation related restrictions but it is also introducing a highly efficient and sustainable photovoltaic system for common consumer, to convert intermittent sunlight into green hydrogen. The developed CPV system negates the common conviction by showing two times more power output than the flat plate PV, in tropical region. In addition, sunlight to hydrogen conversion efficiency of 18% is recorded for CPV, which is two times higher than alone electricity production efficiency of flat plate PV.

A pathway for sustainable conversion of sunlight to hydrogen using proposed compact CPV system

KAUST Repository

Burhan, Muhammad

2018-03-22

Solar energy being intermittent in nature, can provide a sustainable, steady and high density energy source when converted into electrolytic hydrogen. However, in current photovoltaic market trend with 99% conventional single junction PV panels, this cannot be achieved efficiently and economically. The advent of the multi-junction solar cells (MJCs), with cell-efficiency exceeding 46%, has yet to receive wide spread acceptance in the current PV market in form of concentrated photovoltaic (CPV) system, because of its system design complexity, limiting its application scope and customers. The objective of this paper is to develop a low cost compact CPV system that will not only eliminate its application and installation related restrictions but it is also introducing a highly efficient and sustainable photovoltaic system for common consumer, to convert intermittent sunlight into green hydrogen. The developed CPV system negates the common conviction by showing two times more power output than the flat plate PV, in tropical region. In addition, sunlight to hydrogen conversion efficiency of 18% is recorded for CPV, which is two times higher than alone electricity production efficiency of flat plate PV.

Converting sunlight into red light in fluorosilicate glass for amorphous silicon solar cells

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Ming, Chengguo, E-mail: mingchengguo1978@163.com [Physics Department, School of Sciences, Tianjin University of Science & Technology, Tianjin 300457 (China); Song, Feng [Photonics Center, College of Physical Science, Nankai University, Tianjin 300071 (China); Ren, Xiaobin [Physics Department, School of Sciences, Tianjin University of Science & Technology, Tianjin 300457 (China); Yuan, Fengying; Qin, Yueting [Physics Department, School of Sciences, Tianjin University of Science & Technology, Tianjin 300457 (China); Photonics Center, College of Physical Science, Nankai University, Tianjin 300071 (China); An, Liqun; Cai, Yuanxue [Physics Department, School of Sciences, Tianjin University of Science & Technology, Tianjin 300457 (China)

2017-03-15

Fluorosilicate glass was prepared by high-temperature melting method to explore highly efficient luminescence materials for amorphous silicon solar cells. Absorption, excitation and emission spectra of the glass were measured. The optical characters of the glass were discussed in details. The glass can efficiently convert sunlight into red light. Our glass can be applied to amorphous silicon solar cells as a converter of solar spectrum.

Detection of pulmonary nodules at paediatric CT: maximum intensity projections and axial source images are complementary

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kilburn-Toppin, Fleur; Arthurs, Owen J.; Tasker, Angela D.; Set, Patricia A.K.

2013-01-01

Maximum intensity projection (MIP) images might be useful in helping to differentiate small pulmonary nodules from adjacent vessels on thoracic multidetector CT (MDCT). The aim was to evaluate the benefits of axial MIP images over axial source images for the paediatric chest in an interobserver variability study. We included 46 children with extra-pulmonary solid organ malignancy who had undergone thoracic MDCT. Three radiologists independently read 2-mm axial and 10-mm MIP image datasets, recording the number of nodules, size and location, overall time taken and confidence. There were 83 nodules (249 total reads among three readers) in 46 children (mean age 10.4 ± 4.98 years, range 0.3-15.9 years; 24 boys). Consensus read was used as the reference standard. Overall, three readers recorded significantly more nodules on MIP images (228 vs. 174; P < 0.05), improving sensitivity from 67% to 77.5% (P < 0.05) but with lower positive predictive value (96% vs. 85%, P < 0.005). MIP images took significantly less time to read (71.6 ± 43.7 s vs. 92.9 ± 48.7 s; P < 0.005) but did not improve confidence levels. Using 10-mm axial MIP images for nodule detection in the paediatric chest enhances diagnostic performance, improving sensitivity and reducing reading time when compared with conventional axial thin-slice images. Axial MIP and axial source images are complementary in thoracic nodule detection. (orig.)

Concentration of sunlight to solar-surface levels using non-imaging optics

Science.gov (United States)

Gleckman, Philip; O'Gallagher, Joseph; Winston, Roland

1989-05-01

An account is given of the design and operational principles of a solar concentrator that employs nonimaging optics to achieve a solar flux equal to 56,000 times that of ambient sunlight, yielding temperatures comparable to, and with further development of the device, exceeding those of the solar surface. In this scheme, a parabolic mirror primary concentrator is followed by a secondary concentrator, designed according to the edge-ray method, which is filled with a transparent oil. The device may be used in materials-processing, waste-disposal, and solar-pumped laser applications.

Session 6: photo-catalytic degradation of Toluene using sunlight-type excitation

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Fuerte, A.; Hernandez-Alonso, M.D.; Martinez-Arias, A.; Conesa, J.C.; Soria, J.; Fernandez-Garcia, M. [Instituto de Catalisis y Petroleoquimica, CSIC, -Madrid (Spain)

2004-07-01

In this report we investigate the doping of anatase-TiO{sub 2} with nine different cations. It is shown that W can be one of the best options for toluene photo-degradation using sunlight-type excitation. Thermal and hydrothermal treatments were applied to amorphous Ti-W mixed oxide precursors with varying W:Ti atomic ratio for obtaining nano-structured particles having different properties. All Ti-W precursors were prepared by a microemulsion method and the mixed oxides characterized by using XRD, XPS, as well as XAFS, Raman and UV-Vis Spectroscopies. (authors)

Sunlight and Vitamin D

Science.gov (United States)

Wacker, Matthias; Holick, Michael F.

2013-01-01

Vitamin D is the sunshine vitamin that has been produced on this earth for more than 500 million years. During exposure to sunlight 7-dehydrocholesterol in the skin absorbs UV B radiation and is converted to previtamin D3 which in turn isomerizes into vitamin D3. Previtamin D3 and vitamin D3 also absorb UV B radiation and are converted into a variety of photoproducts some of which have unique biologic properties. Sun induced vitamin D synthesis is greatly influenced by season, time of day, latitude, altitude, air pollution, skin pigmentation, sunscreen use, passing through glass and plastic, and aging. Vitamin D is metabolized sequentially in the liver and kidneys into 25-hydroxyvitamin D which is a major circulating form and 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D which is the biologically active form respectively. 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D plays an important role in regulating calcium and phosphate metabolism for maintenance of metabolic functions and for skeletal health. Most cells and organs in the body have a vitamin D receptor and many cells and organs are able to produce 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D. As a result 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D influences a large number of biologic pathways which may help explain association studies relating vitamin D deficiency and living at higher latitudes with increased risk for many chronic diseases including autoimmune diseases, some cancers, cardiovascular disease, infectious disease, schizophrenia and type 2 diabetes. A three-part strategy of increasing food fortification programs with vitamin D, sensible sun exposure recommendations and encouraging ingestion of a vitamin D supplement when needed should be implemented to prevent global vitamin D deficiency and its negative health consequences. PMID:24494042

Developmental light level affects growth, morphology, and leaf physiology of young carambola trees

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Marler, T.E.; Schaffer, B.; Crane, J.H.

1994-01-01

Growth and leaf physiology responses of container-grown 'Arkin' carambola (Averrhoa carambola L.) trees to long-term exposure of approximately 25%, approximately 50%, or 100% sunlight were studied in four experiments in Guam and Florida. Shading increased rachis length and leaflet area, and decreased leaflet thickness. Shaded trees also had a more horizontal branch orientation. Shading reduced dark respiration (Rd) and light compensation and saturation points but increased chlorophyll concentration and N-use efficiency. Light-saturated net CO2 assimilation (A) was not affected by developmental light level. Trees in full sun had smaller total leaf area, canopy diameter, and shoot:root ratio and exhibited leaflet movement to avoid direct solar radiation. Also, trees grown in 100% sunlight had a more vertical branch orientation and greater stomatal density than shaded trees. The ratio of variable to maximum fluorescence (Fv/Fm) declined during midday in 100% sunlight trees. This pattern was accompanied by a midday suppression of A in 100% sunlight-grown trees in Guam. 'Arkin' carambola trees exposed to approximately 25%, approximately 50%, or 100% sunlight for up to 39 weeks exhibited physiological and morphological adaptations that resulted in similar growth. These results indicate that carambola efficiently adapts to different developmental light intensities

Improved Flexible Transparent Conductive Electrodes based on Silver Nanowire Networks by a Simple Sunlight Illumination Approach

Science.gov (United States)

Kou, Pengfei; Yang, Liu; Chang, Cheng; He, Sailing

2017-01-01

Silver nanowire (Ag NW) networks have attracted wide attention as transparent electrodes for emerging flexible optoelectronics. However, the sheet resistance is greatly limited by large wire-to-wire contact resistances. Here, we propose a simple sunlight illumination approach to remarkably improve their electrical conductivity without any significant degradation of the light transmittance. Because the power density is extremely low (0.1 W/cm2, 1-Sun), only slight welding between Ag NWs has been observed. Despite this, a sheet resistance of solar concentrations. Due to the reduced resistance, high-performance transparent film heaters as well as efficient defrosters have been demonstrated, which are superior to the previously-reported Ag NW based film heaters. Since the sunlight is environmentally friendly and easily available, sophisticated or expensive facilities are not necessary. Our findings are particularly meaningful and show enormous potential for outdoor applications. PMID:28169343

Validation of a 4D-PET Maximum Intensity Projection for Delineation of an Internal Target Volume

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Callahan, Jason; Kron, Tomas; Schneider-Kolsky, Michal; Dunn, Leon; Thompson, Mick; Siva, Shankar; Aarons, Yolanda; Binns, David; Hicks, Rodney J.

2013-01-01

Purpose: The delineation of internal target volumes (ITVs) in radiation therapy of lung tumors is currently performed by use of either free-breathing (FB) 18 F-fluorodeoxyglucose-positron emission tomography-computed tomography (FDG-PET/CT) or 4-dimensional (4D)-CT maximum intensity projection (MIP). In this report we validate the use of 4D-PET-MIP for the delineation of target volumes in both a phantom and in patients. Methods and Materials: A phantom with 3 hollow spheres was prepared surrounded by air then water. The spheres and water background were filled with a mixture of 18 F and radiographic contrast medium. A 4D-PET/CT scan was performed of the phantom while moving in 4 different breathing patterns using a programmable motion device. Nine patients with an FDG-avid lung tumor who underwent FB and 4D-PET/CT and >5 mm of tumor motion were included for analysis. The 3 spheres and patient lesions were contoured by 2 contouring methods (40% of maximum and PET edge) on the FB-PET, FB-CT, 4D-PET, 4D-PET-MIP, and 4D-CT-MIP. The concordance between the different contoured volumes was calculated using a Dice coefficient (DC). The difference in lung tumor volumes between FB-PET and 4D-PET volumes was also measured. Results: The average DC in the phantom using 40% and PET edge, respectively, was lowest for FB-PET/CT (DCAir = 0.72/0.67, DCBackground 0.63/0.62) and highest for 4D-PET/CT-MIP (DCAir = 0.84/0.83, DCBackground = 0.78/0.73). The average DC in the 9 patients using 40% and PET edge, respectively, was also lowest for FB-PET/CT (DC = 0.45/0.44) and highest for 4D-PET/CT-MIP (DC = 0.72/0.73). In the 9 lesions, the target volumes of the FB-PET using 40% and PET edge, respectively, were on average 40% and 45% smaller than the 4D-PET-MIP. Conclusion: A 4D-PET-MIP produces volumes with the highest concordance with 4D-CT-MIP across multiple breathing patterns and lesion sizes in both a phantom and among patients. Freebreathing PET/CT consistently underestimates ITV

Validation of a 4D-PET Maximum Intensity Projection for Delineation of an Internal Target Volume

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Callahan, Jason, E-mail: jason.callahan@petermac.org [Centre for Molecular Imaging, Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre, East Melbourne, Victoria (Australia); Kron, Tomas [Department of Physical Sciences, Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre, East Melbourne, Victoria (Australia); Peter MacCallum Department of Oncology, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne (Australia); Schneider-Kolsky, Michal [Department of Medical Imaging and Radiation Science, Monash University, Clayton, Victoria (Australia); Dunn, Leon [Department of Applied Physics, RMIT University, Melbourne (Australia); Thompson, Mick [Centre for Molecular Imaging, Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre, East Melbourne, Victoria (Australia); Siva, Shankar [Department of Radiation Oncology, Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre, East Melbourne, Victoria (Australia); Aarons, Yolanda [Department of Radiation Oncology, Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre, East Melbourne, Victoria (Australia); Peter MacCallum Department of Oncology, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne (Australia); Binns, David [Centre for Molecular Imaging, Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre, East Melbourne, Victoria (Australia); Hicks, Rodney J. [Centre for Molecular Imaging, Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre, East Melbourne, Victoria (Australia); Peter MacCallum Department of Oncology, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne (Australia)

2013-07-15

Purpose: The delineation of internal target volumes (ITVs) in radiation therapy of lung tumors is currently performed by use of either free-breathing (FB) {sup 18}F-fluorodeoxyglucose-positron emission tomography-computed tomography (FDG-PET/CT) or 4-dimensional (4D)-CT maximum intensity projection (MIP). In this report we validate the use of 4D-PET-MIP for the delineation of target volumes in both a phantom and in patients. Methods and Materials: A phantom with 3 hollow spheres was prepared surrounded by air then water. The spheres and water background were filled with a mixture of {sup 18}F and radiographic contrast medium. A 4D-PET/CT scan was performed of the phantom while moving in 4 different breathing patterns using a programmable motion device. Nine patients with an FDG-avid lung tumor who underwent FB and 4D-PET/CT and >5 mm of tumor motion were included for analysis. The 3 spheres and patient lesions were contoured by 2 contouring methods (40% of maximum and PET edge) on the FB-PET, FB-CT, 4D-PET, 4D-PET-MIP, and 4D-CT-MIP. The concordance between the different contoured volumes was calculated using a Dice coefficient (DC). The difference in lung tumor volumes between FB-PET and 4D-PET volumes was also measured. Results: The average DC in the phantom using 40% and PET edge, respectively, was lowest for FB-PET/CT (DCAir = 0.72/0.67, DCBackground 0.63/0.62) and highest for 4D-PET/CT-MIP (DCAir = 0.84/0.83, DCBackground = 0.78/0.73). The average DC in the 9 patients using 40% and PET edge, respectively, was also lowest for FB-PET/CT (DC = 0.45/0.44) and highest for 4D-PET/CT-MIP (DC = 0.72/0.73). In the 9 lesions, the target volumes of the FB-PET using 40% and PET edge, respectively, were on average 40% and 45% smaller than the 4D-PET-MIP. Conclusion: A 4D-PET-MIP produces volumes with the highest concordance with 4D-CT-MIP across multiple breathing patterns and lesion sizes in both a phantom and among patients. Freebreathing PET/CT consistently

Direct reconstruction of the source intensity distribution of a clinical linear accelerator using a maximum likelihood expectation maximization algorithm.

Science.gov (United States)

Papaconstadopoulos, P; Levesque, I R; Maglieri, R; Seuntjens, J

2016-02-07

Direct determination of the source intensity distribution of clinical linear accelerators is still a challenging problem for small field beam modeling. Current techniques most often involve special equipment and are difficult to implement in the clinic. In this work we present a maximum-likelihood expectation-maximization (MLEM) approach to the source reconstruction problem utilizing small fields and a simple experimental set-up. The MLEM algorithm iteratively ray-traces photons from the source plane to the exit plane and extracts corrections based on photon fluence profile measurements. The photon fluence profiles were determined by dose profile film measurements in air using a high density thin foil as build-up material and an appropriate point spread function (PSF). The effect of other beam parameters and scatter sources was minimized by using the smallest field size ([Formula: see text] cm(2)). The source occlusion effect was reproduced by estimating the position of the collimating jaws during this process. The method was first benchmarked against simulations for a range of typical accelerator source sizes. The sources were reconstructed with an accuracy better than 0.12 mm in the full width at half maximum (FWHM) to the respective electron sources incident on the target. The estimated jaw positions agreed within 0.2 mm with the expected values. The reconstruction technique was also tested against measurements on a Varian Novalis Tx linear accelerator and compared to a previously commissioned Monte Carlo model. The reconstructed FWHM of the source agreed within 0.03 mm and 0.11 mm to the commissioned electron source in the crossplane and inplane orientations respectively. The impact of the jaw positioning, experimental and PSF uncertainties on the reconstructed source distribution was evaluated with the former presenting the dominant effect.

Meteorological Reference Years of Daily Mean Temperature during the Sunlight Time; Anos Tipos de Temperaturas Medias Diarias durante las Horas de Sol

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Marchante Jimenez, M.; Ramirez Santigosa, L.N.; Mora Lopez, L.; Sidrach de Cardona Ortin, M.

2002-07-01

In this work the characterization of the daily mean temperature during the sunlight time has been analyzed. An algorithm for the hourly series generation from extreme daily values has been applied to evaluate the daily mean temperature during the sunlight time. A generic algorithm has been enounced as a function of the sunrise time. This algorithm allows taking into account the fractions related to the sunrise and sunset hours. This methodology has been applied in data from 45 Spanish stations, uniformly distributed in the Iberian Peninsula. Data for a period of 14 years has been used in most of locations, and once the interest variable has been calculated, the meteorological reference year of the daily mean temperature during the sunlight time has been evaluated in each stations. The next step is the evaluation of the daily mean temperature during the sunlight time in any point into the zone of evaluation, not only in the measured stations. >From the result data in each measured station, an geographic information system has been used in order to calculate the interpolation, obtaining maps with a data each 5 km for each of the 365 days of the year. Then, this results can be superposed with the solar radiation evaluation obtaining the input data for the sizing of the photovoltaic grid connected system in any point of the Spanish geography. (Author) 8 refs.

Superradiance Transition and Nonphotochemical Quenching in Photosynthetic Complexes

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Berman, Gennady Petrovich [Los Alamos National Lab. (LANL), Los Alamos, NM (United States); Nesterov, Alexander [Universidad de Guadalajara, Departamento de Fısica, Jalisco (Mexico); Lopez, Gustavo [Universidad de Guadalajara, Departamento de Fısica, Jalisco (Mexico); Sayre, Richard Thomas [Los Alamos National Lab. (LANL), Los Alamos, NM (United States)

2015-04-23

Photosynthetic organisms have evolved protective strategies to allow them to survive in cases of intense sunlight fluctuation with the development of nonphotochemical quenching (NPQ). This process allows light harvesting complexes to transfer the excess sunlight energy to non-damaging quenching channels. This report compares the NPQ process with the superradiance transition (ST). We demonstrated that the maximum of the NPQ efficiency is caused by the ST to the sink associated with the CTS. However, experimental verifications are required in order to determine whether or not the NPQ regime is associated with the ST transition for real photosynthetic complexes. Indeed, it can happen that, in the photosynthetic apparatus, the NPQ regime occurs in the “non-optimal” region of parameters, and it could be independent of the ST.

Use of Maximum Intensity Projections (MIPs) for target outlining in 4DCT radiotherapy planning.

Science.gov (United States)

Muirhead, Rebecca; McNee, Stuart G; Featherstone, Carrie; Moore, Karen; Muscat, Sarah

2008-12-01

Four-dimensional computed tomography (4DCT) is currently being introduced to radiotherapy centers worldwide, for use in radical radiotherapy planning for non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). A significant drawback is the time required to delineate 10 individual CT scans for each patient. Every department will hence ask the question if the single Maximum Intensity Projection (MIP) scan can be used as an alternative. Although the problems regarding the use of the MIP in node-positive disease have been discussed in the literature, a comprehensive study assessing its use has not been published. We compared an internal target volume (ITV) created using the MIP to an ITV created from the composite volume of 10 clinical target volumes (CTVs) delineated on the 10 phases of the 4DCT. 4DCT data was collected from 14 patients with NSCLC. In each patient, the ITV was delineated on the MIP image (ITV_MIP) and a composite ITV created from the 10 CTVs delineated on each of the 10 scans in the dataset. The structures were compared by assessment of volumes of overlap and exclusion. There was a median of 19.0% (range, 5.5-35.4%) of the volume of ITV_10phase not enclosed by the ITV_MIP, demonstrating that the use of the MIP could result in under-treatment of disease. In contrast only a very small amount of the ITV_MIP was not enclosed by the ITV_10phase (median of 2.3%, range, 0.4-9.8%), indicating the ITV_10phase covers almost all of the tumor tissue as identified by MIP. Although there were only two Stage I patients, both demonstrated very similar ITV_10phase and ITV_MIP volumes. These findings suggest that Stage I NSCLC tumors could be outlined on the MIP alone. In Stage II and III tumors the ITV_10phase would be more reliable. To prevent under-treatment of disease, the MIP image can only be used for delineation in Stage I tumors.

Effects of P25 TiO2 Nanoparticles on the Free Radical-Scavenging Ability of Antioxidants upon Their Exposure to Simulated Sunlight.

Science.gov (United States)

Li, Meng; Chong, Yu; Fu, Peter P; Xia, Qingsu; Croley, Timothy R; Lo, Y Martin; Yin, Jun-Jie

2017-11-15

Although nanosized ingredients, including TiO 2 nanoparticles (NPs), can be found in a wide range of consumer products, little is known about the effects these particles have on other active compounds in product matrices. These NPs can interact with reactive oxygen species (ROS), potentially disrupting or canceling the benefits expected from antioxidants. We used electron spin resonance spectrometry to assess changes in the antioxidant capacities of six dietary antioxidants (ascorbic acid, α-tocopherol, glutathione, cysteine, epicatechin, and epicatechin gallate) during exposure to P25 TiO 2 and/or simulated sunlight. Specifically, we determined the ability of these antioxidants to scavenge 1-diphenyl-2-picryl-hydrazyl radical, superoxide radical, and hydroxyl radical. Exposure to simulated sunlight alone did not lead to noticeable changes in radical-scavenging abilities; however, in combination with P25 TiO 2 NPs, the scavenging abilities of most antioxidants were weakened. We found glutathione to be the most resistant to treatment with sunlight and NPs among these six antioxidants.

Biological Effects Of Artificial Illumination

Science.gov (United States)

Corth, Richard

1980-10-01

We are increasingly being warned of the possible effects of so called "polluted" light, that is light that differs in spectral content from that of sunlight. We should be concerned, we are told, because all animals and plants have evolved under this natural daylight and therefore any difference between that illuminant and the artificial illuminants that are on the market today, is suspect. The usual presentation of the differences between the sunlight and the artificial illuminants are as shown in Figure 1. Here we are shown the spectral power distribution of sunlight and Cool White fluorescent light. The spectral power distributions of each have been normalized to some convenient wavelength so that each can be seen and easily compared on the same figure. But this presentation is misleading for one does not experience artificial illuminants at the same intensity as one experiences sunlight. Sunlight intensities are ordinarily found to be in the 8000 to 10,000 footcandle range whereas artificial illuminants are rarely experienced at intensity levels greater than 100 footcandles. Therefore a representative difference between the two types of illumination conditions is more accurately represented as in Figure 2. Thus if evolutionary adaptations require that humans and other animals be exposed to sunlight to ensure wellbeing, it is clear that one must be exposed to sunlight intensities. It is not feasible to expect that artificially illuminated environments will be lit to the same intensity as sunlight

Formation of rutile fasciculate zone induced by sunlight irradiation at room temperature and its hemocompatibility

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zhang, Xuan-Hui; Zheng, Xiang; Cheng, Yuan; Li, Guo-Hua; Chen, Xiao-Ping; Zheng, Jian-Hui

2013-01-01

The fasciculate zone of phase pure rutile was fabricated under sunlight irradiation at room temperature, using titanium tetrachloride as a sole precursor. The crystal phase, morphology and microstructure, and optical absorption behavior of the samples were characterized by X-ray Diffraction, High-Resolution Transmission Electron Microscope (HRTEM) and UV–vis Diffuse Reflectance Spectra (DRS), respectively. XRD results show that the crystal phase of the sample is composed of rutile only, and a lattice distortion displays in the crystallite of the sample. HRTEM results show that the morphology of rutile particle is fasciculate zone constituted of nanoparticles with a diameter of 4–7 nm, and these particles grow one by one and step by step. The pattern of the selected area electron diffraction of the sample is Kikuchi type, which can be attributed to the predominant orientation growth of rutile nanoparticles along [001] induced by sunlight irradiation. DRS results show that the absorption threshold of the sample is 415 nm, corresponding to the band gap energy of 2.99 eV, which is lower than the band gap energy of rutile, 3.03 eV. Blood compatibility measurement shows that the sample has no remarkable effect on hemolytic and coagulation activity. The percent hemolysis of red blood cells is less than 5% even treated with a big dosage of the fasciculate rutile and under UV irradiation, and there are no obvious changes of plasma recalcification time after the rutile treatment. Thus, the novel structure of rutile fasciculate has low potential toxicity for blood and is hemocompatibility safe. Highlights: • A novel approach to fabricate the fasciculate zone of phase pure rutile • The fasciculate grows from a particle to nanorod and to fasciculate, step by step. • A preferred orientation growth induced by sunlight irradiation in the fasciculate • The rutile fasciculate is low toxicity for blood and is hemocompatibility safe

Ultraviolet- and sunlight-induced lipid peroxidation in liposomal membrane

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mandal, T.K.; Chatterjee, S.N.

1980-01-01

Ultraviolet radiation and sunlight caused lipid peroxidation in the liposomal membrane (as detected by measurement of the oxidation index, A 233 /A 215 , and the amount of malondialdehyde formed) and made the membrane leaky (as revealed by the release of the trapped chromate anions). The oxidation index and the formation of malondialdehyde increased linearly with increasing dose of radiation and depended significantly on the dose rate. The effects were smaller in liposomes derived from Vibrio cholerae phospholipid than in those derived from egg lecithin. The effects of the radiation dose and dose rate on hemolysis and peroxidation (MDA formation) of the erythrocyte membrane followed a similar pattern. A direct correlation between the percentage leakage of chromate (Y) and the oxidation index (X) of the liposomal system was obtained as Y = 236.5 x X

MAXIMUM RUNOFF OF THE FLOOD ON WADIS OF NORTHERN ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

lanez

The technique of account the maximal runoff of flood for the rivers of northern part of Algeria based on the theory of ... north to south: 1) coastal Tel – fertile, high cultivated and sown zone; 2) territory of Atlas. Mountains ... In the first case the empiric dependence between maximum intensity of precipitation for some calculation ...

Evaluation of sunlight induced structural changes and their effect on the photocatalytic activity of V{sub 2}O{sub 5} for the degradation of phenols

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Aslam, M. [Centre of Excellence in Environmental Studies (CEES), King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah 21589 (Saudi Arabia); Ismail, Iqbal M.I. [Centre of Excellence in Environmental Studies (CEES), King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah 21589 (Saudi Arabia); Chemistry Department, Faculty of Science, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah 21589 (Saudi Arabia); Salah, Numan [Centre of Nanotechnology, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah 21589 (Saudi Arabia); Chandrasekaran, S. [Centre of Excellence in Environmental Studies (CEES), King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah 21589 (Saudi Arabia); Qamar, M.Tariq [Centre of Excellence in Environmental Studies (CEES), King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah 21589 (Saudi Arabia); Chemistry Department, Faculty of Science, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah 21589 (Saudi Arabia); Hameed, A., E-mail: afmuhammad@kau.edu.sa [Centre of Excellence in Environmental Studies (CEES), King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah 21589 (Saudi Arabia); National Centre for Physics, Quaid-e-Azam University, Islamabad 44000 (Pakistan)

2015-04-09

Highlights: • The interaction of UV photons of sunlight induces defects in V{sub 2}O{sub 5}. • The photon induced defects promotes the trapping and transfer of excited electrons. • The nature of the substituent at 2-position affects the degradation process. • The formation of the intermediates is influenced by the nature of substituents. • The released ions are subjected further transformation. - Abstract: Despite knowing the fact that vanadium pentoxide is slightly soluble in aqueous medium, its photocatalytic activity was evaluated for the degradation of phenol and its derivatives (2-hydroxyphenol, 2-chlorophenol, 2-aminophenol and 2-nitrophenol) in natural sunlight exposure. The prime objective of the study was to differentiate between the homogeneous and heterogeneous photocatalysis incurred by dissolved and undissolved V{sub 2}O{sub 5} in natural sunlight exposure. V{sub 2}O{sub 5} was synthesized by chemical precipitation procedure using Triton X-100 as morphology mediator and characterized by DRS, PLS, Raman, FESEM and XRD. A lower solubility of ∼5% per 100 ml of water at 23 °C was observed after calcination at 600 °C. The study revealed no contribution of the dissolved V{sub 2}O{sub 5} in the photocatalytic process. In sunlight exposure, V{sub 2}O{sub 5} powder exhibited substantial activity for the degradation, however, a low mineralization of phenolic substrates was observed. The initial low activity of V{sub 2}O{sub 5} followed by a sharp increase both in degradation and mineralization in complete spectrum sunlight exposure, was further investigated that revealed the decrease in the bandgap and the reduction in the particle size with the interaction of UV photons (<420 nm) as this effect was not observable in the exposure of visible region of sunlight. The role of the chemically different substituents attached to an aromatic ring at 2-positions and the secondary interaction of released ions during the degradation process with the reactive

Use of sunlight to partially detoxify groundnut (peanut) cake flour and casein contaminated with aflatoxin B1.

Science.gov (United States)

Shantha, T; Murthy, V S

1981-03-01

Sunlight destroyed 83 and 50% of the toxin added to casein and groundnut cake flour, respectively. Equilibrium dialysis revealed that both casein and groundnut protein bind aflatoxin but the toxin bound to casein appeared more photo-labile than that bound to groundnut protein.

High-intensity laser physics

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mohideen, U.

1993-01-01

This thesis is a study of the effect of high intensity lasers on atoms, free electrons and the generation of X-rays from solid density plasmas. The laser produced 50 milli Joule 180 femto sec pulses at 5 Hz. This translates to a maximum intensity of 5 x 10 18 W/cm 2 . At such high fields the AC stark shifts of atoms placed at the focus is much greater than the ionization energy. The characteristics of multiphoton ionization of atoms in intense laser fields was studied by angle resolved photoelectron spectroscopy. Free electrons placed in high intensity laser fields lead to harmonic generation. This phenomenon of Nonlinear Compton Scattering was theoretically investigated. Also, when these high intensity pulses are focused on solids a hot plasma is created. This plasma is a bright source of a short X-ray pulse. The pulse-width of X-rays from these solid density plasmas was measured by time-resolved X-ray spectroscopy

Electroactive subwavelength gratings (ESWGs) from conjugated polymers for color and intensity modulation

Science.gov (United States)

Bhuvana, Thiruvelu; Kim, Byeonggwan; Yang, Xu; Shin, Haijin; Kim, Eunkyoung

2012-05-01

Subwavelength gratings with electroactive polymers such as poly(3-hexylthiophene) (P3HT) and poly(3,4-propylenedioxythiophene-phenylene) (P(ProDOT-Ph)) controlled the color intensity for various visible colors of diffracted light in a single device. Under the illumination of a white light, at a fixed angle of incidence, the color intensity of the diffracted light was reversibly switched from the maximum value down to 15% (85% decrease) by applying -2 to 2 V due to electrochemical (EC) reaction. All spectral colors including red, green, and blue were generated by changing the angle of incidence, and the intensity of each color was modulated electrochemically at a single EC device. With electroactive subwavelength gratings (ESWGs) of P3HT, the maximum modulation of the color intensity was observed in the red-yellow quadrant in the CIE color plot, whereas for the ESWGs of P(ProDOT-Ph), the maximum modulation of the color intensity was observed in the yellow-green and green-blue quadrants. Both ESWGs showed a memory effect, keeping their color and intensity even after power was turned off for longer than 40 hours.Subwavelength gratings with electroactive polymers such as poly(3-hexylthiophene) (P3HT) and poly(3,4-propylenedioxythiophene-phenylene) (P(ProDOT-Ph)) controlled the color intensity for various visible colors of diffracted light in a single device. Under the illumination of a white light, at a fixed angle of incidence, the color intensity of the diffracted light was reversibly switched from the maximum value down to 15% (85% decrease) by applying -2 to 2 V due to electrochemical (EC) reaction. All spectral colors including red, green, and blue were generated by changing the angle of incidence, and the intensity of each color was modulated electrochemically at a single EC device. With electroactive subwavelength gratings (ESWGs) of P3HT, the maximum modulation of the color intensity was observed in the red-yellow quadrant in the CIE color plot, whereas for the

Sunlight-Induced Photochemical Degradation of Methylene Blue by Water-Soluble Carbon Nanorods

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Anshu Bhati

2016-01-01

Full Text Available Water-soluble graphitic hollow carbon nanorods (wsCNRs are exploited for their light-driven photochemical activities under outdoor sunlight. wsCNRs were synthesized by a simple pyrolysis method from castor seed oil, without using any metal catalyst or template. wsCNRs exhibited the light-induced photochemical degradation of methylene blue used as a model pollutant by the generation of singlet oxygen species. Herein, we described a possible degradation mechanism of methylene blue under the irradiation of visible photons via the singlet oxygen-superoxide anion pathway.

Sunlight simulators-the key to understanding the physiological effects of the sun

CSIR Research Space (South Africa)

Singh, A

2006-07-01

Full Text Available simulator Slide 4 © CSIR 2006 www.csir.co.za ۞ Benefits of natural sunlight ۞ Restrictions of lifestyles ۞ Common misconceptions ۞ Experimental setups Slide 5 © CSIR 2006 www.csir.co.za Cancer Males...,043 181,439 Lung 965,241 848,132 386,891 330,786 Melanoma of skin 79,043 21,952 81,134 18,829 Breast 1,151,298 410,712 Leukemia 171,037 125,142 129,485 97,364 All sites but skin 5,801,839 3,795,991 5,060,657 2...

Prospective Out-of-ecliptic White-light Imaging of Interplanetary Corotating Interaction Regions at Solar Maximum

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Xiong, Ming; Yang, Liping; Liu, Ying D.; Keiji, Hayashi; Li, Huichao [State Key Laboratory of Space Weather, National Space Science Center, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing (China); Davies, Jackie A.; Harrison, Richard A. [RAL Space, STFC-Rutherford Appleton Laboratory, Harwell Campus, Didcot (United Kingdom); Li, Bo; Xia, Lidong, E-mail: mxiong@spacweather.ac.cn [Shandong Provincial Key Laboratory of Optical Astronomy and Solar-Terrestrial Environment, Institute of Space Sciences, Shandong University, Weihai (China)

2017-07-20

Interplanetary corotating interaction regions (CIRs) can be remotely imaged in white light (WL), as demonstrated by the Solar Mass Ejection Imager (SMEI) on board the Coriolis spacecraft and Heliospheric Imagers (HIs) on board the twin Solar TErrestrial RElations Observatory ( STEREO ) spacecraft. The interplanetary WL intensity, due to Thomson scattering of incident sunlight by free electrons, is jointly determined by the 3D distribution of electron number density and line-of-sight (LOS) weighting factors of the Thomson-scattering geometry. The 2D radiance patterns of CIRs in WL sky maps look very different from different 3D viewpoints. Because of the in-ecliptic locations of both the STEREO and Coriolis spacecraft, the longitudinal dimension of interplanetary CIRs has, up to now, always been integrated in WL imagery. To synthesize the WL radiance patterns of CIRs from an out-of-ecliptic (OOE) vantage point, we perform forward magnetohydrodynamic modeling of the 3D inner heliosphere during Carrington Rotation CR1967 at solar maximum. The mixing effects associated with viewing 3D CIRs are significantly minimized from an OOE viewpoint. Our forward modeling results demonstrate that OOE WL imaging from a latitude greater than 60° can (1) enable the garden-hose spiral morphology of CIRs to be readily resolved, (2) enable multiple coexisting CIRs to be differentiated, and (3) enable the continuous tracing of any interplanetary CIR back toward its coronal source. In particular, an OOE view in WL can reveal where nascent CIRs are formed in the extended corona and how these CIRs develop in interplanetary space. Therefore, a panoramic view from a suite of wide-field WL imagers in a solar polar orbit would be invaluable in unambiguously resolving the large-scale longitudinal structure of CIRs in the 3D inner heliosphere.

Facile synthesis of iron oxide nanoparticle and synergistic effect of iron nanoparticle in the presence of sunlight for the degradation of DOM from textile wastewater

Science.gov (United States)

Parvin, Fahmida; Nayna, Omme Kulsum; Tareq, Shafi M.; Rikta, Sharmin Yousuf; Kamal, Abdul KI

2018-05-01

This study explores the capacity of synthesized Fe2O3 nanoparticles (NPs) under sunlight for the degradation of dissolved organic matter (DOM) from synthetic (Procion blue dye) solution as well as from textile wastewater (TWW). Fe2O3 NPs were properly synthesized and confirmed by UV absorbance, FTIR spectra and SEM image analysis. Photocatalytic degradation of DOM from TWW and synthetic solution was performed by catalyst Fe2O3 NPs (5 mg/L) in the presence of solar irradiation (up to 40 h). The DOM degradation of the TWW and synthetic solution has been analyzed by fluorescence 3D excitation emission matrix (3D EEM). Synergistic effect was expected and it was found that the rate of decrease of fluorescence intensity increased with time. Within 20 h, for the synthetic solution, reduction of fluorescence intensity (80%) reaches an equilibrium. In contrast, the rate of decrease in the fluorescence intensity is highest (91%) in 40 h of irradiation for TWW. This reduction of fluorescence intensity indicates the degradation of DOM and can be expressed well by second-order model kinetics. Reduction of TOC, BOD5 and COD load again validated the degradation of DOM from TWW by catalyst Fe2O3 NPs-induced solar irradiation. We applied the treated wastewater on the plant to observe the reusability of the treated TWW, and the morphological data analysis of the plant demonstrates that the catalyst Fe2O3 NPs-induced solar-irradiated wastewater exhibits less adverse impact on plant morphology.

Erosivity under two durations of maximum rain intensities in Pelotas/RS = Erosividade sob duas durações de intensidades máximas da chuva em Pelotas - RS

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jacira Porto dos Santos

2012-04-01

Full Text Available In the Universal Equation of Soil Loss (USLE, erosivity is the factor related to rain and express its potential to cause soil erosion, being necessary to know its kinetic energy and the maximum intensities of rain in duration of 30 min. Thus, the aim of this study was to verify and quantify the impact of the rain duration, considering 15 and 30 min, on the USLE erosivity factor. To achieve this, 863 rain gauge records were used, duiring the period of 1983 to 1998 in the city of Pelotas, RS, obtained from the Agrometeorological Station - Covenant EMBRAPA/UFPel, INMET (31o51´S; 52o21´O and altitude of 13,2 m. With the records, it was estimated the erosivity values from the maximum intensities of rain during the period evaluated. The average annual values of erosivity was 2551,3 MJ ha-1 h-1 ano-1 and 1406,1 MJ ha-1 h-1 ano-1, for the average intensities of 6,40 mm h-1 and 3,74 mm h-1, in durations of 15 and 30 min, respectively. The results of this study have shown that the percentage of erosive rainfalls in relation to the total precipitation was of 91.0%, and that the erosivity was influenced by the duration of the maximum intensity of rain.= Na Equação Universal de Perdas de Solo (EUPS a erosividade é o fator relacionado à chuva e expressa o seu potencial em provocar a erosão do solo, sendo necessário que se conheça a energia cinética da mesma e as máximas intensidades da chuva na duração de 30 min. Objetivou-se com este trabalho verificar e quantificar o impacto da duração da chuva, considerando 15 e 30 min, sobre o fator erosividade da EUPS. Para tanto foram utilizados 863 registros pluviográficos de chuva, no período de 1983 a 1998 da localidade de Pelotas, RS, obtidos na Estação Agroclimatológica – Convênio EMBRAPA/UFPel, INMET (31o51´S;52o21´O e altitude de 13,2 m. Com os registros foram estimados os valores de erosividade a partir de intensidades máximas de chuva nas durações consideradas. Os valores m

On the maximum-entropy method for kinetic equation of radiation, particle and gas

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

El-Wakil, S.A.; Madkour, M.A.; Degheidy, A.R.; Machali, H.M.

1995-01-01

The maximum-entropy approach is used to calculate some problems in radiative transfer and reactor physics such as the escape probability, the emergent and transmitted intensities for a finite slab as well as the emergent intensity for a semi-infinite medium. Also, it is employed to solve problems involving spherical geometry, such as luminosity (the total energy emitted by a sphere), neutron capture probability and the albedo problem. The technique is also employed in the kinetic theory of gases to calculate the Poiseuille flow and thermal creep of a rarefied gas between two plates. Numerical calculations are achieved and compared with the published data. The comparisons demonstrate that the maximum-entropy results are good in agreement with the exact ones. (orig.)

Duty-based control of maximum power point regulation for power converter in solar fan system with battery storage

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kuo, J.-L.; Hong, P.-J. [National Kaohsiung First Univ. of Science and Technology, Nantze, Kaohsiung, Taiwan (China). Dept. of Mechanical and Automation Engineering; Chao, K.-L. [National Kaohsiung Univ. of Applied Sciences, Nantze, Kaohsiung, Taiwan (China). Dept. of Electrical Engineering; Wang, T.-Y. [Chang-Gung Univ., Kwei-Shan, Tao-Yuan, Taiwan (China). Dept. of Electrical Engineering

2007-07-01

Solar energy is a popular renewable energy source for the future because it does not produce any pollution. In addition, it is unlimited and a clean source of energy. This paper discussed a photovoltaic solar fan system that could be used inside the house with the potential of cooling the indoor temperature. The solar cell module is located at the eaves of the house and could block the sunlight directly into the house, and convert solar power into electric power through the battery. The paper described software implementation and hardware circuit design in detail. The paper also illustrated a different algorithm to calculate the maximum power point regulation. The conventional algorithm calculates the solar cell module output power by multiplying the input voltage and input current for the solar cell module directly. By changing the input voltage variable into duty variable, the voltage sensor is not required under the proposed scheme. Only the duty and current variables are needed to calculate the maximum power. The microchip dsPIC microcontroller was used to implement the algorithm. Different DC link levels were verified and implemented for comparison. It was concluded that the characteristics of the solar cell module could be measured automatically, and the maximum power point could be guaranteed by the proposed algorithm. 9 refs., 6 tabs., 14 figs.

Dispersed single-phase-step Michelson interferometer for Doppler imaging using sunlight.

Science.gov (United States)

Wan, Xiaoke; Ge, Jian

2012-09-15

A Michelson interferometer is dispersed with a fiber array-fed spectrograph, providing 59 Doppler sensing channels using sunlight in the 510-570 nm wavelength region. The interferometer operates at a single-phase-step mode, which is particularly advantageous in multiplexing and data processing compared to the phase-stepping mode of other interferometer spectrometer instruments. Spectral templates are prepared using a standard solar spectrum and simulated interferometer modulations, such that the correlation function with a measured 1D spectrum determines the Doppler shift. Doppler imaging of a rotating cylinder is demonstrated. The average Doppler sensitivity is ~12 m/s, with some channels reaching ~5 m/s.

Factors influencing adherence with therapeutic sunlight exposure in older people in intermediate care facilities.

Science.gov (United States)

Durvasula, Seeta; Sambrook, Philip N; Cameron, Ian D

2012-01-01

The purpose of this study was to investigate the factors influencing low adherence with therapeutic sunlight exposure in a randomized controlled trial conducted with older people living in intermediate care facilities. The study involved participants in the FREEDOM (Falls Risk Epidemiology: Effect of vitamin D on skeletal Outcomes and other Measures) study, a randomized controlled trial of therapeutic sun exposure to reduce falls in older people in intermediate care facilities. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with thirty participants in the FREEDOM trial, and with ten sunlight officers who were employed to facilitate the sun exposure. Two focus groups involving 10 participants in the FREEDOM trial were also held at the end of the intervention period. Common themes were derived from the interview and focus group transcripts. The study showed that the perceived health benefits did not influence adherence with the sun exposure. Factors such as socializing with others and being outdoors were more important in encouraging attendance. The main barriers to adherence included the perceived inflexibility and regimentation of daily attendance, clash with other activities, unsuitable timing and heat discomfort. This study showed that providing greater flexibility and autonomy to older people in how and when they receive sun exposure is likely to improve adherence. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Sunlight triggers cutaneous lupus through a CSF-1-dependent mechanism in MRL-Fas(lpr) mice.

Science.gov (United States)

Menke, Julia; Hsu, Mei-Yu; Byrne, Katelyn T; Lucas, Julie A; Rabacal, Whitney A; Croker, Byron P; Zong, Xiao-Hua; Stanley, E Richard; Kelley, Vicki R

2008-11-15

Sunlight (UVB) triggers cutaneous lupus erythematosus (CLE) and systemic lupus through an unknown mechanism. We tested the hypothesis that UVB triggers CLE through a CSF-1-dependent, macrophage (Mø)-mediated mechanism in MRL-Fas(lpr) mice. By constructing mutant MRL-Fas(lpr) strains expressing varying levels of CSF-1 (high, intermediate, none), and use of an ex vivo gene transfer to deliver CSF-1 intradermally, we determined that CSF-1 induces CLE in lupus-susceptible MRL-Fas(lpr) mice, but not in lupus-resistant BALB/c mice. UVB incites an increase in Møs, apoptosis in the skin, and CLE in MRL-Fas(lpr), but not in CSF-1-deficient MRL-Fas(lpr) mice. Furthermore, UVB did not induce CLE in BALB/c mice. Probing further, UVB stimulates CSF-1 expression by keratinocytes leading to recruitment and activation of Møs that, in turn, release mediators, which induce apoptosis in keratinocytes. Thus, sunlight triggers a CSF-1-dependent, Mø-mediated destructive inflammation in the skin leading to CLE in lupus-susceptible MRL-Fas(lpr) but not lupus-resistant BALB/c mice. Taken together, CSF-1 is envisioned as the match and lupus susceptibility as the tinder leading to CLE.

A subjective supply–demand model: the maximum Boltzmann/Shannon entropy solution

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Piotrowski, Edward W; Sładkowski, Jan

2009-01-01

The present authors have put forward a projective geometry model of rational trading. The expected (mean) value of the time that is necessary to strike a deal and the profit strongly depend on the strategies adopted. A frequent trader often prefers maximal profit intensity to the maximization of profit resulting from a separate transaction because the gross profit/income is the adopted/recommended benchmark. To investigate activities that have different periods of duration we define, following the queuing theory, the profit intensity as a measure of this economic category. The profit intensity in repeated trading has a unique property of attaining its maximum at a fixed point regardless of the shape of demand curves for a wide class of probability distributions of random reverse transactions (i.e. closing of the position). These conclusions remain valid for an analogous model based on supply analysis. This type of market game is often considered in research aiming at finding an algorithm that maximizes profit of a trader who negotiates prices with the Rest of the World (a collective opponent), possessing a definite and objective supply profile. Such idealization neglects the sometimes important influence of an individual trader on the demand/supply profile of the Rest of the World and in extreme cases questions the very idea of demand/supply profile. Therefore we put forward a trading model in which the demand/supply profile of the Rest of the World induces the (rational) trader to (subjectively) presume that he/she lacks (almost) all knowledge concerning the market but his/her average frequency of trade. This point of view introduces maximum entropy principles into the model and broadens the range of economic phenomena that can be perceived as a sort of thermodynamical system. As a consequence, the profit intensity has a fixed point with an astonishing connection with Fibonacci classical works and looking for the quickest algorithm for obtaining the extremum of a

A subjective supply-demand model: the maximum Boltzmann/Shannon entropy solution

Science.gov (United States)

Piotrowski, Edward W.; Sładkowski, Jan

2009-03-01

The present authors have put forward a projective geometry model of rational trading. The expected (mean) value of the time that is necessary to strike a deal and the profit strongly depend on the strategies adopted. A frequent trader often prefers maximal profit intensity to the maximization of profit resulting from a separate transaction because the gross profit/income is the adopted/recommended benchmark. To investigate activities that have different periods of duration we define, following the queuing theory, the profit intensity as a measure of this economic category. The profit intensity in repeated trading has a unique property of attaining its maximum at a fixed point regardless of the shape of demand curves for a wide class of probability distributions of random reverse transactions (i.e. closing of the position). These conclusions remain valid for an analogous model based on supply analysis. This type of market game is often considered in research aiming at finding an algorithm that maximizes profit of a trader who negotiates prices with the Rest of the World (a collective opponent), possessing a definite and objective supply profile. Such idealization neglects the sometimes important influence of an individual trader on the demand/supply profile of the Rest of the World and in extreme cases questions the very idea of demand/supply profile. Therefore we put forward a trading model in which the demand/supply profile of the Rest of the World induces the (rational) trader to (subjectively) presume that he/she lacks (almost) all knowledge concerning the market but his/her average frequency of trade. This point of view introduces maximum entropy principles into the model and broadens the range of economic phenomena that can be perceived as a sort of thermodynamical system. As a consequence, the profit intensity has a fixed point with an astonishing connection with Fibonacci classical works and looking for the quickest algorithm for obtaining the extremum of a

Asteroid thermal modeling in the presence of reflected sunlight

Science.gov (United States)

Myhrvold, Nathan

2018-03-01

A new derivation of simple asteroid thermal models is presented, investigating the need to account correctly for Kirchhoff's law of thermal radiation when IR observations contain substantial reflected sunlight. The framework applies to both the NEATM and related thermal models. A new parameterization of these models eliminates the dependence of thermal modeling on visible absolute magnitude H, which is not always available. Monte Carlo simulations are used to assess the potential impact of violating Kirchhoff's law on estimates of physical parameters such as diameter and IR albedo, with an emphasis on NEOWISE results. The NEOWISE papers use ten different models, applied to 12 different combinations of WISE data bands, in 47 different combinations. The most prevalent combinations are simulated and the accuracy of diameter estimates is found to be depend critically on the model and data band combination. In the best case of full thermal modeling of all four band the errors in an idealized model the 1σ (68.27%) confidence interval is -5% to +6%, but this combination is just 1.9% of NEOWISE results. Other combinations representing 42% of the NEOWISE results have about twice the CI at -10% to +12%, before accounting for errors due to irregular shape or other real world effects that are not simulated. The model and data band combinations found for the majority of NEOWISE results have much larger systematic and random errors. Kirchhoff's law violation by NEOWISE models leads to errors in estimation accuracy that are strongest for asteroids with W1, W2 band emissivity ɛ12 in both the lowest (0.605 ≤ɛ12 ≤ 0 . 780), and highest decile (0.969 ≤ɛ12 ≤ 0 . 988), corresponding to the highest and lowest deciles of near-IR albedo pIR. Systematic accuracy error between deciles ranges from a low of 5% to as much as 45%, and there are also differences in the random errors. Kirchhoff's law effects also produce large errors in NEOWISE estimates of pIR, particularly for high

Maximum likelihood sequence estimation for optical complex direct modulation.

Science.gov (United States)

Che, Di; Yuan, Feng; Shieh, William

2017-04-17

Semiconductor lasers are versatile optical transmitters in nature. Through the direct modulation (DM), the intensity modulation is realized by the linear mapping between the injection current and the light power, while various angle modulations are enabled by the frequency chirp. Limited by the direct detection, DM lasers used to be exploited only as 1-D (intensity or angle) transmitters by suppressing or simply ignoring the other modulation. Nevertheless, through the digital coherent detection, simultaneous intensity and angle modulations (namely, 2-D complex DM, CDM) can be realized by a single laser diode. The crucial technique of CDM is the joint demodulation of intensity and differential phase with the maximum likelihood sequence estimation (MLSE), supported by a closed-form discrete signal approximation of frequency chirp to characterize the MLSE transition probability. This paper proposes a statistical method for the transition probability to significantly enhance the accuracy of the chirp model. Using the statistical estimation, we demonstrate the first single-channel 100-Gb/s PAM-4 transmission over 1600-km fiber with only 10G-class DM lasers.

Producción de semilla de guinea (Panicum maximum Jacq. en un sistema intensivo de ceba de ganado vacuno Seed production of Guinea grass (Panicum maximum Jacq. in an intensive cattle fattening system

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

G Oquend

2008-09-01

Full Text Available En un suelo Pardo sialítico del subtipo Cambisol cálcico, localizado en la Empresa Pecuaria «Calixto García», en la provincia de Holguín, se estudio la producción de semilla de guinea (Panicum maximum Jacq. en un sistema intensivo de ceba de ganado vacuno, en condiciones de riego. Los tratamientos fueron cinco varieda­des del pasto guinea: A Común; B Likoni; C Mombasa; D Tanzania; y E Tobiatá. Los siguientes métodos se consideraron a su vez como subtratamientos: 1 Siembra con semilla gámica; 2 Plantación por macollas; y 3 Por vía de trasplante. La carga se mantuvo ajustada a 2 UGM/ha. En la producción de semillas existieron interacciones favorables entre los métodos de siembra y las variedades: semilla gámica-guinea Likoni; maco­lla-guinea Mombasa, Tanzania y Tobiatá; trasplante-guinea Común. En todo el sistema de explotación se obtuvo un aporte adicional superior a los $1 000/ha por concepto de producción de semilla, sin afectar la producción animal, en la que se obtuvieron ganancias superiores a los 800 g/animal/día y producciones pro­medio de 46 212 t de carne en pie por ciclo de ceba. Se considera factible la producción de semilla del pasto guinea en sistemas intensivos de ceba de ganado vacuno.On a sialitic Brown soil of the calcic Cambisol subtype, located at the «Calixto García» Livestock Production Enterprise, in the Holguín province, the production of Guinea grass (Panicum maximum Jacq. was studied in an intensive cattle fattening system, with irrigation. The treatments were five varieties of Guinea grass: A Common; B Likoni; C Mombasa; D Tanzania; and E Tobiatá. The following methods were considered, in turn, sub-treatments: 1 Seeding with gamic seed; 2 Planting with tillers; and 3 Transplanting. The stocking rate remained adjusted at 2 animals/ha. In seed production there were favorable interactions between the planting methods and the varieties: gamic seed-Guinea grass Likoni; tiller-Guinea grass

Sunlight-Driven Forging of Amide/Ester Bonds from Three Independent Components: An Approach to Carbamates.

Science.gov (United States)

Zhao, Yating; Huang, Binbin; Yang, Chao; Chen, Qingqing; Xia, Wujiong

2016-11-04

A photoredox catalytic route to carbamates enabled by visible irradiation (or simply sunlight) has been developed. This process leads to a novel approach to the construction of heterocyclic rings wherein the amide or ester motifs of carbamates were assembled from three isolated components. Large-scale experiments were realized by employing continuous flow techniques, and reuse of photocatalyst demonstrated the green and sustainable aspects of this method.

How diffusivity, thermocline and incident light intensity modulate the dynamics of deep chlorophyll maximum in Tyrrhenian Sea.

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Davide Valenti

Full Text Available During the last few years theoretical works have shed new light and proposed new hypotheses on the mechanisms which regulate the spatio-temporal behaviour of phytoplankton communities in marine pelagic ecosystems. Despite this, relevant physical and biological issues, such as effects of the time-dependent mixing in the upper layer, competition between groups, and dynamics of non-stationary deep chlorophyll maxima, are still open questions. In this work, we analyze the spatio-temporal behaviour of five phytoplankton populations in a real marine ecosystem by using a one-dimensional reaction-diffusion-taxis model. The study is performed, taking into account the seasonal variations of environmental variables, such as light intensity, thickness of upper mixed layer and profiles of vertical turbulent diffusivity, obtained starting from experimental findings. Theoretical distributions of phytoplankton cell concentration was converted in chlorophyll concentration, and compared with the experimental profiles measured in a site of the Tyrrhenian Sea at four different times (seasons of the year, during four different oceanographic cruises. As a result we find a good agreement between theoretical and experimental distributions of chlorophyll concentration. In particular, theoretical results reveal that the seasonal changes of environmental variables play a key role in the phytoplankton distribution and determine the properties of the deep chlorophyll maximum. This study could be extended to other marine ecosystems to predict future changes in the phytoplankton biomass due to global warming, in view of devising strategies to prevent the decline of the primary production and the consequent decrease of fish species.

Bacterial growth in humic waters exposed to UV-radiation and simulated sunlight

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Corin, N.; Backlund, P.; Wiklund, T.

1998-01-01

Sterile filtered (0.45 mu m) humic lake water was exposed to simulated sunlight (300-800 nm) or W-radiation (254 run)for various periods of times and the dissolved organic carbon content, absorbance at 254 and 460 nm and PH were recorded. The irradiated water was inoculated with a natural bacterial...... assemblage and the number of viable bacteria war estimated 3 and 5 days after the inoculation using the plate count technique. The number of viable bacteria increased with the irradiation time indicating that the chemical changes of the humus macromolecules observed during irradiation resulted...

Greenhouse Effect: Temperature of a Metal Sphere Surrounded by a Glass Shell and Heated by Sunlight

Science.gov (United States)

Nguyen, Phuc H.; Matzner, Richard A.

2012-01-01

We study the greenhouse effect on a model satellite consisting of a tungsten sphere surrounded by a thin spherical, concentric glass shell, with a small gap between the sphere and the shell. The system sits in vacuum and is heated by sunlight incident along the "z"-axis. This development is a generalization of the simple treatment of the…

Harvesting Water from Air: Using Anhydrous Salt with Sunlight

KAUST Repository

Li, Renyuan

2018-04-02

Atmospheric water is abundant alternative water resource, equivalent to 6 times of water in all rivers on Earth. This work screens 14 common anhydrous and hydrated salt couples in terms of their physical and chemical stability, water vapor harvesting and release capacity under relevant application scenarios. Among the salts screened, copper chloride (CuCl2), copper sulfate (CuSO4) and magnesium sulfate (MgSO4) distinguish themselves and are further made into bi-layer water collection devices, with the top layer being photothermal layer while the bottom layer being salt-loaded fibrous membrane. The water collection devices are capable of capturing water vapor out of the air with low relative humidity (down to 15 %) and releasing water under regular and even weakened sunlight (i.e. 0.7 kW/m2). The work shines light on the potential use of anhydrous salt towards producing drinking water in water scarce regions.

Biogeochemistry of the MAximum TURbidity Zone of Estuaries (MATURE): some conclusions

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Herman, P.M.J.; Heip, C.H.R.

1999-01-01

In this paper, we give a short overview of the activities and main results of the MAximum TURbidity Zone of Estuaries (MATURE) project. Three estuaries (Elbe, Schelde and Gironde) have been sampled intensively during a joint 1-week campaign in both 1993 and 1994. We introduce the publicly available

Fate of kelthane residues on apple pomace exposed to drying in the dark, sunlight, and ultraviolet light irradiation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Archer, T.E.; Toscano, R.A.

1972-01-01

The present investigations were undertaken to determine the fate of Kelthane residues intentionally applied to apples under controlled laboratory conditions and the reduction of these residues in the pomace by exposure to drying in the dark, in sunlight, and ultraviolet light irradiation

Type II GaSb quantum ring solar cells under concentrated sunlight.

Science.gov (United States)

Tsai, Che-Pin; Hsu, Shun-Chieh; Lin, Shih-Yen; Chang, Ching-Wen; Tu, Li-Wei; Chen, Kun-Cheng; Lay, Tsong-Sheng; Lin, Chien-Chung

2014-03-10

A type II GaSb quantum ring solar cell is fabricated and measured under the concentrated sunlight. The external quantum efficiency confirms the extended absorption from the quantum rings at long wavelength coinciding with the photoluminescence results. The short-circuit current of the quantum ring devices is 5.1% to 9.9% more than the GaAs reference's under various concentrations. While the quantum ring solar cell does not exceed its GaAs counterpart in efficiency under one-sun, the recovery of the open-circuit voltages at higher concentration helps to reverse the situation. A slightly higher efficiency (10.31% vs. 10.29%) is reported for the quantum ring device against the GaAs one.

Degradation of emerging contaminants from water under natural sunlight: The effect of season, pH, humic acids and nitrate and identification of photodegradation by-products.

Science.gov (United States)

Koumaki, Elena; Mamais, Daniel; Noutsopoulos, Constantinos; Nika, Maria-Christina; Bletsou, Anna A; Thomaidis, Nikolaos S; Eftaxias, Alexander; Stratogianni, Georgia

2015-11-01

Both photodegradation and hydrolysis of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) and endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs) were investigated in order to evaluate their photochemical fate in aquatic environment and to assess the effect of season and specific characteristics of water (pH, humic acids and nitrate concentration) on the removal of target EDCs and NSAIDs through photodegradation. An additional objective was the identification of the photodegradation by-products of specific NSAIDs and their dependence on irradiation time. Selected compounds' transformation was investigated under natural sunlight radiation while control experiments were conducted in the dark. As expected, most of compounds' degradation rate decreased with decreasing light intensity between two different experimental periods. Most of the tested compounds exhibited different rates of degradation during direct and indirect photolysis. The degradation rate of the selected compounds increased in the presence of NO3(-) and the photodegradation rate was higher for some compounds in alkaline than in acidic solution. The effect of humic acids' presence in the water depends on the absorbance spectrum of the compound and the produced photosensitizers. More specifically, humic acids act as inner filter toward most of the selected NSAIDs and as photosensitizers toward most of the EDCs. The results of the irradiation experiments in the presence of both humic acids and NO3(-), indicate that the direct photolysis is much more efficient than indirect photochemical processes. Finally, several degradation by-products of ketoprofen and diclofenac were identified in the samples, exposed to sunlight. The dependence of these by-products on radiation time is also demonstrated. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Efficacy of a dose range of simulated sunlight exposures in raising vitamin D status in South Asian adults: implications for targeted guidance on sun exposure.

Science.gov (United States)

Farrar, Mark D; Webb, Ann R; Kift, Richard; Durkin, Marie T; Allan, Donald; Herbert, Annie; Berry, Jacqueline L; Rhodes, Lesley E

2013-06-01

Vitamin D is essential for bone health, and cutaneous synthesis is an important source. South Asians cannot attain adequate amounts of vitamin D by following general recommendations on summer sunlight exposure at northerly latitudes, and increased exposure may be appropriate for improving their vitamin D status. We examined the efficacy of a dose range of simulated summer sunlight exposures in raising vitamin D status in UK adults of South Asian ethnicity. In a dose-response study, healthy adults of South Asian ethnicity (n = 60; 20-60 y old) received 1 of 6 ultraviolet exposures ranging from 0.65 to 3.9 standard erythema doses (SEDs), which were equivalent to 15-90 min unshaded noontime summer sunlight at 53.5°N (Manchester, United Kingdom), 3 times/wk for 6 wk, while wearing casual clothes that revealed a 35% skin area. Serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D [25(OH)D] was measured weekly, and dietary vitamin D was estimated. At baseline, all completing participants (n = 51) were vitamin D insufficient [25(OH)D concentrations 10 ng/mL. Targeted guidance on sunlight exposure could usefully enhance vitamin D status to avoid deficiency [25(OH)D concentration >10 ng/mL] in South Asians living at latitudes distant from the equator. This trial was registered at the ISRCTN Register (www.isrctn.org) as 07565297.

Long-term Modulation of Cosmic Ray Intensity in relation to Sunspot ...

Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

it should be more closely connected with cosmic ray modulation than with other solar characteristics (sunspot numbers or coronal emission intensity). The intensity of galactic cosmic rays varies inversely with sunspot numbers, having their maximum intensity at the minimum of the 11-year sunspot cycle (Forbush 1954, 1958) ...

Dissolved organic carbon biodegradability from thawing permafrost stimulated by sunlight rather than inorganic nitrogen

Science.gov (United States)

Liu, F.; Chen, L.; Zhang, B.; Wang, G.; Qin, S.; Yang, Y.

2017-12-01

Permafrost thaw could result in a large portion of frozen carbon being laterally transferred to aquatic ecosystems as dissolved organic carbon (DOC). During this delivery process, the size of biodegradable DOC (BDOC) determines the proportion of DOC mineralized by microorganisms and associated carbon loss to the atmosphere, which may further trigger positive carbon-climate feedback. Thermokarst is an abrupt permafrost thaw process that can enhance DOC export and also impact DOC processing through increased inorganic nitrogen (N) and sunlight exposure. However, it remains unclear how thermokarst-impacted BDOC responds to inorganic N addition and ultraviolet (UV) light irradiation. Here we explored the responses of DOC concentration, composition and its biodegradability to inorganic N and UV light in a typical thermokarst on the Tibetan Plateau, by combining field observation and laboratory incubation with spectra analyses (UV-visible absorption and three-dimensional fluorescence spectra) and parallel factor analyses. Our results showed that BDOC in thermokarst feature outflows was significantly higher than in reference water. Furthermore, inorganic N addition had no influence on thermokarst-impacted BDOC, whereas exposure to UV light significantly increased BDOC by as much as 2.3 times higher than the dark-control. Moreover, N addition and UV irradiation did not generate additive effects on BDOC. These results imply that sunlight rather than inorganic N can increase thermokarst-derived BDOC, potentially strengthening the positive permafrost carbon-climate feedback.

Interacting effects of sunlight, agriculturally derived dissolved organic matter and reactive oxygen species on fecal indicator bacteria growth dynamics

Science.gov (United States)

Bacterial survival in agriculturally impacted surface waters is dependent on resource availability and also on potential resource transformations, mediated by biotic and abiotic processes. In this study, we focused on the effect of sunlight irradiated cattle fecal extract (CFE) a...

ADEQUATE UV EXPOSURES FOR HEALTHY LIFE: IN SITU MONITORING AND MODEL CALCULATION OF THE VITAMIN-D-SYNTHETIC CAPACITY OF SUNLIGHT

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Irina Terenetskaya

2012-06-01

Full Text Available Vitamin D which is formed upon UV solar radiation in human skin is essential in many physiological functions. To estimate beneficial vitamin-D-synthetic capacity of sunlight a bio-equivalent UV dosimeter that is based on the same molecular photochemistry from which vitamin D is photosynthesized in human skin has been developed. The examples of an in situ monitoring of the vitamin-D-synthetic capacity of sunlight using an in vitro model of vitamin D synthesis are presented, and various operational principles of the UV biodosimeter are discussed. In addition, reliable algorithm is presented for direct calculation of previtamin D3 accumulation using the photoreaction mathematical model with solar UV spectra as input data. Critical dependence of previtamin D3 accumulation on cloudiness and aerosols is demonstrated.

Inactivation and mutation induction in Saccharomyces cerevisiae exposed to simulated sunlight: evaluation of action spectra.

Science.gov (United States)

Schenk-Meuser, K; Pawlowsky, K; Kiefer, J

1992-07-15

The effectiveness of polychromatic light irradiation was investigated for haploid yeast cells. Inactivation and mutation induction were measured in both a RAD-wildtype strain and an excision-repair defective strain. The behaviour of vegetative "wet" cells was compared to that of dehydrated cells. The aim of the study was to assess the interaction of UVC with other wavelengths in cells of different states of humidity. The irradiation procedure was therefore carried out using a solar simulator either with full spectrum or with a UVC-blocking filter (modified sunlight) added. The results were analysed on the basis of separately determined action spectra. The summation of the efficiency of individual wavelengths was compared to the values obtained from polychromatic irradiation. It is shown that the effects caused by the whole-spectrum irradiation in wet cells can be predicted sufficiently from the calculation, while dried wildtype cells exhibit higher mutation rates. Thus it can be assumed that drying-specific damage leads to lethal and mutagenic lesions which are processed in different ways, causing a synergistic behaviour in mutation induction. Irradiation of vegetative cells with modified sunlight (UVC-) results in less inactivation and lower mutation rates than were calculated. From these results it can be concluded that this antagonistic behaviour is caused by the interaction of near-UV photoproducts.

76 FR 50493 - Notice of Availability of the Record of Decision for the Desert Sunlight Holdings, LLC, Desert...

Science.gov (United States)

2011-08-15

... DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR Bureau of Land Management [CACA-48649, LLCAD06000 L51010000 ER0000... right-of-way (ROW) application CACA-48649 for the Desert Sunlight Solar Farm Project (DSSF). The DSSF is... (CACA-052682) where the project would interconnect with the SCE regional transmission system. The DSSF...

On the apparent velocity of integrated sunlight. I - 1983-1985

Science.gov (United States)

Deming, Drake; Espenak, Fred; Jennings, Donald E.; Brault, James W.; Wagner, Jeremy

1987-01-01

Frequency measurements for the Delta V = 2 transitions of CO in the integrated light spectrum of the sun are presented. The nature and magnitude of systematic errors which typically arise in absolute velocity measurements of integrated sunlight are explored in some detail, and measurements believed accurate at the level of about 5 m/s or less are presented. It is found that the integrated light velocity varies by about 3 m/s or less over a one-day period. Over the long term, the data indicate an increasing blue-shift in these weak infrared lines amounting to 30 m/s from 1983 to 1985. The sense of the drift is consistent with a lessening in the magnetic inhibition of granular convection at solar minimum. Such an effect has implications for the spectroscopic detectability of planetary-mass companions to solar-type stars.

76 FR 62052 - Issuance of a Loan Guarantee to First Solar, Inc., for the Desert Sunlight Solar Farm Project

Science.gov (United States)

2011-10-06

... DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY Issuance of a Loan Guarantee to First Solar, Inc., for the Desert Sunlight Solar Farm Project AGENCY: U.S. Department of Energy. ACTION: Record of decision. SUMMARY: The U.S... The proposed DSSFP is a photovoltaic solar electrical generating facility using commercial, thin-film...

Degradation of 4-Chlorophenol Under Sunlight Using ZnO Nanoparticles as Catalysts

Science.gov (United States)

Rajar, Kausar; Sirajuddin; Balouch, Aamna; Bhanger, M. I.; Sherazi, Tufail H.; Kumar, Raj

2018-03-01

Herein we demonstrate a simplistic microwave assisted chemical precipitation approach regarding the synthesis of zinc oxide nanoparticles. As-prepared ZnO nanoparticles (NPs) were characterized by UV-visible spectroscopy, Fourier transform infra-red spectroscopy, atomic force microscopy and x-ray diffractometry and scrutinized as photo-catalysts for degradation of 4-chlorophenol (4-CP) under sunlight. The study substantiated that 98.5% of 4-CP was degraded within 20 min in the absence of initiator like H2O2 which reflects an outstanding prospective use for ZnO NPs as photo-catalysts. The nanocatalysts were recycled four times and still showed catalytic efficiency up to 95.5% for degradation of 4-CP in the specified 20 min.

Diagnostic performance of three-dimensional MR maximum intensity projection for the assessment of synovitis of the hand and wrist in rheumatoid arthritis: A pilot study

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Li, Xubin, E-mail: lixb@bjmu.edu.cn [Department of Radiology, Tianjin Medical University Cancer Institute and Hospital, National Clinical Reseaech Center for Cancer, Tianjin, Key Laboratory of Cancer Prevention and Therapy, Tianjin 300060 (China); Liu, Xia; Du, Xiangke [Department of Radiology, Peking University People' s Hospital, Beijing 100044 (China); Ye, Zhaoxiang [Department of Radiology, Tianjin Medical University Cancer Institute and Hospital, National Clinical Reseaech Center for Cancer, Tianjin, Key Laboratory of Cancer Prevention and Therapy, Tianjin 300060 (China)

2014-05-15

Purpose: To evaluate the diagnostic performance of three-dimensional (3D) MR maximum intensity projection (MIP) in the assessment of synovitis of the hand and wrist in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) compared to 3D contrast-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging (CE-MRI). Materials and methods: Twenty-five patients with RA underwent MR examinations. 3D MR MIP images were derived from the enhanced images. MR images were reviewed by two radiologists for the presence and location of synovitis of the hand and wrist. The diagnostic sensitivity, specificity and accuracy of 3D MIP were, respectively, calculated with the reference standard 3D CE-MRI. Results: In all subjects, 3D MIP images yielded directly and clearly the presence and location of synovitis with just one image. Synovitis demonstrated high signal intensity on MIP images. The k-values for the detection of articular synovitis indicated excellent interobserver agreements using 3D MIP images (k = 0.87) and CE-MR images (k = 0.91), respectively. 3D MIP demonstrated a sensitivity, specificity and accuracy of 91.07%, 98.57% and 96.0%, respectively, for the detection of synonitis. Conclusion: 3D MIP can provide a whole overview of lesion locations and a reliable diagnostic performance in the assessment of articular synovitis of the hand and wrist in patients with RA, which has potential value of clinical practice.

A comprehensive investigation of tetragonal Gd-doped BiVO{sub 4} with enhanced photocatalytic performance under sun-light

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Luo, Yangyang; Tan, Guoqiang, E-mail: tan3114@163.com; Dong, Guohua; Ren, Huijun; Xia, Ao

2016-02-28

Graphical abstract: - Highlights: • Tetragonal Gd-BiVO{sub 4} with enhanced photocatalytic activity was synthesized. • Gd doping can induce the phase transition from monoclinic to tetragonal BiVO{sub 4}. • GdVO{sub 4} seeds as crystal nucleus dominate the formation of tetragonal Gd-BiVO{sub 4}. • Tetragonal Gd-BiVO{sub 4} exhibits the excellent separation of electrons and holes. • The contribution of high photocatalytic activity under sun-light is from UV-light. - Abstract: Tetragonal Gd-doped BiVO{sub 4} having enhanced photocatalytic activity have been synthesized by a facile microwave hydrothermal method. The structural analysis indicates that Gd doping can induce the phase transition from monoclinic to tetragonal BiVO{sub 4}. The reaction results in precursor solutions imply that tetragonal GdVO{sub 4} seeds as crystal nucleus are the original and determined incentives to force the formation of tetragonal Gd-BiVO{sub 4}. The influences of the surface defect, band structure, and BET surface area on the improved photocatalytic activities of tetragonal Gd-doped BiVO{sub 4} are investigated systematically. The results demonstrate that the more surface oxygen deficiencies as active sites and the excellent mobility and separation of photogenerated electrons and holes are beneficial to the enhancement of the photocatalytic performance of tetragonal Gd-BiVO{sub 4}. The RhB photodegradation experiments indicate that the contribution of high photocatalytic activities under simulated sun-light is mainly from UV-light region due to the tetragonal structure feature. The best photocatalytic performance is obtained for tetragonal 10 at% Gd-BiVO{sub 4}, of which the RhB degradation rate can reach to 96% after 120 min simulated sun-light irradiation. The stable tetragonal Gd-BiVO{sub 4} with efficient mineralization will be a promising photocatalytic material applied in water purification.

Solar cycle variations in IMF intensity

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

King, J.H.

1979-01-01

Annual averages of logarithms of hourly interplanetary magnetic field (IMF) intensities, obtained from geocentric spacecraft between November 1963 and December 1977, reveal the following solar cycle variation. For 2--3 years at each solar minimum period, the IMF intensity is depressed by 10--15% relative to its mean value realized during a broad 9-year period contered at solar maximum. No systematic variations occur during this 9-year period. The solar minimum decrease, although small in relation to variations in some other solar wind parameters, is both statistically and physically significant

Molecular and sensory mechanisms to mitigate sunlight-induced DNA damage in treefrog tadpoles.

Science.gov (United States)

Schuch, André P; Lipinski, Victor M; Santos, Mauricio B; Santos, Caroline P; Jardim, Sinara S; Cechin, Sonia Z; Loreto, Elgion L S

2015-10-01

The increased incidence of solar ultraviolet B (UVB) radiation has been proposed as an environmental stressor, which may help to explain the enigmatic decline of amphibian populations worldwide. Despite growing knowledge regarding the UV-induced biological effects in several amphibian models, little is known about the efficacy of DNA repair pathways. In addition, little attention has been given to the interplay between these molecular mechanisms with other physiological strategies that avoid the damage induced by sunlight. Here, DNA lesions induced by environmental doses of solar UVB and UVA radiation were detected in genomic DNA samples of treefrog tadpoles (Hypsiboas pulchellus) and their DNA repair activity was evaluated. These data were complemented by monitoring the induction of apoptosis in blood cells and tadpole survival. Furthermore, the tadpoles' ability to perceive and escape from UV wavelengths was evaluated as an additional strategy of photoprotection. The results show that tadpoles are very sensitive to UVB light, which could be explained by the slow DNA repair rates for both cyclobutane pyrimidine dimers (CPDs) and pyrimidine (6,4) pyrimidone photoproducts (6,4PPs). However, they were resistant to UVA, probably as a result of the activation of photolyases during UVA irradiation. Surprisingly, a sensory mechanism that triggers their escape from UVB and UVA light avoids the generation of DNA damage and helps to maintain the genomic integrity. This work demonstrates the genotoxic impact of both UVB and UVA radiation on tadpoles and emphasizes the importance of the interplay between molecular and sensory mechanisms to minimize the damage caused by sunlight. © 2015. Published by The Company of Biologists Ltd.

Radiation pressure acceleration: The factors limiting maximum attainable ion energy

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Bulanov, S. S.; Esarey, E.; Schroeder, C. B. [Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, California 94720 (United States); Bulanov, S. V. [KPSI, National Institutes for Quantum and Radiological Science and Technology, Kizugawa, Kyoto 619-0215 (Japan); A. M. Prokhorov Institute of General Physics RAS, Moscow 119991 (Russian Federation); Esirkepov, T. Zh.; Kando, M. [KPSI, National Institutes for Quantum and Radiological Science and Technology, Kizugawa, Kyoto 619-0215 (Japan); Pegoraro, F. [Physics Department, University of Pisa and Istituto Nazionale di Ottica, CNR, Pisa 56127 (Italy); Leemans, W. P. [Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, California 94720 (United States); Physics Department, University of California, Berkeley, California 94720 (United States)

2016-05-15

Radiation pressure acceleration (RPA) is a highly efficient mechanism of laser-driven ion acceleration, with near complete transfer of the laser energy to the ions in the relativistic regime. However, there is a fundamental limit on the maximum attainable ion energy, which is determined by the group velocity of the laser. The tightly focused laser pulses have group velocities smaller than the vacuum light speed, and, since they offer the high intensity needed for the RPA regime, it is plausible that group velocity effects would manifest themselves in the experiments involving tightly focused pulses and thin foils. However, in this case, finite spot size effects are important, and another limiting factor, the transverse expansion of the target, may dominate over the group velocity effect. As the laser pulse diffracts after passing the focus, the target expands accordingly due to the transverse intensity profile of the laser. Due to this expansion, the areal density of the target decreases, making it transparent for radiation and effectively terminating the acceleration. The off-normal incidence of the laser on the target, due either to the experimental setup, or to the deformation of the target, will also lead to establishing a limit on maximum ion energy.

Multidetector computed tomography of the head in acute stroke: predictive value of different patterns of the dense artery sign revealed by maximum intensity projection reformations for location and extent of the infarcted area

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Gadda, Davide; Vannucchi, Letizia; Niccolai, Franco; Neri, Anna T.; Carmignani, Luca; Pacini, Patrizio [Ospedale del Ceppo, U.O. Radiodiagnostica, Pistoia (Italy)

2005-12-01

Maximum intensity projections reconstructions from 2.5 mm unenhanced multidetector computed tomography axial slices were obtained from 49 patients within the first 6 h of anterior-circulation cerebral strokes to identify different patterns of the dense artery sign and their prognostic implications for location and extent of the infarcted areas. The dense artery sign was found in 67.3% of cases. Increased density of the whole M1 segment with extension to M2 of the middle cerebral artery was associated with a wider extension of cerebral infarcts in comparison to M1 segment alone or distal M1 and M2. A dense sylvian branch of the middle cerebral artery pattern was associated with a more restricted extension of infarct territory. We found 62.5% of patients without a demonstrable dense artery to have a limited peripheral cortical or capsulonuclear lesion. In patients with a 7-10 points on the Alberta Stroke Early Programme Computed Tomography Score and a dense proximal MCA in the first hours of ictus the mean decrease in the score between baseline and follow-up was 5.09{+-}1.92 points. In conclusion, maximum intensity projections from thin-slice images can be quickly obtained from standard computed tomography datasets using a multidetector scanner and are useful in identifying and correctly localizing the dense artery sign, with prognostic implications for the entity of cerebral damage. (orig.)

Fluorescence intensity dependence on the propagation plane inclination

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Fernandez, J.E.; Rubio, Marcelo; Sanchez, H. J.

1987-01-01

An experimental confirmation of the fluorescence intensity behaviour with the inclination of the propagation plane (α angle) was carried out. A special angular sample-holder was developed and set up on our X-ray spectrometer. This sample-holder allows different positions of irradiation of the sample modifying the α angle until the maximum angle (α Μ ) is reached in the limit situation. In this work, this maximum angle was 86 deg and the incidence and take off angles were both 45 deg. The sample-holder and the collimation system were carefully lined up. The fluorescent spectra of three National Bureau of Standards (NBS) standard samples were taken for sixteen different α angle positions. The theoretical scheme for both enhanced fluorescent lines and nonenhanced fluorescent lines was confirmed, i.e. the invariance of the primary intensity with the α angle and the decline of the enhanced fluorescence intensities under the same conditions. This experimental confirmation agrees with theoretical prediction: the vanishing of the secondary fluorescence in the extreme case α = π/2. (Author) [es

Simultaneous reconstruction, segmentation, and edge enhancement of relatively piecewise continuous images with intensity-level information

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Liang, Z.; Jaszczak, R.; Coleman, R.; Johnson, V.

1991-01-01

A multinomial image model is proposed which uses intensity-level information for reconstruction of contiguous image regions. The intensity-level information assumes that image intensities are relatively constant within contiguous regions over the image-pixel array and that intensity levels of these regions are determined either empirically or theoretically by information criteria. These conditions may be valid, for example, for cardiac blood-pool imaging, where the intensity levels (or radionuclide activities) of myocardium, blood-pool, and background regions are distinct and the activities within each region of muscle, blood, or background are relatively uniform. To test the model, a mathematical phantom over a 64x64 array was constructed. The phantom had three contiguous regions. Each region had a different intensity level. Measurements from the phantom were simulated using an emission-tomography geometry. Fifty projections were generated over 180 degree, with 64 equally spaced parallel rays per projection. Projection data were randomized to contain Poisson noise. Image reconstructions were performed using an iterative maximum a posteriori probability procedure. The contiguous regions corresponding to the three intensity levels were automatically segmented. Simultaneously, the edges of the regions were sharpened. Noise in the reconstructed images was significantly suppressed. Convergence of the iterative procedure to the phantom was observed. Compared with maximum likelihood and filtered-backprojection approaches, the results obtained using the maximum a posteriori probability with the intensity-level information demonstrated qualitative and quantitative improvement in localizing the regions of varying intensities

Design and Implementation of Photovoltaic Maximum Power Point Tracking Controller

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Fawaz S. Abdullah

2018-03-01

Full Text Available  The power supplied by any solar array depends upon the environmental conditions as weather conditions (temperature and radiation intensity and the incident angle of the radiant source. The work aims to study the maximum power tracking schemes that used to compare the system performance without and with different types of controllers. The maximum power points of the solar panel under test studied and compared with two controller's types.  The first controller is the proportional- integral - derivative controller type and the second is the perturbation and observation algorithm controller. The associated converter system is a microcontroller based type, whereas the results studied and compared of greatest power point of the Photovoltaic panels under the different two controllers. The experimental tests results compared with simulation results to verify accurate performance.

Aromatic/heterocyclic amino acids and the simulated sunlight-ultraviolet inactivation of the Heliothis/Helicoverpa baculovirus

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ignoffo, C.M.; Garcia, C.

1995-01-01

Tryptophan, of five aromatic/heterocyclic amino acids (tyrosine, phenylalanine, proline, histidine) provided significant protection of the Heliothis baculovirus (HzSNPV) from inactivation by simulated ultraviolet (SUV). Fifty percent of SUV protection of HzSNPV with tryptophan or tyrosine was obtained at 0.03 mg/ml and 0.5 mg/ml, respectively. Rates as high as 100.0 mg/ml of phenylalanine, histidine, or proline provided <50% protection. The extent of tryptophan protection was correlated with its absorption in the sunlight UV-B spectra. 16 refs., 2 tabs

Leaf area index estimation in a pine plantation with LAI-2000 under direct sunlight conditions: relationship with inventory and hydrologic variables; Estimacion del indice de area foliar en pinares de repolacion con LAI-2000 bajo radiacion solar directa: relacion con variables de inventario e hidrologicas

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Molina, A.; Campo, A. D. del

2011-07-01

LAI is a key factor in light and rainfall interception processes in forest stands and, for this reason, is called to play an important role in global change adaptive silviculture. Therefore, it is necessary to develop practical and operative methodologies to measure this parameter as well as simple relationships with other silviculture variables. This work has studied 1) the feasibility of LAI-2000 sensor in estimating LAI-stand when readings are taken under direct sunlight conditions; and 2) the ability of LAI in studying rainfall partitioned into throughfall (T) in an Aleppo pine stand after different thinning intensities, as well as its relationships to basal area, (G), cover (FCC), and tree density (D). Results showed that the angular correction scheme applied to LAI-2000 direct-sunlight readings stabilized them for different solar angles, allowing a better operational use of LAI-2000 in Mediterranean areas, where uniform overcast conditions are difficult to meet and predict. Forest cover showed the highest predictive ability of LAI (R{sup 2} = 0.98; S = 0.28), then G (R{sup 2} = 0.96; S = 0.43) and D (R{sup 2} = 0.50; S = 0.28). In the hydrological plane, T increased with thinning intensity, being G the most explanatory variable (R{sup 2} = 0.81; S = 3.07) and LAI the one that showed the poorest relation with it (R{sup 2} = 0.69; S = 3.95). These results open a way for forest hydrologic modeling taking LAI as an input variable either estimated form LAI-2000 or deducted from inventory data. (Author) 36 refs.

Preservation of glutamic acid-iron chelate into montmorillonite to efficiently degrade Reactive Blue 19 in a Fenton system under sunlight irradiation at neutral pH

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Huang, Zhujian [College of Natural Resources and Environment, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou 510642 (China); Wu, Pingxiao, E-mail: pppxwu@scut.edu.cn [School of Environment and Energy, South China University of Technology, Guangzhou Higher Education Mega Centre, Guangzhou 510006 (China); The Key Lab of Pollution Control and Ecosystem Restoration in Industry Clusters, Ministry of Education, Guangzhou 510006 (China); Gong, Beini; Yang, Shanshan; Li, Hailing [School of Environment and Energy, South China University of Technology, Guangzhou Higher Education Mega Centre, Guangzhou 510006 (China); Zhu, Ziao; Cui, Lihua [College of Natural Resources and Environment, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou 510642 (China)

2016-05-01

Graphical abstract: - Highlights: • G–Fe chelate molecules were well preserved into montmorillonite. • The product shows an excellent catalytic activity under sunlight at neutral pH value. • G–Fe–Mt is a promising catalyst for advanced oxidation processes. - Abstract: To further enhance the visible light responsive property and the chemical stability of Fe/clay mineral catalysts, glutamic acid-iron chelate intercalated montmorillonite (G–Fe–Mt) was developed. The physiochemical properties of G–Fe–Mt were investigated by X-ray diffraction (XRD), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), UV–vis diffuse reflectance spectroscopy (DRS), etc. The results showed that glutamic acid-iron chelates were successfully intercalated into the gallery of montmorillonite and the intercalated glutamic acid-iron chelate molecules were well preserved. The product G–Fe–Mt displayed excellent catalytic performance in heterogeneous photo-Fenton reaction under sunlight irradiation at acidic and neutral pH values. The chelation and the visible light responsiveness of glutamic acid produce a synergistic effect leading to greatly enhanced sunlight-Fenton reaction catalyzed by the heterogeneous G–Fe–Mt under neutral pH. G–Fe–Mt is a promising catalyst for advanced oxidation processes.

A Method of Estimating Pressure and Intensity Distributions of Multielement Phased Array High Intensity Focused Ultrasonic Field at Full Power Using a Needle Hydrophone

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yu Ying; Shen Guofeng; Bai Jingfeng; Chen Yazhu

2011-01-01

The pressure and intensity distribution of high intensity focused ultrasound (HIFU) fields at full power are critical for predicting heating patterns and ensuring safety of the therapy. With the limitations of maximum pressure at the hydrophone and damage from cavitation or thermal effects, it is hard to measure pressure and intensity directly when HIFU is at full power. HIFU-phased arrays are usually composed of large numbers of small elements and the sound power radiated from some of them at full power is measureable using a hydrophone, we grouped them based on the limitation of maximum permissible pressure at the hydrophone and the characteristics of the element arrangement in the array. Then sound field measurement of the group was carried out at full power level. Using the acoustic coherence principle, the pressure and intensity distribution of the array at full power level can be calculated from corresponding values from the groups. With this method, computer simulations and sound field measurement of a 65-element concentric distributed phased array was carried out. The simulation results demonstrate theoretically the feasibility of this method. Measurements on the 65-element phased array also verify the effectiveness of this method for estimating the pressure and intensity distribution of phased array at full power level using a needle hydrophone.

[Environmental noise levels in 2 intensive care units in a tertiary care centre].

Science.gov (United States)

Ornelas-Aguirre, José Manuel; Zárate-Coronado, Olivia; Gaxiola-González, Fabiola; Neyoy-Sombra, Venigna

2017-04-03

The World Health Organisation (WHO) has established a maximum noise level of 40 decibels (dB) for an intensive care unit. The aim of this study was to compare the noise levels in 2 different intensive care units at a tertiary care centre. Using a cross-sectional design study, an analysis was made of the maximum noise level was within the intensive coronary care unit and intensive care unit using a digital meter. A measurement was made in 4 different points of each room, with 5minute intervals, for a period of 60minutes 7:30, 14:30, and 20:30. The means of the observations were compared with descriptive statistics and Mann-Whitney U. An analysis with Kruskal-Wallis test was performed to the mean noise level. The noise observed in the intensive care unit had a mean of 64.77±3.33dB (P=.08), which was similar to that in the intensive coronary care unit, with a mean of 60.20±1.58dB (P=.129). Around 25% or more of the measurements exceeded the level recommended by the WHO by up to 20 points. Noise levels measured in intensive care wards exceed the maximum recommended level for a hospital. It is necessary to design and implement actions for greater participation of health personnel in the reduction of environmental noise. Copyright © 2017 Instituto Nacional de Cardiología Ignacio Chávez. Publicado por Masson Doyma México S.A. All rights reserved.

An integrated effect of protein intake at breakfast and morning exposure to sunlight on the circadian typology in Japanese infants aged 2-6 years.

Science.gov (United States)

Nakade, Miyo; Takeuchi, Hitomi; Taniwaki, Nozomi; Noji, Teruki; Harada, Tetsuo

2009-09-01

Tryptophan (Trp) intake at breakfast promotes morning-typed circadian typology and higher sleep quality in Japanese children aged 0-6 yrs (Harada et al., 2007). This effect may be accelerated by morning exposure to sunlight, which has not yet been tested. This study aimed to investigate such an effect in Japanese children. In May, 2006, an integrated questionnaire was administered to 0-6-year-old children attending one of 12 kindergartens. 906 parents answered the questionnaire for their children and themselves (response rate: 67.4%). The integrated questionnaire included the revised version for children of the Morningness-Eveningness (M-E) Questionnaire and questions on sleep, nutritional balance, mental health, and sunlight exposure. Analysis was made on data from 744 children aged 2-6 (385 girls, 359 boys) whose average M-E score was 20.6+/-3.46. Children who had breakfast at regular times tended to be more morning-typed and were less frequently angry (p=0.001) and depressed (p=0.007). Children who had nutritionally well-balanced breakfasts tended to be more morning-typed (pbreakfast might be a strong zeitgeber for circadian oscillators of children, and the morning-type driving effect of protein intake could be accelerated by morning exposure to sunlight.

Thermal assessment of sunlight impinging on OSIRIS-REx OCAMS PolyCam, OTES, and IMU-sunshade MLI blankets in flight

Science.gov (United States)

Choi, Michael K.

2017-09-01

The NASA Origins, Spectral Interpretation, Resource Identification, Security, Regolith Explorer (OSIRIS-REx) spacecraft was successfully launched into orbit on September 8, 2016. It is traveling to a near-Earth asteroid (101955) Bennu, study it in detail, and bring back a pristine sample to Earth for scientific analyses. At the Outbound Cruise nominal spacecraft attitude, with Sun on +X, sunlight impinges on the OSIRIS-REx camera suite (OCAMS) PolyCam sunshade multilayer insulation (MLI) with microporous black polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE), a portion of the PolyCam optics support tube (MLI with germanium black Kapton (GBK)), a portion of the OSIRIS-REx Thermal Emission Spectrometer (OTES) sunshade (MLI with GBK), the Inertia Measurement Unit (IMU) sunshade (MLI with GBK), and the OSIRIS-REx Laser Altimeter (OLA) sunshade (MLI with GBK). Sunlight is reflected or scattered by the above MLIs to the other components on the forward (+Z) deck. It illuminates the forward deck. A detailed thermal assessment on the solar impingement has been performed for the Proximity Ops at the asteroid, Touch-and-Go sample acquisition, and Return Cruise mission phases.

Evidence for three types of x-ray damage repair in yeast and sensitivity of totally repair deficient strains to sunlight

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Game, J.C.; Schild, D.; Mortimer, R.K.

1987-01-01

Mutants of yeast that confer sensitivity to x-rays are known to fall into two epistasis groups, called here the RAD51 and RAD18 groups, which are each thought to control a different type of x-ray repair. They examine here the role of genes in a third repair pathways in x-ray repair. RAD1 and RAD3 are known to be important in the repair of pyrimidine dimers after uv-irradiation. They find that these genes can also play an important role in x-ray repair, but that this role is only exposed when both the other pathways of x-ray repair are blocked. Double mutants blocked in the RAD51 and RAD18 pathways are significantly less x-ray sensitive than triple mutants blocked in these pathways but also mutant in either the RAD1 or RAD3 genes. In a related experiment, they tested the importance of DNA repair in nature by determining the sensitivity to natural unfiltered sunlight of a strain lacking all known DNA repair pathways. They constructed a quadruple mutant strain containing RAD1-1, RAD18-2, RAD51-1 and PHR1-1. The latter mutation blocks the cell's ability to photoreactivate uv damage. They found that this strain was so sensitive to sunlight that less than three seconds' exposure would cause an average of one lethal hit per cell, and survival was less than 2% after ten seconds' exposure. Wild type yeast at sea level showed no killing after thirty minutes. the quadruple mutant is approximately one thousand times more sensitive to sunlight than the related wild type

Sunlight Triggers Cutaneous Lupus through a Colony Stimulating Factor-1 (CSF-1) Dependent Mechanism in MRL-Faslpr mice

Science.gov (United States)

Menke, Julia; Hsu, Mei-Yu; Byrne, Katelyn T.; Lucas, Julie A.; Rabacal, Whitney A.; Croker, Byron P.; Zong, Xiao-Hua; Stanley, E. Richard; Kelley, Vicki R.

2008-01-01

Sunlight (UVB) triggers cutaneous (CLE) and systemic lupus through an unknown mechanism. We tested the hypothesis that UVB triggers CLE through a CSF-1-dependent, macrophage (Mø) -mediated mechanism in MRL-Faslpr mice. By constructing mutant MRL-Faslpr strains expressing varying levels of CSF-1 (high, intermediate, none), and use of an ex-vivo gene transfer to deliver CSF-1 intra-dermally, we determined that CSF-1 induces CLE in lupus-susceptible, MRL-Faslpr mice, but not in lupus-resistant, BALB/c mice. Notably, UVB incites an increase in Mø, apoptosis in the skin and CLE in MRL-Faslpr, but not in CSF-1-deficient MRL-Faslpr mice. Furthermore, UVB did not induce CLE in BALB/c mice. Probing further, UVB stimulates CSF-1 expression by keratinocytes leading to recruitment and activation of Mø that, in turn, release mediators, which induce apoptosis in keratinocytes. Thus, sunlight triggers a CSF-1-dependent, Mø-mediated destructive inflammation in the skin leading to CLE in lupus-susceptible MRL-Faslpr, but not lupus-resistant BALB/c mice. Taken together, we envision CSF-1 as the “match” and lupus-susceptibility as the “tinder” leading to CLE. PMID:18981160

Pengaruh Suhu Terhadap Tegangan Permukaan Sabun Cuci Piring Cair Buatan Sendiri, Sunlight, Dan S.O.S

OpenAIRE

Siahaan, Okio Patar

2011-01-01

The effect of temperature on the surface tension of homemade liquid dish soap, Sunlight, and SOS was carried out. The temperatures was variated 280C(without heating), 300C, 400C and 500C. The homemade liquid dish soap was prepared by using an active ingredients. The active ingredient of the liquid dishwashing soap were sodium lauryl ether sulphate, sodium alkyl benzene sulfonate, and sodium lauril ether sulfate, respectively. The determination of surface tension was based the increasing of t...

Approximate maximum parsimony and ancestral maximum likelihood.

Science.gov (United States)

Alon, Noga; Chor, Benny; Pardi, Fabio; Rapoport, Anat

2010-01-01

We explore the maximum parsimony (MP) and ancestral maximum likelihood (AML) criteria in phylogenetic tree reconstruction. Both problems are NP-hard, so we seek approximate solutions. We formulate the two problems as Steiner tree problems under appropriate distances. The gist of our approach is the succinct characterization of Steiner trees for a small number of leaves for the two distances. This enables the use of known Steiner tree approximation algorithms. The approach leads to a 16/9 approximation ratio for AML and asymptotically to a 1.55 approximation ratio for MP.

Estimated intake of intense sweeteners from non-alcoholic beverages in Denmark, 2005

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Leth, Torben; Jensen, U.; Fagt, Sisse

2008-01-01

In 2005, 76 out of 177 analysed samples of non-alcoholic beverages were found to contain the intense sweeteners cyclamate, acesulfame-K, aspartame, and saccharin. The content of cyclamate did not exceed the now permitted maximum level in the European Union of 250 mg l(-1) in soft drinks. The esti......In 2005, 76 out of 177 analysed samples of non-alcoholic beverages were found to contain the intense sweeteners cyclamate, acesulfame-K, aspartame, and saccharin. The content of cyclamate did not exceed the now permitted maximum level in the European Union of 250 mg l(-1) in soft drinks...

Maximum likelihood as a common computational framework in tomotherapy

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Olivera, G.H.; Shepard, D.M.; Reckwerdt, P.J.; Ruchala, K.; Zachman, J.; Fitchard, E.E.; Mackie, T.R.

1998-01-01

Tomotherapy is a dose delivery technique using helical or axial intensity modulated beams. One of the strengths of the tomotherapy concept is that it can incorporate a number of processes into a single piece of equipment. These processes include treatment optimization planning, dose reconstruction and kilovoltage/megavoltage image reconstruction. A common computational technique that could be used for all of these processes would be very appealing. The maximum likelihood estimator, originally developed for emission tomography, can serve as a useful tool in imaging and radiotherapy. We believe that this approach can play an important role in the processes of optimization planning, dose reconstruction and kilovoltage and/or megavoltage image reconstruction. These processes involve computations that require comparable physical methods. They are also based on equivalent assumptions, and they have similar mathematical solutions. As a result, the maximum likelihood approach is able to provide a common framework for all three of these computational problems. We will demonstrate how maximum likelihood methods can be applied to optimization planning, dose reconstruction and megavoltage image reconstruction in tomotherapy. Results for planning optimization, dose reconstruction and megavoltage image reconstruction will be presented. Strengths and weaknesses of the methodology are analysed. Future directions for this work are also suggested. (author)

Fixed-head star tracker magnitude calibration on the solar maximum mission

Science.gov (United States)

Pitone, Daniel S.; Twambly, B. J.; Eudell, A. H.; Roberts, D. A.

1990-01-01

The sensitivity of the fixed-head star trackers (FHSTs) on the Solar Maximum Mission (SMM) is defined as the accuracy of the electronic response to the magnitude of a star in the sensor field-of-view, which is measured as intensity in volts. To identify stars during attitude determination and control processes, a transformation equation is required to convert from star intensity in volts to units of magnitude and vice versa. To maintain high accuracy standards, this transformation is calibrated frequently. A sensitivity index is defined as the observed intensity in volts divided by the predicted intensity in volts; thus, the sensitivity index is a measure of the accuracy of the calibration. Using the sensitivity index, analysis is presented that compares the strengths and weaknesses of two possible transformation equations. The effect on the transformation equations of variables, such as position in the sensor field-of-view, star color, and star magnitude, is investigated. In addition, results are given that evaluate the aging process of each sensor. The results in this work can be used by future missions as an aid to employing data from star cameras as effectively as possible.

Azo dyes degradation using TiO2-Pt/graphene oxide and TiO2-Pt/reduced graphene oxide photocatalysts under UV and natural sunlight irradiation

Science.gov (United States)

Rosu, Marcela-Corina; Coros, Maria; Pogacean, Florina; Magerusan, Lidia; Socaci, Crina; Turza, Alexandru; Pruneanu, Stela

2017-08-01

The photocatalytic degradation of azo dyes with different structures (amaranth, sunset yellow and tartrazine) using TiO2-Pt nanoparticles (TPt), TiO2-Pt/graphene oxide (TPt-GO) and TiO2-Pt/reduced graphene oxide (TPt-rGO) composites were investigated in the presence of UV and natural sunlight irradiation. The composites were prepared by a combined chemical-thermal method and characterized by Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM), X-ray powder diffraction (XRD), Infrared (FTIR) and UV-Vis spectroscopy. The modification of TiO2-Pt with graphene oxide shifted its optical absorption edge towards the visible region and increased its photocatalytic activity under UV and natural sunlight irradiation. The efficiency of catalysts on azo dyes degradation (in similar conditions) reached high values (above 99%) under sunlight conditions, proving the remarkable photocatalytic activities of obtained composites. TPt-GO nanocomposite exhibited higher photoactivity than TPt or TPt-rGO, demonstrating degradation efficiencies of 99.56% for amaranth, 99.15% for sunset yellow and 96.23% for tartrazine. The dye photodegradation process follows a pseudo-first-order kinetic with respect to the Langmuir-Hinshelwood reaction mechanism. A direct dependence between azo dyes degradation rate and chemical structure of dyes has been observed.

The economic feasibility of producing hydrogen from sunlight and wind

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mann, M. K.; Spath, P. L.; Watt, A. S.

1999-01-01

The feasibility of utilizing photoelectrochemical and electrolytical technologies to convert energy from the sun and wind into hydrogen was studied. In exploring opportunities to reduce the cost of hydrogen production through interaction with the electric utility grid, it was found that direct photoelectrochemical (PEC) conversion of sunlight has the economic potential to compete with direct photovoltaic/electrolysis, notwithstanding the significant stability and efficiency issues that are still awaiting solution. Interaction with the grid, while maximizing electrolizer use, makes a significant impact on the economics of producing hydrogen by photovoltaic/electrolysis, making wind-based systems also more economical. Electrolysis was found to be the optimal solution only with electricity from renewable sources or with less expensive non-peak electricity. On the other hand, the delivered cost of hydrogen was found to the lowest when electricity production was decoupled from the hydrogen production operation. Decoupled hydrogen production also has an additional benefit, i.e. it produces the hydrogen where it is needed, therefore it mitigates the need for various storage and distribution costs. 6 refs., 4 tabs., 2 figs

Chemically enhanced sunlight for killing bacteria

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Block, S.S.; Goswami, D.Y.

1995-01-01

Solar ultraviolet (UV) photocatalyzed oxidation of chemicals with titanium dioxide (TiO 2 ) has received considerable attention. Much less recognized, however, is the ability of the same system to destroy bacteria. This study examined this phenomenon and the conditions that affect it. Bacteria in aqueous solution were given solar exposure with titanium dioxide and their survival with time was determined. Lamps with a predominantly solar ultraviolet spectrum were also used in the experiments. Without exposure to UV light, TiO 2 had no deleterious effect on the bacteria. However, several common bacteria on solar exposure in the presence of TiO 2 were killed in just a few minutes, whereas without TiO 2 it took over an hour to destroy them. A concentration of 0.01% TiO 2 was most effective in killing bacteria and 10-fold concentrations lower or higher were successively less effective. Inorganic and organic compounds in solution, even in small amounts, interfered with the efficiency of killing. Alkaline solution also reduced the bactericidal activity. Circulation and agitation provided by stirring to keep the TiO 2 particles suspended reduced the time necessary to kill the bacteria. Time-intensity curves for killing bacteria were the same general shape with or without TiO 2 , indicating that TiO 2 served merely as a catalyst to increase the rate of the reaction but that the mechanism of action was not changed. The shape of the curves show that the organisms are sensitized with a minimum intensity of radiation and that an increase doesn't greatly increase the rate of kill. Below this critical intensity, however, the time required for killing markedly increases as the intensity is decreased

Production of Bio-Energy from Pig Manure: A Focus on the Dynamics Change of Four Parameters under Sunlight-Dark Conditions.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Dongxue Yin

Full Text Available This study investigated the effect of sunlight-dark conditions on volatile fatty acids (VFAs, total ammonium nitrogen (TAN, total alkalinity (TA and pH during pig manure (PM digestion and then the subsequent influence on biogas yield of PM. PM1 and PM2 were performed in a transparent reactor and a non-transparent reactor, respectively. Two sets of experiments were conducted with a temperature of 35.0±2.0 °C and a total solid concentration of 8.0% to the digestion material. The dynamic change of the four parameters in response to sunlight-dark conditions resulted in variations of the physiological properties in the digester and affected the cumulative biogas production (CBP. PM1 obtained higher CBP (15020.0 mL with a more stable pH and a lower TAN concentration (1414.5 mg/L compared to PM2 (2675.0 mL and 1670.0 mg/L, respectively. The direct path coefficients and indirect path coefficients between the four parameters and CBP were also analyzed.

Production of Bio-Energy from Pig Manure: A Focus on the Dynamics Change of Four Parameters under Sunlight-Dark Conditions.

Science.gov (United States)

Yin, Dongxue; Liu, Wei; Zhai, Ningning; Feng, Yongzhong; Yang, Gaihe; Wang, Xiaojiao; Han, Xinhui

2015-01-01

This study investigated the effect of sunlight-dark conditions on volatile fatty acids (VFAs), total ammonium nitrogen (TAN), total alkalinity (TA) and pH during pig manure (PM) digestion and then the subsequent influence on biogas yield of PM. PM1 and PM2 were performed in a transparent reactor and a non-transparent reactor, respectively. Two sets of experiments were conducted with a temperature of 35.0±2.0 °C and a total solid concentration of 8.0% to the digestion material. The dynamic change of the four parameters in response to sunlight-dark conditions resulted in variations of the physiological properties in the digester and affected the cumulative biogas production (CBP). PM1 obtained higher CBP (15020.0 mL) with a more stable pH and a lower TAN concentration (1414.5 mg/L) compared to PM2 (2675.0 mL and 1670.0 mg/L, respectively). The direct path coefficients and indirect path coefficients between the four parameters and CBP were also analyzed.

Low-SNR Capacity of MIMO Optical Intensity Channels

KAUST Repository

Chaaban, Anas; Rezki, Zouheir; Alouini, Mohamed-Slim

2017-01-01

The capacity of the multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) optical intensity channel is studied, under both average and peak intensity constraints. We focus on low SNR, which can be modeled as the scenario where both constraints proportionally vanish, or where the peak constraint is held constant while the average constraint vanishes. A capacity upper bound is derived, and is shown to be tight at low SNR under both scenarios. The capacity achieving input distribution at low SNR is shown to be a maximally-correlated vector-binary input distribution. Consequently, the low-SNR capacity of the channel is characterized. As a byproduct, it is shown that for a channel with peak intensity constraints only, or with peak intensity constraints and individual (per aperture) average intensity constraints, a simple scheme composed of coded on-off keying, spatial repetition, and maximum-ratio combining is optimal at low SNR.

Low-SNR Capacity of MIMO Optical Intensity Channels

KAUST Repository

Chaaban, Anas

2017-09-18

The capacity of the multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) optical intensity channel is studied, under both average and peak intensity constraints. We focus on low SNR, which can be modeled as the scenario where both constraints proportionally vanish, or where the peak constraint is held constant while the average constraint vanishes. A capacity upper bound is derived, and is shown to be tight at low SNR under both scenarios. The capacity achieving input distribution at low SNR is shown to be a maximally-correlated vector-binary input distribution. Consequently, the low-SNR capacity of the channel is characterized. As a byproduct, it is shown that for a channel with peak intensity constraints only, or with peak intensity constraints and individual (per aperture) average intensity constraints, a simple scheme composed of coded on-off keying, spatial repetition, and maximum-ratio combining is optimal at low SNR.

Synthesis of Ag-decorated porous TiO{sub 2} nanowires through a sunlight induced reduction method and its enhanced photocatalytic activity

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Yao, Yun-Chang; Dai, Xin-Rong [Anhui & Huaihe river institute of hydraulic research, Hefei, Anhui 230088 (China); Hu, Xiao-Ye, E-mail: hxy821982@issp.ac.cn [Key Laboratory of Materials Physics, and Anhui Key Laboratory of Nanomaterials and Nanotechnology, Institute of Solid State Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Hefei 230031 (China); Huang, Su-Zhen [Institute of plasma physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Hefei 230031 (China); Jin, Zhen, E-mail: ftbjin@hotmail.com [Research Center for Biomimetic Functional Materials and Sensing Devices, Institute of Intelligent Machines, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Hefei, Anhui 230031 (China)

2016-11-30

Highlights: • The Ag-decorated porous TiO{sub 2} nanowires were succefully synthesized. • A sunlight induced ethanol reduction method for Ag decoration has been reported. • The Ag-decorated porous TiO{sub 2} nanowires exhibit excellent photocatalytic activity. • The photodegradation ratio of the as-prepared product is much higher than that of P25. - Abstract: In this work, Ag-decorated porous TiO{sub 2} nanowires were successfully synthesized via a facile and low-cost sunlight induced reduction method. The cooperation of sunlight irradiation and ethanol reduction results the formation and decoration of the Ag nanoparticles on the porous TiO{sub 2} nanowires. The structure of the Ag-decorated porous TiO{sub 2} nanowires were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and Energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS) measurements. It can be seen that the Ag nanoparticles are well dispersed within the porous TiO{sub 2} nanowires. The as-prepared Ag-decorated porous TiO{sub 2} nanowires exhibits excellent photocatalytic properties. The photocatalytic tests show that 10 ppm methylene blue can be photodegraded within 60 min. And the photodegradation ratio of the Ag-decorated porous TiO{sub 2} nanowires much higher than that of P25 and porous TiO{sub 2} nanowires. Moreover, the Ag-decorated porous TiO{sub 2} nanowires also reveal good photocatalytic activity towards to other organic pollutions, such as phenol and R6G. Therefore, it is believed that the Ag-decorated porous TiO{sub 2} nanowires can be used as a potential high performance photocatalyst in wastewater treatment.

GENERALIZATION OF RAYLEIGH MAXIMUM LIKELIHOOD DESPECKLING FILTER USING QUADRILATERAL KERNELS

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

S. Sridevi

2013-02-01

Full Text Available Speckle noise is the most prevalent noise in clinical ultrasound images. It visibly looks like light and dark spots and deduce the pixel intensity as murkiest. Gazing at fetal ultrasound images, the impact of edge and local fine details are more palpable for obstetricians and gynecologists to carry out prenatal diagnosis of congenital heart disease. A robust despeckling filter has to be contrived to proficiently suppress speckle noise and simultaneously preserve the features. The proposed filter is the generalization of Rayleigh maximum likelihood filter by the exploitation of statistical tools as tuning parameters and use different shapes of quadrilateral kernels to estimate the noise free pixel from neighborhood. The performance of various filters namely Median, Kuwahura, Frost, Homogenous mask filter and Rayleigh maximum likelihood filter are compared with the proposed filter in terms PSNR and image profile. Comparatively the proposed filters surpass the conventional filters.

Sunlight and Vitamin D: The Bone and Cancer Connections (invited paper)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Holick, M.F.

2000-01-01

Vitamin D plays an essential role for calcium metabolism and bone health. It has been estimated that 90 to 95% of our vitamin D requirement comes from casual exposure to sunlight. There is a wide variety of factors that strongly influence the cutaneous production of vitamin D. These include melanin pigmentation, latitude, time of day, sunscreen use, and aging. There is an association with increased risk and mortality to breast, colon, and prostrate cancer. There is evidence that 25-hydroxyvitamin D, the major circulating form of vitamin D, is directly metabolised in prostate, breast, colon, and skin cells to its active form 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D. 1,25-Dihydroxyvitamin D 3 has the capacity to regulate cell proliferation and differentiation. Therefore, it may be that an increase in the cutaneous synthesis of vitamin D results in the increase in the production of 1,25(OH) 2 D in tissues not related to calcium metabolism that results in a decrease in malignancy. (author)

Roles of Saccharomyces cerevisiae DNA polymerases Poleta and Polzeta in response to irradiation by simulated sunlight.

Science.gov (United States)

Kozmin, Stanislav G; Pavlov, Youri I; Kunkel, Thomas A; Sage, Evelyne

2003-08-01

Sunlight causes lesions in DNA that if unrepaired and inaccurately replicated by DNA polymerases yield mutations that result in skin cancer in humans. Two enzymes involved in translesion synthesis (TLS) of UV-induced photolesions are DNA polymerase eta (Poleta) and polymerase zeta (Polzeta), encoded by the RAD30A and REV3 genes, respectively. Previous studies have investigated the TLS roles of these polymerases in human and yeast cells irradiated with monochromatic, short wavelength UVC radiation (254 nm). However, less is known about cellular responses to solar radiation, which is of higher and mixed wavelengths (310-1100 nm) and produces a different spectrum of DNA lesions, including Dewar photoproducts and oxidative lesions. Here we report on the comparative cytotoxic and mutagenic effects of simulated sunlight (SSL) and UVC radiation on yeast wild-type, rad30Delta, rev3Delta and rev3Delta rad30Delta strains. The results with SSL support several previous interpretations on the roles of these two polymerases in TLS of photodimers and (6-4) photoproducts derived from studies with UVC. They further suggest that Poleta participates in the non-mutagenic bypass of SSL-dependent cytosine-containing Dewar photoproducts and 8-oxoguanine, while Polzeta is mainly responsible for the mutagenic bypass of all types of Dewar photoproducts. They also suggest that in the absence of Polzeta, Poleta contributes to UVC- and SSL-induced mutagenesis, possibly by the bypass of photodimers containing deaminated cytosine.

Proton Fluxes Measured by the PAMELA Experiment from the Minimum to the Maximum Solar Activity for Solar Cycle 24

Science.gov (United States)

Martucci, M.; Munini, R.; Boezio, M.; Di Felice, V.; Adriani, O.; Barbarino, G. C.; Bazilevskaya, G. A.; Bellotti, R.; Bongi, M.; Bonvicini, V.; Bottai, S.; Bruno, A.; Cafagna, F.; Campana, D.; Carlson, P.; Casolino, M.; Castellini, G.; De Santis, C.; Galper, A. M.; Karelin, A. V.; Koldashov, S. V.; Koldobskiy, S.; Krutkov, S. Y.; Kvashnin, A. N.; Leonov, A.; Malakhov, V.; Marcelli, L.; Marcelli, N.; Mayorov, A. G.; Menn, W.; Mergè, M.; Mikhailov, V. V.; Mocchiutti, E.; Monaco, A.; Mori, N.; Osteria, G.; Panico, B.; Papini, P.; Pearce, M.; Picozza, P.; Ricci, M.; Ricciarini, S. B.; Simon, M.; Sparvoli, R.; Spillantini, P.; Stozhkov, Y. I.; Vacchi, A.; Vannuccini, E.; Vasilyev, G.; Voronov, S. A.; Yurkin, Y. T.; Zampa, G.; Zampa, N.; Potgieter, M. S.; Raath, J. L.

2018-02-01

Precise measurements of the time-dependent intensity of the low-energy (solar activity periods, i.e., from minimum to maximum, are needed to achieve comprehensive understanding of such physical phenomena. The minimum phase between solar cycles 23 and 24 was peculiarly long, extending up to the beginning of 2010 and followed by the maximum phase, reached during early 2014. In this Letter, we present proton differential spectra measured from 2010 January to 2014 February by the PAMELA experiment. For the first time the GCR proton intensity was studied over a wide energy range (0.08–50 GeV) by a single apparatus from a minimum to a maximum period of solar activity. The large statistics allowed the time variation to be investigated on a nearly monthly basis. Data were compared and interpreted in the context of a state-of-the-art three-dimensional model describing the GCRs propagation through the heliosphere.

One dimensional CdS nanowire@TiO2 nanoparticles core-shell as high performance photocatalyst for fast degradation of dye pollutants under visible and sunlight irradiation.

Science.gov (United States)

Arabzadeh, Abbas; Salimi, Abdollah

2016-10-01

In this study, one-dimensional CdS nanowires@TiO2 nanoparticles core-shell structures (1D CdS NWs@TiO2 NPs) were synthesized by a facile wet chemical-solvothermal method. The different aspects of the properties of CdS NWs@TiO2 NPs were surveyed by using a comprehensive range of characterization techniques including X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), UV-vis spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), fluorescence spectroscopy, energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX), Cyclic Voltammetry (CV) and amperometry. The as-prepared nanostructure was applied as an effective photocatalyst for degradation of methyl orange (MO), methylene blue (MB) and rhodamine B (Rh B) under visible and sunlight irradiation. The results indicated significantly enhanced photocatalytic activity of CdS NWs@TiO2 NPs for degradation of MO, MB and Rh B compared to CdS NWs. The enhanced photocatalytic activity could be attributed to the enhanced sunlight absorbance and the efficient charge separation of the formed heterostructure between CdS NWs and TiO2. The results showed that MO, Rh B and MB were almost completely degraded after 2, 2 and 3min of exposure to sunlight, respectively; while under visible light irradiation (3W blue LED lamp) the dyes were decomposed with less half degradation rate. The catalytic activity was retained even after three degradation cycles of organic dyes, demonstrating that the proposed nanocomposite can be effectively used as efficient photocatalyst for removal of environmental pollutions caused by organic dyes under sunlight irradiation and it could be an important addition to the field of wastewater treatment. We hope the present study may open a new window of such 1-D semiconductor nanocomposites to be used as visible light photocatalysts in the promising field of organic dyes degradation. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Dynamics of triacylglycerol and EPA production in Phaeodactylum tricornutum under nitrogen starvation at different light intensities.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ilse M Remmers

Full Text Available Lipid production in microalgae is highly dependent on the applied light intensity. However, for the EPA producing model-diatom Phaeodactylum tricornutum, clear consensus on the impact of incident light intensity on lipid productivity is still lacking. This study quantifies the impact of different incident light intensities on the biomass, TAG and EPA yield on light in nitrogen starved batch cultures of P. tricornutum. The maximum biomass concentration and maximum TAG and EPA contents were found to be independent of the applied light intensity. The lipid yield on light was reduced at elevated light intensities (>100 μmol m-2 s-1. The highest TAG yield on light (112 mg TAG molph-1 was found at the lowest light intensity tested (60 μmol m-2 s-1, which is still relatively low to values reported in literature for other algae. Furthermore, mass balance analysis showed that the EPA fraction in TAG may originate from photosynthetic membrane lipids.

Analysis of factors that influence the maximum number of repetitions in two upper-body resistance exercises: curl biceps and bench press.

Science.gov (United States)

Iglesias, Eliseo; Boullosa, Daniel A; Dopico, Xurxo; Carballeira, Eduardo

2010-06-01

The purpose of this study was to analyze the influence of exercise type, set configuration, and relative intensity load on relationship between 1 repetition maximum (1RM) and maximum number of repetitions (MNR). Thirteen male subjects, experienced in resistance training, were tested in bench press and biceps curl for 1RM, MNR at 90% of 1RM with cluster set configuration (rest of 30s between repetitions) and MNR at 70% of 1RM with traditional set configuration (no rest between repetitions). A lineal encoder was used for measuring displacement of load. Analysis of variance analysis revealed a significant effect of load (pbench press and biceps curl, respectively; pbench press and biceps curl, respectively; p>0.05). Correlation between 1RM and MNR was significant for medium-intensity in biceps curl (r=-0.574; pvelocity along set, so velocity seems to be similar at a same relative intensity for subjects with differences in maximum strength levels. From our results, we suggest the employment of MNR rather than % of 1RM for training monitoring. Furthermore, we suggest the introduction of cluster set configuration for upper-body assessment of MNR and for upper-body muscular endurance training at high-intensity loads, as it seems an efficient approach in looking for sessions with greater training volumes. This could be an interesting approach for such sports as wrestling or weightlifting.

Proton energy dependence of slow neutron intensity

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Teshigawara, Makoto; Harada, Masahide; Watanabe, Noboru; Kai, Tetsuya; Sakata, Hideaki; Ikeda, Yujiro

2001-01-01

The choice of the proton energy is an important issue for the design of an intense-pulsed-spallation source. The optimal proton beam energy is rather unique from a viewpoint of the leakage neutron intensity but no yet clear from the slow-neutron intensity view point. It also depends on an accelerator type. Since it is also important to know the proton energy dependence of slow-neutrons from the moderators in a realistic target-moderator-reflector assembly (TMRA). We studied on the TMRA proposed for Japan Spallation Neutron Source. The slow-neutron intensities from the moderators per unit proton beam power (MW) exhibit the maximum at about 1-2 GeV. At higher proton energies the intensity per MW goes down; at 3 and 50 GeV about 0.91 and 0.47 times as low as that at 1 GeV. The proton energy dependence of slow-neutron intensities was found to be almost the same as that of total neutron yield (leakage neutrons) from the same bare target. It was also found that proton energy dependence was almost the same for the coupled and decoupled moderators, regardless the different moderator type, geometry and coupling scheme. (author)

Chlorophyllin Bait Formulation and Exposure to Different Spectrum of Visible Light on the Reproduction of Infected/Uninfected Snail Lymnaea acuminata

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Navneet Kumar

2016-01-01

Full Text Available Fasciolosis is a waterborne disease, caused by Fasciola species. Snail Lymnaea acuminata is an intermediate host of these flukes. Control of snail population is major tool in reducing the incidences. Variation in light intensity and wavelength caused significant changes in reproduction pattern of snails. Maximum fecundity was noted with bait containing carbohydrate (starch, 468 ± 0.10/20 snails or amino acid (serine, 319 ± 0.29/20 snails as attractant. Sublethal feeding of chlorophyllin bait with starch or serine attractant to infected and uninfected snails caused significant reduction in fecundity, hatchability, and survivability. These significant changes are observed in snails exposed to different spectral band of visible light and sunlight. Maximum fecundity of 536 ± 2.0 and minimum of 89.3 ± 0.4 were noted in snails not fed with bait and exposed to sunlight and red spectral band, respectively. There was complete arrest in the fecundity of infected and uninfected snails and no survivability of uninfected snails after 48 h feeding with bait containing chlorophyllin + attractant. Minimum hatchability (9.25 ± 0.5 was noted in red light exposed, chlorophyllin + starch fed infected snails and hatching period of bait fed snails was prolonged. Conclusively, chlorophyllin bait and red light reduce reproduction capacity in snails.

Sunlight-exposed biofilm microbial communities are naturally resistant to chernobyl ionizing-radiation levels.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Marie Ragon

Full Text Available BACKGROUND: The Chernobyl accident represents a long-term experiment on the effects of exposure to ionizing radiation at the ecosystem level. Though studies of these effects on plants and animals are abundant, the study of how Chernobyl radiation levels affect prokaryotic and eukaryotic microbial communities is practically non-existent, except for a few reports on human pathogens or soil microorganisms. Environments enduring extreme desiccation and UV radiation, such as sunlight exposed biofilms could in principle select for organisms highly resistant to ionizing radiation as well. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: To test this hypothesis, we explored the diversity of microorganisms belonging to the three domains of life by cultivation-independent approaches in biofilms developing on concrete walls or pillars in the Chernobyl area exposed to different levels of radiation, and we compared them with a similar biofilm from a non-irradiated site in Northern Ireland. Actinobacteria, Alphaproteobacteria, Bacteroidetes, Acidobacteria and Deinococcales were the most consistently detected bacterial groups, whereas green algae (Chlorophyta and ascomycete fungi (Ascomycota dominated within the eukaryotes. Close relatives to the most radio-resistant organisms known, including Rubrobacter species, Deinococcales and melanized ascomycete fungi were always detected. The diversity of bacteria and eukaryotes found in the most highly irradiated samples was comparable to that of less irradiated Chernobyl sites and Northern Ireland. However, the study of mutation frequencies in non-coding ITS regions versus SSU rRNA genes in members of a same actinobacterial operational taxonomic unit (OTU present in Chernobyl samples and Northern Ireland showed a positive correlation between increased radiation and mutation rates. CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE: Our results show that biofilm microbial communities in the most irradiated samples are comparable to non-irradiated samples in

Sunlight-exposed biofilm microbial communities are naturally resistant to chernobyl ionizing-radiation levels.

Science.gov (United States)

Ragon, Marie; Restoux, Gwendal; Moreira, David; Møller, Anders Pape; López-García, Purificación

2011-01-01

The Chernobyl accident represents a long-term experiment on the effects of exposure to ionizing radiation at the ecosystem level. Though studies of these effects on plants and animals are abundant, the study of how Chernobyl radiation levels affect prokaryotic and eukaryotic microbial communities is practically non-existent, except for a few reports on human pathogens or soil microorganisms. Environments enduring extreme desiccation and UV radiation, such as sunlight exposed biofilms could in principle select for organisms highly resistant to ionizing radiation as well. To test this hypothesis, we explored the diversity of microorganisms belonging to the three domains of life by cultivation-independent approaches in biofilms developing on concrete walls or pillars in the Chernobyl area exposed to different levels of radiation, and we compared them with a similar biofilm from a non-irradiated site in Northern Ireland. Actinobacteria, Alphaproteobacteria, Bacteroidetes, Acidobacteria and Deinococcales were the most consistently detected bacterial groups, whereas green algae (Chlorophyta) and ascomycete fungi (Ascomycota) dominated within the eukaryotes. Close relatives to the most radio-resistant organisms known, including Rubrobacter species, Deinococcales and melanized ascomycete fungi were always detected. The diversity of bacteria and eukaryotes found in the most highly irradiated samples was comparable to that of less irradiated Chernobyl sites and Northern Ireland. However, the study of mutation frequencies in non-coding ITS regions versus SSU rRNA genes in members of a same actinobacterial operational taxonomic unit (OTU) present in Chernobyl samples and Northern Ireland showed a positive correlation between increased radiation and mutation rates. Our results show that biofilm microbial communities in the most irradiated samples are comparable to non-irradiated samples in terms of general diversity patterns, despite increased mutation levels at the single

Sunlight-Exposed Biofilm Microbial Communities Are Naturally Resistant to Chernobyl Ionizing-Radiation Levels

Science.gov (United States)

Ragon, Marie; Restoux, Gwendal; Moreira, David; Møller, Anders Pape; López-García, Purificación

2011-01-01

Background The Chernobyl accident represents a long-term experiment on the effects of exposure to ionizing radiation at the ecosystem level. Though studies of these effects on plants and animals are abundant, the study of how Chernobyl radiation levels affect prokaryotic and eukaryotic microbial communities is practically non-existent, except for a few reports on human pathogens or soil microorganisms. Environments enduring extreme desiccation and UV radiation, such as sunlight exposed biofilms could in principle select for organisms highly resistant to ionizing radiation as well. Methodology/Principal Findings To test this hypothesis, we explored the diversity of microorganisms belonging to the three domains of life by cultivation-independent approaches in biofilms developing on concrete walls or pillars in the Chernobyl area exposed to different levels of radiation, and we compared them with a similar biofilm from a non-irradiated site in Northern Ireland. Actinobacteria, Alphaproteobacteria, Bacteroidetes, Acidobacteria and Deinococcales were the most consistently detected bacterial groups, whereas green algae (Chlorophyta) and ascomycete fungi (Ascomycota) dominated within the eukaryotes. Close relatives to the most radio-resistant organisms known, including Rubrobacter species, Deinococcales and melanized ascomycete fungi were always detected. The diversity of bacteria and eukaryotes found in the most highly irradiated samples was comparable to that of less irradiated Chernobyl sites and Northern Ireland. However, the study of mutation frequencies in non-coding ITS regions versus SSU rRNA genes in members of a same actinobacterial operational taxonomic unit (OTU) present in Chernobyl samples and Northern Ireland showed a positive correlation between increased radiation and mutation rates. Conclusions/Significance Our results show that biofilm microbial communities in the most irradiated samples are comparable to non-irradiated samples in terms of general

Accurate switching intensities and length scales in quasi-phase-matched materials

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Bang, Ole; Graversen, Torben Winther; Corney, Joel Frederick

2001-01-01

We consider unseeded typeI second-harmonic generation in quasi-phase-matched quadratic nonlinear materials and derive an accurate analytical expression for the evolution of the average intensity. The intensity- dependent nonlinear phase mismatch that is due to the cubic nonlinearity induced...... by quasi phase matching is found. The equivalent formula for the intensity of maximum conversion, the crossing of which changes the one-period nonlinear phase shift of the fundamental abruptly by p , corrects earlier estimates [Opt.Lett. 23, 506 (1998)] by a factor of 5.3. We find the crystal lengths...... that are necessary to obtain an optimal flat phase versus intensity response on either side of this separatrix intensity....

Maximum permissible dose

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Anon.

1979-01-01

This chapter presents a historic overview of the establishment of radiation guidelines by various national and international agencies. The use of maximum permissible dose and maximum permissible body burden limits to derive working standards is discussed

Variability in echolocation call intensity in a community of horseshoe bats: a role for resource partitioning or communication?

Science.gov (United States)

Schuchmann, Maike; Siemers, Björn M

2010-09-17

Only recently data on bat echolocation call intensities is starting to accumulate. Yet, intensity is an ecologically crucial parameter, as it determines the extent of the bats' perceptual space and, specifically, prey detection distance. Interspecifically, we thus asked whether sympatric, congeneric bat species differ in call intensities and whether differences play a role for niche differentiation. Specifically, we investigated whether R. mehelyi that calls at a frequency clearly above what is predicted by allometry, compensates for frequency-dependent loss in detection distance by using elevated call intensity. Maximum echolocation call intensities might depend on body size or condition and thus be used as an honest signal of quality for intraspecific communication. We for the first time investigated whether a size-intensity relation is present in echolocating bats. We measured maximum call intensities and frequencies for all five European horseshoe bat species. Maximum intensity differed among species largely due to R. euryale. Furthermore, we found no compensation for frequency-dependent loss in detection distance in R. mehelyi. Intraspecifically, there is a negative correlation between forearm lengths and intensity in R. euryale and a trend for a negative correlation between body condition index and intensity in R. ferrumequinum. In R. hipposideros, females had 8 dB higher intensities than males. There were no correlations with body size or sex differences and intensity for the other species. Based on call intensity and frequency measurements, we estimated echolocation ranges for our study community. These suggest that intensity differences result in different prey detection distances and thus likely play some role for resource access. It is interesting and at first glance counter-intuitive that, where a correlation was found, smaller bats called louder than large individuals. Such negative relationship between size or condition and vocal amplitude may

A Fourier analysis on the maximum acceptable grid size for discrete proton beam dose calculation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Li, Haisen S.; Romeijn, H. Edwin; Dempsey, James F.

2006-01-01

We developed an analytical method for determining the maximum acceptable grid size for discrete dose calculation in proton therapy treatment plan optimization, so that the accuracy of the optimized dose distribution is guaranteed in the phase of dose sampling and the superfluous computational work is avoided. The accuracy of dose sampling was judged by the criterion that the continuous dose distribution could be reconstructed from the discrete dose within a 2% error limit. To keep the error caused by the discrete dose sampling under a 2% limit, the dose grid size cannot exceed a maximum acceptable value. The method was based on Fourier analysis and the Shannon-Nyquist sampling theorem as an extension of our previous analysis for photon beam intensity modulated radiation therapy [J. F. Dempsey, H. E. Romeijn, J. G. Li, D. A. Low, and J. R. Palta, Med. Phys. 32, 380-388 (2005)]. The proton beam model used for the analysis was a near mono-energetic (of width about 1% the incident energy) and monodirectional infinitesimal (nonintegrated) pencil beam in water medium. By monodirection, we mean that the proton particles are in the same direction before entering the water medium and the various scattering prior to entrance to water is not taken into account. In intensity modulated proton therapy, the elementary intensity modulation entity for proton therapy is either an infinitesimal or finite sized beamlet. Since a finite sized beamlet is the superposition of infinitesimal pencil beams, the result of the maximum acceptable grid size obtained with infinitesimal pencil beam also applies to finite sized beamlet. The analytic Bragg curve function proposed by Bortfeld [T. Bortfeld, Med. Phys. 24, 2024-2033 (1997)] was employed. The lateral profile was approximated by a depth dependent Gaussian distribution. The model included the spreads of the Bragg peak and the lateral profiles due to multiple Coulomb scattering. The dependence of the maximum acceptable dose grid size on the

Sun-pumped lasers: revisiting an old problem with nonimaging optics.

Science.gov (United States)

Cooke, D

1992-12-20

The techniques of nonimaging optics have permitted the production of a world-record intensity of sunlight, 72 W/mm(2), by using a sapphire concentrator. Such an intensity exceeds the intensity of light at the surface of the Sun itself (63 W/mm(2)) by 15% and may have useful applications in pumping lasers, which require high intensities of light to function. The author describes the production of high-intensity sunlight and reports its application in generating over 3 W of laser power from a 72.5-cm-diameter telescope mirror at an efficiency exceeding that typically attained in approaches not involving nonimaging optics.

Audio-Visual Biofeedback Does Not Improve the Reliability of Target Delineation Using Maximum Intensity Projection in 4-Dimensional Computed Tomography Radiation Therapy Planning

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lu, Wei; Neuner, Geoffrey A.; George, Rohini; Wang, Zhendong; Sasor, Sarah; Huang, Xuan; Regine, William F.; Feigenberg, Steven J.; D'Souza, Warren D.

2014-01-01

Purpose: To investigate whether coaching patients' breathing would improve the match between ITV MIP (internal target volume generated by contouring in the maximum intensity projection scan) and ITV 10 (generated by combining the gross tumor volumes contoured in 10 phases of a 4-dimensional CT [4DCT] scan). Methods and Materials: Eight patients with a thoracic tumor and 5 patients with an abdominal tumor were included in an institutional review board-approved prospective study. Patients underwent 3 4DCT scans with: (1) free breathing (FB); (2) coaching using audio-visual (AV) biofeedback via the Real-Time Position Management system; and (3) coaching via a spirometer system (Active Breathing Coordinator or ABC). One physician contoured all scans to generate the ITV 10 and ITV MIP . The match between ITV MIP and ITV 10 was quantitatively assessed with volume ratio, centroid distance, root mean squared distance, and overlap/Dice coefficient. We investigated whether coaching (AV or ABC) or uniform expansions (1, 2, 3, or 5 mm) of ITV MIP improved the match. Results: Although both AV and ABC coaching techniques improved frequency reproducibility and ABC improved displacement regularity, neither improved the match between ITV MIP and ITV 10 over FB. On average, ITV MIP underestimated ITV 10 by 19%, 19%, and 21%, with centroid distance of 1.9, 2.3, and 1.7 mm and Dice coefficient of 0.87, 0.86, and 0.88 for FB, AV, and ABC, respectively. Separate analyses indicated a better match for lung cancers or tumors not adjacent to high-intensity tissues. Uniform expansions of ITV MIP did not correct for the mismatch between ITV MIP and ITV 10 . Conclusions: In this pilot study, audio-visual biofeedback did not improve the match between ITV MIP and ITV 10 . In general, ITV MIP should be limited to lung cancers, and modification of ITV MIP in each phase of the 4DCT data set is recommended

Audio-Visual Biofeedback Does Not Improve the Reliability of Target Delineation Using Maximum Intensity Projection in 4-Dimensional Computed Tomography Radiation Therapy Planning

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Lu, Wei, E-mail: wlu@umm.edu [Department of Radiation Oncology, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland (United States); Neuner, Geoffrey A.; George, Rohini; Wang, Zhendong; Sasor, Sarah [Department of Radiation Oncology, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland (United States); Huang, Xuan [Research and Development, Care Management Department, Johns Hopkins HealthCare LLC, Glen Burnie, Maryland (United States); Regine, William F.; Feigenberg, Steven J.; D' Souza, Warren D. [Department of Radiation Oncology, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland (United States)

2014-01-01

Purpose: To investigate whether coaching patients' breathing would improve the match between ITV{sub MIP} (internal target volume generated by contouring in the maximum intensity projection scan) and ITV{sub 10} (generated by combining the gross tumor volumes contoured in 10 phases of a 4-dimensional CT [4DCT] scan). Methods and Materials: Eight patients with a thoracic tumor and 5 patients with an abdominal tumor were included in an institutional review board-approved prospective study. Patients underwent 3 4DCT scans with: (1) free breathing (FB); (2) coaching using audio-visual (AV) biofeedback via the Real-Time Position Management system; and (3) coaching via a spirometer system (Active Breathing Coordinator or ABC). One physician contoured all scans to generate the ITV{sub 10} and ITV{sub MIP}. The match between ITV{sub MIP} and ITV{sub 10} was quantitatively assessed with volume ratio, centroid distance, root mean squared distance, and overlap/Dice coefficient. We investigated whether coaching (AV or ABC) or uniform expansions (1, 2, 3, or 5 mm) of ITV{sub MIP} improved the match. Results: Although both AV and ABC coaching techniques improved frequency reproducibility and ABC improved displacement regularity, neither improved the match between ITV{sub MIP} and ITV{sub 10} over FB. On average, ITV{sub MIP} underestimated ITV{sub 10} by 19%, 19%, and 21%, with centroid distance of 1.9, 2.3, and 1.7 mm and Dice coefficient of 0.87, 0.86, and 0.88 for FB, AV, and ABC, respectively. Separate analyses indicated a better match for lung cancers or tumors not adjacent to high-intensity tissues. Uniform expansions of ITV{sub MIP} did not correct for the mismatch between ITV{sub MIP} and ITV{sub 10}. Conclusions: In this pilot study, audio-visual biofeedback did not improve the match between ITV{sub MIP} and ITV{sub 10}. In general, ITV{sub MIP} should be limited to lung cancers, and modification of ITV{sub MIP} in each phase of the 4DCT data set is recommended.

Greenhouse effect: temperature of a metal sphere surrounded by a glass shell and heated by sunlight

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nguyen, Phuc H; Matzner, Richard A

2012-01-01

We study the greenhouse effect on a model satellite consisting of a tungsten sphere surrounded by a thin spherical, concentric glass shell, with a small gap between the sphere and the shell. The system sits in vacuum and is heated by sunlight incident along the z-axis. This development is a generalization of the simple treatment of the greenhouse effect given by Kittel and Kroemer (1980 Thermal Physics (San Francisco: Freeman)) and can serve as a very simple model demonstrating the much more complex Earth greenhouse effect. Solution of the model problem provides an excellent pedagogical tool at the Junior/Senior undergraduate level.

Effects of Irradiation on bacterial atp luminous intensity of cooled pork and chicken

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ju Hua

2010-01-01

The effect of irradiation on cooled pork and chicken was detected with ATP luminous intensity method. The influences of other factors to ATP luminous intensity were also discussed. There was positive correlation between ATP standard concentration and ATP luminous intensity, and negative correlation between irradiation dosage and ATP luminous intensity. The trend of ATP luminous intensity of cooled pork and chicken after irradiation was inverse S, and the maximum ATP luminous intensity appeared at 6.0 kGy, and minimum at 4.0 and 8.0 kGy. Sterilized water and sterilized pork had no interference to ATP luminous intensity of the samples. There was significant positive correlation between E. coli 10003 concentration and ATP luminous intensity, the coefficient correlation was 0.9437. (authors)

SALIVARY CORTISOL RESPONSES AND PERCEIVED EXERTION DURING HIGH INTENSITY AND LOW INTENSITY BOUTS OF RESISTANCE EXERCISE

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Alison D. Egan

2004-03-01

Full Text Available The purpose of this study was to measure the salivary cortisol response to different intensities of resistance exercise. In addition, we wanted to determine the reliability of the session rating of perceived exertion (RPE scale to monitor resistance exercise intensity. Subjects (8 men, 9 women completed 2 trials of acute resistance training bouts in a counterbalanced design. The high intensity resistance exercise protocol consisted of six, ten-repetition sets using 75% of one repetition maximum (RM on a Smith machine squat and bench press exercise (12 sets total. The low intensity resistance exercise protocol consisted of three, ten-repetition sets at 30% of 1RM of the same exercises as the high intensity protocol. Both exercise bouts were performed with 2 minutes of rest between each exercise and sessions were repeated to test reliability of the measures. The order of the exercise bouts was randomized with least 72 hours between each session. Saliva samples were obtained immediately before, immediately after and 30 mins following each resistance exercise bout. RPE measures were obtained using Borg's CR-10 scale following each set. Also, the session RPE for the entire exercise session was obtained 30 minutes following completion of the session. There was a significant 97% increase in the level of salivary cortisol immediately following the high intensity exercise session (P<0.05. There was also a significant difference in salivary cortisol of 145% between the low intensity and high intensity exercise session immediately post-exercise (P<0.05. The low intensity exercise did not result in any significant changes in cortisol levels. There was also a significant difference between the session RPE values for the different intensity levels (high intensity 7.1 vs. low intensity 1.9 (P<0.05. The intraclass correlation coefficient for the session RPE measure was 0.95. It was concluded that the session RPE method is a valid and reliable method of

MPBoot: fast phylogenetic maximum parsimony tree inference and bootstrap approximation.

Science.gov (United States)

Hoang, Diep Thi; Vinh, Le Sy; Flouri, Tomáš; Stamatakis, Alexandros; von Haeseler, Arndt; Minh, Bui Quang

2018-02-02

The nonparametric bootstrap is widely used to measure the branch support of phylogenetic trees. However, bootstrapping is computationally expensive and remains a bottleneck in phylogenetic analyses. Recently, an ultrafast bootstrap approximation (UFBoot) approach was proposed for maximum likelihood analyses. However, such an approach is still missing for maximum parsimony. To close this gap we present MPBoot, an adaptation and extension of UFBoot to compute branch supports under the maximum parsimony principle. MPBoot works for both uniform and non-uniform cost matrices. Our analyses on biological DNA and protein showed that under uniform cost matrices, MPBoot runs on average 4.7 (DNA) to 7 times (protein data) (range: 1.2-20.7) faster than the standard parsimony bootstrap implemented in PAUP*; but 1.6 (DNA) to 4.1 times (protein data) slower than the standard bootstrap with a fast search routine in TNT (fast-TNT). However, for non-uniform cost matrices MPBoot is 5 (DNA) to 13 times (protein data) (range:0.3-63.9) faster than fast-TNT. We note that MPBoot achieves better scores more frequently than PAUP* and fast-TNT. However, this effect is less pronounced if an intensive but slower search in TNT is invoked. Moreover, experiments on large-scale simulated data show that while both PAUP* and TNT bootstrap estimates are too conservative, MPBoot bootstrap estimates appear more unbiased. MPBoot provides an efficient alternative to the standard maximum parsimony bootstrap procedure. It shows favorable performance in terms of run time, the capability of finding a maximum parsimony tree, and high bootstrap accuracy on simulated as well as empirical data sets. MPBoot is easy-to-use, open-source and available at http://www.cibiv.at/software/mpboot .

Effects of light intensity on cylindrospermopsin production in the ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

The role of light intensity on growth and the production of the hepatotoxin cylindrospermopsin (CYN) in the cyanobacterial harmful algal bloom species Cylindrospermopsis raciborskii was investigated using cultured isolates grown in N-free media under a series of neutral density screens. Maximum growth as indicated by ...

How to `Subtract' Spectrally Determined Intensities from a Coronal Loop on the Limb

Science.gov (United States)

Martens, P. C. H.; Cirtain, J. W.; Schmelz, J. T.

2002-05-01

There are two main problems in the determination of plasma emissions within a coronal loop. First, the line of sight adds the ambient background to the measurement. Second, scattering elevates the intensity for pixels close to a structure (i.e. a loop) by counting photons that actually are emitted from that structure. Here we have a possible solution for these two problems. We show that the intensities for the spectral lines are shown to have scale height dependence when the plasma is not confined to a structure. Accordingly, at any distance greater than its scale height, the ion will not have a statistically significant contribution to the measure of intensity. Additionally, an isolated coronal structure will have a maximum intensity value along an exposure and within a range of pixels that effectively slice a leg of the loop. The maximum is the location of the pixel that is most likely the one containing the loop. All other pixels are considered scatter until the point spread function can deconvolve the true value for intensity per pixel. The resulting values for intensity have then been reduced to approximate the value for intensity for the plasma within the loop. Now the intensity has been reduced to the intensity of the ion within the loop and the analysis of an accurate DEM is now possible. This research was funded in part by the NASA/TRACE MODA grant for Montana State University. Solar physics research at the University of Memphis is supported by NASA grant NAG5-9783.

Quantification of ultraviolet radiation-induced DNA damage in the urine of Swedish adults and children following exposure to sunlight

OpenAIRE

Liljendahl, Tove Sandberg; Kotova, Natalia; Segerbäck, Dan

2012-01-01

DNA damage following exposure to ultraviolet radiation (UVR) is important in skin cancer development. The predominant photoproduct, cyclobutane thymine dimer (T=T), is repaired and excreted in the urine, where it provides a biomarker of exposure. To quantify urinary T=T levels after recreational sunlight exposure in adults and children. Average UVR doses were measured with personal dosimeters. Urinary T=T was analysed with (32)P-postlabelling. ResuLTS: Background levels of T=T increased...

Sunlight-assisted synthesis of colloidal silver nanoparticles using chitosan as reducing agent

Science.gov (United States)

Susilowati, E.; Maryani; Ashadi

2018-04-01

The present study we explore an environmentally friendly colloidal silver nanoparticles preparation using chitosan as reducing agent and stabilizer. It develops a new strategy on preparation of silver nanoparticles through the gel phase using sodium hydroxide (NaOH) as accelerator reagent. Sunlight irradiation was employed to assisted reducing process of silver ions to silver nanoparticles. Localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR) phenomenon of silver nanoparticles was investigated using UV-Vis spectrophotometer. The shape and size of silver particles were analyzed using TEM. The formation of silver nanoparticles was confirmed by the appearance of LSPR absorption peak at 396.0–412.0 nm. The absorption peak of LSPR were affected by NaOH amount, time of sulight irradiation and concentration of AgNO3. The produced silver nanoparticles were spherical with dominant size range of 5 to 8 nm as shown by TEM images. All colloidals were stable without any aggregation for 30 days after preparation.

Single-molecule exploration of photoprotective mechanisms in light-harvesting complexes

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Yang, Hsiang Yu; Schlau-Cohen, Gabriela S.; Gwizdala, Michal; Krüger, Tjaart; Xu, Pengqi; Croce, Roberta; Van Grondelle, Rienk; Moerner, W. E.

2015-01-01

Plants harvest sunlight by converting light energy to electron flow through the primary events in photosynthesis. One important question is how the light harvesting machinery adapts to fluctuating sunlight intensity. As a result of various regulatory processes, efficient light harvesting and

Effects of intensive forest management practices on insect infestation levels and loblolly pine growth

Science.gov (United States)

John T. Nowak; C. Wayne Berisford

2000-01-01

Intensive forest management practices have been shown to increase tree growth and shorten rotation time. However, they may also lead to an increased need for insect pest management because of higher infestation levels and lower action thresholds. To investigate the relationship between intensive management practices arid insect infestation, maximum growth potential...

Nuclear beta decay induced by intense electromagnetic fields: Forbidden transition examples

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Reiss, H.R.

1983-01-01

A formalism developed earlier for the effect on nuclear beta decay of an intense plane-wave electromagnetic field is applied to three examples of forbidden beta transitions. The examples represent cases where the nuclear ''fragment'' contains one, two, and three nucleons; where the nuclear fragment is defined to be that smallest sub-unit of the nucleus containing the nucleon which undergoes beta decay plus any other nucleons directly angular-momentum coupled to it in initial or final states. The single-nucleon-fragment example is 113 Cd, which has a fourth-forbidden transition. The two-nucleon-fragment example is 90 Sr, which is first-forbidden. The three-nucleon-fragment example is 87 Rb, which is third-forbidden. An algebraic closed-form transition probability is found in each case. At low external-field intensity, the transition probability is proportional to z/sup L/, where z is the field intensity parameter and L is the degree of forbiddenness. At intermediate intensities, the transition probability behaves as z/sup L/-(1/2). At higher intensities, the transition probability contains the z/sup L/-(1/2) factor, a declining exponential factor, and an alternating polynomial in z. This high-intensity transition probability possesses a maximum value, which is found for each of the examples. A general rule, z = q 2 (2L-1), where q is the number of particles in the fragment, is found for giving an upper limit on the intensity at which the maximum transition probability occurs. Field-induced beta decay half-lives for all the examples are dramatically reduced from natural half-lives when evaluated at the optimum field intensity. Relative half-life reduction is greater the higher the degree of forbiddenness

Growing threat of intense tropical cyclones to East Asia over the period 1977–2010

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Park, Doo-Sun R; Ho, Chang-Hoi; Kim, Joo-Hong

2014-01-01

The threat of intense tropical cyclones (TCs) to East Asia has increased in recent decades. Integrated analyses of five available TC data sets for the period 1977–2010 revealed that the growing threat of TCs primarily results from the significant shift that the spatial positions of the maximum intensity of TCs moved closer to East Asian coastlines from Vietnam to Japan. This shift incurs a robust increase in landfall intensity over east China, Korea and Japan. In contrast, an increase of TC genesis frequency over the northern part of the South China Sea leads to a reduction in the maximum TC intensity before landfall, because of their short lifetime; thus, there are no clear tendencies in the landfall intensity across Vietnam, south China and Taiwan. All changes are related to the strengthening of the Pacific Walker circulation, closely linked with the recent manifestation that the warming trend of sea surface temperature in the tropical western Pacific is much higher than that in the central to eastern Pacific. (paper)

Interpretation of intensities in electron-momentum and photoelectron spectroscopies

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

McCarthy, I.E.

1984-06-01

Relative intensities for the photoelectron reaction on atoms and molecules are not related to structure calculations in the same way as those for the noncoplanar symmetric (e,2e) reaction. The photoelectron dipole matrix element is dependent on recoil momentum only through its unique relationship to the photon energy and is much harder to calculate for chemically-interesting momenta. Relative intensities for binary (e,2e) reactions are independent of total energy at high enough energies and strongly dependent on symmetry and recoil momentum, for which an intensity profile can be measured for values starting at zero. In comparing with structure calculations, binary (e,2e) intensities for low recoil momentum may be compared directly with pole strengths in calculations of the one-electron Green's function or corresponding configuration-interaction calculations. In the case of states within a single symmetry manifold the relative intensities will be independent of recoil momentum up to some maximum, usually at least a few atomic units

River flooding due to intense precipitation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lin, James C.

2014-01-01

River stage can rise and cause site flooding due to local intense precipitation (LIP), dam failures, snow melt in conjunction with precipitation or dam failures, etc. As part of the re-evaluation of the design basis as well as the PRA analysis of other external events, the likelihood and consequence of river flooding leading to the site flooding need to be examined more rigorously. To evaluate the effects of intense precipitation on site structures, the site watershed hydrology and pond storage are calculated. To determine if river flooding can cause damage to risk-significant systems, structures, and components (SSC), water surface elevations are analyzed. Typically, the amount and rate of the input water is determined first. For intense precipitation, the fraction of the rainfall in the watershed drainage area not infiltrated into the ground is collected in the river and contributes to the rise of river water elevation. For design basis analysis, the Probable Maximum Flood (PMF) is evaluated using the Probable Maximum Precipitation (PMP) based on the site topography/configuration. The peak runoff flow rate and water surface elevations resulting from the precipitation induced flooding can then be estimated. The runoff flow hydrograph and peak discharge flows can be developed using the synthetic hydrograph method. The standard step method can then be used to determine the water surface elevations along the river channel. Thus, the flood water from the local intense precipitation storm and excess runoff from the nearby river can be evaluated to calculate the water surface elevations, which can be compared with the station grade floor elevation to determine the effects of site flooding on risk-significant SSCs. The analysis needs to consider any possible diversion flow and the effects of changes to the site configurations. Typically, the analysis is performed based on conservative peak rainfall intensity and the assumptions of failure of the site drainage facilities

[Equivalent continuous noise level in neonatal intensive care unit associated to burnout syndrome].

Science.gov (United States)

Garrido Galindo, A P; Camargo Caicedo, Y; Vélez-Pereira, A M

2015-01-01

Noise levels in neonatal intensive care units allow the appearance of symptoms associated with burnout such as stress, irritability, fatigue and emotional instability on health care personnel. The aim of this study was to evaluate the equivalent continuous noise levels in the neonatal intensive care unit and compare the results with noise levels associated with the occurrence of burnout syndrome on the care team. Continuous sampling was conducted for 20 days using a type I sound level meter on the unit. The maximum, the ninetieth percentile and the equivalent continuous noise level (Leq) values were recorded. Noise level is reported in the range of 51.4-77.6 decibels A (dBA) with an average of 64 dBA, 100.6 dBA maximum, and average background noise from 57.9 dBA. Noise levels exceed the standards suggested for neonatal intensive care units, are close to maximum values referred for noise exposure in the occupational standards and to noise levels associated with the onset of burnout; thus allowing to infer the probability of occurrence of high levels of noise present in the unit on the development of burnout in caregivers. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier España, S.L.U. y SEEIUC. All rights reserved.

Synthesis and Characterization of Mn–C–Codoped TiO2 Nanoparticles and Photocatalytic Degradation of Methyl Orange Dye under Sunlight Irradiation

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Wei Xin

2012-01-01

Full Text Available Novel visible-light-active Mn–C–TiO2 nanoparticles were synthesized by modified sol-gel method based on the self-assembly technique using polyoxyethylenes orbitan monooleate (Tween 80 as template and carbon precursor and manganese acetate as manganese precursor. The samples were characterized by XRD, FTIR, UV-vis diffuse reflectance, XPS, and laser particle size analysis. The XRD results showed that Mn–C–TiO2 sample exhibited anatase phase and no other crystal phase was identified. High specific surface area, small crystallite size, and small particle size distribution could be obtained by manganese and carbon codoped and Mn–C–TiO2 exhibited greater red shift in absorption edge of samples in visible region than that of C–TiO2 and pure TiO2. The photocatalytic activity of synthesized catalyst was evaluated by photocatalytic oxidation of methyl orange (MO solution under the sunlight irradiation. The results showed that Mn–C–TiO2 nanoparticles have higher activity than other samples under sunlight, which could be attributed to the high specific surface area, smaller particle size, and lower band gap energy.

The radial distribution of cosmic rays in the heliosphere at solar maximum

Science.gov (United States)

McDonald, F. B.; Fujii, Z.; Heikkila, B.; Lal, N.

2003-08-01

To obtain a more detailed profile of the radial distribution of galactic (GCRs) and anomalous (ACRs) cosmic rays, a unique time in the 11-year solar activity cycle has been selected - that of solar maximum. At this time of minimum cosmic ray intensity a simple, straight-forward normalization technique has been found that allows the cosmic ray data from IMP 8, Pioneer 10 (P-10) and Voyagers 1 and 2 (V1, V2) to be combined for the solar maxima of cycles 21, 22 and 23. This combined distribution reveals a functional form of the radial gradient that varies as G 0/r with G 0 being constant and relatively small in the inner heliosphere. After a transition region between ˜10 and 20 AU, G 0 increases to a much larger value that remains constant between ˜25 and 82 AU. This implies that at solar maximum the changes that produce the 11-year modulation cycle are mainly occurring in the outer heliosphere between ˜15 AU and the termination shock. These observations are not inconsistent with the concept that Global Merged Interaction. regions (GMIRs) are the principal agent of modulation between solar minimum and solar maximum. There does not appear to be a significant change in the amount of heliosheath modulation occurring between the 1997 solar minimum and the cycle 23 solar maximum.

[Rainfall intensity effects on nutrients transport in surface runoff from farmlands in gentle slope hilly area of Taihu Lake Basin].

Science.gov (United States)

Li, Rui-ling; Zhang, Yong-chun; Liu, Zhuang; Zeng, Yuan; Li, Wei-xin; Zhang, Hong-ling

2010-05-01

To investigate the effect of rainfall on agricultural nonpoint source pollution, watershed scale experiments were conducted to study the characteristics of nutrients in surface runoff under different rainfall intensities from farmlands in gentle slope hilly areas around Taihu Lake. Rainfall intensity significantly affected N and P concentrations in runoff. Rainfall intensity was positively related to TP, PO4(3-) -P and NH4+ -N event mean concentrations(EMC). However, this study have found the EMC of TN and NO3- -N to be positively related to rainfall intensity under light rain and negatively related to rainfall intensity under heavy rain. TN and TP site mean amounts (SMA) in runoff were positively related to rainfall intensity and were 1.91, 311.83, 127.65, 731.69 g/hm2 and 0.04, 7.77, 2.99, 32.02 g/hm2 with rainfall applied under light rain, moderate rain, heavy rain and rainstorm respectively. N in runoff was mainly NO3- -N and NH4+ -N and was primarily in dissolved form from Meilin soils. Dissolved P (DP) was the dominant form of TP under light rain, but particulate P (PP) mass loss increased with the increase of rainfall intensity and to be the dominant form when the rainfall intensity reaches rainstorm. Single relationships were used to describe the dependence of TN and TP mass losses in runoff on rainfall, maximum rainfall intensity, average rainfall intensity and rainfall duration respectively. The results showed a significant positive correlation between TN mass loss and rainfall, maximum rainfall intensity respectively (p < 0.01) and also TP mass loss and rainfall, maximum rainfall intensity respectively (p < 0.01).

Effects of snow-reflected light levels on human visual comfort.

Science.gov (United States)

Yilmaz, Hasan; Demircioglu Yildiz, Nalan; Yilmaz, Sevgi

2008-09-01

The intensity of the sunlight reflected by the snow-covered surfaces is so high that it may disturb humans many times. This study aims to determine the reflected sunlight intensities from snow covered areas at points near (at a distance of 2 m) and under an individual tree and among trees (in the forest area) by accepting the open area as control; the reducing effects of the plant materials on reflected sunlight in percentage by comparing with the values of the open (control) area; and critical reflected sunlight threshold values for human visual comfort. The study was carried out over 22 clear and calm, i.e. sky was cloudless and wind was calm, days between the 1st and 31st days of January 2004, at 8:30 in the morning, at 12:30 at noon and at 14:30 in the afternoon in Erzurum. In order to determine the discomforting light intensity levels, 25 females and 26 male (totally 51) student subjects whose mean age was 20 and who had no visual disorders were selected. Considering the open area as control, mean reflected sunlight reducing effects were found to be 19.0, 66.0 and 82.7% for the 2 m near a tree, under a tree, and forest area, respectively. According to the responses of 51 subjects in the study, visually "very comfortable" range is between 5,000 and 8,000 lx; "comfortable" range is between 11,000 and 75,000 lx (mostly at 12,000 lx); "uncomfortable" condition is above the light intensity value of 43,000 lx and "very uncomfortable" condition is above the intensity of 80,000 lx. Great majority of the subjects (91%) found the value of 103,000 lx to be "very uncomfortable." As it is not an applicable way to use the great and dense tree masses in the cities, at least individual trees should be used along the main pedestrian axels in the cities having the same features with Erzurum to prevent the natural light pollution and discomforting effects of the snow-reflected sunlight.

Photocatalysis and self-cleaning from g-C3N4 coated cotton fabrics under sunlight irradiation

Science.gov (United States)

Fan, Yunde; Zhou, Ji; Zhang, Jin; Lou, Yaqin; Huang, Zhenwu; Ye, Yong; Jia, Li; Tang, Bin

2018-05-01

Graphite-like carbon nitride (g-C3N4) nanosheets have been facilely assembled via electrostatic interaction onto cotton fabrics for achieving multi-functionalities. The surface morphologies, chemical composition and optical features of the g-C3N4-coated fabrics were characterized. The treated cotton fabrics exhibited remarkable photocatalytic degradation activity and superior self-cleaning performance. A complete degradation of Rhodamine B (RhB) and removal of stains were accomplished under simulated sunlight irradiation. More importantly, the modified fabrics can be reused in catalysis reactions with great durability. The practical treatment approach demonstrated from this work has great potential to be applied in textile industry for functional fabrics manufacture.

Research on the Electrical Characteristics of Photovoltaic Arrays and Corresponding MPPT Simulation

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Shengming Li

2013-05-01

Full Text Available Photovoltaic cells, as the primary part of a solar photovoltaic system, are a nonlinear DC power supply related to multiple parameters. The demand of increasing the generating efficiency of photovoltaic cells requires having a good understanding of their electrical characteristics. In this study, the mathematical and physical model of the photovoltaic cells was built by the means of Matlab and Simulink based on the internal principles and equivalent circuits of the photovoltaic cells. After the simulation of such practical and versatile model, it’s found that the nonlinear P-V and I-V characteristics of the photovoltaic cells, with the change of sunlight intensity and temperature, could be accurately reflected by this high simulation precision model. Furthermore, the Maximum Power Point Tracking method was proposed using the logical formula dP/dI=0 of the maximum power point of photovoltaic cells. This method can simply and fast implement the tracking for the maximum power point.

High-Intensity Femtosecond Laser Interaction with Rare Gas Clusters

Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

林亚风; 钟钦; 曾淳; 陈哲

2001-01-01

With a 45 fs multiterawatt 790 nm laser system and jets of argon and krypton atomic clusters, a study of the interaction of fs intense laser pulses with large size rare gas dusters was conducted. The maximum laser intensity of about 7 × 1016 W/cm2 and dusters composed of thousands of atoms which were determined through Rayleigh scattering measurements were involved inthe experiments. On the one hand, the results indicate that the interaction is strongly cluster size dependent. The stronger the interaction, the larger the clusters are. On the other hand, a saturation followed by a drop of the energy of ions ejected from the interaction will occur when the laser intensity exceeds a definite value for clusters of a certain size.

Very high intensity reaction chamber design

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Devaney, J.J.

1975-09-01

The problem of achieving very high intensity irradiation by light in minimal regions was studied. Three types of irradiation chamber are suggested: the common laser-reaction chamber, the folded concentric or near-concentric resonator, and the asymmetric confocal resonator. In all designs the ratio of high-intensity illuminated volume to other volume is highly dependent (to the 3 / 2 power) on the power and fluence tolerances of optical elements, primarily mirrors. Optimization of energy coupling is discussed for the common cavity. For the concentric cavities, optimization for both coherent and incoherent beams is treated. Formulae and numerical examples give the size of chambers, aspect ratios, maximum pass number, image sizes, fluences, and the like. Similarly for the asymmetric confocal chamber, formulae and numerical examples for fluences, dimensions, losses, and totally contained pass numbers are given

Zinc Oxide-Containing Porous Boron-Carbon-Nitrogen Sheets from Glycine-Nitrate Combustion: Synthesis, Self-Cleaning, and Sunlight-Driven Photocatalytic Activity.

Science.gov (United States)

Bharathidasan, T; Mandalam, Aditya; Balasubramanian, M; Dhandapani, P; Sathiyanarayanan, S; Mayavan, Sundar

2015-08-26

We developed a single-step thermal method that enables successful inclusion of ZnO components in the porous boron-carbon-nitrogen (BCN) framework to form a new class of functional hybrid. ZnO-containing BCN hybrids were prepared by treating a mixture of B2O3, glycine, and zinc nitrate at 500 °C. Glycine-nitrate decomposition along with B2O3 acts as a source for ZnO-BCN formation. The incorporation of ZnO onto BCN has extended the photoresponse of ZnO in the visible region, which makes ZnO-BCN a preferable photocatalyst relative to ZnO upon sunlight exposure. It is interesting to note that as-prepared 2D ZnO-BCN sheets dispersed in PDMS form a stable coating over aluminum alloys. The surface exhibited a water contact angle (CA) of 157.6° with 66.6 wt % ZnO-BCN in polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) and a water droplet (7 μL) roll-off angle of <6° and also demonstrates oil fouling resistant superhydrophobicity. In brief, the present study focuses on the gram scale synthesis of a new class of sunlight-driven photocatalyst and also its application toward the development of superhydrophobic and oleophobic coating.

Roles of Saccharomyces cerevisiae DNA polymerases Polη and Polζ in response to irradiation by simulated sunlight

Science.gov (United States)

Kozmin, Stanislav G.; Pavlov, Youri I.; Kunkel, Thomas A.; Sage, Evelyne

2003-01-01

Sunlight causes lesions in DNA that if unrepaired and inaccurately replicated by DNA polymerases yield mutations that result in skin cancer in humans. Two enzymes involved in translesion synthesis (TLS) of UV-induced photolesions are DNA polymerase η (Polη) and polymerase ζ (Polζ), encoded by the RAD30A and REV3 genes, respectively. Previous studies have investigated the TLS roles of these polymerases in human and yeast cells irradiated with monochromatic, short wavelength UVC radiation (254 nm). However, less is known about cellular responses to solar radiation, which is of higher and mixed wavelengths (310–1100 nm) and produces a different spectrum of DNA lesions, including Dewar photoproducts and oxidative lesions. Here we report on the comparative cytotoxic and mutagenic effects of simulated sunlight (SSL) and UVC radiation on yeast wild-type, rad30Δ, rev3Δ and rev3Δ rad30Δ strains. The results with SSL support several previous interpretations on the roles of these two polymerases in TLS of photodimers and (6–4) photoproducts derived from studies with UVC. They further suggest that Polη participates in the non-mutagenic bypass of SSL-dependent cytosine-containing Dewar photoproducts and 8-oxoguanine, while Polζ is mainly responsible for the mutagenic bypass of all types of Dewar photoproducts. They also suggest that in the absence of Polζ, Polη contributes to UVC- and SSL-induced mutagenesis, possibly by the bypass of photodimers containing deaminated cytosine. PMID:12888515

Preservation of glutamic acid-iron chelate into montmorillonite to efficiently degrade Reactive Blue 19 in a Fenton system under sunlight irradiation at neutral pH

Science.gov (United States)

Huang, Zhujian; Wu, Pingxiao; Gong, Beini; Yang, Shanshan; Li, Hailing; Zhu, Ziao; Cui, Lihua

2016-05-01

To further enhance the visible light responsive property and the chemical stability of Fe/clay mineral catalysts, glutamic acid-iron chelate intercalated montmorillonite (G-Fe-Mt) was developed. The physiochemical properties of G-Fe-Mt were investigated by X-ray diffraction (XRD), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), UV-vis diffuse reflectance spectroscopy (DRS), etc. The results showed that glutamic acid-iron chelates were successfully intercalated into the gallery of montmorillonite and the intercalated glutamic acid-iron chelate molecules were well preserved. The product G-Fe-Mt displayed excellent catalytic performance in heterogeneous photo-Fenton reaction under sunlight irradiation at acidic and neutral pH values. The chelation and the visible light responsiveness of glutamic acid produce a synergistic effect leading to greatly enhanced sunlight-Fenton reaction catalyzed by the heterogeneous G-Fe-Mt under neutral pH. G-Fe-Mt is a promising catalyst for advanced oxidation processes.

A proposed adaptive step size perturbation and observation maximum power point tracking algorithm based on photovoltaic system modeling

Science.gov (United States)

Huang, Yu

Solar energy becomes one of the major alternative renewable energy options for its huge abundance and accessibility. Due to the intermittent nature, the high demand of Maximum Power Point Tracking (MPPT) techniques exists when a Photovoltaic (PV) system is used to extract energy from the sunlight. This thesis proposed an advanced Perturbation and Observation (P&O) algorithm aiming for relatively practical circumstances. Firstly, a practical PV system model is studied with determining the series and shunt resistances which are neglected in some research. Moreover, in this proposed algorithm, the duty ratio of a boost DC-DC converter is the object of the perturbation deploying input impedance conversion to achieve working voltage adjustment. Based on the control strategy, the adaptive duty ratio step size P&O algorithm is proposed with major modifications made for sharp insolation change as well as low insolation scenarios. Matlab/Simulink simulation for PV model, boost converter control strategy and various MPPT process is conducted step by step. The proposed adaptive P&O algorithm is validated by the simulation results and detail analysis of sharp insolation changes, low insolation condition and continuous insolation variation.

Using Microporous Polytetrafluoroethylene Thin Sheets as a Flexible Solar Diffuser to Minimize Sunlight Glint to Cameras in Space

Science.gov (United States)

Choi, Michael K.

2016-01-01

An innovative design of using microporous PTFE thin sheets as a solar diffuser for MLI blankets or mechanical structure has been developed. It minimizes sunlight or stray-light glint to cameras when it is incident on these components in space. A microporous black PTFE thin sheet solar diffuser has been qualified for flight at NASA GSFC and installed to the TAGSAM arm MLI, OCAMS PolyCam sunshade MLI and SamCam motor riser MLI in the NASA OSIRIS-REx mission to meet the SamCam camera BRDF requirement.

Using microporous polytetrafluoroethylene thin sheets as a flexible solar diffuser to minimize sunlight glint to cameras in space

Science.gov (United States)

Choi, Michael K.

2016-09-01

An innovative design of using microporous PTFE thin sheets as a solar diffuser for MLI blankets or mechanical structure has been developed. It minimizes sunlight or stray-light glint to cameras when it is incident on these components in space. A microporous black PTFE thin sheet solar diffuser has been qualified for flight at NASA GSFC and installed to the TAGSAM arm MLI, OCAMS PolyCam sunshade MLI and SamCam motor riser MLI in the NASA OSIRIS-REx mission to meet the SamCam camera BRDF requirement.

Collisionless energy absorption in the short-pulse intense laser-cluster interaction

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kundu, M.; Bauer, D.

2006-01-01

In a previous paper [Phys. Rev. Lett. 96, 123401 (2006)] we have shown by means of three-dimensional particle-in-cell simulations and a simple rigid-sphere model that nonlinear resonance absorption is the dominant collisionless absorption mechanism in the intense, short-pulse laser cluster interaction. In this paper we present a more detailed account of the matter. In particular we show that the absorption efficiency is almost independent of the laser polarization. In the rigid-sphere model, the absorbed energy increases by many orders of magnitude at a certain threshold laser intensity. The particle-in-cell results display maximum fractional absorption around the same intensity. We calculate the threshold intensity and show that it is underestimated by the common overbarrier ionization estimate

Sunlight based irradiation strategy for rapid green synthesis of highly stable silver nanoparticles using aqueous garlic (Allium sativum) extract and their antibacterial potential

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rastogi, Lori; Arunachalam, J.

2011-01-01

Highlights: → We report green synthetic route for the production crystalline silver nanoparticles using garlic as both reducing and stabilizing agent. → Synthesis has been achieved by exposing the solution mixture of [Ag(NH 3 ) 2 ] + and aqueous garlic extract under sunlight. → Role of light in the synthesis process has been investigated and is discussed in detail. → The antibacterial effect of the synthesized silver nanoparticles has been assessed against both Gram classes of bacteria. → Synthesized silver colloidal solutions were found to be stable for a very long period and retained their bactericidal potential. - Abstract: A green synthetic route for the production of highly stable silver nanoparticles using aqueous garlic extract is being reported for the first time. The silver nanoparticles were synthesized by exposing a mixture of 0.1 M [Ag(NH 3 ) 2 ] + and diluted aqueous garlic extract under bright sunlight for 15 min. The garlic extract components served as both reducing and capping agents in the synthesis of silver nanoparticles while the sunlight acted as catalyst in the synthesis process. The synthesized nanoparticles were characterized using UV-visible (UV-vis) spectrophotometer; transmission electron microscopy (TEM), glancing angle X-ray diffraction (GA-XRD) and Fourier transform infra red (FTIR) spectrometry. The nanoparticles were found to be poly-dispersed in nature, spherical in shape and of 7.3 ± 4.4 nm in size. The FTIR analysis was suggestive of proteins as capping agents around the nanoparticles. The yield of synthesized nanoparticles was calculated to be approximately 80% by dry weight and 85% ICP-AES method. The synthesized silver nanoparticles exhibited good antibacterial potential against both Gram positive and Gram negative bacterial strains, as measured using well diffusion assay. Most importantly, the silver colloidal solutions thus synthesized were found to be stable for a very long period (more than a year) and retained

Comparative Evaluation of Different Co-Antioxidants on the Photochemical- and Functional-Stability of Epigallocatechin-3-gallate in Topical Creams Exposed to Simulated Sunlight

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Santo Scalia

2013-01-01

Full Text Available The catechin (−-epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG exhibits high antioxidant activity and it has been reported to provide protection of the skin against damage induced by solar UV radiation. However, EGCG is highly unstable under sunlight. The present study aimed to compare the effectiveness of the co-antioxidant agents vitamin E, butylated hydroxytoluene, vitamin C and a-lipoic acid for their potential to protect the catechin from photochemical degradation. Model creams (oil-in-water emulsions containing EGCG (1%, w/w alone or combined with equimolar concentrations of co-antioxidant were exposed to a solar simulator at an irradiance corresponding to natural sunlight. Photodegradation was evaluated by HPLC-UV and HPLC-ESI-MS/MS. Addition of the co-antioxidants vitamin C and a-lipoic acid to the formulation significantly reduced the light-induced decomposition of EGCG from 76.9 ± 4.6% to 20.4 ± 2.7% and 12.6 ± 1.6%, respectively. Conversely, butylated hydroxytoluene had no effect (EGCG loss, 78.1 ± 4.6% and vitamin E enhanced the EGCG photolysis to 84.5 ± 3.4%. The functional stability of the catechin in the creams exposed to the solar simulator was also evaluated by measuring the in vitro antioxidant activity. Following irradiation, the reduction of the EGCG formulation antioxidant power was lower (21.8% than the extent of degradation (76.9%, suggesting the formation of photoproducts with antioxidant properties. The influence of the examined co-antioxidants on the functional stability of the catechin under simulated sunlight paralleled that measured for the EGCG photodecomposition, a-lipoic acid exerting the greatest stabilising effect (antioxidant activity decrease, 1.4%. These results demonstrated that a-lipoic acid is an effective co-antioxidant agent for the stabilization of EGCG in dermatological products for skin photoprotection.

Solar intensity measurement using a thermoelectric module; experimental study and mathematical modeling

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rahbar, Nader; Asadi, Amin

2016-01-01

Highlights: • Solar intensity could be explained as a linear function of voltage and ambient temperature. • The maximum output voltage is approximately 120 mV which was occurred in midday. • The average value of the heat-sink thermal resistance could be measured with this device. • The average values of total heat transfer coefficients could be measured with this device. • Two correlations were proposed to predict the solar intensity with the accuracy of 10%. - Abstract: The present study is intended to design, manufacture, and modeling an inexpensive pyranometer using a thermoelectric module. The governing equations relating the solar intensity, output voltage, and ambient temperature have been derived by applying the mathematical and thermodynamic models. According to the thermodynamics modeling, the output voltage is a function of solar intensity, ambient temperature, internal parameters of thermoelectric module, convection and radiation coefficients, and geometrical characteristics of the setup. Moreover, the solar intensity can be considered as a linear function of voltage and ambient temperature within an acceptable range of accuracy. The experiments have been carried out on a typical winter day under climatic conditions of Semnan (35°33′N, 53°23′E), Iran. The results also indicated that the output voltage is dependent on the solar intensity and its maximum value was 120 mV. Finally, based on the experimental results, two correlations, with the accuracy of 10%, have been proposed to predict the solar intensity as a function of output voltage and ambient temperature. The average values of total heat transfer coefficient and thermal resistance of the heat-sink have been also calculated according to the thermodynamic modeling and experimental results.

Level set segmentation of medical images based on local region statistics and maximum a posteriori probability.

Science.gov (United States)

Cui, Wenchao; Wang, Yi; Lei, Tao; Fan, Yangyu; Feng, Yan

2013-01-01

This paper presents a variational level set method for simultaneous segmentation and bias field estimation of medical images with intensity inhomogeneity. In our model, the statistics of image intensities belonging to each different tissue in local regions are characterized by Gaussian distributions with different means and variances. According to maximum a posteriori probability (MAP) and Bayes' rule, we first derive a local objective function for image intensities in a neighborhood around each pixel. Then this local objective function is integrated with respect to the neighborhood center over the entire image domain to give a global criterion. In level set framework, this global criterion defines an energy in terms of the level set functions that represent a partition of the image domain and a bias field that accounts for the intensity inhomogeneity of the image. Therefore, image segmentation and bias field estimation are simultaneously achieved via a level set evolution process. Experimental results for synthetic and real images show desirable performances of our method.

[PS II photochemical efficiency in flag leaf of wheat varieties and its adaptation to strong sun- light intensity on farmland of Xiangride in Qinghai Province, Northwest China].

Science.gov (United States)

Shi, Sheng-Bo; Chen, Wen-Jie; Shi, Rui; Li, Miao; Zhang, Huai-Gang; Sun, Ya-Nan

2014-09-01

Taking four wheat varieties developed by Northwest Institute of Plateau Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, as test materials, with the measurement of content of photosynthetic pigments, leaf area, fresh and dry mass of flag leaf, the PS II photochemistry efficiency of abaxial and adaxial surface of flag leaf and its adaptation to strong solar radiation during the period of heading stage in Xiangride region were investigated with the pulse-modulated in-vivo chlorophyll fluorescence technique. The results indicated that flag leaf angle mainly grew in horizontal state in Gaoyuan 314, Gaoyuan 363 and Gaoyuan 584, and mainly in vertical state in Gaoyuan 913 because of its smaller leaf area and larger width. Photosynthetic pigments were different among the 4 varieties, and positively correlated with intrinsic PS II photochemistry efficiencies (Fv/Fm). In clear days, especially at noon, the photosynthetic photoinhibition was more serious in abaxial surface of flag leaf due to directly facing the solar radiation, but it could recover after reduction of sunlight intensity in the afternoon, which meant that no inactive damage happened in PS II reaction centers. There were significant differences of PS II actual and maximum photochemical efficiencies at the actinic light intensity (ΦPS II and Fv'/Fm') between abaxial and adaxial surface, and their relative variation trends were on the contrary. The photochemical and non-photochemical quenching coefficients (qP and NPQ) had a similar tendency in both abaxial and adaxial surfaces. Although ΦPS II and qP were lower in adaxial surface of flag leaf, the Fv'/Fm' was significantly higher, which indicated that the potential PS II capture efficiency of excited energy was higher. The results demonstrated that process of photochemical and non-photochemical quenching could effectively dissipate excited energy caused by strong solar radiation, and there were higher adaptation capacities in wheat varieties natively cultivated in

Dynamic-MLC leaf control utilizing on-flight intensity calculations: A robust method for real-time IMRT delivery over moving rigid targets

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

McMahon, Ryan; Papiez, Lech; Rangaraj, Dharanipathy

2007-01-01

An algorithm is presented that allows for the control of multileaf collimation (MLC) leaves based entirely on real-time calculations of the intensity delivered over the target. The algorithm is capable of efficiently correcting generalized delivery errors without requiring the interruption of delivery (self-correcting trajectories), where a generalized delivery error represents anything that causes a discrepancy between the delivered and intended intensity profiles. The intensity actually delivered over the target is continually compared to its intended value. For each pair of leaves, these comparisons are used to guide the control of the following leaf and keep this discrepancy below a user-specified value. To demonstrate the basic principles of the algorithm, results of corrected delivery are shown for a leading leaf positional error during dynamic-MLC (DMLC) IMRT delivery over a rigid moving target. It is then shown that, with slight modifications, the algorithm can be used to track moving targets in real time. The primary results of this article indicate that the algorithm is capable of accurately delivering DMLC IMRT over a rigid moving target whose motion is (1) completely unknown prior to delivery and (2) not faster than the maximum MLC leaf velocity over extended periods of time. These capabilities are demonstrated for clinically derived intensity profiles and actual tumor motion data, including situations when the target moves in some instances faster than the maximum admissible MLC leaf velocity. The results show that using the algorithm while calculating the delivered intensity every 50 ms will provide a good level of accuracy when delivering IMRT over a rigid moving target translating along the direction of MLC leaf travel. When the maximum velocities of the MLC leaves and target were 4 and 4.2 cm/s, respectively, the resulting error in the two intensity profiles used was 0.1±3.1% and -0.5±2.8% relative to the maximum of the intensity profiles. For

Cosmic shear measurement with maximum likelihood and maximum a posteriori inference

Science.gov (United States)

Hall, Alex; Taylor, Andy

2017-06-01

We investigate the problem of noise bias in maximum likelihood and maximum a posteriori estimators for cosmic shear. We derive the leading and next-to-leading order biases and compute them in the context of galaxy ellipticity measurements, extending previous work on maximum likelihood inference for weak lensing. We show that a large part of the bias on these point estimators can be removed using information already contained in the likelihood when a galaxy model is specified, without the need for external calibration. We test these bias-corrected estimators on simulated galaxy images similar to those expected from planned space-based weak lensing surveys, with promising results. We find that the introduction of an intrinsic shape prior can help with mitigation of noise bias, such that the maximum a posteriori estimate can be made less biased than the maximum likelihood estimate. Second-order terms offer a check on the convergence of the estimators, but are largely subdominant. We show how biases propagate to shear estimates, demonstrating in our simple set-up that shear biases can be reduced by orders of magnitude and potentially to within the requirements of planned space-based surveys at mild signal-to-noise ratio. We find that second-order terms can exhibit significant cancellations at low signal-to-noise ratio when Gaussian noise is assumed, which has implications for inferring the performance of shear-measurement algorithms from simplified simulations. We discuss the viability of our point estimators as tools for lensing inference, arguing that they allow for the robust measurement of ellipticity and shear.

Spatial resolution and maximum compensation factor of two-dimensional selective excitation pulses for MRI of objects containing conductive implants

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Taeseong Woo

2017-05-01

Full Text Available A quantitative diagnosis using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI can be disturbed by radiofrequency (RF field inhomogeneity induced by the conductive implants. This inhomogeneity causes a local decrease of the signal intensity around the conductor, resulting in a deterioration of the accurate quantification. In a previous study, we developed an MRI imaging method using a two-dimensional selective excitation pulse (2D pulse to mitigate signal inhomogeneity induced by metallic implants. In this paper, the effect of 2D pulse was evaluated quantitatively by numerical simulation and MRI experiments. We introduced two factors for evaluation, spatial resolution and maximum compensation factor. Numerical simulations were performed with two groups. One group was composed of four models with different signal loss width, to evaluate the spatial resolution of the 2D pulse. The other group is also composed of four models with different amounts of signal loss for evaluating maximum compensation factor. In MRI experiments, we prepared phantoms containing conductors, which have different electrical conductivities related with the amounts of signal intensity decrease. The recovery of signal intensity was observed by 2D pulses, in both numerical simulations and experiments.

Intensity inhomogeneity correction for magnetic resonance imaging of human brain at 7T

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Uwano, Ikuko; Yamashita, Fumio; Higuchi, Satomi; Ito, Kenji; Sasaki, Makoto; Kudo, Kohsuke; Goodwin, Jonathan; Harada, Taisuke; Ogawa, Akira

2014-01-01

Purpose: To evaluate the performance and efficacy for intensity inhomogeneity correction of various sequences of the human brain in 7T MRI using the extended version of the unified segmentation algorithm. Materials: Ten healthy volunteers were scanned with four different sequences (2D spin echo [SE], 3D fast SE, 2D fast spoiled gradient echo, and 3D time-of-flight) by using a 7T MRI system. Intensity inhomogeneity correction was performed using the “New Segment” module in SPM8 with four different values (120, 90, 60, and 30 mm) of full width at half maximum (FWHM) in Gaussian smoothness. The uniformity in signals in the entire white matter was evaluated using the coefficient of variation (CV); mean signal intensities between the subcortical and deep white matter were compared, and contrast between subcortical white matter and gray matter was measured. The length of the lenticulostriate (LSA) was measured on maximum intensity projection (MIP) images in the original and corrected images. Results: In all sequences, the CV decreased as the FWHM value decreased. The differences of mean signal intensities between subcortical and deep white matter also decreased with smaller FWHM values. The contrast between white and gray matter was maintained at all FWHM values. LSA length was significantly greater in corrected MIP than in the original MIP images. Conclusions: Intensity inhomogeneity in 7T MRI can be successfully corrected using SPM8 for various scan sequences

Intensity inhomogeneity correction for magnetic resonance imaging of human brain at 7T.

Science.gov (United States)

Uwano, Ikuko; Kudo, Kohsuke; Yamashita, Fumio; Goodwin, Jonathan; Higuchi, Satomi; Ito, Kenji; Harada, Taisuke; Ogawa, Akira; Sasaki, Makoto

2014-02-01

To evaluate the performance and efficacy for intensity inhomogeneity correction of various sequences of the human brain in 7T MRI using the extended version of the unified segmentation algorithm. Ten healthy volunteers were scanned with four different sequences (2D spin echo [SE], 3D fast SE, 2D fast spoiled gradient echo, and 3D time-of-flight) by using a 7T MRI system. Intensity inhomogeneity correction was performed using the "New Segment" module in SPM8 with four different values (120, 90, 60, and 30 mm) of full width at half maximum (FWHM) in Gaussian smoothness. The uniformity in signals in the entire white matter was evaluated using the coefficient of variation (CV); mean signal intensities between the subcortical and deep white matter were compared, and contrast between subcortical white matter and gray matter was measured. The length of the lenticulostriate (LSA) was measured on maximum intensity projection (MIP) images in the original and corrected images. In all sequences, the CV decreased as the FWHM value decreased. The differences of mean signal intensities between subcortical and deep white matter also decreased with smaller FWHM values. The contrast between white and gray matter was maintained at all FWHM values. LSA length was significantly greater in corrected MIP than in the original MIP images. Intensity inhomogeneity in 7T MRI can be successfully corrected using SPM8 for various scan sequences.

Low energy intense electron beams with extra-low energy spread

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Aleksandrov, A.V.; Calabrese, R.; Ciullo, G.; Dikansky, N.S.; Guidi, V.; Kot, N.C.; Kudelainen, V.I.; Lamanna, G.; Lebedev, V.A.; Logachov, P.V.; Tecchio, L.; Yang, B.

1994-01-01

Maximum achievable intensity for low energy electron beams is a feature that is not very often compatible with low energy spread. We show that a proper choice of the source and the acceleration optics allows one to match them together. In this scheme, a GaAs photocathode excited by a single-mode infrared laser and adiabatic acceleration in fully magnetised optics enables the production of a low-energy-spread electron beam with relatively high intensity. The technological problems associated with the method are discussed together with its limitations. (orig.)

Three-dimensional display of peripheral nerves in the wrist region based on MR diffusion tensor imaging and maximum intensity projection post-processing

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Ding, Wen Quan, E-mail: dingwenquan1982@163.com [Department of Hand Surgery, Hand Surgery Research Center, Affiliated Hospital of Nantong University, Nantong, Jiangsu (China); Zhou, Xue Jun, E-mail: zxj0925101@sina.com [Department of Radiology, Affiliated Hospital of Nantong University, Nantong, Jiangsu (China); Tang, Jin Bo, E-mail: jinbotang@yahoo.com [Department of Hand Surgery, Hand Surgery Research Center, Affiliated Hospital of Nantong University, Nantong, Jiangsu (China); Gu, Jian Hui, E-mail: gujianhuint@163.com [Department of Hand Surgery, Hand Surgery Research Center, Affiliated Hospital of Nantong University, Nantong, Jiangsu (China); Jin, Dong Sheng, E-mail: jindongshengnj@aliyun.com [Department of Radiology, Jiangsu Province Official Hospital, Nanjing, Jiangsu (China)

2015-06-15

Highlights: • 3D displays of peripheral nerves can be achieved by 2 MIP post-processing methods. • The median nerves’ FA and ADC values can be accurately measured by using DTI6 data. • Adopting 6-direction DTI scan and MIP can evaluate peripheral nerves efficiently. - Abstract: Objectives: To achieve 3-dimensional (3D) display of peripheral nerves in the wrist region by using maximum intensity projection (MIP) post-processing methods to reconstruct raw images acquired by a diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) scan, and to explore its clinical applications. Methods: We performed DTI scans in 6 (DTI6) and 25 (DTI25) diffusion directions on 20 wrists of 10 healthy young volunteers, 6 wrists of 5 patients with carpal tunnel syndrome, 6 wrists of 6 patients with nerve lacerations, and one patient with neurofibroma. The MIP post-processing methods employed 2 types of DTI raw images: (1) single-direction and (2) T{sub 2}-weighted trace. The fractional anisotropy (FA) and apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) values of the median and ulnar nerves were measured at multiple testing sites. Two radiologists used custom evaluation scales to assess the 3D nerve imaging quality independently. Results: In both DTI6 and DTI25, nerves in the wrist region could be displayed clearly by the 2 MIP post-processing methods. The FA and ADC values were not significantly different between DTI6 and DTI25, except for the FA values of the ulnar nerves at the level of pisiform bone (p = 0.03). As to the imaging quality of each MIP post-processing method, there were no significant differences between DTI6 and DTI25 (p > 0.05). The imaging quality of single-direction MIP post-processing was better than that from T{sub 2}-weighted traces (p < 0.05) because of the higher nerve signal intensity. Conclusions: Three-dimensional displays of peripheral nerves in the wrist region can be achieved by MIP post-processing for single-direction images and T{sub 2}-weighted trace images for both DTI6 and DTI25

Response to comment on paper examining the feasibility of changing New York state's energy infrastructure to one derived from wind, water, and sunlight

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Jacobson, Mark Z.; Howarth, Robert W.; Delucchi, Mark A.; Scobie, Stan R.; Barth, Jannette M.; Dvorak, Michael J.; Klevze, Megan; Katkhuda, Hind; Miranda, Brian; Chowdhury, Navid A.; Jones, Rick; Plano, Larsen; Ingraffea, Anthony R.

2013-01-01

Jacobson et al. (2013, hereinafter J13), presented the technical and economic feasibility of converting New York States' all-purpose energy infrastructure (electricity, transportation, heating/cooling, industry) to one powered by wind, water, and sunlight (WWS) producing electricity and electrolytic hydrogen. Gilbraith et al. (2013) question several aspects of our approach. Unfortunately, Gilbraith et al. inaccurately portray what we stated and referenced and ignore many recent supporting studies. They also refer to previous misplaced critiques of our earlier global WWS study but fail to reference the responses to those critiques, Delucchi and Jacobson (2011b) and Jacobson and Delucchi (2013). We fully stand by the conclusions of both the previous and present studies. - Highlights: • New York State's all-purpose energy can be derived from wind, water, and sunlight. • The main limitations are social and political, not technical or economic. • This response to commentary reaffirms these conclusions

Towards a Better Understanding of the Molecular Mechanisms Involved in Sunlight-Induced Melanoma

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Williams Mandy

2005-01-01

Full Text Available Although much less prevalent than its nonmelanoma skin cancer counterparts, cutaneous malignant melanoma (CMM is the most lethal human skin cancer. Epidemiological and biological studies have established a strong link between lifetime exposure to ultraviolet (UV light, particularly sunburn in childhood, and the development of melanoma. However, the specific molecular targets of this environmental carcinogen are not known. Data obtained from genetic and molecular studies over the last few years have identified the INK4a/ARF locus as the “gatekeeper” melanoma suppressor, encoding two tumour suppressor proteins in human, p16 INK4a and p14 ARF . Recent developments in molecular biotechnology and research using laboratory animals have made a significant gene breakthrough identifying the components of the p16 INK4a /Rb pathway as the principal and rate-limiting targets of UV radiation actions in melanoma formation. This review summarizes the current knowledge of the molecular mechanisms involved in melanoma development and its relationship to sunlight UV radiation.

Sunlight-charged electrochromic battery based on hybrid film of tungsten oxide and polyaniline

Science.gov (United States)

Chang, Xueting; Hu, Ruirui; Sun, Shibin; Liu, Jingrong; Lei, Yanhua; Liu, Tao; Dong, Lihua; Yin, Yansheng

2018-05-01

Electrochromic (EC) energy storage devices that could realize the multifunctional integration of energy storage and electrochromism have gained much recent attention. Herein, an EC battery based on the hybrid film of W18O49 and polyaniline (PANI) is developed and assembled, which integrates energy storage and EC functions in one device. The W18O49/PANI-EC battery delivers a discharging capacity of 52.96 mA h g-1, which is about two times higher than that of the W18O49-EC battery. Sunlight irradiation could greatly promote the oxidation reactions of both W18O49 and PANI during the charging process of the W18O49/PANI-EC battery, thus effectively accelerating the charging rate. This work provides a green, convenient, environmentally friendly, and cost-free charging strategy for the EC energy systems and could further advance the development of the multifunctional EC devices based on the organic/inorganic composites.

Transient, tidal-scale, nitrogen transformations in an estuarine turbidity maximum-fluid mud system (The Gironde, S.W. France)

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Abril, G.; Riou, S.A.; Etcheber, H.; Frankignoulle, M.; De Wit, R.; Middelburg, J.J.

2000-01-01

The maximum turbidity zone (MTZ) of the Gironde Estuary is a site of important mineralization of particulate organic nitrogen. Moreover, this MTZ is characterized by intense cycles of settling and resuspension of anoxic fluid mud at both tidal and neap-spring time-scales. In the upper layer of the

Comparison of candidate solar array maximum power utilization approaches. [for spacecraft propulsion

Science.gov (United States)

Costogue, E. N.; Lindena, S.

1976-01-01

A study was made of five potential approaches that can be utilized to detect the maximum power point of a solar array while sustaining operations at or near maximum power and without endangering stability or causing array voltage collapse. The approaches studied included: (1) dynamic impedance comparator, (2) reference array measurement, (3) onset of solar array voltage collapse detection, (4) parallel tracker, and (5) direct measurement. The study analyzed the feasibility and adaptability of these approaches to a future solar electric propulsion (SEP) mission, and, specifically, to a comet rendezvous mission. Such missions presented the most challenging requirements to a spacecraft power subsystem in terms of power management over large solar intensity ranges of 1.0 to 3.5 AU. The dynamic impedance approach was found to have the highest figure of merit, and the reference array approach followed closely behind. The results are applicable to terrestrial solar power systems as well as to other than SEP space missions.

Long-term decline of the canopy-forming algae Gelidium corneum, associated to extreme wave events and reduced sunlight hours, in the southeastern Bay of Biscay

Science.gov (United States)

Borja, Angel; Chust, Guillem; Fontán, Almudena; Garmendia, Joxe Mikel; Uyarra, María C.

2018-05-01

Canopy-forming macroalgae are experiencing large biogeographical shifts due to climate change. One of them (Gelidium corneum) has shown a dramatic decline in biomass in northern Spain, in the past 20 years. We investigate here two most plausible hypotheses to explain its decline: (i) a combination of increasing wave energy and decrease of irradiance in the growth season; and (ii) a combination of increasing light in summer and decreasing nutrient concentration. Using a dataset of biomass and environmental variables (1993-2016), in three sectors and three water depths, we have determined that the variables explaining more biomass variability were: suspended solids, nitrate, sunlight hours, significant wave height threshold exceedances (Hs5m), temperature, silicate, and nitrite. When undertaking multiple regression analyses for the whole depth range, only the model including sunlight hours with Hs5m was selected, being highly significant (p algae from the substratum during the growth season. The decline rate in biomass with time, at each sector and depth, was highly correlated (p < 0.001) to the wave energy flux received at each depth, which was higher at 5 m in all sectors, decreasing with depth. In turn, nutrients, instead of decreasing, have increased, and only nitrate presented a significant negative correlation with G. corneum biomass, which was not significant after detrending. The significant (p = 0.001) increase in rainfall over the studied period can explain the increase of those nutrients. Hence, we question whether the effect of nutrients is such, as already described. The most likely factor explaining the decline of this macroalga was the combination of sunlight hours decrease and Hs5m increase.

Facile synthesis of BiOF/Bi{sub 2}O{sub 3}/reduced graphene oxide photocatalyst with highly efficient and stable natural sunlight photocatalytic performance

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Hu, Limin; Dong, Shuying; Li, Qilu; Feng, Jinglan; Pi, Yunqing; Liu, Menglin [School of Environment, Henan Normal University, Key Laboratory for Yellow River and Huai River Water Environmental and Pollution Control, Ministry of Education, Henan Key Laboratory for Environmental Pollution Control, Xinxiang, Henan 453007 (China); Sun, Jingyu, E-mail: sunjy-cnc@pku.edu.cn [Center for Nanochemistry (CNC), College of Chemistry and Molecular Engineering, Peking University, Beijing 100871 (China); Sun, Jianhui, E-mail: sunjh@htu.cn [School of Environment, Henan Normal University, Key Laboratory for Yellow River and Huai River Water Environmental and Pollution Control, Ministry of Education, Henan Key Laboratory for Environmental Pollution Control, Xinxiang, Henan 453007 (China)

2015-06-05

Highlights: • A dual Bi-based ball-shaped material BiOF/Bi{sub 2}O{sub 3} were facilely synthesized. • The composition effect of BiOF/Bi{sub 2}O{sub 3}/RGO hybrid were probed for the first time. • The photocatalytic performances were evaluated upon natural sunlight irradiation. • The composites showed a twofold augmentation in the degradation efficiency. • The hybrid photocatalyst can be easily recycled for three times. - Abstract: A facile and efficient route for the controllable synthesis of BiOF/Bi{sub 2}O{sub 3} nanostructures by hydrolysis method was reported, where the as-prepared BiOF/Bi{sub 2}O{sub 3} was subsequently incorporated with reduced graphene oxide (RGO) sheets to form BiOF/Bi{sub 2}O{sub 3}/RGO composites. The obtained BiOF/Bi{sub 2}O{sub 3} and BiOF/Bi{sub 2}O{sub 3}/RGO composites were well characterized with the aid of various techniques to probe their crystallographic, morphological, chemical and optical properties. Photocatalytic capacities of the pure BiOF/Bi{sub 2}O{sub 3} and BiOF/Bi{sub 2}O{sub 3}/RGO composites have been investigated by the degradation of Rhodamine B (RhB)-contained wastewater under natural sunlight irradiation. A twofold augmentation of degradation efficiency was in turn observed for BiOF/Bi{sub 2}O{sub 3}/RGO composites compared with that of pure BiOF/Bi{sub 2}O{sub 3} under the natural sunlight irradiation. The optimum conditions, the effects of the active species and stabilities in photocatalytic performances of the BiOF/Bi{sub 2}O{sub 3}/RGO composites have also been probed.

Maximum Acceleration Recording Circuit

Science.gov (United States)

Bozeman, Richard J., Jr.

1995-01-01

Coarsely digitized maximum levels recorded in blown fuses. Circuit feeds power to accelerometer and makes nonvolatile record of maximum level to which output of accelerometer rises during measurement interval. In comparison with inertia-type single-preset-trip-point mechanical maximum-acceleration-recording devices, circuit weighs less, occupies less space, and records accelerations within narrower bands of uncertainty. In comparison with prior electronic data-acquisition systems designed for same purpose, circuit simpler, less bulky, consumes less power, costs and analysis of data recorded in magnetic or electronic memory devices. Circuit used, for example, to record accelerations to which commodities subjected during transportation on trucks.

Acute Exercise-Associated Skin Surface Temperature Changes after Resistance Training with Different Exercise Intensities

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Martin Weigert

2018-01-01

Full Text Available Background: Studies showed, that changes in muscular metabolic-associated heat production and blood circulation during and after muscular work affect skin temperature (T but the results are inconsistent and the effect of exercise intensity is unclear. Objective: This study investigated the intensity-dependent reaction of T on resistance training. Methods: Ten male students participated. After acclimatization (15 min, the participants completed 3x10 repetitions of unilateral biceps curl with 30, 50 or 70% of their one-repetition-maximum (1RM in a randomized order. Skin temperature of the loaded and unloaded biceps was measured at rest (Trest, immediately following set 1, 2 and 3 (TS1,TS2,TS3 and 30 minutes post exercise (T1 - T30 with an infrared camera. Results: Two-way ANOVA detected a significant effect of the measuring time point on T (Trest to T30 of the loaded arm for 30% (Eta²=0.85, 50% (Eta²=0.88 and 70% 1RM (Eta²=0.85 and of the unloaded arm only for 30% 1RM (Eta²=0.41 (p0.05. The T values at the different measuring time points (Trest - T30 did not differ between the intensities at any time point. The loaded arm showed a mean maximum T rise to Trest of 1.8°C and on average, maximum T was reached approximately 5 minutes after the third set.  Conclusion: This study indicate a rise of T, which could be independent of the exercise intensity. Infrared thermography seems to be applicable to identify the primary used functional muscles in resistance training but this method seems not suitable to differentiate between exercise intensity from 30 to 70% 1RM.

Solar maximum ultraviolet spectrometer and polarimeter

Science.gov (United States)

Tandberg-Hanssen, E.; Woodgate, B. E.; Brandt, J. C.; Chapman, R. D.; Hyder, C. L.; Michalitsianos, A. G.; Shine, R. A.; Athay, R. G.; Beckers, J. M.; Bruner, E. C.

1979-01-01

The objectives of the UVSP experiment are to study solar ultraviolet radiations, particularly from flares and active regions, and to measure constituents in the terrestrial atmosphere by the extinction of sunlight at satellite dawn and dusk. The instrument is designed to observe the Sun at a variety of spectral and spatial resolutions in the range from 1150 to 3600 A. A Gregorian telescope with effective focal length of 1.8 m is used to feed a 1 m Ebert-Fastie spectrometer. A polarimeter containing rotatable magnesium fluoride waveplates is included behind the spectrometer entrance slit and will allow all four Stokes parameters to be determined. Velocities on the Sun can also be measured. The instrument is controlled by a computer which can interact with the data stream to modify the observing program. The observing modes, including rasters, spectral scans, velocity measurements, and polarimetry, are also described along with plans for mission operations, data handling, and analysis of the observations.

Solar cycle variations of the energetic H/He intensity ratio at high heliolatitudes and in the ecliptic plane

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

D. Lario

Full Text Available We study the variability of the heliospheric energetic proton-to-helium abundance ratios during different phases of the solar cycle. We use energetic particle, solar wind, and magnetic field data from the Ulysses, ACE and IMP-8 spacecraft to compare the H/He intensity ratio at high heliographic latitudes and in the ecliptic plane. During the first out-of-ecliptic excursion of Ulysses (1992–1996, the HI-SCALE instrument measured corotating energetic particle intensity enhancements characterized by low values (< 10 of the 0.5–1.0 MeV nucleon^-1 H/He intensity ratio. During the second out-of-ecliptic excursion of Ulysses (1999–2002, the more frequent occurrence of solar energetic particle events resulted in almost continuously high (< 20 values of the H/He ratio, even at the highest heliolatitudes reached by Ulysses. Comparison with in-ecliptic measurements from an identical instrument on the ACE spacecraft showed similar H/He values at ACE and Ulysses, suggesting a remarkable uniformity of energetic particle intensities in the solar maximum heliosphere at high heliolatitudes and in the ecliptic plane. In-ecliptic observations of the H/He intensity ratio from the IMP-8 spacecraft show variations between solar maximum and solar minimum similar to those observed by Ulysses at high heliographic latitudes. We suggest that the variation of the H/He intensity ratio throughout the solar cycle is due to the different level of transient solar activity, as well as the different structure and duration that corotating solar wind structures have under solar maximum and solar minimum conditions. During solar minimum, the interactions between the two different types of solar wind streams (slow vs. fast are strong and long-lasting, allowing for a continuous and efficient acceleration of interstellar pickup He +. During solar maximum, transient events of solar origin (characterized by high values of the H/He ratio are able to globally

Neutron spectra unfolding with maximum entropy and maximum likelihood

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Itoh, Shikoh; Tsunoda, Toshiharu

1989-01-01

A new unfolding theory has been established on the basis of the maximum entropy principle and the maximum likelihood method. This theory correctly embodies the Poisson statistics of neutron detection, and always brings a positive solution over the whole energy range. Moreover, the theory unifies both problems of overdetermined and of underdetermined. For the latter, the ambiguity in assigning a prior probability, i.e. the initial guess in the Bayesian sense, has become extinct by virtue of the principle. An approximate expression of the covariance matrix for the resultant spectra is also presented. An efficient algorithm to solve the nonlinear system, which appears in the present study, has been established. Results of computer simulation showed the effectiveness of the present theory. (author)

Maximum Power from a Solar Panel

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Michael Miller

2010-01-01

Full Text Available Solar energy has become a promising alternative to conventional fossil fuel sources. Solar panels are used to collect solar radiation and convert it into electricity. One of the techniques used to maximize the effectiveness of this energy alternative is to maximize the power output of the solar collector. In this project the maximum power is calculated by determining the voltage and the current of maximum power. These quantities are determined by finding the maximum value for the equation for power using differentiation. After the maximum values are found for each time of day, each individual quantity, voltage of maximum power, current of maximum power, and maximum power is plotted as a function of the time of day.

Sunlight effects on the 3D polar current system determined from low Earth orbit measurements

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Laundal, Karl M.; Finlay, Chris; Olsen, Nils

2016-01-01

Interaction between the solar wind and the Earth’s magnetosphere is associated with large-scale currents in the ionosphere at polar latitudes that flow along magnetic field lines (Birkeland currents) and horizontally. These current systems are tightly linked, but their global behaviors are rarely...... analyzed together. In this paper, we present estimates of the average global Birkeland currents and horizontal ionospheric currents from the same set of magnetic field measurements. The magnetic field measurements, from the low Earth orbiting Swarm and CHAMP satellites, are used to co-estimate poloidal...... and toroidal parts of the magnetic disturbance field, represented in magnetic apex coordinates. The use of apex coordinates reduces effects of longitudinal and hemispheric variations in the Earth’s main field. We present global currents from both hemispheres during different sunlight conditions. The results...

Steganography based on pixel intensity value decomposition

Science.gov (United States)

Abdulla, Alan Anwar; Sellahewa, Harin; Jassim, Sabah A.

2014-05-01

This paper focuses on steganography based on pixel intensity value decomposition. A number of existing schemes such as binary, Fibonacci, Prime, Natural, Lucas, and Catalan-Fibonacci (CF) are evaluated in terms of payload capacity and stego quality. A new technique based on a specific representation is proposed to decompose pixel intensity values into 16 (virtual) bit-planes suitable for embedding purposes. The proposed decomposition has a desirable property whereby the sum of all bit-planes does not exceed the maximum pixel intensity value, i.e. 255. Experimental results demonstrate that the proposed technique offers an effective compromise between payload capacity and stego quality of existing embedding techniques based on pixel intensity value decomposition. Its capacity is equal to that of binary and Lucas, while it offers a higher capacity than Fibonacci, Prime, Natural, and CF when the secret bits are embedded in 1st Least Significant Bit (LSB). When the secret bits are embedded in higher bit-planes, i.e., 2nd LSB to 8th Most Significant Bit (MSB), the proposed scheme has more capacity than Natural numbers based embedding. However, from the 6th bit-plane onwards, the proposed scheme offers better stego quality. In general, the proposed decomposition scheme has less effect in terms of quality on pixel value when compared to most existing pixel intensity value decomposition techniques when embedding messages in higher bit-planes.

Effect of exposure to sunlight and phosphorus-limitation on bacterial degradation of coloured dissolved organic matter (CDOM) in freshwater

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Kragh, Theis; Søndergaard, Morten; Tranvik, Lars

2008-01-01

This study reports on the interacting effect of photochemical conditioning of dissolved organic matter and inorganic phosphorus on the metabolic activity of bacteria in freshwater. Batch cultures with lake-water bacteria and dissolved organic carbon (DOC) extracted from a humic boreal river were...... arranged in an experimental matrix of three levels of exposure to simulated sunlight and three levels of phosphorus concentration. We measured an increase in bacterial biomass, a decrease in DOC and bacterial respiration as CO(2) production and O(2) consumption over 450 h. These measurements were used...

High-frequency maximum observable shaking map of Italy from fault sources

KAUST Repository

Zonno, Gaetano

2012-03-17

We present a strategy for obtaining fault-based maximum observable shaking (MOS) maps, which represent an innovative concept for assessing deterministic seismic ground motion at a regional scale. Our approach uses the fault sources supplied for Italy by the Database of Individual Seismogenic Sources, and particularly by its composite seismogenic sources (CSS), a spatially continuous simplified 3-D representation of a fault system. For each CSS, we consider the associated Typical Fault, i. e., the portion of the corresponding CSS that can generate the maximum credible earthquake. We then compute the high-frequency (1-50 Hz) ground shaking for a rupture model derived from its associated maximum credible earthquake. As the Typical Fault floats within its CSS to occupy all possible positions of the rupture, the high-frequency shaking is updated in the area surrounding the fault, and the maximum from that scenario is extracted and displayed on a map. The final high-frequency MOS map of Italy is then obtained by merging 8,859 individual scenario-simulations, from which the ground shaking parameters have been extracted. To explore the internal consistency of our calculations and validate the results of the procedure we compare our results (1) with predictions based on the Next Generation Attenuation ground-motion equations for an earthquake of M w 7.1, (2) with the predictions of the official Italian seismic hazard map, and (3) with macroseismic intensities included in the DBMI04 Italian database. We then examine the uncertainties and analyse the variability of ground motion for different fault geometries and slip distributions. © 2012 Springer Science+Business Media B.V.

High-frequency maximum observable shaking map of Italy from fault sources

KAUST Repository

Zonno, Gaetano; Basili, Roberto; Meroni, Fabrizio; Musacchio, Gemma; Mai, Paul Martin; Valensise, Gianluca

2012-01-01

We present a strategy for obtaining fault-based maximum observable shaking (MOS) maps, which represent an innovative concept for assessing deterministic seismic ground motion at a regional scale. Our approach uses the fault sources supplied for Italy by the Database of Individual Seismogenic Sources, and particularly by its composite seismogenic sources (CSS), a spatially continuous simplified 3-D representation of a fault system. For each CSS, we consider the associated Typical Fault, i. e., the portion of the corresponding CSS that can generate the maximum credible earthquake. We then compute the high-frequency (1-50 Hz) ground shaking for a rupture model derived from its associated maximum credible earthquake. As the Typical Fault floats within its CSS to occupy all possible positions of the rupture, the high-frequency shaking is updated in the area surrounding the fault, and the maximum from that scenario is extracted and displayed on a map. The final high-frequency MOS map of Italy is then obtained by merging 8,859 individual scenario-simulations, from which the ground shaking parameters have been extracted. To explore the internal consistency of our calculations and validate the results of the procedure we compare our results (1) with predictions based on the Next Generation Attenuation ground-motion equations for an earthquake of M w 7.1, (2) with the predictions of the official Italian seismic hazard map, and (3) with macroseismic intensities included in the DBMI04 Italian database. We then examine the uncertainties and analyse the variability of ground motion for different fault geometries and slip distributions. © 2012 Springer Science+Business Media B.V.

Effects of Beetroot Juice Supplementation on a 30-s High-Intensity Inertial Cycle Ergometer Test

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Raul Domínguez

2017-12-01

Full Text Available Background: Beetroot juice (BJ is rich in inorganic nitrates and has proved effective at increasing blood nitric oxide (NO levels. When used as a supplement BJ has shown an ergogenic effect on cardiorespiratory resistance exercise modalities, yet few studies have examined its impact on high intensity efforts. Objective: To assess the effects of BJ intake on anaerobic performance in a Wingate test. Methods: Fifteen trained men (age 21.46 ± 1.72 years, height 1.78 ± 0.07 cm and weight 76.90 ± 8.67 kg undertook a 30-s maximum intensity test on an inertial cycle ergometer after drinking 70 mL of BJ (5.6 mmol NO3− or placebo. Results: Despite no impacts of BJ on the mean power recorded during the test, improvements were produced in peak power (6% (p = 0.034, average power 0–15 s (6.7% (p = 0.048 and final blood lactate levels (82.6% (p < 0.001, and there was a trend towards a shorter time taken to attain peak power (−8.4% (p = 0.055. Conclusions: Supplementation with BJ has an ergonomic effect on maximum power output and on average power during the first 15 s of a 30-s maximum intensity inertial cycle ergometer test.

Evidence for Alteration in Chemical and Physical Properties of Water and Modulation of its Biological Functions by Sunlight Transmitted through Color Ranges of the Visible Spectrum-A Novel Study

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

M. Rajeswara Rao

2005-08-01

Full Text Available We investigated the changes in the properties of water when exposed to sunlight for 40 days. We hypothesize and prove that solar irradiation to water entraps electromagnetic radiation as potential energy, which becomes kinetic energy in various systems. It is postulated that photochemically-induced energy transfers, associated with individual spectral emission of visible spectrum of solar light, exert diverse influences on biological systems. Bottles of distilled water, individually wrapped in spectral-colored cellophane were exposed to sunlight and compared to an unwrapped bottle to determine chemical and physical changes as well as modifications of biological properties. Each bottle of water was named according to the color of cellophane paper with letter E (stands for exposed as a prefix with (E-violet, E-indigo, E-blue, E-green, E-yellow, E-orange, and Ered. E-control (without wrap was exposed to polychromatic sunlight. This study addresses two main issues viz., the chemical and physical changes in E-water and its effect on biological activities. Chemical and physical composition analysis using inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectrometry; physical conductance by a Wheatstone Bridge type conductivity meter; osmolarity by a vapor pressure osmometer; and, salt solubility profile of 10% sodium bicarbonate were determined. Furthermore, testing the effect of E-waters on human lymphocyte proliferation, mosquito larvae hatching and seed germination determined the functional role of solar radiation through specific spectrum/s of visible light on various biological processes. We found that water exposed to visible spectral emissions of sunlight had an altered elemental composition, electrical conductance, osmolarity and salt-solubility, as well as differences in bio-modulatory effects. A gradual increase in leaching of Boron from Eviolet to E-red was noted. E-indigo showed maximal increase in electrical conductance and maximal salt

Phantom and Clinical Study of Differences in Cone Beam Computed Tomographic Registration When Aligned to Maximum and Average Intensity Projection

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Shirai, Kiyonori [Department of Radiation Oncology, Osaka Medical Center for Cancer and Cardiovascular Diseases, Osaka (Japan); Nishiyama, Kinji, E-mail: sirai-ki@mc.pref.osaka.jp [Department of Radiation Oncology, Osaka Medical Center for Cancer and Cardiovascular Diseases, Osaka (Japan); Katsuda, Toshizo [Department of Radiology, National Cerebral and Cardiovascular Center, Osaka (Japan); Teshima, Teruki; Ueda, Yoshihiro; Miyazaki, Masayoshi; Tsujii, Katsutomo [Department of Radiation Oncology, Osaka Medical Center for Cancer and Cardiovascular Diseases, Osaka (Japan)

2014-01-01

Purpose: To determine whether maximum or average intensity projection (MIP or AIP, respectively) reconstructed from 4-dimensional computed tomography (4DCT) is preferred for alignment to cone beam CT (CBCT) images in lung stereotactic body radiation therapy. Methods and Materials: Stationary CT and 4DCT images were acquired with a target phantom at the center of motion and moving along the superior–inferior (SI) direction, respectively. Motion profiles were asymmetrical waveforms with amplitudes of 10, 15, and 20 mm and a 4-second cycle. Stationary CBCT and dynamic CBCT images were acquired in the same manner as stationary CT and 4DCT images. Stationary CBCT was aligned to stationary CT, and the couch position was used as the baseline. Dynamic CBCT was aligned to the MIP and AIP of corresponding amplitudes. Registration error was defined as the SI deviation of the couch position from the baseline. In 16 patients with isolated lung lesions, free-breathing CBCT (FBCBCT) was registered to AIP and MIP (64 sessions in total), and the difference in couch shifts was calculated. Results: In the phantom study, registration errors were within 0.1 mm for AIP and 1.5 to 1.8 mm toward the inferior direction for MIP. In the patient study, the difference in the couch shifts (mean, range) was insignificant in the right-left (0.0 mm, ≤1.0 mm) and anterior–posterior (0.0 mm, ≤2.1 mm) directions. In the SI direction, however, the couch position significantly shifted in the inferior direction after MIP registration compared with after AIP registration (mean, −0.6 mm; ranging 1.7 mm to the superior side and 3.5 mm to the inferior side, P=.02). Conclusions: AIP is recommended as the reference image for registration to FBCBCT when target alignment is performed in the presence of asymmetrical respiratory motion, whereas MIP causes systematic target positioning error.

Phantom and Clinical Study of Differences in Cone Beam Computed Tomographic Registration When Aligned to Maximum and Average Intensity Projection

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Shirai, Kiyonori; Nishiyama, Kinji; Katsuda, Toshizo; Teshima, Teruki; Ueda, Yoshihiro; Miyazaki, Masayoshi; Tsujii, Katsutomo

2014-01-01

Purpose: To determine whether maximum or average intensity projection (MIP or AIP, respectively) reconstructed from 4-dimensional computed tomography (4DCT) is preferred for alignment to cone beam CT (CBCT) images in lung stereotactic body radiation therapy. Methods and Materials: Stationary CT and 4DCT images were acquired with a target phantom at the center of motion and moving along the superior–inferior (SI) direction, respectively. Motion profiles were asymmetrical waveforms with amplitudes of 10, 15, and 20 mm and a 4-second cycle. Stationary CBCT and dynamic CBCT images were acquired in the same manner as stationary CT and 4DCT images. Stationary CBCT was aligned to stationary CT, and the couch position was used as the baseline. Dynamic CBCT was aligned to the MIP and AIP of corresponding amplitudes. Registration error was defined as the SI deviation of the couch position from the baseline. In 16 patients with isolated lung lesions, free-breathing CBCT (FBCBCT) was registered to AIP and MIP (64 sessions in total), and the difference in couch shifts was calculated. Results: In the phantom study, registration errors were within 0.1 mm for AIP and 1.5 to 1.8 mm toward the inferior direction for MIP. In the patient study, the difference in the couch shifts (mean, range) was insignificant in the right-left (0.0 mm, ≤1.0 mm) and anterior–posterior (0.0 mm, ≤2.1 mm) directions. In the SI direction, however, the couch position significantly shifted in the inferior direction after MIP registration compared with after AIP registration (mean, −0.6 mm; ranging 1.7 mm to the superior side and 3.5 mm to the inferior side, P=.02). Conclusions: AIP is recommended as the reference image for registration to FBCBCT when target alignment is performed in the presence of asymmetrical respiratory motion, whereas MIP causes systematic target positioning error

Regularization parameter selection methods for ill-posed Poisson maximum likelihood estimation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bardsley, Johnathan M; Goldes, John

2009-01-01

In image processing applications, image intensity is often measured via the counting of incident photons emitted by the object of interest. In such cases, image data noise is accurately modeled by a Poisson distribution. This motivates the use of Poisson maximum likelihood estimation for image reconstruction. However, when the underlying model equation is ill-posed, regularization is needed. Regularized Poisson likelihood estimation has been studied extensively by the authors, though a problem of high importance remains: the choice of the regularization parameter. We will present three statistically motivated methods for choosing the regularization parameter, and numerical examples will be presented to illustrate their effectiveness

Aloe sterol supplementation improves skin elasticity in Japanese men with sunlight-exposed skin: a 12-week double-blind, randomized controlled trial

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Tanaka M

2016-11-01

Full Text Available Miyuki Tanaka,1 Yuki Yamamoto,2 Eriko Misawa,1 Kazumi Nabeshima,1 Marie Saito,1 Koji Yamauchi,1 Fumiaki Abe,1 Fukumi Furukawa2 1Functional Food Ingredients Department, Food Ingredients & Technology Institute, Morinaga Milk Industry Co., Ltd., Zama, Kanagawa, 2Department of Dermatology, Wakayama Medical University, Kimiidera, Wakayama, Japan Background/objective: Recently, it was confirmed that the daily oral intake of plant sterols of Aloe vera gel (Aloe sterol significantly increases the skin barrier function, moisture, and elasticity in photoprotected skin. This study aimed to investigate whether Aloe sterol intake affected skin conditions following sunlight exposure in Japanese men. Methods: We performed a 12-week, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study to evaluate the effects of oral Aloe sterol supplementation on skin conditions in 48 apparently healthy men (age range: 30–59 years; average: 45 years. The subjects were instructed to expose the measurement position of the arms to the sunlight outdoors every day for 12 weeks. The skin parameters were measured at 0 (baseline, 4, 8, and 12 weeks. Results: Depending on the time for the revelation of the sunlight, the b* value and melanin index increased and the skin moisture decreased. After taking an Aloe sterol tablet daily for 12 weeks, the skin elasticity index (R2, R5, and R7 levels were significantly higher than the baseline value. There were no differences between the groups in these skin elasticity values. In the subgroup analysis of subjects aged <46 years, the change in the R5 and R7 was significantly higher in the Aloe group than in the placebo group at 8 weeks (P=0.0412 and P=0.0410, respectively. There was a difference in the quantity of sun exposure between each subject, and an additional clinical study that standardizes the amount of ultraviolet rays is warranted. No Aloe sterol intake-dependent harmful phenomenon was observed during the intake period

Effect of light intensity on the performance of silicon solar cell ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

This work, presents the intense light effect on electrical parameters of silicon solar such as short circuit current, open circuit voltage, series and shunt resistances, maximum power, conversion efficiency, fill factor. After the resolution of the continuity equation which leads to the solar cell photocurrent and photovoltage ...

Estimated intake of intense sweeteners from non-alcoholic beverages in Denmark

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Leth, Torben; Fabricius, N.; Fagt, Sisse

2007-01-01

In 1999, 116 samples of non-alcoholic beverages were analysed for the intense sweeteners cyclamate, acesulfame-K, aspartame and saccharin. High contents of cyclamate close to the maximum permitted level in 1999 of 400 mgl(-1) were found in many soft drinks. The estimated intake of the sweeteners...

Maximum power flux of auroral kilometric radiation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Benson, R.F.; Fainberg, J.

1991-01-01

The maximum auroral kilometric radiation (AKR) power flux observed by distant satellites has been increased by more than a factor of 10 from previously reported values. This increase has been achieved by a new data selection criterion and a new analysis of antenna spin modulated signals received by the radio astronomy instrument on ISEE 3. The method relies on selecting AKR events containing signals in the highest-frequency channel (1980, kHz), followed by a careful analysis that effectively increased the instrumental dynamic range by more than 20 dB by making use of the spacecraft antenna gain diagram during a spacecraft rotation. This analysis has allowed the separation of real signals from those created in the receiver by overloading. Many signals having the appearance of AKR harmonic signals were shown to be of spurious origin. During one event, however, real second harmonic AKR signals were detected even though the spacecraft was at a great distance (17 R E ) from Earth. During another event, when the spacecraft was at the orbital distance of the Moon and on the morning side of Earth, the power flux of fundamental AKR was greater than 3 x 10 -13 W m -2 Hz -1 at 360 kHz normalized to a radial distance r of 25 R E assuming the power falls off as r -2 . A comparison of these intense signal levels with the most intense source region values (obtained by ISIS 1 and Viking) suggests that multiple sources were observed by ISEE 3

Thin-film fixed-bed reactor (TFFBR for solar photocatalytic inactivation of aquaculture pathogen Aeromonas hydrophila

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Khan Sadia J

2012-01-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Outbreaks of infectious diseases by microbial pathogens can cause substantial losses of stock in aquaculture systems. There are several ways to eliminate these pathogens including the use of antibiotics, biocides and conventional disinfectants, but these leave undesirable chemical residues. Conversely, using sunlight for disinfection has the advantage of leaving no chemical residue and is particularly suited to countries with sunny climates. Titanium dioxide (TiO2 is a photocatalyst that increases the effectiveness of solar disinfection. In recent years, several different types of solar photocatalytic reactors coated with TiO2 have been developed for waste water and drinking water treatment. In this study a thin-film fixed-bed reactor (TFFBR, designed as a sloping flat plate reactor coated with P25 DEGUSSA TiO2, was used. Results The level of inactivation of the aquaculture pathogen Aeromonas hydrophila ATCC 35654 was determined after travelling across the TFFBR under various natural sunlight conditions (300-1200 W m-2, at 3 different flow rates (4.8, 8.4 and 16.8 L h-1. Bacterial numbers were determined by conventional plate counting using selective agar media, cultured (i under conventional aerobic conditions to detect healthy cells and (ii under conditions designed to neutralise reactive oxygen species (agar medium supplemented with the peroxide scavenger sodium pyruvate at 0.05% w/v, incubated under anaerobic conditions, to detect both healthy and sub-lethally injured (oxygen-sensitive cells. The results clearly demonstrate that high sunlight intensities (≥ 600 W m-2 and low flow rates (4.8 L h-1 provided optimum conditions for inactivation of A. hydrophila ATCC 3564, with greater overall inactivation and fewer sub-lethally injured cells than at low sunlight intensities or high flow rates. Low sunlight intensities resulted in reduced overall inactivation and greater sub-lethal injury at all flow rates. Conclusions This

Polishing of anaerobic secondary effluent by Chlorella vulgaris under low light intensity

KAUST Repository

Cheng, Tuoyuan; Wei, Chunhai; Leiknes, TorOve

2017-01-01

To investigate anaerobic secondary effluent polishing by microalgae (Chlorella vulgaris) under low light intensity (14 μmol/m2/s), bubbling column reactors were operated in batches of 8 d with initial ammonium nitrogen 10-50 mg/L, initial phosphate phosphorus 2-10 mg/L and microalgal seed 40 mg/L. Maximum microalgal biomass and minimum generation time were 370.9 mg/L and 2.5 d, respectively. Nitrogen removal (maximum 99.6%) was mainly attributed to microalgal growth rate, while phosphorus removal (maximum 49.8%) was related to microalgal growth rate, cell phosphorus content (maximum 1.5%) and initial nutrients ratio. Dissolved microalgal organics release in terms of chemical oxygen demand (maximum 63.2 mg/L) and hexane extractable material (i.e., oil and grease, maximum 8.5 mg/L) was firstly reported and mainly affected by nitrogen deficiency and deteriorated effluent quality. Ultrafiltration critical flux (16.6-39.5 L/m2/h) showed negative linear correlation to microalgal biomass. Anaerobic membrane bioreactor effluent polishing showed similar results with slight inhibition to synthetic effluent.

Polishing of anaerobic secondary effluent by Chlorella vulgaris under low light intensity

KAUST Repository

Cheng, Tuoyuan

2017-05-29

To investigate anaerobic secondary effluent polishing by microalgae (Chlorella vulgaris) under low light intensity (14 μmol/m2/s), bubbling column reactors were operated in batches of 8 d with initial ammonium nitrogen 10-50 mg/L, initial phosphate phosphorus 2-10 mg/L and microalgal seed 40 mg/L. Maximum microalgal biomass and minimum generation time were 370.9 mg/L and 2.5 d, respectively. Nitrogen removal (maximum 99.6%) was mainly attributed to microalgal growth rate, while phosphorus removal (maximum 49.8%) was related to microalgal growth rate, cell phosphorus content (maximum 1.5%) and initial nutrients ratio. Dissolved microalgal organics release in terms of chemical oxygen demand (maximum 63.2 mg/L) and hexane extractable material (i.e., oil and grease, maximum 8.5 mg/L) was firstly reported and mainly affected by nitrogen deficiency and deteriorated effluent quality. Ultrafiltration critical flux (16.6-39.5 L/m2/h) showed negative linear correlation to microalgal biomass. Anaerobic membrane bioreactor effluent polishing showed similar results with slight inhibition to synthetic effluent.

Individuals underestimate moderate and vigorous intensity physical activity.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Karissa L Canning

Full Text Available BACKGROUND: It is unclear whether the common physical activity (PA intensity descriptors used in PA guidelines worldwide align with the associated percent heart rate maximum method used for prescribing relative PA intensities consistently between sexes, ethnicities, age categories and across body mass index (BMI classifications. OBJECTIVES: The objectives of this study were to determine whether individuals properly select light, moderate and vigorous intensity PA using the intensity descriptions in PA guidelines and determine if there are differences in estimation across sex, ethnicity, age and BMI classifications. METHODS: 129 adults were instructed to walk/jog at a "light," "moderate" and "vigorous effort" in a randomized order. The PA intensities were categorized as being below, at or above the following %HRmax ranges of: 50-63% for light, 64-76% for moderate and 77-93% for vigorous effort. RESULTS: On average, people correctly estimated light effort as 51.5±8.3%HRmax but underestimated moderate effort as 58.7±10.7%HRmax and vigorous effort as 69.9±11.9%HRmax. Participants walked at a light intensity (57.4±10.5%HRmax when asked to walk at a pace that provided health benefits, wherein 52% of participants walked at a light effort pace, 19% walked at a moderate effort and 5% walked at a vigorous effort pace. These results did not differ by sex, ethnicity or BMI class. However, younger adults underestimated moderate and vigorous intensity more so than middle-aged adults (P<0.05. CONCLUSION: When the common PA guideline descriptors were aligned with the associated %HRmax ranges, the majority of participants underestimated the intensity of PA that is needed to obtain health benefits. Thus, new subjective descriptions for moderate and vigorous intensity may be warranted to aid individuals in correctly interpreting PA intensities.

Sunlight based irradiation strategy for rapid green synthesis of highly stable silver nanoparticles using aqueous garlic (Allium sativum) extract and their antibacterial potential

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Rastogi, Lori [National Center for Chemical Characterization of Materials, Bhabha Atomic Research Centre, ECIL-PO, Hyderabad 500 062 (India); Arunachalam, J., E-mail: aruncccm@rediffmail.com [National Center for Chemical Characterization of Materials, Bhabha Atomic Research Centre, ECIL-PO, Hyderabad 500 062 (India)

2011-09-15

Highlights: {yields} We report green synthetic route for the production crystalline silver nanoparticles using garlic as both reducing and stabilizing agent. {yields} Synthesis has been achieved by exposing the solution mixture of [Ag(NH{sub 3}){sub 2}]{sup +} and aqueous garlic extract under sunlight. {yields} Role of light in the synthesis process has been investigated and is discussed in detail. {yields} The antibacterial effect of the synthesized silver nanoparticles has been assessed against both Gram classes of bacteria. {yields} Synthesized silver colloidal solutions were found to be stable for a very long period and retained their bactericidal potential. - Abstract: A green synthetic route for the production of highly stable silver nanoparticles using aqueous garlic extract is being reported for the first time. The silver nanoparticles were synthesized by exposing a mixture of 0.1 M [Ag(NH{sub 3}){sub 2}]{sup +} and diluted aqueous garlic extract under bright sunlight for 15 min. The garlic extract components served as both reducing and capping agents in the synthesis of silver nanoparticles while the sunlight acted as catalyst in the synthesis process. The synthesized nanoparticles were characterized using UV-visible (UV-vis) spectrophotometer; transmission electron microscopy (TEM), glancing angle X-ray diffraction (GA-XRD) and Fourier transform infra red (FTIR) spectrometry. The nanoparticles were found to be poly-dispersed in nature, spherical in shape and of 7.3 {+-} 4.4 nm in size. The FTIR analysis was suggestive of proteins as capping agents around the nanoparticles. The yield of synthesized nanoparticles was calculated to be approximately 80% by dry weight and 85% ICP-AES method. The synthesized silver nanoparticles exhibited good antibacterial potential against both Gram positive and Gram negative bacterial strains, as measured using well diffusion assay. Most importantly, the silver colloidal solutions thus synthesized were found to be stable for

R & D of a Gas-Filled RF Beam Profile Monitor for Intense Neutrino Beam Experiments

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Yonehara, K. [Fermilab; Backfish, M. [Fermilab; Moretti, A. [Fermilab; Tollestrup, A. V. [Fermilab; Watts, A. [Fermilab; Zwaska, R. M. [Fermilab; Abrams, R. [MUONS Inc., Batavia; Cummings, M. A.; Dudas, A. [MUONS Inc., Batavia; Johnson, R. P. [MUONS Inc., Batavia; Kazakevich, G. [MUONS Inc., Batavia; Neubauer, M. [MUONS Inc., Batavia; Liu, Q. [Case Western Reserve U.

2017-05-01

We report the R&D of a novel radiation-robust hadron beam profile monitor based on a gas-filled RF cavity for intense neutrino beam experiments. An equivalent RF circuit model was made and simulated to optimize the RF parameter in a wide beam intensity range. As a result, the maximum acceptable beam intensity in the monitor is significantly increased by using a low-quality factor RF cavity. The plan for the demonstration test is set up to prepare for future neutrino beam experiments.

Preparation of graphene/TiO2 composites by nonionic surfactant strategy and their simulated sunlight and visible light photocatalytic activity towards representative aqueous POPs degradation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Li, Kexin; Xiong, Jingjing; Chen, Tong; Yan, Liushui; Dai, Yuhua; Song, Dongyang; Lv, Ying; Zeng, Zhenxing

2013-01-01

Highlights: ► A series of graphene/TiO 2 composites were developed by nonionic surfactant strategy. ► The textural property, optical property, and composition were well characterized. ► Aqueous POPs were degraded under simulated sunlight and visible light irradiation. ► The degradation mechanism and kinetics of aqueous POPs were studied in detail. ► Mineralization of aqueous POPs and recyclability of the composites were also tested. -- Abstract: A series of graphene/TiO 2 composites were fabricated using a single-step nonionic surfactant strategy combined with the solvothermal treatment technique. Their phase structure, morphology, porosity, optical absorption property, as well as composition and structure, were characterized. The as-prepared composites were successfully applied to degrade aqueous persistent organic pollutants (POPs) such as rhodamine B, aldicarb, and norfloxacin in simulated sunlight (λ > 320 nm) and visible light (λ > 400 nm) irradiation. The degradation mechanism and kinetics of aqueous POPs were studied in detail. The mineralization of aqueous POPs and the recyclability of the composites were also tested in the same condition

Sunlight and Vitamin D: A global perspective for health.

Science.gov (United States)

Wacker, Matthias; Holick, Michael F

2013-01-01

Vitamin D is the sunshine vitamin that has been produced on this earth for more than 500 million years. During exposure to sunlight 7-dehydrocholesterol in the skin absorbs UV B radiation and is converted to previtamin D3 which in turn isomerizes into vitamin D3. Previtamin D3 and vitamin D3 also absorb UV B radiation and are converted into a variety of photoproducts some of which have unique biologic properties. Sun induced vitamin D synthesis is greatly influenced by season, time of day, latitude, altitude, air pollution, skin pigmentation, sunscreen use, passing through glass and plastic, and aging. Vitamin D is metabolized sequentially in the liver and kidneys into 25-hydroxyvitamin D which is a major circulating form and 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D which is the biologically active form respectively. 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D plays an important role in regulating calcium and phosphate metabolism for maintenance of metabolic functions and for skeletal health. Most cells and organs in the body have a vitamin D receptor and many cells and organs are able to produce 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D. As a result 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D influences a large number of biologic pathways which may help explain association studies relating vitamin D deficiency and living at higher latitudes with increased risk for many chronic diseases including autoimmune diseases, some cancers, cardiovascular disease, infectious disease, schizophrenia and type 2 diabetes. A three-part strategy of increasing food fortification programs with vitamin D, sensible sun exposure recommendations and encouraging ingestion of a vitamin D supplement when needed should be implemented to prevent global vitamin D deficiency and its negative health consequences.

Maximum concentrations at work and maximum biologically tolerable concentration for working materials 1991

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1991-01-01

The meaning of the term 'maximum concentration at work' in regard of various pollutants is discussed. Specifically, a number of dusts and smokes are dealt with. The valuation criteria for maximum biologically tolerable concentrations for working materials are indicated. The working materials in question are corcinogeneous substances or substances liable to cause allergies or mutate the genome. (VT) [de

40 CFR 1042.140 - Maximum engine power, displacement, power density, and maximum in-use engine speed.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-07-01

... cylinders having an internal diameter of 13.0 cm and a 15.5 cm stroke length, the rounded displacement would... 40 Protection of Environment 32 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Maximum engine power, displacement... Maximum engine power, displacement, power density, and maximum in-use engine speed. This section describes...

Credal Networks under Maximum Entropy

OpenAIRE

Lukasiewicz, Thomas

2013-01-01

We apply the principle of maximum entropy to select a unique joint probability distribution from the set of all joint probability distributions specified by a credal network. In detail, we start by showing that the unique joint distribution of a Bayesian tree coincides with the maximum entropy model of its conditional distributions. This result, however, does not hold anymore for general Bayesian networks. We thus present a new kind of maximum entropy models, which are computed sequentially. ...

Nocturnal light pollution and underexposure to daytime sunlight: Complementary mechanisms of circadian disruption and related diseases.

Science.gov (United States)

Smolensky, Michael H; Sackett-Lundeen, Linda L; Portaluppi, Francesco

2015-01-01

Routine exposure to artificial light at night (ALAN) in work, home, and community settings is linked with increased risk of breast and prostate cancer (BC, PC) in normally sighted women and men, the hypothesized biological rhythm mechanisms being frequent nocturnal melatonin synthesis suppression, circadian time structure (CTS) desynchronization, and sleep/wake cycle disruption with sleep deprivation. ALAN-induced perturbation of the CTS melatonin synchronizer signal is communicated maternally at the very onset of life and after birth via breast or artificial formula feedings. Nighttime use of personal computers, mobile phones, electronic tablets, televisions, and the like--now epidemic in adolescents and adults and highly prevalent in pre-school and school-aged children--is a new source of ALAN. However, ALAN exposure occurs concomitantly with almost complete absence of daytime sunlight, whose blue-violet (446-484 nm λ) spectrum synchronizes the CTS and whose UV-B (290-315 nm λ) spectrum stimulates vitamin D synthesis. Under natural conditions and clear skies, day/night and annual cycles of UV-B irradiation drive corresponding periodicities in vitamin D synthesis and numerous bioprocesses regulated by active metabolites augment and strengthen the biological time structure. Vitamin D insufficiency and deficiency are widespread in children and adults in developed and developing countries as a consequence of inadequate sunlight exposure. Past epidemiologic studies have focused either on exposure to too little daytime UV-B or too much ALAN, respectively, on vitamin D deficiency/insufficiency or melatonin suppression in relation to risk of cancer and other, e.g., psychiatric, hypertensive, cardiac, and vascular, so-called, diseases of civilization. The observed elevated incidence of medical conditions the two are alleged to influence through many complementary bioprocesses of cells, tissues, and organs led us to examine effects of the totality of the artificial light

Maximum Entropy in Drug Discovery

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Chih-Yuan Tseng

2014-07-01

Full Text Available Drug discovery applies multidisciplinary approaches either experimentally, computationally or both ways to identify lead compounds to treat various diseases. While conventional approaches have yielded many US Food and Drug Administration (FDA-approved drugs, researchers continue investigating and designing better approaches to increase the success rate in the discovery process. In this article, we provide an overview of the current strategies and point out where and how the method of maximum entropy has been introduced in this area. The maximum entropy principle has its root in thermodynamics, yet since Jaynes’ pioneering work in the 1950s, the maximum entropy principle has not only been used as a physics law, but also as a reasoning tool that allows us to process information in hand with the least bias. Its applicability in various disciplines has been abundantly demonstrated. We give several examples of applications of maximum entropy in different stages of drug discovery. Finally, we discuss a promising new direction in drug discovery that is likely to hinge on the ways of utilizing maximum entropy.

Maximum likelihood window for time delay estimation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lee, Young Sup; Yoon, Dong Jin; Kim, Chi Yup

2004-01-01

Time delay estimation for the detection of leak location in underground pipelines is critically important. Because the exact leak location depends upon the precision of the time delay between sensor signals due to leak noise and the speed of elastic waves, the research on the estimation of time delay has been one of the key issues in leak lovating with the time arrival difference method. In this study, an optimal Maximum Likelihood window is considered to obtain a better estimation of the time delay. This method has been proved in experiments, which can provide much clearer and more precise peaks in cross-correlation functions of leak signals. The leak location error has been less than 1 % of the distance between sensors, for example the error was not greater than 3 m for 300 m long underground pipelines. Apart from the experiment, an intensive theoretical analysis in terms of signal processing has been described. The improved leak locating with the suggested method is due to the windowing effect in frequency domain, which offers a weighting in significant frequencies.

The effect of two different intensities resistance training on muscle growth regulatory myokines in sedentary young women

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Seyyed Reza Attarzadeh Hosseini

2016-10-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background: The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of resistance training with different intensities on serum myostatin and follistatin levels in sedentary young women. Materials and Methods: In this practical and semi experimental study, 24 sedentary young women with range of 20-30 years and BMI 22-25 kg/m2 were selected by convenience sampling. Then, the volunteers were randomly assigned into two groups, [resistance training group with low intensity (40-60% of one repetition maximum and high intensity (70-90% of one repetition maximum]. The training protocols included: 8 weeks, 3 times a week. Blood samples (5cc were obtained at baseline and 48 hours after at the end of the study; Also Serum levels of myostatin and follistatin were measured by ELISA methods. Data were analyzed using analysis of variance of repeated measures test by SPSS at the significant level (p<0.05. Results: There was a significant increase in the levels of follistatin and follistatin to myostatin ratio in high intensity group (p≤0.05. Also there was a significant decrease in the levels of myostatin in high intensity group (p≤0.05; however, there was no significant change in the levels of follistatin, myostatin and follistatin to myostatin ratio in low intensity group (p≥0.05. Also there was no significant change in these variables in high intensity group compared to low intensity group (p≥0.05. Conclusion: It’s seems that the activation of important myogenic and myostatic factors in sedentary young women need to do high intensity resistance training.

Maximum Quantum Entropy Method

OpenAIRE

Sim, Jae-Hoon; Han, Myung Joon

2018-01-01

Maximum entropy method for analytic continuation is extended by introducing quantum relative entropy. This new method is formulated in terms of matrix-valued functions and therefore invariant under arbitrary unitary transformation of input matrix. As a result, the continuation of off-diagonal elements becomes straightforward. Without introducing any further ambiguity, the Bayesian probabilistic interpretation is maintained just as in the conventional maximum entropy method. The applications o...

Effect of sunlight radiation, rainfall and droplet spectra of sprays on persistence of Bacillus thuringiensis deposits after application of DiPel 76AF formulation onto conifers

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sundaram, A.; Sundaram, K.M.S.

1996-01-01

The Effect of sunlight radiation, rainfall and droplet spectra of sprays on per ‐sistence of a Bacillus thuringiensis subspp. kurstaki (Btk) formulation, DiPel? 76AF, was examined after application onto spruce [Picea glauca (Moench) Voss] foliage. The investigation consisted of three studies: (i) Study I: a laboratory microcosm study to examine the photostability of DiPel 76AF deposits on foliage after different periods of exposure to two radiation intensities, (ii) Study II: a laboratory microcosm study to examine the rainfastness of foliar deposits after exposure to different amounts of rainfall consisting of two separate droplet spectra, and (iii) Study III: a field microcosm study to investigate the influence of two different droplet spectra of DiPel 76AF sprays on foliar persistence of Btk under natural weathering conditions. In all studies, persistence of Btk was investigated both by bioassay [using spruce budworm (Choristoneura fumiferana Clemens)] and total protein assay.The findings of Study I indicated that bioactivity of foliar deposits decreased with increasing duration of exposure to radiation, and with increasing radiation intensity. The half‐life (DT 50 , the exposure period required for 50% of the initial bioactivity to disappear) was 5.1 d for the low intensity, and 3.9 d for the higher intensity. In contrast with the bioassay results, the total protein levels [determined by the bicinchoninic acid (BCA) method] showed no decrease with increasing duration of exposure, or with increasing radiation intensity.The findings of Study II indicated that bioactivity of foliar deposits decreased with increasing cumulative rainfall. A new term, RF 50 [the amount of rain (in mm) required to washoff 50% of the initial deposit], was introduced to understand the relationship between rainfall intensity and reduction in bioactivity. When the same amount of rain was applied in different droplet sizes, the RF 50 value was high (5.2 mm) for the small rain droplets

The Maximum Entropy Method for Optical Spectrum Analysis of Real-Time TDDFT

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Toogoshi, M; Kano, S S; Zempo, Y

2015-01-01

The maximum entropy method (MEM) is one of the key techniques for spectral analysis. The major feature is that spectra in the low frequency part can be described by the short time-series data. Thus, we applied MEM to analyse the spectrum from the time dependent dipole moment obtained from the time-dependent density functional theory (TDDFT) calculation in real time. It is intensively studied for computing optical properties. In the MEM analysis, however, the maximum lag of the autocorrelation is restricted by the total number of time-series data. We proposed that, as an improved MEM analysis, we use the concatenated data set made from the several-times repeated raw data. We have applied this technique to the spectral analysis of the TDDFT dipole moment of ethylene and oligo-fluorene with n = 8. As a result, the higher resolution can be obtained, which is closer to that of FT with practically time-evoluted data as the same total number of time steps. The efficiency and the characteristic feature of this technique are presented in this paper. (paper)

Spatial distribution by Canistropsis microps (E. Morren ex Mez Leme (Bromeliaceae: Bromelioideae in the Atlantic rain forest in Ilha Grande, Southeastern Brazil

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

AF. Nunes-Freitas

Full Text Available Canistropsis microps (Bromeliaceae: Bromelioideae is an endemic species of Atlantic rain forest areas in Rio de Janeiro State, which are very abundant in not very disturbed forests in Ilha Grande, on the southern coast of the State. In this study, we analyzed the vertical and horizontal distribution patterns of the species in an area of rain forest with little evidence of disturbance at Vila Dois Rios, Ilha Grande, relating the patterns to sunlight in the microhabitat. We also identified the types of substrate used by the species and the rate of asexual reproduction. Canistropsis microps had high densities (estimated at 84,425 rosettes/ha, and has an aggregated distribution (Id = 2.86. About 80% of the rosettes were generated by clonal growth, whereas less than 20% were produced from seedlings. Most of the rosettes were found on straight tree trunks (DBH > 50 cm. There was a significant inverse correlation between the incidence of sunlight in the habitat and the abundance of individuals. Rosettes were found up to a maximum height of 9.5 m, but most occured between 1.5 and 5.5 m, where light varied from 25 to 50 µmol.s-1.m-2. We conclude that vertical and horizontal distribution patterns in C. microps may be partially explained by the occurrence of appropriate substrate, an intensity of sunlight favorable to the development of the species and to a high rate of vegetative reproduction.

Energy and CKT dependence of proton induced L subshell X-ray intensity ratios in elements 57≤Z≤92

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Thakkar, Rohit; Sharma, Babita; Allawadhi, K.L.

2006-01-01

The dependence of L subshell X-ray intensity ratios on incident proton energy and the CK transitions has been investigated in elements 57≤Z≤92. The intensity ratio I(L α )/I(L l ) neither shows variation with energy nor any dependence on the CK transitions. In general, the ratios I(L α )/I(L β ) and I(L α )/I(L γ ), first increase with incident proton energy, attain a maximum value, then start decreasing and attain an almost constant value after a particular energy (ranging from about 4.6 MeV for La to 5.8 MeV for U). A comparison has been made among the intensity ratios evaluated using three different sets of parameters. A maximum difference of about 18% has been observed among the different values

Weighted Maximum-Clique Transversal Sets of Graphs

OpenAIRE

Chuan-Min Lee

2011-01-01

A maximum-clique transversal set of a graph G is a subset of vertices intersecting all maximum cliques of G. The maximum-clique transversal set problem is to find a maximum-clique transversal set of G of minimum cardinality. Motivated by the placement of transmitters for cellular telephones, Chang, Kloks, and Lee introduced the concept of maximum-clique transversal sets on graphs in 2001. In this paper, we study the weighted version of the maximum-clique transversal set problem for split grap...

Nonsequential double ionization of D2 molecules with intense 20-fs pulses

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Sakai, H.; Larsen, J.J.; Wendt-Larsen, I.

2003-01-01

The kinetic-energy distribution of D+ fragments obtained from the ionization of D2 molecules with intense 20-fs pulses includes a high-energy component extending up to ˜10 eV. These fragments are only present for linearly, or slightly elliptically, polarized light. Both the maximum kinetic...

Maximum power demand cost

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Biondi, L.

1998-01-01

The charging for a service is a supplier's remuneration for the expenses incurred in providing it. There are currently two charges for electricity: consumption and maximum demand. While no problem arises about the former, the issue is more complicated for the latter and the analysis in this article tends to show that the annual charge for maximum demand arbitrarily discriminates among consumer groups, to the disadvantage of some [it

Vitamin D, cod-liver oil, sunlight, and rickets: a historical perspective.

Science.gov (United States)

Rajakumar, Kumaravel

2003-08-01

Rickets, a disease of vitamin D deficiency, is rarely confronted by the practicing pediatrician in the United States today. At the turn of the 20th century, rickets was rampant among the poor children living in the industrialized and polluted northern cities of the United States. With the discovery of vitamin D and the delineation of the anti-rachitic properties of cod-liver oil by the 1930s, it became possible to not only treat but also eradicate rickets in the United States. Rickets was a common disease in 17th century England. Frances Glisson's treatise on rickets published in 1650, a glorious contribution to English medicine, described the clinical and anatomic features of rickets in great detail. The exact etiology of rickets had been elusive until the 1920s. During the Glissonian era, rickets was a mysterious disease. By the late 19th and early 20th century, faulty diet or faulty environment (poor hygiene, lack of fresh air and sunshine) or lack of exercise was implicated in its etiology. Animal experiments, appreciation of folklore advocating the benefits of cod-liver oil, and the geographical association of rickets to lack of sunshine were all relevant factors in the advancement of knowledge in the conquest of this malady. In this article, the history of rickets pertaining to the discovery of vitamin D, cod-liver oil, and sunlight is reviewed.

Graphene-SnO2 composites for highly efficient photocatalytic degradation of methylene blue under sunlight.

Science.gov (United States)

Seema, Humaira; Christian Kemp, K; Chandra, Vimlesh; Kim, Kwang S

2012-09-07

Graphene sheets decorated with SnO(2) nanoparticles (RGO-SnO(2)) were prepared via a redox reaction between graphene oxide (GO) and SnCl(2). Graphene oxide (GO) was reduced to graphene (RGO) and Sn(2+) was oxidized to SnO(2) during the redox reaction, leading to a homogeneous distribution of SnO(2) nanoparticles on RGO sheets. The scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) images show uniform distribution of the nanoparticles on the RGO surface and high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM) shows an average particle size of 3-5 nm. The RGO-SnO(2) composite showed an enhanced photocatalytic degradation activity for the organic dye methylene blue under sunlight compared to bare SnO(2) nanoparticles. This result leads us to believe that the RGO-SnO(2) composite could be used in catalytic photodegradation of other organic dyes.

Longitudinal and transverse space charge limitations on transport of maximum power beams

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Khoe, T.K.; Martin, R.L.

1977-01-01

The maximum transportable beam power is a critical issue in selecting the most favorable approach to generating ignition pulses for inertial fusion with high energy accelerators. Maschke and Courant have put forward expressions for the limits on transport power for quadrupole and solenoidal channels. Included in a more general way is the self consistent effect of space charge defocusing on the power limit. The results show that no limits on transmitted power exist in principal. In general, quadrupole transport magnets appear superior to solenoids except for transport of very low energy and highly charged particles. Longitudinal space charge effects are very significant for transport of intense beams

Polishing of anaerobic secondary effluent by Chlorella vulgaris under low light intensity.

Science.gov (United States)

Cheng, Tuoyuan; Wei, Chun-Hai; Leiknes, TorOve

2017-10-01

To investigate anaerobic secondary effluent polishing by microalgae (Chlorella vulgaris) under low light intensity (14μmol/m 2 /s), bubbling column reactors were operated in batches of 8 d with initial ammonium nitrogen 10-50mg/L, initial phosphate phosphorus 2-10mg/L and microalgal seed 40mg/L. Maximum microalgal biomass and minimum generation time were 370.9mg/L and 2.5d, respectively. Nitrogen removal (maximum 99.6%) was mainly attributed to microalgal growth rate, while phosphorus removal (maximum 49.8%) was related to microalgal growth rate, cell phosphorus content (maximum 1.5%) and initial nutrients ratio. Dissolved microalgal organics release in terms of chemical oxygen demand (maximum 63.2mg/L) and hexane extractable material (i.e., oil and grease, maximum 8.5mg/L) was firstly reported and mainly affected by nitrogen deficiency and deteriorated effluent quality. Ultrafiltration critical flux (16.6-39.5L/m 2 /h) showed negative linear correlation to microalgal biomass. Anaerobic membrane bioreactor effluent polishing showed similar results with slight inhibition to synthetic effluent. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Ion source and injection line for high intensity medical cyclotron

Science.gov (United States)

Jia, XianLu; Guan, Fengping; Yao, Hongjuan; Zhang, TianJue; Yang, Jianjun; Song, Guofang; Ge, Tao; Qin, Jiuchang

2014-02-01

A 14 MeV high intensity compact cyclotron, CYCIAE-14, was built at China Institute of Atomic Energy (CIAE). An injection system based on the external H- ion source was used on CYCIAE-14 so as to provide high intensity beam, while most positron emission tomography cyclotrons adopt internal ion source. A beam intensity of 100 μA/14 MeV was extracted from the cyclotron with a small multi-cusp H- ion source (CIAE-CH-I type) and a short injection line, which the H- ion source of 3 mA/25 keV H- beam with emittance of 0.3π mm mrad and the injection line of with only 1.2 m from the extraction of ion source to the medial plane of the cyclotron. To increase the extracted beam intensity of the cyclotron, a new ion source (CIAE-CH-II type) of 9.1 mA was used, with maximum of 500 μA was achieved from the cyclotron. The design and test results of the ion source and injection line optimized for high intensity acceleration will be given in this paper.

A Novel Photovoltaic Power Converter for Military and Space Applications

National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

Fernandez, Randyll R. M., Jr

2005-01-01

.... Solar cell panels are exposed to sunlight at different angles and with variable intensity, therefore the resulting output power varies depending on the illumination angle as well as the light intensity of each panel...

Incidental colonic focal FDG uptake on PET/CT: can the maximum standardized uptake value (SUVmax) guide us in the timing of colonoscopy?

NARCIS (Netherlands)

van Hoeij, F. B.; Keijsers, R. G. M.; Loffeld, B. C. A. J.; Dun, G.; Stadhouders, P. H. G. M.; Weusten, B. L. A. M.

2015-01-01

In patients undergoing F-18-FDG PET/CT, incidental colonic focal lesions can be indicative of inflammatory, premalignant or malignant lesions. The maximum standardized uptake value (SUVmax) of these lesions, representing the FDG uptake intensity, might be helpful in differentiating malignant from

Consensus development of core competencies in intensive and critical care medicine training in China

OpenAIRE

Hu, Xiaoyun; Xi, Xiuming; Ma, Penglin; Qiu, Haibo; Yu, Kaijiang; Tang, Yaoqing; Qian, Chuanyun; Fang, Qiang; Wang, Yushan; Yu, Xiangyou; Xu, Yuan; Du, Bin

2016-01-01

Background The aim of this study is to develop consensus on core competencies required for postgraduate training in intensive care medicine. Methods We used a combination of a modified Delphi method and a nominal group technique to create and modify the list of core competencies to ensure maximum consensus. Ideas were generated modified from Competency Based Training in Intensive Care Medicine in Europe collaboration (CoBaTrICE) core competencies. An online survey invited healthcare professio...

Degradação do pesticida Padron® por processos fotoquímicos utilizando luz artificial e solar Degradation of Padron® by photochemical processes using artificial and sunlight radiation

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Silvio César Godinho Teixeira

2007-01-01

Full Text Available Destruction of Padron® (dye and picloram was evaluated using a photoreactor and a solar reactor. Photolysis was observed using only a germicide lamp (GL. Black light (BL and H2O2 (172 mmol L-1 promoted a conversion of 49% and 6% of dye and picloram, respectively. Photocatalytic processes were more efficient using TiO2/GL (96%-dye; 60%-picloram than TiO2/BL (44%-dye; 40%-picloram. Photolysis using sunlight was not observed during PadronÒ recirculation in the reactor constructed with four borosilicate tubes. Meanwhile, adding H2O2 resulted in 12% conversion of dissolved organic compounds. Finally, the most efficient mineralization (60% was obtained using the Fenton reaction ( H2O2-176 mmol L-1; FeSO4x6H2O-90 mmol L-1 and sunlight.

Characterization of a proton beam driven by a high-intensity laser

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sagisaka, Akito; Daido, Hiroyuki; Ogura, Koichi; Orimo, Satoshi; Hayashi, Yukio; Mori, Michiaki; Nishiuchi, Mamiko; Yogo, Akifumi; Kado, Masataka; Fukumi, Atsushi; Li, Zhong; Pirozhkov, Alexander S.; Nakamura, Shu

2007-01-01

High-energy protons are observed with a 3 μm thick tantalum target irradiated with a high intensity laser. The maximum proton energy is ∼900 keV. The half angle of the generated proton beam (>500 keV) is about 10deg. Characterization of the proton beam will significantly contribute to the proton applications. (author)

Blood lactate clearance after maximal exercise depends on active recovery intensity.

Science.gov (United States)

Devlin, J; Paton, B; Poole, L; Sun, W; Ferguson, C; Wilson, J; Kemi, O J

2014-06-01

High-intensity exercise is time-limited by onset of fatigue, marked by accumulation of blood lactate. This is accentuated at maximal, all-out exercise that rapidly accumulates high blood lactate. The optimal active recovery intensity for clearing lactate after such maximal, all-out exercise remains unknown. Thus, we studied the intensity-dependence of lactate clearance during active recovery after maximal exercise. We constructed a standardized maximal, all-out treadmill exercise protocol that predictably lead to voluntary exhaustion and blood lactate concentration>10 mM. Next, subjects ran series of all-out bouts that increased blood lactate concentration to 11.5±0.2 mM, followed by recovery exercises ranging 0% (passive)-100% of the lactate threshold. Repeated measurements showed faster lactate clearance during active versus passive recovery (P40%>passive recovery, Pexercise clears accumulated blood lactate faster than passive recovery in an intensity-dependent manner, with maximum clearance occurring at active recovery of 80% of lactate threshold.

A maximum entropy reconstruction technique for tomographic particle image velocimetry

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bilsky, A V; Lozhkin, V A; Markovich, D M; Tokarev, M P

2013-01-01

This paper studies a novel approach for reducing tomographic PIV computational complexity. The proposed approach is an algebraic reconstruction technique, termed MENT (maximum entropy). This technique computes the three-dimensional light intensity distribution several times faster than SMART, using at least ten times less memory. Additionally, the reconstruction quality remains nearly the same as with SMART. This paper presents the theoretical computation performance comparison for MENT, SMART and MART, followed by validation using synthetic particle images. Both the theoretical assessment and validation of synthetic images demonstrate significant computational time reduction. The data processing accuracy of MENT was compared to that of SMART in a slot jet experiment. A comparison of the average velocity profiles shows a high level of agreement between the results obtained with MENT and those obtained with SMART. (paper)

Analysis of positron lifetime spectra using quantified maximum entropy and a general linear filter

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Shukla, A.; Peter, M.; Hoffmann, L.

1993-01-01

Two new approaches are used to analyze positron annihilation lifetime spectra. A general linear filter is designed to filter the noise from lifetime data. The quantified maximum entropy method is used to solve the inverse problem of finding the lifetimes and intensities present in data. We determine optimal values of parameters needed for fitting using Bayesian methods. Estimates of errors are provided. We present results on simulated and experimental data with extensive tests to show the utility of this method and compare it with other existing methods. (orig.)

Innovations in greenhouse systems - Energy conservation by system design, sensors and decision support systems

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Hemming, S.; Balendonck, J.; Dieleman, J.A.; Gelder, De A.; Kempkes, F.L.K.; Swinkels, G.L.A.M.; Visser, De P.H.B.; Zwart, De H.F.

2017-01-01

The targets for energy saving in Dutch horticulture are high. Research follows the two lines: total energy reduction and sustainability. The principles for that are: maximum use of natural sunlight (free energy input to greenhouse, free light for crop growth and production); maximum insulation

Effects of gamma rays, ultraviolet radiation, sunlight, microwaves and electromagnetic fields on gene expression mediated by human immunodeficiency virus promoter

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Libertin, C.R.; Woloschak, G.E.; Panozzo, J.; Groh, K.R.; Chang-Liu, Chin-Mei; Schreck, S.

1994-01-01

Previous work by our group and others has shown the modulation of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) promoter or long terminal repeat (LTR) after exposure to neutrons and ultraviolet radiations. Using HeLa cells stably transfected with a construct containing the chloramphenicol acetyl transferase (CAT) gene, the transcription of which is mediated by the HIV-LTR, we designed experiments to examine the effects of exposure to different types of radiation (such as γ rays, ultraviolet and sunlight irradiations, electromagnetic fields and microwaves) in HIV-LTR-driven expression of CAT. These results demonstrated ultraviolet-light-induced transcription from the HIV promoter, as has been shown by others. Exposure to other DNA-damaging agents such as γ rays and sunlight (with limited exposures) had no significant effect on transcription mediated by HIV-LTR, suggesting that induction of HIV is not mediated by just any type of DNA damage but rather may require specific types of DNA damage. Microwaves did not cause cell killing when cells in culture were exposed in high volumes of medium, and the same cells showed no changes in expression. When microwave exposure was carried out in low volumes of medium (so that excessive heat was generated) induction of HIV-LTR transcription (as assayed by CAT activity) was evident. Electromagnetic field exposures had no effect on expression of HIV-LTR. These results demonstrate that not all types of radiation and not all DNA-damaging agents are capable of inducing HIV. We hypothesize that induction of HIV transcription may be mediated by several different signals exposure to radiation. 22 refs., 8 figs

Pondermotive absorption of a short intense laser pulse in a non-uniform plasma

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Andreev, A A; Platonov, K Yu [Inst. for Laser Physics, SC ` Vavilov State Optical Inst.` 12, Birzhevaya line, St Petersburg (Russian Federation); Tanaka, K A

1998-03-01

An analytical description of the pondermotive absorption mechanism at a short high intense laser pulse interaction with a strong inhomogeneous plasma is presented. The optimal conditions for the maximum of resonance absorption of laser pulse interaction with non-uniform plasma at normal incidence are founded. (author)

Dosimetric comparison of three-dimensional conformal and intensity modulated radiotherapy in brain glioma

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lu Jie; Zhang Guifang; Bai Tong; Yin Yong; Fan Tingyong; Wu Chaoxia

2009-01-01

Objective: To investigate the dosimetry advantages of intensity modulated radiotherapy (IMRT)of brain glioma compared with that of three-dimensional conformal radiotherapy (SD CRT). Methods: Ten patients with brain glioma were enrolled in this study. Three-dimensional conf0rmal and intensity modulated radiotherapy plans were performed for each patient. The dose distributions of target volume and normal tissues, conformal index (CI) and heterogeneous index (HI) were analyzed using the dose-volume histogram (DVH). The prescription dose was 60 Gy in 30 fractions. Results: IMRT plans decrease the maximum dose and volume of brainstem, mean dose of affected side parotid and maximum dose of spinal-cord. The CI for PTV of IMRT was superior to that of SD CRT, the HI for PTV has no statistical significance of the two model plans. Conclusions: IMRT plans can obviously decrease the dose and volume of brainstem. IMRT is a potential method in the treatment of brain glioma, and dose escalation was possible in patients with brain glioma. (authors)

49 CFR 230.24 - Maximum allowable stress.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-10-01

... 49 Transportation 4 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 false Maximum allowable stress. 230.24 Section 230.24... Allowable Stress § 230.24 Maximum allowable stress. (a) Maximum allowable stress value. The maximum allowable stress value on any component of a steam locomotive boiler shall not exceed 1/4 of the ultimate...

Aclimatação de mudas de acariquara à alta irradiância Acclimation of manwood seedlings to full sunlight

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Nilvanda dos Santos Magalhães

2009-07-01

characteristics of leaves were determined. Exposure to high irradiance caused, just after transferring, strong photoinhibition and partial photooxidation, but did not cause plant death. Leaves produced in sunny environment showed Fv/Fm similar to that of control plants. Light-saturated photosynthesis and CO2 saturated-photosynthesis were 90 and 50% higher in plants acclimated to high irradiance. The maximum carboxylation velocity of rubisco and the maximum rate of ribulose bisphosphate regeneration followed the same trend. Leaves produced under sunlight had higher stomatal density and increased leaf thickness. The production of new leaves is the main acclimation strategy to high irradiance in manwood.

Hydrogen at the Rooftop: Compact CPV-Hydrogen system to Convert Sunlight to Hydrogen

KAUST Repository

Burhan, Muhammad

2017-12-27

Despite being highest potential energy source, solar intermittency and low power density make it difficult for solar energy to compete with the conventional power plants. Highly efficient concentrated photovoltaic (CPV) system provides best technology to be paired with the electrolytic hydrogen production, as a sustainable energy source with long term energy storage. However, the conventional gigantic design of CPV system limits its market and application to the open desert fields without any rooftop installation scope, unlike conventional PV. This makes CPV less popular among solar energy customers. This paper discusses the development of compact CPV-Hydrogen system for the rooftop application in the urban region. The in-house built compact CPV system works with hybrid solar tracking of 0.1° accuracy, ensured through proposed double lens collimator based solar tracking sensor. With PEM based electrolyser, the compact CPV-hydrogen system showed 28% CPV efficiency and 18% sunlight to hydrogen (STH) efficiency, for rooftop operation in tropical region of Singapore. For plant designers, the solar to hydrogen production rating of 217 kWh/kg has been presented with 15% STH daily average efficiency, recorded from the long term field operation of the system.

Hydrogen at the Rooftop: Compact CPV-Hydrogen system to Convert Sunlight to Hydrogen

KAUST Repository

Burhan, Muhammad; Wakil Shahzad, Muhammad; Ng, Kim Choon

2017-01-01

Despite being highest potential energy source, solar intermittency and low power density make it difficult for solar energy to compete with the conventional power plants. Highly efficient concentrated photovoltaic (CPV) system provides best technology to be paired with the electrolytic hydrogen production, as a sustainable energy source with long term energy storage. However, the conventional gigantic design of CPV system limits its market and application to the open desert fields without any rooftop installation scope, unlike conventional PV. This makes CPV less popular among solar energy customers. This paper discusses the development of compact CPV-Hydrogen system for the rooftop application in the urban region. The in-house built compact CPV system works with hybrid solar tracking of 0.1° accuracy, ensured through proposed double lens collimator based solar tracking sensor. With PEM based electrolyser, the compact CPV-hydrogen system showed 28% CPV efficiency and 18% sunlight to hydrogen (STH) efficiency, for rooftop operation in tropical region of Singapore. For plant designers, the solar to hydrogen production rating of 217 kWh/kg has been presented with 15% STH daily average efficiency, recorded from the long term field operation of the system.

Muscle performance following an acute bout of plyometric training combined with low or high intensity weight exercise.

Science.gov (United States)

Beneka, Anastasia G; Malliou, Paraskevi K; Missailidou, Victoria; Chatzinikolaou, Athanasios; Fatouros, Ioannis; Gourgoulis, Vassilios; Georgiadis, Elias

2013-01-01

To determine the time course of performance responses after an acute bout of plyometric exercise combined with high and low intensity weight training, a 3-group (including a control group), repeated-measures design was employed. Changes in performance were monitored through jumping ability by measuring countermovement and squat jumping, and strength performance assessment through isometric and isokinetic testing of knee extensors (at two different velocities). Participants in both experimental groups performed a plyometric protocol consisting of 50 jumps over 50 cm hurdles and 50 drop jumps from a 50 cm plyometric box. Additionally, each group performed two basic weight exercises consisting of leg presses and leg extensions at 90-95% of maximum muscle strength for the high intensity group and 60% of maximum muscle strength for the low intensity group. The results of the study suggest that an acute bout of intense plyometric exercise combined with weight exercise induces time-dependent changes in performance, which are also dependent on the nature of exercise protocol and testing procedures. In conclusion, acute plyometric exercise with weight exercise may induce a substantial decline in jumping performance for as long as 72 hours but not in other forms of muscle strength.

A maximum power point tracking for photovoltaic-SPE system using a maximum current controller

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Muhida, Riza [Osaka Univ., Dept. of Physical Science, Toyonaka, Osaka (Japan); Osaka Univ., Dept. of Electrical Engineering, Suita, Osaka (Japan); Park, Minwon; Dakkak, Mohammed; Matsuura, Kenji [Osaka Univ., Dept. of Electrical Engineering, Suita, Osaka (Japan); Tsuyoshi, Akira; Michira, Masakazu [Kobe City College of Technology, Nishi-ku, Kobe (Japan)

2003-02-01

Processes to produce hydrogen from solar photovoltaic (PV)-powered water electrolysis using solid polymer electrolysis (SPE) are reported. An alternative control of maximum power point tracking (MPPT) in the PV-SPE system based on the maximum current searching methods has been designed and implemented. Based on the characteristics of voltage-current and theoretical analysis of SPE, it can be shown that the tracking of the maximum current output of DC-DC converter in SPE side will track the MPPT of photovoltaic panel simultaneously. This method uses a proportional integrator controller to control the duty factor of DC-DC converter with pulse-width modulator (PWM). The MPPT performance and hydrogen production performance of this method have been evaluated and discussed based on the results of the experiment. (Author)

The effect of season and latitude on in vitro vitamin D formation by sunlight in South Africa.

Science.gov (United States)

Pettifor, J M; Moodley, G P; Hough, F S; Koch, H; Chen, T; Lu, Z; Holick, M F

1996-10-01

To assess the effect of season and latitude on the in vitro formation of previtamin D3 and vitamin D3 from 7-dehydrocholesterol (7-DHC) by sunlight in two cities in South Africa, Cape Town and Johannesburg. An in vitro study utilising vials containing 7-DHC, which were exposed to sunlight for a period of 1 hour between 8:00 and 17:00 on 1 day a month for a year. Previtamin D3 and vitamin D3 were separated from 7-DHC by high-performance liquid chromatography, and the amounts formed were calculated with the use of external standards. A marked seasonal variation in vitamin D3 production was noted in Cape Town, with very little being formed during the winter months of April through September. In Johannesburg, in vitro formation changed little throughout the year, and was similar to that found in Cape Town during the summer. During sunlit hours, vitamin D3 production was maximal at midday and small quantities were still being formed between 8:00 and 9:00, and between 16:00 and 17:00 during the summer. During winter in Cape Town, peak formation at midday was less than one-third of that in Johannesburg, and negligible amounts were formed before 10:00 and after 15:00. The previously documented seasonal variation in serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D recorded in patients in Johannesburg is probably a consequence of the increased clothing worn and the decreased time spent out of doors during winter, rather than decreased ultraviolet radiation reaching the earth. The limited in vitro formation of vitamin D3 during winter in Cape Town may have clinical implications insofar as the management of metabolic bone diseases like rickets and osteoporosis is concerned. Breast-fed infants resident in the area are likely to suffer from vitamin D deficiency rickets unless vitamin D supplements are provided, or the mothers are encouraged to take their children out of doors.

Sunlight assisted photocatalytic degradation of Indigo Carmine using eco-friendly synthesized CdSnO3

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ashok V. Borhade

2016-03-01

Full Text Available In the present study I have developed an eco-friendly mechanochemical solid state method with green chemistry approach for the synthesis of CdSnO3. The photocatalyst was characterized to carry out physicochemical characterization by various analytical techniques like, Fourier Transform Infrared (FT-IR, Ultraviolet diffused reflectance Spectroscopy (UV-DRS, X-ray Diffraction (XRD, Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM, Tunnelling Electron Microscopy (TEM and Brunauer–Emmett– Teller (BET surface area. The synthesized CdSnO3 particles had an average size of 105 nm with band gap 3.17 eV. The surface area by BET isotherm method highlight for the synthesized photocatalyst (SBET is 54.45 m2/g, with pore volume (Vp is 0.021 cc/g, and pore diameter (Dp is 24.85 Aº. Photocatalytic activity of CdSnO3 was demonstrated by degradation of Indigo carmine dye under influence of sunlight in aqueous solution

Spectropolarimetric Measurements of Scattered Sunlight in the Huggins Bands: Retrieval of Tropospheric Ozone Profiles

Science.gov (United States)

Fu, D.; Sander, S. P.; Stutz, J.; Pongetti, T. J.; Yung, Y. L.; Wong, M.; Natraj, V.; Li, K.; Shia, R.

2009-12-01

Ozone concentrations in the troposphere have increased over the past century as a result of anthropogenic emissions of NOx and volatile organic compounds. In addition to being harmful to human health and plant life, ozone is an important greenhouse gas, especially in the middle and upper troposphere. Therefore, accurate monitoring of tropospheric ozone vertical distributions is crucial for a better understanding of air quality and climate change. Simulations of vector radiative transfer in the near ultraviolet region have shown that tropospheric ozone profiles can be retrieved using polarization measurements. However, to date there has been no experimental test of this method. A new compact, portable spectropolarimeter has been built for atmospheric remote sensing. The first comprehensive description of the configuration and performance of this instrument for ground-based operation is provided and sample atmospheric scattered sunlight spectra are shown. Using optimal estimation retrieval theory we study the information content of polarization spectra in the Huggins band and uncertainties in the retrieval associated with the measurement parameters, such as aerosol scattering.

SASKTRAN: A spherical geometry radiative transfer code for efficient estimation of limb scattered sunlight

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bourassa, A.E.; Degenstein, D.A.; Llewellyn, E.J.

2008-01-01

The inversion of satellite-based observations of limb scattered sunlight for the retrieval of constituent species requires an efficient and accurate modelling of the measurement. We present the development of the SASKTRAN radiative transfer model for the prediction of limb scatter measurements at optical wavelengths by method of successive orders along rays traced in a spherical atmosphere. The component of the signal due to the first two scattering events of the solar beam is accounted for directly along rays traced in the three-dimensional geometry. Simplifying assumptions in successive scattering orders provide computational optimizations without severely compromising the accuracy of the solution. SASKTRAN is designed for the analysis of measurements from the OSIRIS instrument and the implementation of the algorithm is efficient such that the code is suitable for the inversion of OSIRIS profiles on desktop computers. SASKTRAN total limb radiance profiles generally compare better with Monte-Carlo reference models over a large range of solar conditions than the approximate spherical and plane-parallel models typically used for inversions

Abdominal crunch exercise analysis performed with maximum and submaximum loads: An electromyographic study

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

M.L. Moura

2011-01-01

Full Text Available The purpose of this study was to verify the electromyographic activity of the rectus abdominis and obliquus externus abdominis during abdominal crunch exercise performed with maximum and submaximum loads. Thirteen male and female university students participated in this investigation (18-23 years old. The subjects completed abdominal crunch exercise until exhaustion with 20, 40, 60 and 80% of the maximum load. The root-mean-square (RMS from electromyography activity of the rectus abdominis and obliquus externus muscles from the first and last three repetitions from each workload performed was analyzed. RMS for the last repetitions increased in relation to the first repetitions for the 20% workload, first two repetitions on 40% workload and first repetition on the 80% workload. There was no difference for the 60% workload. Results showed that external load on abdominal crunch exercise might be an alternative to increase intensity while performing abdominal crunch exercise, which on its turn can be a practical tool for subjects that aim to increase abdominal strength level.

Combination of sunlight irradiated oxidative processes for landfill leachate: heterogeneous catalysis (TiO2 versus homogeneous catalysis (H2O2

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Oswaldo Luiz Cobra Guimarães

2013-04-01

Full Text Available The objective of this work was to study the treatment of landfill leachate liquid in nature, after the use of a combination of advanced oxidation processes. More specifically, it compared heterogeneous catalysis with TiO2 to homogeneous catalysis with H2O2, both under photo-irradiated sunlight. The liquid used for the study was the leachate from the landfill of the city of Cachoeira Paulista, São Paulo State, Brazil. The experiments were conducted in a semi-batch reactor open to the absorption of solar UV radiation, with 120 min reaction time. The factors and their respective levels (-1, 0 and 1 were distributed in a experimental design 24-1 with duplicate and triplicate in the central point, resulting in an array with 19 treatment trials. The studied factors in comparing the two catalytic processes were: liquid leachate dilution, TiO2 concentration on the reactor plate, the H2O2 amount and pH level. The leachate had low photo-catalytic degradability, with NOPC reductions ranging from 1% to a maximum of 24.9%. When considering each factor alone, neither homogeneous catalysis with H2O2, nor heterogeneous catalysis with TiO2, could degrade the percolated liquid without significant reductions (5% level in total NOPC. On the other hand, the combined use of homogenous catalysis with H2O2 and heterogeneous catalysis H2O2 resulted in the greatest reductions in NOPC. The optimum condition for the NOPC reduction was obtained at pH 7, dilution of percolated:water at 1:1 (v v-1 rate; excess of 12.5% H2O2 and coating plate reactor with 0.025 g cm-2 TiO2.

Dose-Response of High-Intensity Training (HIT on Atheroprotective miRNA-126 Levels

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Boris Schmitz

2017-05-01

Full Text Available Aim: MicroRNA-126 (miR-126 exerts beneficial effects on vascular integrity, angiogenesis, and atherosclerotic plaque stability. The purpose of this investigation was to analyze the dose-response relationship of high-intensity interval training (HIIT on miR-126-3p and -5p levels.Methods: Sixty-one moderately trained individuals (females = 31 [50.8%]; 22.0 ± 1.84 years were consecutively recruited and allocated into three matched groups using exercise capacity. During a 4-week intervention a HIIT group performed three exercise sessions/week of 4 × 30 s at maximum speed (all-out, a progressive HIIT (proHIIT group performed three exercise sessions/week of 4 × 30 s at maximum speed (all-out with one extra session every week (up to 7 × 30 s and a low-intensity training (LIT control group performed three exercise sessions/week for 25 min <75% of maximum heart rate. Exercise miR-126-3p/-5p plasma levels were determined using capillary blood from earlobes.Results: No exercise-induced increase in miR-126 levels was detected at baseline, neither in the LIT (after 25 min low-intensity running nor the HIIT groups (after 4 min of high-intensity running. After the intervention, the LIT group presented an increase in miR-126-3p, while in the HIIT group, miR-126-3p levels were still reduced (all p < 0.05. An increase for both, miR-126-3p and -5p levels (all p < 0.05, pre- vs. during and post-exercise was detected in the proHIIT group. Between group analysis revealed that miR-126-3p levels after LIT and proHIIT increased by 2.12 ± 2.55 and 1.24 ± 2.46 units (all p < 0.01, respectively, compared to HIIT (−1.05 ± 2.6 units.Conclusions: LIT and proHIIT may be performed to increase individual miR-126 levels. HIIT without progression was less effective in increasing miR-126.

Effect of High-Intensity Treadmill Exercise on Motor Symptoms in Patients With De Novo Parkinson Disease: A Phase 2 Randomized Clinical Trial.

Science.gov (United States)

Schenkman, Margaret; Moore, Charity G; Kohrt, Wendy M; Hall, Deborah A; Delitto, Anthony; Comella, Cynthia L; Josbeno, Deborah A; Christiansen, Cory L; Berman, Brian D; Kluger, Benzi M; Melanson, Edward L; Jain, Samay; Robichaud, Julie A; Poon, Cynthia; Corcos, Daniel M

2018-02-01

Parkinson disease is a progressive neurologic disorder. Limited evidence suggests endurance exercise modifies disease severity, particularly high-intensity exercise. To examine the feasibility and safety of high-intensity treadmill exercise in patients with de novo Parkinson disease who are not taking medication and whether the effect on motor symptoms warrants a phase 3 trial. The Study in Parkinson Disease of Exercise (SPARX) was a phase 2, multicenter randomized clinical trial with 3 groups and masked assessors. Individuals from outpatient and community-based clinics were enrolled from May 1, 2012, through November 30, 2015, with the primary end point at 6 months. Individuals with idiopathic Parkinson disease (Hoehn and Yahr stages 1 or 2) aged 40 to 80 years within 5 years of diagnosis who were not exercising at moderate intensity greater than 3 times per week and not expected to need dopaminergic medication within 6 months participated in this study. A total of 384 volunteers were screened by telephone; 128 were randomly assigned to 1 of 3 groups (high-intensity exercise, moderate-intensity exercise, or control). High-intensity treadmill exercise (4 days per week, 80%-85% maximum heart rate [n = 43]), moderate-intensity treadmill exercise (4 days per week, 60%-65% maximum heart rate [n = 45]), or wait-list control (n = 40) for 6 months. Feasibility measures were adherence to prescribed heart rate and exercise frequency of 3 days per week and safety. The clinical outcome was 6-month change in Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale motor score. A total of 128 patients were included in the study (mean [SD] age, 64 [9] years; age range, 40-80 years; 73 [57.0%] male; and 108 [84.4%] non-Hispanic white). Exercise rates were 2.8 (95% CI, 2.4-3.2) days per week at 80.2% (95% CI, 78.8%-81.7%) maximum heart rate in the high-intensity group and 3.2 (95% CI, 2.8-3.6; P = .13) days per week at 65.9% (95% CI, 64.2%-67.7%) maximum heart rate in the

Neutrophil and Monocyte Bactericidal Responses to 10 Weeks of Low-Volume High-Intensity Interval or Moderate-Intensity Continuous Training in Sedentary Adults

Science.gov (United States)

Shepherd, Sam O.; Wilson, Oliver J.; Adlan, Ahmed M.; Wagenmakers, Anton J. M.; Shaw, Christopher S.; Lord, Janet M.

2017-01-01

Neutrophils and monocytes are key components of the innate immune system that undergo age-associated declines in function. This study compared the impact of high-intensity interval training (HIIT) and moderate-intensity continuous training (MICT) on immune function in sedentary adults. Twenty-seven (43 ± 11 years) healthy sedentary adults were randomized into ten weeks of either a HIIT (>90% maximum heart rate) or MICT (70% maximum heart rate) group training program. Aerobic capacity (VO2peak), neutrophil and monocyte bacterial phagocytosis and oxidative burst, cell surface receptor expression, and systemic inflammation were measured before and after the training. Total exercise time commitment was 57% less for HIIT compared to that for MICT while both significantly improved VO2peak similarly. Neutrophil phagocytosis and oxidative burst and monocyte phagocytosis and percentage of monocytes producing an oxidative burst were improved by training similarly in both groups. Expression of monocyte but not neutrophil CD16, TLR2, and TLR4 was reduced by training similarly in both groups. No differences in systemic inflammation were observed for training; however, leptin was reduced in the MICT group only. With similar immune-enhancing effects for HIIT compared to those for MICT at 50% of the time commitment, our results support HIIT as a time efficient exercise option to improve neutrophil and monocyte function. PMID:28656073

Neutrophil and Monocyte Bactericidal Responses to 10 Weeks of Low-Volume High-Intensity Interval or Moderate-Intensity Continuous Training in Sedentary Adults

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

David B. Bartlett

2017-01-01

Full Text Available Neutrophils and monocytes are key components of the innate immune system that undergo age-associated declines in function. This study compared the impact of high-intensity interval training (HIIT and moderate-intensity continuous training (MICT on immune function in sedentary adults. Twenty-seven (43 ± 11 years healthy sedentary adults were randomized into ten weeks of either a HIIT (>90% maximum heart rate or MICT (70% maximum heart rate group training program. Aerobic capacity (VO2peak, neutrophil and monocyte bacterial phagocytosis and oxidative burst, cell surface receptor expression, and systemic inflammation were measured before and after the training. Total exercise time commitment was 57% less for HIIT compared to that for MICT while both significantly improved VO2peak similarly. Neutrophil phagocytosis and oxidative burst and monocyte phagocytosis and percentage of monocytes producing an oxidative burst were improved by training similarly in both groups. Expression of monocyte but not neutrophil CD16, TLR2, and TLR4 was reduced by training similarly in both groups. No differences in systemic inflammation were observed for training; however, leptin was reduced in the MICT group only. With similar immune-enhancing effects for HIIT compared to those for MICT at 50% of the time commitment, our results support HIIT as a time efficient exercise option to improve neutrophil and monocyte function.

Lake Basin Fetch and Maximum Length/Width

Data.gov (United States)

Minnesota Department of Natural Resources — Linear features representing the Fetch, Maximum Length and Maximum Width of a lake basin. Fetch, maximum length and average width are calcuated from the lake polygon...

Maximum permissible voltage of YBCO coated conductors

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Wen, J.; Lin, B.; Sheng, J.; Xu, J.; Jin, Z. [Department of Electrical Engineering, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai (China); Hong, Z., E-mail: zhiyong.hong@sjtu.edu.cn [Department of Electrical Engineering, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai (China); Wang, D.; Zhou, H.; Shen, X.; Shen, C. [Qingpu Power Supply Company, State Grid Shanghai Municipal Electric Power Company, Shanghai (China)

2014-06-15

Highlights: • We examine three kinds of tapes’ maximum permissible voltage. • We examine the relationship between quenching duration and maximum permissible voltage. • Continuous I{sub c} degradations under repetitive quenching where tapes reaching maximum permissible voltage. • The relationship between maximum permissible voltage and resistance, temperature. - Abstract: Superconducting fault current limiter (SFCL) could reduce short circuit currents in electrical power system. One of the most important thing in developing SFCL is to find out the maximum permissible voltage of each limiting element. The maximum permissible voltage is defined as the maximum voltage per unit length at which the YBCO coated conductors (CC) do not suffer from critical current (I{sub c}) degradation or burnout. In this research, the time of quenching process is changed and voltage is raised until the I{sub c} degradation or burnout happens. YBCO coated conductors test in the experiment are from American superconductor (AMSC) and Shanghai Jiao Tong University (SJTU). Along with the quenching duration increasing, the maximum permissible voltage of CC decreases. When quenching duration is 100 ms, the maximum permissible of SJTU CC, 12 mm AMSC CC and 4 mm AMSC CC are 0.72 V/cm, 0.52 V/cm and 1.2 V/cm respectively. Based on the results of samples, the whole length of CCs used in the design of a SFCL can be determined.

Studies of the Core Conditions of the Earth and Super-Earths Using Intense Ion Beams at FAIR

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tahir, N. A.; Neumayer, P.; Bagnoud, V.; Lomonosov, I. V.; Shutov, A.; Borm, B.; Piriz, A. R.; Piriz, S. A.

2017-01-01

Using detailed numerical simulations, we present the design of an experiment that will generate samples of iron under extreme conditions of density and pressure believed to exist in the interior of the Earth and interior of extrasolar Earth-like planets. In the proposed experiment design, an intense uranium beam is used to implode a multilayered cylindrical target that consists of a thin Fe cylinder enclosed in a thick massive W shell. Such intense uranium beams will be available at the heavy-ion synchrotron, SIS100, at the Facility for Antiprotons and Ion Research (FAIR), at Darmstadt, which is under construction and will become operational in the next few years. It is expected that the beam intensity will increase gradually over a couple of years to its maximum design value. Therefore, in our studies, we have considered a wide range of beam parameters, from the initial beam intensity (“Day One”) to the maximum specified value. It is also worth noting that two different focal spot geometries have been used. In one case, a circular focal spot with a Gaussian transverse intensity distribution is considered, whereas in the other case, an annular focal spot is used. With these two beam geometries, one can access different parts of the Fe phase diagram. For example, heating the sample with a circular focal spot generates a hot liquid state, while an annular focal spot can produce a highly compressed liquid or a highly compressed solid phase depending on the beam intensity.

Studies of the Core Conditions of the Earth and Super-Earths Using Intense Ion Beams at FAIR

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Tahir, N. A.; Neumayer, P.; Bagnoud, V. [GSI Helmholtzzentrum für Schwerionenforschung, Planckstraße 1, D-64291 Darmstadt (Germany); Lomonosov, I. V.; Shutov, A. [Institute of Problems of Chemical Physics, Russian Academy of Sciences, Institutskii pr. 18, 142432 Chernogolovka (Russian Federation); Borm, B. [Goethe-Universität Frankfurt, D-60438 Frankfurt (Germany); Piriz, A. R.; Piriz, S. A. [E.T.S.I. Industriales, Universidad de Castilla-La Mancha, E-13071 Ciudad Real (Spain)

2017-09-01

Using detailed numerical simulations, we present the design of an experiment that will generate samples of iron under extreme conditions of density and pressure believed to exist in the interior of the Earth and interior of extrasolar Earth-like planets. In the proposed experiment design, an intense uranium beam is used to implode a multilayered cylindrical target that consists of a thin Fe cylinder enclosed in a thick massive W shell. Such intense uranium beams will be available at the heavy-ion synchrotron, SIS100, at the Facility for Antiprotons and Ion Research (FAIR), at Darmstadt, which is under construction and will become operational in the next few years. It is expected that the beam intensity will increase gradually over a couple of years to its maximum design value. Therefore, in our studies, we have considered a wide range of beam parameters, from the initial beam intensity (“Day One”) to the maximum specified value. It is also worth noting that two different focal spot geometries have been used. In one case, a circular focal spot with a Gaussian transverse intensity distribution is considered, whereas in the other case, an annular focal spot is used. With these two beam geometries, one can access different parts of the Fe phase diagram. For example, heating the sample with a circular focal spot generates a hot liquid state, while an annular focal spot can produce a highly compressed liquid or a highly compressed solid phase depending on the beam intensity.

Requirements of blue, UV-A, and UV-B light for normal growth of higher plants, as assessed by actions spectra for growth and related phenomena

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Hashimoto, T. [Kobe Women`s Univ., Higashisuma (Japan)

1994-12-31

It is very important for experimental purposes, as well as for the practical use of plants when not enough sunlight is available. To grow green higher plants in their normal forms under artificial lighting constructing efficient and economically reasonable lighting systems is not an easy task. One possible approach would be to simulate sunlight in intensity and the radiation spectrum, but its high construction and running costs are not likely to allow its use in practice. Sunlight may be excessive in irradiance in some or all portions of the spectrum. Reducing irradiance and removing unnecessary wavebands might lead to an economically feasible light source. However, removing or reducing a particular waveband from sunlight for testing is not easy. Another approach might be to find the wavebands required for respective aspects of plant growth and to combine them in a proper ratio and intensity. The latter approach seems more practical and economical, and the aim of this Workshop lies in advancing this approach. I summarize our present knowledge on the waveband requirements of higher plants for the regions of blue, UV-A and UV-B.

Receiver function estimated by maximum entropy deconvolution

Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

吴庆举; 田小波; 张乃铃; 李卫平; 曾融生

2003-01-01

Maximum entropy deconvolution is presented to estimate receiver function, with the maximum entropy as the rule to determine auto-correlation and cross-correlation functions. The Toeplitz equation and Levinson algorithm are used to calculate the iterative formula of error-predicting filter, and receiver function is then estimated. During extrapolation, reflective coefficient is always less than 1, which keeps maximum entropy deconvolution stable. The maximum entropy of the data outside window increases the resolution of receiver function. Both synthetic and real seismograms show that maximum entropy deconvolution is an effective method to measure receiver function in time-domain.

The nocturnal acoustical intensity of the intensive care environment: an observational study.

Science.gov (United States)

Delaney, Lori J; Currie, Marian J; Huang, Hsin-Chia Carol; Lopez, Violeta; Litton, Edward; Van Haren, Frank

2017-01-01

The intensive care unit (ICU) environment exposes patients to noise levels that may result in substantial sleep disruption. There is a need to accurately describe the intensity pattern and source of noise in the ICU in order to develop effective sound abatement strategies. The objectives of this study were to determine nocturnal noise levels and their variability and the related sources of noise within an Australian tertiary ICU. An observational cross-sectional study was conducted in a 24-bed open-plan ICU. Sound levels were recorded overnight during three nights at 5-s epochs using Extech (SDL 600) sound monitors. Noise sources were concurrently logged by two research assistants. The mean recorded ambient noise level in the ICU was 52.85 decibels (dB) (standard deviation (SD) 5.89), with a maximum noise recording at 98.3 dB (A). All recorded measurements exceeded the WHO recommendations. Noise variability per minute ranged from 9.9 to 44 dB (A), with peak noise levels >70 dB (A) occurring 10 times/hour (SD 11.4). Staff were identified as the most common source accounting for 35% of all noise. Mean noise levels in single-patient rooms compared with open-bed areas were 53.5 vs 53 dB ( p  = 0.37), respectively. Mean noise levels exceeded those recommended by the WHO resulting in an acoustical intensity of 193 times greater than the recommended and demonstrated a high degree of unpredictable variability, with the primary noise sources coming from staff conversations. The lack of protective effects of single rooms and the contributing effects that staffs have on noise levels are important factors when considering sound abatement strategies.

Islands in the Sky: Ecophysiological Cloud-Vegetation Linkages in Southern Appalachian Mountain Cloud Forests

Science.gov (United States)

Reinhardt, K.; Emanuel, R. E.; Johnson, D. M.

2013-12-01

Mountain cloud forest (MCF) ecosystems are characterized by a high frequency of cloud fog, with vegetation enshrouded in fog. The altitudinal boundaries of cloud-fog zones co-occur with conspicuous, sharp vegetation ecotones between MCF- and non-MCF-vegetation. This suggests linkages between cloud-fog and vegetation physiology and ecosystem functioning. However, very few studies have provided a mechanistic explanation for the sharp changes in vegetation communities, or how (if) cloud-fog and vegetation are linked. We investigated ecophysiological linkages between clouds and trees in Southern Appalachian spruce-fir MCF. These refugial forests occur in only six mountain-top, sky-island populations, and are immersed in clouds on up to 80% of all growing season days. Our fundamental research questions was: How are cloud-fog and cloud-forest trees linked? We measured microclimate and physiology of canopy tree species across a range of sky conditions (cloud immersed, partly cloudy, sunny). Measurements included: 1) sunlight intensity and spectral quality; 2) carbon gain and photosynthetic capacity at leaf (gas exchange) and ecosystem (eddy covariance) scales; and 3) relative limitations to carbon gain (biochemical, stomatal, hydraulic). RESULTS: 1) Midday sunlight intensity ranged from very dark (2500 μmol m-2 s-1), and was highly variable on minute-to-minute timescales whenever clouds were present in the sky. Clouds and cloud-fog increased the proportion of blue-light wavelengths 5-15% compared to sunny conditions, and altered blue:red and red:far red ratios, both of which have been shown to strongly affect stomatal functioning. 2) Cloud-fog resulted in ~50% decreased carbon gain at leaf and ecosystem scales, due to sunlight levels below photosynthetic light-saturation-points. However, greenhouse studies and light-response-curve analyses demonstrated that MCF tree species have low light-compensation points (can photosynthesize even at low light levels), and maximum

Influence of manure age and sunlight on the community structure of cattle fecal bacteria as revealed by Illumina sequencing

Science.gov (United States)

Wong, K.; Shaw, T. I.; Oladeinde, A.; Molina, M.

2013-12-01

Fecal pollution of environmental waters is a major concern for the general public because exposure to fecal-associated pathogens can have severe impacts on human health. Stream and river impairment due to fecal pollution is largely the result of agricultural activities in the United States. In the last few years, numerous metagenomic studies utilized next generation sequencing to develop microbial community profiles by massively sequencing the 16sRNA hypervariable region. This technology supports the application of water quality assessment such as pathogen detection and fecal source tracking. The bacteria communities of samples in these studies were determined when they were freshly collected; therefore, little is known about how feces age or how environmental stress influences the microbial ecology of fecal materials. In this study we monitored bacteria community changes in cattle feces for 57 days after excretion (day 0, 2, 4 8, 15, 22, 29, 43, 57) by sequencing the 16s variable region 4, using Illumnia MiSeq. Twelve cattle feces were studied; half of the samples were directly exposed to sunlight (unshaded) and half were shaded. Results indicate that the relative abundance (RA) profile in both shaded and unshaded samples rapidly changed from day 0 to 15, but stabilized from day 22 to 57. Firmcutes were the most abundant phylum (~40%) at day 0, but were reduced to rarefaction curve analysis, richness of bacteria diversity in feces decreased as time progressed. Some pathogens such as Campylobacter were detected only at the beginning, meaning they substantially decayed during the course of our study. Overall, this study indicated: (1) sunlight can influence the community structure and (2) after excretion the fecal bacteria diversity can be significantly changed over time. Future studies should therefore use not only the microbial signature of fresh but also moderately aged fecal samples to develop more accurate community profiles for fecal source tracking.

Solar tracking system

Science.gov (United States)

White, P. R.; Scott, D. R. (Inventor)

1981-01-01

A solar tracker for a solar collector is described in detail. The collector is angularly oriented by a motor wherein the outputs of two side-by-side photodetectors are discriminated as to three ranges: a first corresponding to a low light or darkness condition; a second corresponding to light intensity lying in an intermediate range; and a third corresponding to light above an intermediate range, direct sunlight. The first output drives the motor to a selected maximum easterly angular position; the second enables the motor to be driven westerly at the Earth rotational rate; and the third output, the separate outputs of the two photodetectors, differentially controls the direction of rotation of the motor to effect actual tracking of the Sun.

Global-scale high-resolution ( 1 km) modelling of mean, maximum and minimum annual streamflow

Science.gov (United States)

Barbarossa, Valerio; Huijbregts, Mark; Hendriks, Jan; Beusen, Arthur; Clavreul, Julie; King, Henry; Schipper, Aafke

2017-04-01

Quantifying mean, maximum and minimum annual flow (AF) of rivers at ungauged sites is essential for a number of applications, including assessments of global water supply, ecosystem integrity and water footprints. AF metrics can be quantified with spatially explicit process-based models, which might be overly time-consuming and data-intensive for this purpose, or with empirical regression models that predict AF metrics based on climate and catchment characteristics. Yet, so far, regression models have mostly been developed at a regional scale and the extent to which they can be extrapolated to other regions is not known. We developed global-scale regression models that quantify mean, maximum and minimum AF as function of catchment area and catchment-averaged slope, elevation, and mean, maximum and minimum annual precipitation and air temperature. We then used these models to obtain global 30 arc-seconds (˜ 1 km) maps of mean, maximum and minimum AF for each year from 1960 through 2015, based on a newly developed hydrologically conditioned digital elevation model. We calibrated our regression models based on observations of discharge and catchment characteristics from about 4,000 catchments worldwide, ranging from 100 to 106 km2 in size, and validated them against independent measurements as well as the output of a number of process-based global hydrological models (GHMs). The variance explained by our regression models ranged up to 90% and the performance of the models compared well with the performance of existing GHMs. Yet, our AF maps provide a level of spatial detail that cannot yet be achieved by current GHMs.

Adaptive projection intensity adjustment for avoiding saturation in three-dimensional shape measurement

Science.gov (United States)

Chen, Chao; Gao, Nan; Wang, Xiangjun; Zhang, Zonghua

2018-03-01

Phase-based fringe projection methods have been commonly used for three-dimensional (3D) measurements. However, image saturation results in incorrect intensities in captured fringe pattern images, leading to phase and measurement errors. Existing solutions are complex. This paper proposes an adaptive projection intensity adjustment method to avoid image saturation and maintain good fringe modulation in measuring objects with a high range of surface reflectivities. The adapted fringe patterns are created using only one prior step of fringe-pattern projection and image capture. First, a set of phase-shifted fringe patterns with maximum projection intensity value of 255 and a uniform gray level pattern are projected onto the surface of an object. The patterns are reflected from and deformed by the object surface and captured by a digital camera. The best projection intensities corresponding to each saturated-pixel clusters are determined by fitting a polynomial function to transform captured intensities to projected intensities. Subsequently, the adapted fringe patterns are constructed using the best projection intensities at projector pixel coordinate. Finally, the adapted fringe patterns are projected for phase recovery and 3D shape calculation. The experimental results demonstrate that the proposed method achieves high measurement accuracy even for objects with a high range of surface reflectivities.

Abnormal responses to mid-ultraviolet light of cultured fibroblasts from patients with disorders featuring sunlight sensitivity

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Smith, P.J.; Paterson, M.C.

1982-01-01

The postultraviolet light (UV) colony-forming ability and DNA repair properties were examined of human skin fibroblasts derived from two groups of donors at high risk of cancer; (a) persons exhibiting sensitivity to sunlight; and (b) persons with conditions possibly associated with an underlying defect in the repair of radiogenic DNA damage. A comparison was made between the effects of far UV (254 nm) and mid UV (313 nm). Biochemical studies performed on strains sensitive to 313-nm UV alone suggest that their unusual photoresponse is not attributable to defective repair of cyclobutyl pyrimidine dimers. Furthermore, our data imply that thymine glycols are unlikely candidates for the critical lethal lesions in 313-nm UV-sensitive strains. Evidence is presented in support of the contention that mid UV may be partially radiomimetic, thus extending our understanding of the deleterious biological effects of this ubiquitous environmental carcinogen

Maximum Gene-Support Tree

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Yunfeng Shan

2008-01-01

Full Text Available Genomes and genes diversify during evolution; however, it is unclear to what extent genes still retain the relationship among species. Model species for molecular phylogenetic studies include yeasts and viruses whose genomes were sequenced as well as plants that have the fossil-supported true phylogenetic trees available. In this study, we generated single gene trees of seven yeast species as well as single gene trees of nine baculovirus species using all the orthologous genes among the species compared. Homologous genes among seven known plants were used for validation of the finding. Four algorithms—maximum parsimony (MP, minimum evolution (ME, maximum likelihood (ML, and neighbor-joining (NJ—were used. Trees were reconstructed before and after weighting the DNA and protein sequence lengths among genes. Rarely a gene can always generate the “true tree” by all the four algorithms. However, the most frequent gene tree, termed “maximum gene-support tree” (MGS tree, or WMGS tree for the weighted one, in yeasts, baculoviruses, or plants was consistently found to be the “true tree” among the species. The results provide insights into the overall degree of divergence of orthologous genes of the genomes analyzed and suggest the following: 1 The true tree relationship among the species studied is still maintained by the largest group of orthologous genes; 2 There are usually more orthologous genes with higher similarities between genetically closer species than between genetically more distant ones; and 3 The maximum gene-support tree reflects the phylogenetic relationship among species in comparison.

Effect of light intensity and initial pH during hydrogen production by an integrated dark and photofermentation process

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Nath, Kaushik [Department of Chemical Engineering, GH Patel College of Engineering and Technology, Vallabh Vidyanagar 388 120, Gujarat (India); Das, Debabrata [Fermentation Technology Laboratory, Department of Biotechnology, Indian Institute of Technology, Kharagpur 721302 (India)

2009-09-15

Photofermentation was carried out with the spent fermentation broth obtained from the anaerobic dark fermentation in a two-stage process. For the first stage, i.e. dark fermentation Enterobacter cloacae DM 11 was used as hydrogen producing microorganism. For photofermentation Rhodobacter sphaeroides O.U. 001, a photo-heterotrophic purple non-sulfur bacterium, was used. pH study revealed that cumulative hydrogen production was maximum at initial medium pH of 7.0 {+-} 0.2. Biomass yield was also high at the vicinity of pH 7.0 and it decreased as the pH increased from 7.0 to 8.0. Increased light intensity resulted in an increase in the total volume of hydrogen evolved and also hydrogen production rate. However, light conversion efficiency decreased by increasing light intensity. A four-fold increase in light intensity resulted in a three-fold decrease in light conversion efficiency although the cumulative volume of hydrogen gas production increased. It was observed that only a maximum of 0.51% light conversion efficiency could be achieved but at the expense of very low light intensity of 2500 lux (3.75 W m{sup -2}). (author)

Study of steady-state heat transfer with various large beam intensities in ADS windowless spallation target

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Liu, Jie; Gao, Lei; Tong, Jian-fei; Mehmood, Irfan; Lu, Wen-qiang

2015-01-01

Thermal hydraulics of spallation target, which is regarded as the ‘heart’ of the accelerator driven system (ADS), is very complicated due to the flow of the heavy liquid metal, spallation reaction and the coupling. In this paper, the steady-state temperature distribution, based on the flow pattern and the heat deposition, in the windowless spallation target with various large beam intensities from 10 mA to 40 mA is obtained to be in line with the development of ADS in China. The results show that the shape of temperature distribution is the same as broken wing of the butterfly but the temperature gradient and the maximum temperature vary in proportion with beam intensity. The variation of temperature gradient in different zones is also used to figure out the effect of large beam intensity. It has been found that large radial and axial temperature gradient leads to large temperature gradient on the wall. This may cause extremely large thermal stresses which leads to structural material damage. The results may be applied to the future design and optimization of ADS in China. - Highlights: • Shape of temperature distribution is the same but temperature gradient and maximum temperature vary with intensity. • The variation of temperature gradient in different zones reveals the effect of large beam intensity. • Large radial and axial temperature gradient leads to large temperature gradient on the wall

Magnetic fields in a neonatal intensive care unit

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Aasen, S.E.; Johansson, A.; Cristensen, T.

1995-06-01

In this study the magnetic flux density in and around the infant incubators of a neonatal intensive care unit were registered and mapped. The mean 50 Hz magnetic flux densities in an incubator was typically in the region 0.2 - l μT, with maximum values around 1.5μT. The field levels are quite varying dependent on type of incubator, position in the incubator, position of the electronic surveillance and treatment equipment and the position of the 220 V main plugs. 8 refs., 21 figs., 2 tabs

Intense echolocation calls from two ;whispering' bats, Artibeus jamaicensis and Macrophyllum macrophyllum (Phyllostomidae)

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Brinkløv, Signe; Kalko, Elisabeth K V; Surlykke, Annemarie

2009-01-01

Bats use echolocation to exploit a variety of habitats and food types. Much research has documented how frequency-time features of echolocation calls are adapted to acoustic constraints imposed by habitat and prey but emitted sound intensities have received little attention. Bats from the family...... of Phyllostomidae have been categorised as low intensity (whispering) gleaners, assumed to emit echolocation calls with low source levels (approximately 70 dB SPL measured 10 cm from the bat's mouth). We used a multi-microphone array to determine intensities emitted from two phyllostomid bats from Panamá...... room. Both species emitted surprisingly intense signals with maximum source levels of 105 dB SPL r.m.s. for M. macrophyllum and 110 dB SPL r.m.s. for A. jamaicensis, hence much louder than a ;whisper'. M. macrophyllum was consistently loud (mean source level 101 dB SPL) whereas A. jamaicensis showed...

Intensity estimation of historical earthquakes through seismic analysis of wooden house

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Choi, I. K.; Soe, J. M.

1999-01-01

The intensity of historical earthquake records related with house collapses are estimated by the seismic analyses of traditional three-bay-straw-roof house. Eighteen artificial time histories for magnitudes 6-8, epicentral distances 5 km - 350 km and hard and soft soil condition were generated for the analyses. Nonlinear dynamic analyses were performed for a traditional three-bay-roof house. Damage level of the wooden house according to the input earthquake motions and the MM intensity were estimated by maximum displacement response at the top of columns. Considering the structural characteristics of the three-bay-straw-roof house, the largest historical earthquake record related to the house collapse is about MMI VIII

Assessment of vocal intensity in lecturers depending on acoustic properties of lecture rooms

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Witold Mikulski

2015-08-01

Full Text Available Background: Lombard’s effect increases the level of vocal intensity in the environment, in which noise occurs. This article presents the results of the author’s own study of vocal intensity level and A-weighted sound pressure level of background noise during normal lectures. The aim of the study was to define whether above-mentioned parameters depend on acoustic properties of rooms (classrooms or lecture rooms and to define how many lectors speak with raised voice. Material and Methods: The study was performed in a group of 50 teachers and lecturers in 10 classrooms with cubature of 160–430 m3 and reverberation time of 0.37–1.3 s (group A consisted of 3 rooms which fulfilled, group B consisted of 3 rooms which almost fulfilled and group C consisted of 4 rooms which did not fulfill criteria based on reverberation time (maximum permissible value is 0.6–0.8 s according to PN-B-02151-4:2015. Criteria of raising voice were based on vocal intensity level (maximum value: 65 dB according to EN ISO 9921:2003. The values of above-mentioned parameters were determined from modes of A-weighted sound pressure level distributions during lectures. Results: Great differentiation of vocal intensity level between lectors was found. In classrooms of group A lectors were not using raised voice, in group B – 21%, and in group C – 60% of lectors were using raised voice. Conclusions: It was observed that acoustic properties of classrooms (defined by reverberation time exert their effect on lecturer’s vocal intensity level (i.e., raising voice, which may contribute to the increased risk of vocal tract illnesses. The occurrence of Lombard’s effect in groups of teachers and lecturers, conducting lectures in rooms, was evidenced. Med Pr 2015;66(4:487–496

Maximum neutron flux in thermal reactors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Strugar, P.V.

1968-12-01

Direct approach to the problem is to calculate spatial distribution of fuel concentration if the reactor core directly using the condition of maximum neutron flux and comply with thermal limitations. This paper proved that the problem can be solved by applying the variational calculus, i.e. by using the maximum principle of Pontryagin. Mathematical model of reactor core is based on the two-group neutron diffusion theory with some simplifications which make it appropriate from maximum principle point of view. Here applied theory of maximum principle are suitable for application. The solution of optimum distribution of fuel concentration in the reactor core is obtained in explicit analytical form. The reactor critical dimensions are roots of a system of nonlinear equations and verification of optimum conditions can be done only for specific examples

Simultaneous beam geometry and intensity map optimization in intensity-modulated radiation therapy

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lee, Eva K.; Fox, Tim; Crocker, Ian

2006-01-01

Purpose: In current intensity-modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) plan optimization, the focus is on either finding optimal beam angles (or other beam delivery parameters such as field segments, couch angles, gantry angles) or optimal beam intensities. In this article we offer a mixed integer programming (MIP) approach for simultaneously determining an optimal intensity map and optimal beam angles for IMRT delivery. Using this approach, we pursue an experimental study designed to (a) gauge differences in plan quality metrics with respect to different tumor sites and different MIP treatment planning models, and (b) test the concept of critical-normal-tissue-ring-a tissue ring of 5 mm thickness drawn around the planning target volume (PTV)-and its use for designing conformal plans. Methods and Materials: Our treatment planning models use two classes of decision variables to capture the beam configuration and intensities simultaneously. Binary (0/1) variables are used to capture 'on' or 'off' or 'yes' or 'no' decisions for each field, and nonnegative continuous variables are used to represent intensities of beamlets. Binary and continuous variables are also used for each voxel to capture dose level and dose deviation from target bounds. Treatment planning models were designed to explicitly incorporate the following planning constraints: (a) upper/lower/mean dose-based constraints, (b) dose-volume and equivalent-uniform-dose (EUD) constraints for critical structures, (c) homogeneity constraints (underdose/overdose) for PTV, (d) coverage constraints for PTV, and (e) maximum number of beams allowed. Within this constrained solution space, five optimization strategies involving clinical objectives were analyzed: optimize total intensity to PTV, optimize total intensity and then optimize conformity, optimize total intensity and then optimize homogeneity, minimize total dose to critical structures, minimize total dose to critical structures and optimize conformity

The Illumination Model of the Valley Based on the Diffuse Reflect of Forest

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

He Guoliang

2016-01-01

Full Text Available In this paper, models are build to evaluate the impact of the forest on the valley’s illumination. Based on the assumes that all the light reach the ground comes from the diffuse reflection which comes from the sun directly and from the diffuse reflection of other points, One model is build to consider the impact of time and latitude on the direction of the sunlight. So we can get the direction of the sunlight at different time and latitude through the model. Besides, this paper develops a illumination model to evaluate the intensity of illumination of the ground. Combining the models above, this paper get a complete model which can not only evaluate the overall light intensity of the valley but also convert the light intensity to the intensity of illumination. Simulation of the intensity illumination of some basic terrains and finally gives a comprehensive results which is practical and close to the common sense.

75 FR 43840 - Inflation Adjustment of the Ordinary Maximum and Aggravated Maximum Civil Monetary Penalties for...

Science.gov (United States)

2010-07-27

...-17530; Notice No. 2] RIN 2130-ZA03 Inflation Adjustment of the Ordinary Maximum and Aggravated Maximum... remains at $250. These adjustments are required by the Federal Civil Penalties Inflation Adjustment Act [email protected] . SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Federal Civil Penalties Inflation Adjustment Act of 1990...

Half-width at half-maximum, full-width at half-maximum analysis

Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

addition to the well-defined parameter full-width at half-maximum (FWHM). The distribution of ... optical side-lobes in the diffraction pattern resulting in steep central maxima [6], reduc- tion of effects of ... and broad central peak. The idea of.

Respostas morfológicas do capim-Tanzânia (Panicum maximum Jacq. cv. Tanzânia-1 irrigado à intensidade de desfolha sob lotação rotacionada Morphological responses of irrigated Tanzaniagrass (Panicum Maximum Jacq. cv. Tanzania-1 to grazing intensity under rotational stocking

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Alexandre Carneiro Leão de Mello

2004-04-01

Full Text Available Objetivando quantificar respostas morfológicas de dosséis de capim-Tanzânia (Panicum maximum Jacq. cv. Tanzânia-1 sob três intensidades de pastejo, lotação rotacionada e irrigação, foi conduzido um experimento em delineamento experimental de blocos completos casualizados com quatro repetições. Os tratamentos foram três intensidades de pastejo, representados pelas quantidades de massa seca verde residual pós-pastejo (T1=1000; T2=2500 e T3=4000 kg MSV/ha. Durante oito ciclos de pastejo (rebrotas de 33 dias após três dias de pastejo em cada ciclo, foram realizadas avaliações de altura média do dossel, índice de área foliar (IAF, interceptação luminosa (IL e ângulos foliares médios, em quatro dias dentro do período de rebrota (1, 11, 22 e 33 dias após a saída dos animais. A análise de correlações parciais indicou correlações entre altura e IL, bem como entre IAF e IL. Com o progresso da estação de pastejo, da primavera-verão para outono-inverno, houve reduções nos valores de IAF médio. Valores médios de IAF crítico (95% IL de 3,6 (T1, 4,0 (T2 e 4,5 (T3, foram alcançados por volta do 22º dia das rebrotas. A maior intensidade de pastejo (menor resíduo alterou a estrutura da pastagem no que diz respeito à arquitetura do dossel, evidenciada pela redução nos ângulos foliares médios (folhas mais horizontais ao longo das estações, com plantas passando a interceptar mais luz por unidade de área foliar. Os IAFs críticos medidos sugerem a necessidade de períodos de descanso menores que 33 dias em pastos de capim-Tanzânia, quando submetido a pastejo intensivo sob lotação rotacionada e irrigação.The objective of this research was to quantify morphological responses of Tanzania grass (Panicum maximum Jacq. cv. Tanzania-1 under three grazing intensities in an irrigated, rotationally stocked setting. Treatments consisted of three grazing intensities represented by three post-graze forage masses (T1=1,000; T

Two-dimensional maximum entropy image restoration

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Brolley, J.E.; Lazarus, R.B.; Suydam, B.R.; Trussell, H.J.

1977-07-01

An optical check problem was constructed to test P LOG P maximum entropy restoration of an extremely distorted image. Useful recovery of the original image was obtained. Comparison with maximum a posteriori restoration is made. 7 figures

Maximum power point tracking

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Enslin, J.H.R.

1990-01-01

A well engineered renewable remote energy system, utilizing the principal of Maximum Power Point Tracking can be m ore cost effective, has a higher reliability and can improve the quality of life in remote areas. This paper reports that a high-efficient power electronic converter, for converting the output voltage of a solar panel, or wind generator, to the required DC battery bus voltage has been realized. The converter is controlled to track the maximum power point of the input source under varying input and output parameters. Maximum power point tracking for relative small systems is achieved by maximization of the output current in a battery charging regulator, using an optimized hill-climbing, inexpensive microprocessor based algorithm. Through practical field measurements it is shown that a minimum input source saving of 15% on 3-5 kWh/day systems can easily be achieved. A total cost saving of at least 10-15% on the capital cost of these systems are achievable for relative small rating Remote Area Power Supply systems. The advantages at larger temperature variations and larger power rated systems are much higher. Other advantages include optimal sizing and system monitor and control

Dose-Response of High-Intensity Training (HIT) on Atheroprotective miRNA-126 Levels

Science.gov (United States)

Schmitz, Boris; Schelleckes, Katrin; Nedele, Johanna; Thorwesten, Lothar; Klose, Andreas; Lenders, Malte; Krüger, Michael; Brand, Eva; Brand, Stefan-Martin

2017-01-01

Aim: MicroRNA-126 (miR-126) exerts beneficial effects on vascular integrity, angiogenesis, and atherosclerotic plaque stability. The purpose of this investigation was to analyze the dose-response relationship of high-intensity interval training (HIIT) on miR-126-3p and -5p levels. Methods: Sixty-one moderately trained individuals (females = 31 [50.8%]; 22.0 ± 1.84 years) were consecutively recruited and allocated into three matched groups using exercise capacity. During a 4-week intervention a HIIT group performed three exercise sessions/week of 4 × 30 s at maximum speed (all-out), a progressive HIIT (proHIIT) group performed three exercise sessions/week of 4 × 30 s at maximum speed (all-out) with one extra session every week (up to 7 × 30 s) and a low-intensity training (LIT) control group performed three exercise sessions/week for 25 min HIIT groups (after 4 min of high-intensity running). After the intervention, the LIT group presented an increase in miR-126-3p, while in the HIIT group, miR-126-3p levels were still reduced (all p HIIT (−1.05 ± 2.6 units). Conclusions: LIT and proHIIT may be performed to increase individual miR-126 levels. HIIT without progression was less effective in increasing miR-126. PMID:28611681

7 CFR 3565.210 - Maximum interest rate.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-01-01

... 7 Agriculture 15 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Maximum interest rate. 3565.210 Section 3565.210... AGRICULTURE GUARANTEED RURAL RENTAL HOUSING PROGRAM Loan Requirements § 3565.210 Maximum interest rate. The interest rate for a guaranteed loan must not exceed the maximum allowable rate specified by the Agency in...

Standard Test Method for Electrical Performance of Concentrator Terrestrial Photovoltaic Modules and Systems Under Natural Sunlight

CERN Document Server

American Society for Testing and Materials. Philadelphia

2009-01-01

1.1 This test method covers the determination of the electrical performance of photovoltaic concentrator modules and systems under natural sunlight using a normal incidence pyrheliometer. 1.2 The test method is limited to module assemblies and systems where the geometric concentration ratio specified by the manufacturer is greater than 5. 1.3 This test method applies to concentrators that use passive cooling where the cell temperature is related to the air temperature. 1.4 Measurements under a variety of conditions are allowed; results are reported under a select set of concentrator reporting conditions to facilitate comparison of results. 1.5 This test method applies only to concentrator terrestrial modules and systems. 1.6 This test method assumes that the module or system electrical performance characteristics do not change during the period of test. 1.7 The performance rating determined by this test method applies only at the period of the test, and implies no past or future performance level. 1.8...

Standard Test Method for Electrical Performance of Photovoltaic Cells Using Reference Cells Under Simulated Sunlight

CERN Document Server

American Society for Testing and Materials. Philadelphia

2009-01-01

1.1 This test method covers the determination of the electrical performance of a photovoltaic cell under simulated sunlight by means of a calibrated reference cell procedure. 1.2 Electrical performance measurements are reported with respect to a select set of standard reporting conditions (SRC) (see Table 1) or to user-specified conditions. 1.2.1 The SRC or user-specified conditions include the cell temperature, the total irradiance, and the reference spectral irradiance distribution. 1.3 This test method is applicable only to photovoltaic cells with a linear response over the range of interest. 1.4 The cell parameters determined by this test method apply only at the time of test, and imply no past or future performance level. 1.5 The values stated in SI units are to be regarded as standard. No other units of measurement are included in this standard. 1.6 This standard does not purport to address all of the safety concerns, if any, associated with its use. It is the responsibility of the user of this s...

The footprint of bottom trawling in European waters: distribution, intensity, and seabed integrity

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Eigaard, Ole Ritzau; Bastardie, Francois; Hinzen, N.T.

2017-01-01

for 2010-2012 at a grid cell resolution of 1 x 1 min longitude and latitude. Trawling intensity profiles with seabed impact at the surface and subsurface level are presented for 14 management areas in the North-east Atlantic, Baltic Sea and Mediterranean Sea. The footprint of the management areas ranged...... between 53-99% and 6-94% for the depth zone from 0 to 200 m (Shallow) and from 201 to 1000 m (Deep), respectively. The footprint was estimated as the total area of all grid cells that were trawled fully or partially. Excluding the untrawled proportions reduced the footprint estimates to 28-85% and 2......-77%. Largest footprints per unit landings were observed off Portugal and in the Mediterranean Sea. Mean trawling intensity ranged between 0.5 and 8.5 times per year, but was less in the Deep zone with a maximum intensity of 6.4. Highest intensities were recorded in the Skagerrak-Kattegat, Iberian Portuguese...

Distal clavicular osteolysis in adults: association with bench pressing intensity

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nevalainen, Mika T.; Morrison, William B.; Zoga, Adam C.; Roedl, Johannes B.; Ciccotti, Michael G.

2016-01-01

To investigate the association between distal clavicular osteolysis (DCO) and bench pressing intensity. From a retrospective review of MRI shoulder reports of individuals between 20 and 40 years of age, 262 male patients with DCO and 227 age-matched male patients without DCO were selected. All patients had completed a bench pressing questionnaire. The patients' bench pressing frequency (times per week), duration (years of bench pressing), bench pressing weight (maximum bench pressing weight with one repetition = 1RM) and the ratio of bench pressing weight to body weight were compared between both groups using Chi-square and Mann-Whitney tests. The results showed that 56 % (146/262) of patients with DCO were high-intensity bench pressers (1RM more than 1.5 times the body weight) compared to 6 % (14/227) in patients without DCO. High-intensity bench pressing was a risk factor for DCO (OR = 19; 95 %CI = 11-35; p 1 x /week) and duration (>5 years) of bench pressing were risk factors. In bench pressers who suffered from DCO, the mean 1RM was 283 lbs (±SD 57) compared to 209 lbs (±SD 60) in bench pressers not affected by DCO (p < 0.001, Mann-Whitney). High-intensity, but not low-intensity bench pressing is a risk factor for DCO. (orig.)

The intensive DT neutron generator of TU Dresden

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Klix Axel

2018-01-01

Full Text Available TU Dresden operates an accelerator-based intensive DT neutron generator. Experimental activities comprise investigation into material activation and decay, neutron and photon transport in matter and R&D work on radiation detectors for harsh environments. The intense DT neutron generator is capable to produce a maximum of 1012 n/s. The neutron source is a solid-type water-cooled tritium target based on a titanium matrix on a copper carrier. The neutron yield at a typical deuteron beam current of 1 mA is of the order of 1011 n/s in 4Π. A pneumatic sample transport system is available for short-time irradiations and connected to wo high-purity germanium detector spectrometers for the measurement of induced activities. The overall design of the experimental hall with the neutron generator allows a flexible setup of experiments including the possibility of investigating larger structures and cooled samples or samples at high temperatures.

The intensive DT neutron generator of TU Dresden

Science.gov (United States)

Klix, Axel; DÖring, Toralf; Domula, Alexander; Zuber, Kai

2018-01-01

TU Dresden operates an accelerator-based intensive DT neutron generator. Experimental activities comprise investigation into material activation and decay, neutron and photon transport in matter and R&D work on radiation detectors for harsh environments. The intense DT neutron generator is capable to produce a maximum of 1012 n/s. The neutron source is a solid-type water-cooled tritium target based on a titanium matrix on a copper carrier. The neutron yield at a typical deuteron beam current of 1 mA is of the order of 1011 n/s in 4Π. A pneumatic sample transport system is available for short-time irradiations and connected to wo high-purity germanium detector spectrometers for the measurement of induced activities. The overall design of the experimental hall with the neutron generator allows a flexible setup of experiments including the possibility of investigating larger structures and cooled samples or samples at high temperatures.

Formation of a strong southward IMF near the solar maximum of cycle 23

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

S. Watari

2004-01-01

Full Text Available We analyzed observations of the solar activities and the solar wind parameters associated with large geomagnetic storms near the maximum of solar cycle 23. This analysis showed that strong southward interplanetary magnetic fields (IMFs, formed through interaction between an interplanetary disturbance, and background solar wind or between interplanetary disturbances are an important factor in the occurrence of intense geomagnetic storms. Based on our analysis, we seek to improve our understanding of the physical processes in which large negative B_z's are created which will lead to improving predictions of space weather.

Key words. Interplanetary physics (Flare and stream dynamics; Interplanetary magnetic fields; Interplanetary shocks

Effects of exercise intensity and creatine loading on post-resistance exercise hypotension

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Moreno Rodrigues Moreno

2009-09-01

Full Text Available Postexercise hypotension plays an important role in the non-pharmacological treat-ment of hypertension and is characterized by a decrease in blood pressure after a single exercise bout in relation to pre-exercise levels. This study investigated the effects of exercise intensity and creatine monohydrate supplementation on postexercise hypotension, as well as the possible role of blood lactate in this response. Ten normotensive subjects underwent resistance exercise sessions before (BC and after (AC creatine supplementation: 1 muscle endurance (ME consisting of 30 repetitions at 30% of one-repetition maximum; 2 hypertrophy (HP consisting of 8 repetitions at 75% of one-repetition maximum. Blood pressure was measured before and after the exercise bout. Blood lactate was measured after the exercise bout. The HP and ME sessions promoted a decrease in systolic blood pressure (∆ -19 ± 1.0 mmHg; ∆ -15 ± 0.9 mmHg, respectively, P 0.05. In conclusion, resistance exercise intensity did not influence postexercise hypotension. Creatine supplementation attenuated the decrease in blood pressure after resistance exercise. The results suggest the involvement of blood lactate in post-resistance exercise hypotension.

Effects of exercise intensity and creatine loading on post-resistance exercise hypotension

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Moreno Rodrigues Moreno

2009-01-01

Postexercise hypotension plays an important role in the non-pharmacological treat-ment of hypertension and is characterized by a decrease in blood pressure after a single exercise bout in relation to pre-exercise levels. This study investigated the effects of exercise intensity and creatine monohydrate supplementation on postexercise hypotension, as well as the possible role of blood lactate in this response. Ten normotensive subjects underwent resistance exercise sessions before (BC and after (AC creatine supplementation: 1 muscle endurance (ME consisting of 30 repetitions at 30% of one-repetition maximum; 2 hypertrophy (HP consisting of 8 repetitions at 75% of one-repetition maximum. Blood pressure was measured before and after the exercise bout. Blood lactate was measured after the exercise bout. The HP and ME sessions promoted a decrease in systolic blood pressure (∆ -19 ± 1.0 mmHg; ∆ -15 ± 0.9 mmHg, respectively, P 0.05. In conclusion, resistance exercise intensity did not influence postexercise hypotension. Creatine supplementation attenuated the decrease in blood pressure after resistance exercise. The results suggest the involvement of blood lactate in post-resistance exercise hypotension.

Perfil sensorial da bebida café (Coffea arabica L. determinado por análise tempo-intensidade Sensorial profile of beverage coffee (Coffea arabica L. determined by analysis time-intensity

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Marlene A. M. Monteiro

2005-12-01

Full Text Available O presente trabalho teve como objetivo avaliar o gosto amargo, sabor fermentado e sabor queimado de nove amostras (mole/clara, dura/clara, rio/clara, mole/expresso, dura/expresso, rio/expresso, mole/escura, dura/escura e rio/escura da bebida café (Coffea arabica L. por meio da análise Tempo-Intensidade (TI. Foram avaliados seis parâmetros da curva: tempo para atingir a intensidade máxima (TImáx, intensidade máxima do estímulo (Imáx, tempo correspondente ao ponto onde a intensidade máxima começa a declinar (Td, tempo de duração da intensidade máxima (Platô, área sob a curva (Área e tempo total de duração do estímulo (Ttot. A análise demonstrou que as amostras de torra escura tiveram maior intensidade máxima (Imáx e tempo de duração do estímulo (Ttot para gosto amargo e sabor queimado, sendo que as amostras de torra clara apresentaram menor intensidade destes estímulos. Em relação ao sabor fermentado, a amostra rio/expresso foi a que apresentou maior intensidade.The present work had as objective to evaluate the bitter taste, fermented flavor and burned flavor of nine samples (soft/light, hard/light, rio/light, soft/express, hard/express, rio/express, soft/dark, hard/dark and rio/dark of the drink coffee (Coffea arabica L. through the analysis Time-Intensity (TI. Six parameters of the curve were evaluated: time to reach the maximum intensity (TImáx, maximum intensity of the incentive (Imáx, time corresponding to the point where the maximum intensity begins to refuse (Td, time of duration of the maximum intensity (Plateau, area under the curve (Área and total time of duration of the incentive (Ttot. The analysis demonstrated that the samples of dark toast had larger maximum intensity (Imáx and time of duration of the incentive (Ttot for bitter taste and burned flavor, while the samples of light toast presented smaller intensity of these stimulus. For the fermented flavor, the sample rio/express was the one that

Interactive influence of leaf age, light intensity, and girdling on green ash foliar chemistry and emerald ash borer development.

Science.gov (United States)

Chen, Yigen; Poland, Therese M

2009-07-01

Biotic and abiotic environmental factors affect plant nutritional quality and defensive compounds that confer plant resistance to herbivory. Influence of leaf age, light availability, and girdling on foliar nutrition and defense of green ash (Fraxinus pennsylvanica Marsh) was examined in this study. Longevity of the emerald ash borer, Agrilus planipennis Fairmaire (Coleoptera: Buprestidae), adults reared on green ash foliage subjected to these factors was assayed. Mature leaves generally were more nutritious with greater amino acids and a greater ratio of protein to non-structural carbohydrate (P:C) than young leaves, in particular when trees were grown in shade. On the other hand, mature leaves had lower amounts of trypsin and chymotrypsin inhibitors, and total phenolics compared to young leaves. Lower defense of mature leaves alone, or along with higher nutritional quality may lead to increased survival and longevity of emerald ash borer feeding on mature leaves. Sunlight reduced amino acids and P:C ratio, irrespective of leaf age and girdling, and elevated total protein of young foliage, but not protein of mature leaves. Sunlight also dramatically increased all investigated defensive compounds of young, but not mature leaves. Girdling reduced green ash foliar nutrition, especially, of young leaves grown in shade and of mature leaves grown in sun. However emerald ash borer performance did not differ when fed leaves from trees grown in sun or shade, or from girdled or control trees. One explanation is that emerald ash borer reared on lower nutritional quality food may compensate for nutrient deficiency by increasing its consumption rate. The strong interactions among leaf age, light intensity, and girdling on nutrition and defense highlight the need for caution when interpreting data without considering possible interactions.

MXLKID: a maximum likelihood parameter identifier

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gavel, D.T.

1980-07-01

MXLKID (MaXimum LiKelihood IDentifier) is a computer program designed to identify unknown parameters in a nonlinear dynamic system. Using noisy measurement data from the system, the maximum likelihood identifier computes a likelihood function (LF). Identification of system parameters is accomplished by maximizing the LF with respect to the parameters. The main body of this report briefly summarizes the maximum likelihood technique and gives instructions and examples for running the MXLKID program. MXLKID is implemented LRLTRAN on the CDC7600 computer at LLNL. A detailed mathematical description of the algorithm is given in the appendices. 24 figures, 6 tables

Rate and duration of seed filling and yield of soybean affected by water and radiation deficits

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Kazem GHASSEMI-GOLEZANI

2015-11-01

Full Text Available Seed filling and yield of soybean under water and radiation deficits were investigated during 2011 and 2012. Treatments were irrigations (I1, I2, I3 and I4 for irrigation after 60, 90, 120 and 150 mm evaporation from class A pan, respectively in main plots and light interceptions (L1: 100 %, L2: 65 % and L3: 25 % sunlight in sub-plots. Seeds per plant under I1 and I2 decreased, but under I3 and I4 increasedas a result of radiation deficit. Maximum seed weight and seed filling duration of plants under 25 % light interception (L3 were higher than those under full sunlight (L1 and 65 % light interception (L2. In contrast, plants under full sunlight had the highest seed filling rate, particularly under water stress. Seed filling duration under severe light deficit (L3 was about 9 days longer than that under full sunlight (L1, leading to 15.8 % enhancement in maximum seed weight. Decreasing seed yield of soybean under well watering and mild water stress and improving it under moderate and severe water deficit due to low solar radiation are directly related with changes in seed filling duration and consequently in seed weight and number of seeds per plant under these conditions.

Phase inversion and frequency doubling of reflection high-energy electron diffraction intensity oscillations in the layer-by-layer growth of complex oxides

Science.gov (United States)

Mao, Zhangwen; Guo, Wei; Ji, Dianxiang; Zhang, Tianwei; Gu, Chenyi; Tang, Chao; Gu, Zhengbin; Nie*, Yuefeng; Pan, Xiaoqing

In situ reflection high-energy electron diffraction (RHEED) and its intensity oscillations are extremely important for the growth of epitaxial thin films with atomic precision. The RHEED intensity oscillations of complex oxides are, however, rather complicated and a general model is still lacking. Here, we report the unusual phase inversion and frequency doubling of RHEED intensity oscillations observed in the layer-by-layer growth of SrTiO3 using oxide molecular beam epitaxy. In contacts to the common understanding that the maximum(minimum) intensity occurs at SrO(TiO2) termination, respectively, we found that both maximum or minimum intensities can occur at SrO, TiO2, or even incomplete terminations depending on the incident angle of the electron beam, which raises a fundamental question if one can rely on the RHEED intensity oscillations to precisely control the growth of thin films. A general model including surface roughness and termination dependent mean inner potential qualitatively explains the observed phenomena, and provides the answer to the question how to prepare atomically and chemically precise surface/interfaces using RHEED oscillations for complex oxides. We thank National Basic Research Program of China (No. 11574135, 2015CB654901) and the National Thousand-Young-Talents Program.

Refuse dumps from leaf-cutting ant nests reduce the intensity of above-ground competition among neighboring plants in a Patagonian steppe

Science.gov (United States)

Farji-Brener, Alejandro G.; Lescano, María Natalia

2017-11-01

In arid environments, the high availability of sunlight due to the scarcity of trees suggests that plant competition take place mainly belowground for water and nutrients. However, the occurrence of soil disturbances that increase nutrient availability and thereby promote plant growth may enhance shoot competition between neighboring plants. We conducted a greenhouse experiment to evaluate the influence of the enriched soil patches generated by the leaf-cutting ant, Acromyrmex lobicornis, on the performance of the alien forb Carduus thoermeri (Asteraceae) under different intraspecific competition scenarios. Our results showed that substrate type and competition scenario affected mainly aboveground plant growth. As expected, plants growing without neighbors and in nutrient-rich ant refuse dumps showed more aboveground biomass than plants growing with neighbors and in nutrient-poor steppe soils. However, aboveground competition was more intense in nutrient-poor substrates: plants under shoot and full competition growing in the nutrient-rich ant refuse dumps showed higher biomass than those growing on steppe soils. Belowground biomass was similar among focal plants growing under different substrate type. Our results support the traditional view that increments in resource availability reduce competition intensity. Moreover, the fact that seedlings in this sunny habitat mainly compete aboveground illustrates how limiting factors may be scale-dependent and change in importance as plants grow.

Results of evaluation of tailing dumps dust intensity

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Masloboev V. A.

2016-03-01

Full Text Available A set of most acceptable and well-known methods of dust intensity evaluation has been defined and tested (dependence of Westphal D. L. et al. and DEAD scheme based on the analysis of exiting approaches (deserts, tailing dumps, etc.. The description of the chosen methods has been given. The determination of dynamic velocity u* and velocity at the height of +10 m above the dusting surface u10 which are necessary to evaluate the dust intensity has been demonstrated. The method is based on two-dimensional numerical model of atmosphere aerodynamics in the area of "tailing dumps of ANOF-2 ‒ the town of Apatity". The study provides calculations of horizontal velocity at the height of +10 m above the dusting surface at the wind speed varying from 5 to 23 m/sec. The work also suggests the results of graphical data processing related to tailing grain size distribution from the surface of the firmly established surface of the tailing dumps of ANOF-2. Comparative analysis has been given and the peculiarities of interval (based on grains sizes dust intensity of the tailing dumps of ANOF-2 have been shown using the dependence of Westphal D. L. et al. and DEAD scheme within the wind speed range. The received values of dust intensity at the lower range limit are close to the "maximum specific dust off" value which is used by project specialists for documentation development

Intensity-demodulated torsion sensor based on thin-core polarization-maintaining fiber.

Science.gov (United States)

Kang, Xuexue; Zhang, Weigang; Zhang, Yanxin; Yang, Jiang; Chen, Lei; Kong, Lingxin; Zhang, Yunshan; Yu, Lin; Yan, Tieyi; Geng, Pengcheng

2018-05-01

An intensity-demodulated torsion sensor is designed and realized, which consists of a polarization ring as the sensing part and a section of thin-core polarization-maintaining fiber as the demodulation part. An intensity map of a sinusoidal change can be obtained at some specific wavelengths, and the experimental results correspond to the theoretical analysis well. The maximum sensitivity is about 0.29 dB/deg at the wavelength of 1584.6 nm, and the minimum sensitivity is about 0.10 dB/deg at the wavelength of 1510.2 nm. Meanwhile, the temperature characteristic is measured in the experiment. More broadly, the proposed structure can be used in an integrated smart device for loose-screw detection in devices in aeronautics and astronautics.

A Kolmogorov-type competition model with multiple coexistence states and its applications to plant competition for sunlight

Science.gov (United States)

Just, Winfried; Nevai, Andrew L.

2008-12-01

It is demonstrated that a Kolmogorov-type competition model featuring species allocation and gain functions can possess multiple coexistence statesE Two examples are constructed: one in which the two competing species possess rectangular allocation functions but distinct gain functions, and the other in which one species has a rectangular allocation function, the second species has a bi-rectangular allocation function, and the two species share a common gain function. In both examples, it is shown that the species nullclines may intersect multiple times within the interior of the first quadrant, thus creating both locally stable and unstable equilibrium points. These results have important applications in the study of plant competition for sunlight, in which the allocation functions describe the vertical placement of leaves for two competing species, and the gain functions represent rates of photosynthesis performed by leaves at different heights when shaded by overlying leaves belonging to either species.

Effects of errors in velocity tilt on maximum longitudinal compression during neutralized drift compression of intense beam pulses: I. general description

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kaganovich, Igor D.; Massidda, Scottt; Startsev, Edward A.; Davidson, Ronald C.; Vay, Jean-Luc; Friedman, Alex

2012-06-21

Neutralized drift compression offers an effective means for particle beam pulse compression and current amplification. In neutralized drift compression, a linear longitudinal velocity tilt (head-to-tail gradient) is applied to the non-relativistic beam pulse, so that the beam pulse compresses as it drifts in the focusing section. The beam current can increase by more than a factor of 100 in the longitudinal direction. We have performed an analytical study of how errors in the velocity tilt acquired by the beam in the induction bunching module limit the maximum longitudinal compression. It is found that the compression ratio is determined by the relative errors in the velocity tilt. That is, one-percent errors may limit the compression to a factor of one hundred. However, a part of the beam pulse where the errors are small may compress to much higher values, which are determined by the initial thermal spread of the beam pulse. It is also shown that sharp jumps in the compressed current density profile can be produced due to overlaying of different parts of the pulse near the focal plane. Examples of slowly varying and rapidly varying errors compared to the beam pulse duration are studied. For beam velocity errors given by a cubic function, the compression ratio can be described analytically. In this limit, a significant portion of the beam pulse is located in the broad wings of the pulse and is poorly compressed. The central part of the compressed pulse is determined by the thermal spread. The scaling law for maximum compression ratio is derived. In addition to a smooth variation in the velocity tilt, fast-changing errors during the pulse may appear in the induction bunching module if the voltage pulse is formed by several pulsed elements. Different parts of the pulse compress nearly simultaneously at the target and the compressed profile may have many peaks. The maximum compression is a function of both thermal spread and the velocity errors. The effects of the

Noise pollution levels in the pediatric intensive care unit.

Science.gov (United States)

Kramer, Bree; Joshi, Prashant; Heard, Christopher

2016-12-01

Patients and staff may experience adverse effects from exposure to noise. This study assessed noise levels in the pediatric intensive care unit and evaluated family and staff opinion of noise. Noise levels were recorded using a NoisePro DLX. The microphone was 1 m from the patient's head. The noise level was averaged each minute and levels above 70 and 80 dBA were recorded. The maximum, minimum, and average decibel levels were calculated and peak noise level great than 100 dBA was also recorded. A parent questionnaire concerning their evaluation of noisiness of the bedside was completed. The bedside nurse also completed a questionnaire. The average maximum dB for all patients was 82.2. The average minimum dB was 50.9. The average daily bedside noise level was 62.9 dBA. The average % time where the noise level was higher than 70 dBA was 2.2%. The average percent of time that the noise level was higher than 80 dBA was 0.1%. Patients experienced an average of 115 min/d where peak noise was greater than 100 dBA. The parents and staff identified the monitors as the major contribution to noise. Patients experienced levels of noise greater than 80 dBA. Patients experience peak noise levels in excess of 100 dB during their pediatric intensive care unit stay. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Sunlight mediated seasonality in canopy structure and photosynthetic activity of Amazonian rainforests

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bi, Jian; Knyazikhin, Yuri; Choi, Sungho; Park, Taejin; Barichivich, Jonathan; Ciais, Philippe; Fu, Rong; Ganguly, Sangram; Hall, Forrest; Hilker, Thomas; Huete, Alfredo; Jones, Matthew; Kimball, John; Lyapustin, Alexei I; Mõttus, Matti; Nemani, Ramakrishna R; Piao, Shilong; Poulter, Benjamin; Saleska, Scott R

2015-01-01

Resolving the debate surrounding the nature and controls of seasonal variation in the structure and metabolism of Amazonian rainforests is critical to understanding their response to climate change. In situ studies have observed higher photosynthetic and evapotranspiration rates, increased litterfall and leaf flushing during the Sunlight-rich dry season. Satellite data also indicated higher greenness level, a proven surrogate of photosynthetic carbon fixation, and leaf area during the dry season relative to the wet season. Some recent reports suggest that rainforests display no seasonal variations and the previous results were satellite measurement artefacts. Therefore, here we re-examine several years of data from three sensors on two satellites under a range of sun positions and satellite measurement geometries and document robust evidence for a seasonal cycle in structure and greenness of wet equatorial Amazonian rainforests. This seasonal cycle is concordant with independent observations of solar radiation. We attribute alternative conclusions to an incomplete study of the seasonal cycle, i.e. the dry season only, and to prognostications based on a biased radiative transfer model. Consequently, evidence of dry season greening in geometry corrected satellite data was ignored and the absence of evidence for seasonal variation in lidar data due to noisy and saturated signals was misinterpreted as evidence of the absence of changes during the dry season. Our results, grounded in the physics of radiative transfer, buttress previous reports of dry season increases in leaf flushing, litterfall, photosynthesis and evapotranspiration in well-hydrated Amazonian rainforests. (letter)

Auditory feedback improves heart rate moderation during moderate-intensity exercise.

Science.gov (United States)

Shaykevich, Alex; Grove, J Robert; Jackson, Ben; Landers, Grant J; Dimmock, James

2015-05-01

The objective of this study is to determine whether exposure to automated HR feedback can produce improvements in the ability to regulate HR during moderate-intensity exercise and to evaluate the persistence of these improvements after feedback is removed. Twenty healthy adults performed 10 indoor exercise sessions on cycle ergometers over 5 wk after a twice-weekly schedule. During these sessions (FB), participants received auditory feedback designed to maintain HR within a personalized, moderate-intensity training zone between 70% and 80% of estimated maximum HR. All feedback was delivered via a custom mobile software application. Participants underwent an initial assessment (PREFB) to measure their ability to maintain exercise intensity defined by the training zone without use of feedback. After completing the feedback training, participants performed three additional assessments identical to PREFB at 1 wk (POST1), 2 wk (POST2), and 4 wk (POST3) after their last feedback session. Time in zone (TIZ), defined as the ratio of the time spent within the training zone divided by the overall time of exercise, rate of perceived exertion, instrumental attitudes, and affective attitudes were then evaluated to assess results using two-way, mixed-model ANOVA with sessions and gender as factors. Training with feedback significantly improved TIZ (P moderate-intensity exercise in healthy adults.

MAXIMUM CORONAL MASS EJECTION SPEED AS AN INDICATOR OF SOLAR AND GEOMAGNETIC ACTIVITIES

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kilcik, A.; Yurchyshyn, V. B.; Abramenko, V.; Goode, P. R.; Gopalswamy, N.; Ozguc, A.; Rozelot, J. P.

2011-01-01

We investigate the relationship between the monthly averaged maximal speeds of coronal mass ejections (CMEs), international sunspot number (ISSN), and the geomagnetic Dst and Ap indices covering the 1996-2008 time interval (solar cycle 23). Our new findings are as follows. (1) There is a noteworthy relationship between monthly averaged maximum CME speeds and sunspot numbers, Ap and Dst indices. Various peculiarities in the monthly Dst index are correlated better with the fine structures in the CME speed profile than that in the ISSN data. (2) Unlike the sunspot numbers, the CME speed index does not exhibit a double peak maximum. Instead, the CME speed profile peaks during the declining phase of solar cycle 23. Similar to the Ap index, both CME speed and the Dst indices lag behind the sunspot numbers by several months. (3) The CME number shows a double peak similar to that seen in the sunspot numbers. The CME occurrence rate remained very high even near the minimum of the solar cycle 23, when both the sunspot number and the CME average maximum speed were reaching their minimum values. (4) A well-defined peak of the Ap index between 2002 May and 2004 August was co-temporal with the excess of the mid-latitude coronal holes during solar cycle 23. The above findings suggest that the CME speed index may be a useful indicator of both solar and geomagnetic activities. It may have advantages over the sunspot numbers, because it better reflects the intensity of Earth-directed solar eruptions.

78 FR 9845 - Minimum and Ordinary Maximum and Aggravated Maximum Civil Monetary Penalties for a Violation of...

Science.gov (United States)

2013-02-12

... maximum penalty amount of $75,000 for each violation, except that if the violation results in death... the maximum civil penalty for a violation is $175,000 if the violation results in death, serious... Penalties for a Violation of the Hazardous Materials Transportation Laws or Regulations, Orders, Special...

Distal clavicular osteolysis in adults: association with bench pressing intensity

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Nevalainen, Mika T.; Morrison, William B.; Zoga, Adam C.; Roedl, Johannes B. [Sidney Kimmel Medical College at Thomas Jefferson University, Division of Musculoskeletal Imaging and Interventions, Department of Radiology, Thomas Jefferson University Hospital, Philadelphia, PA (United States); Ciccotti, Michael G. [Sidney Kimmel Medical College at Thomas Jefferson University, Division of Sports Medicine, Department of Orthopedic Surgery, Thomas Jefferson University Hospital, Rothman Institute, Philadelphia, PA (United States)

2016-11-15

To investigate the association between distal clavicular osteolysis (DCO) and bench pressing intensity. From a retrospective review of MRI shoulder reports of individuals between 20 and 40 years of age, 262 male patients with DCO and 227 age-matched male patients without DCO were selected. All patients had completed a bench pressing questionnaire. The patients' bench pressing frequency (times per week), duration (years of bench pressing), bench pressing weight (maximum bench pressing weight with one repetition = 1RM) and the ratio of bench pressing weight to body weight were compared between both groups using Chi-square and Mann-Whitney tests. The results showed that 56 % (146/262) of patients with DCO were high-intensity bench pressers (1RM more than 1.5 times the body weight) compared to 6 % (14/227) in patients without DCO. High-intensity bench pressing was a risk factor for DCO (OR = 19; 95 %CI = 11-35; p < 0.001). Low-intensity bench pressing (1RM less than 1.5 times the body weight) was not a risk factor for DCO (OR = 0.6; 95 % CI = 0.4-0.8). High frequency (>1 x /week) and duration (>5 years) of bench pressing were risk factors. In bench pressers who suffered from DCO, the mean 1RM was 283 lbs (±SD 57) compared to 209 lbs (±SD 60) in bench pressers not affected by DCO (p < 0.001, Mann-Whitney). High-intensity, but not low-intensity bench pressing is a risk factor for DCO. (orig.)

Strong Solar Control of Infrared Aurora on Jupiter: Correlation Since the Last Solar Maximum

Science.gov (United States)

Kostiuk, T.; Livengood, T. A.; Hewagama, T.

2009-01-01

Polar aurorae in Jupiter's atmosphere radiate throughout the electromagnetic spectrum from X ray through mid-infrared (mid-IR, 5 - 20 micron wavelength). Voyager IRIS data and ground-based spectroscopic measurements of Jupiter's northern mid-IR aurora, acquired since 1982, reveal a correlation between auroral brightness and solar activity that has not been observed in Jovian aurora at other wavelengths. Over nearly three solar cycles, Jupiter auroral ethane emission brightness and solar 10.7 cm radio flux and sunspot number are positively correlated with high confidence. Ethane line emission intensity varies over tenfold between low and high solar activity periods. Detailed measurements have been made using the GSFC HIPWAC spectrometer at the NASA IRTF since the last solar maximum, following the mid-IR emission through the declining phase toward solar minimum. An even more convincing correlation with solar activity is evident in these data. Current analyses of these results will be described, including planned measurements on polar ethane line emission scheduled through the rise of the next solar maximum beginning in 2009, with a steep gradient to a maximum in 2012. This work is relevant to the Juno mission and to the development of the Europa Jupiter System Mission. Results of observations at the Infrared Telescope Facility (IRTF) operated by the University of Hawaii under Cooperative Agreement no. NCC5-538 with the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, Science Mission Directorate, Planetary Astronomy Program. This work was supported by the NASA Planetary Astronomy Program.

NIST mixed stain study 3: signal intensity balance in commercial short tandem repeat multiplexes.

Science.gov (United States)

Duewer, David L; Kline, Margaret C; Redman, Janette W; Butler, John M

2004-12-01

Short-tandem repeat (STR) allelic intensities were collected from more than 60 forensic laboratories for a suite of seven samples as part of the National Institute of Standards and Technology-coordinated 2001 Mixed Stain Study 3 (MSS3). These interlaboratory challenge data illuminate the relative importance of intrinsic and user-determined factors affecting the locus-to-locus balance of signal intensities for currently used STR multiplexes. To varying degrees, seven of the eight commercially produced multiplexes used by MSS3 participants displayed very similar patterns of intensity differences among the different loci probed by the multiplexes for all samples, in the hands of multiple analysts, with a variety of supplies and instruments. These systematic differences reflect intrinsic properties of the individual multiplexes, not user-controllable measurement practices. To the extent that quality systems specify minimum and maximum absolute intensities for data acceptability and data interpretation schema require among-locus balance, these intrinsic intensity differences may decrease the utility of multiplex results and surely increase the cost of analysis.

A new method for estimating the probable maximum hail loss of a building portfolio based on hailfall intensity determined by radar measurements

Science.gov (United States)

Aller, D.; Hohl, R.; Mair, F.; Schiesser, H.-H.

2003-04-01

Extreme hailfall can cause massive damage to building structures. For the insurance and reinsurance industry it is essential to estimate the probable maximum hail loss of their portfolio. The probable maximum loss (PML) is usually defined with a return period of 1 in 250 years. Statistical extrapolation has a number of critical points, as historical hail loss data are usually only available from some events while insurance portfolios change over the years. At the moment, footprints are derived from historical hail damage data. These footprints (mean damage patterns) are then moved over a portfolio of interest to create scenario losses. However, damage patterns of past events are based on the specific portfolio that was damaged during that event and can be considerably different from the current spread of risks. A new method for estimating the probable maximum hail loss to a building portfolio is presented. It is shown that footprints derived from historical damages are different to footprints of hail kinetic energy calculated from radar reflectivity measurements. Based on the relationship between radar-derived hail kinetic energy and hail damage to buildings, scenario losses can be calculated. A systematic motion of the hail kinetic energy footprints over the underlying portfolio creates a loss set. It is difficult to estimate the return period of losses calculated with footprints derived from historical damages being moved around. To determine the return periods of the hail kinetic energy footprints over Switzerland, 15 years of radar measurements and 53 years of agricultural hail losses are available. Based on these data, return periods of several types of hailstorms were derived for different regions in Switzerland. The loss set is combined with the return periods of the event set to obtain an exceeding frequency curve, which can be used to derive the PML.

Performance analysis and comparison of an Atkinson cycle coupled to variable temperature heat reservoirs under maximum power and maximum power density conditions

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wang, P.-Y.; Hou, S.-S.

2005-01-01

In this paper, performance analysis and comparison based on the maximum power and maximum power density conditions have been conducted for an Atkinson cycle coupled to variable temperature heat reservoirs. The Atkinson cycle is internally reversible but externally irreversible, since there is external irreversibility of heat transfer during the processes of constant volume heat addition and constant pressure heat rejection. This study is based purely on classical thermodynamic analysis methodology. It should be especially emphasized that all the results and conclusions are based on classical thermodynamics. The power density, defined as the ratio of power output to maximum specific volume in the cycle, is taken as the optimization objective because it considers the effects of engine size as related to investment cost. The results show that an engine design based on maximum power density with constant effectiveness of the hot and cold side heat exchangers or constant inlet temperature ratio of the heat reservoirs will have smaller size but higher efficiency, compression ratio, expansion ratio and maximum temperature than one based on maximum power. From the view points of engine size and thermal efficiency, an engine design based on maximum power density is better than one based on maximum power conditions. However, due to the higher compression ratio and maximum temperature in the cycle, an engine design based on maximum power density conditions requires tougher materials for engine construction than one based on maximum power conditions

Moderate-intensity aerobic exercise improves sleep quality in men older adults