Measurement for the Leak Rate enhanced by a Improved Method

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bae, Sang-Hoon; Choi, Young-San; Kim, Young-Ki; Lee, Yong-Sub; Jung, Hoan-Sung

2007-01-01

The leak rate measurement of the HANARO such as a research reactor that adopts a confinement concept for a reactor hall is very important one during a period inspection. This test verifies whether the reactor building could maintain the negative pressure or not when radiation is perceived by abnormal accidents. Of course, this may not cause a problem in a reactor operation only if it can satisfy the design requirement, but it is necessary to have some margin of a limitation value because a reactor hall should be managed more conservatively than the design reference. To meet the requirements of this strict design condition, previous method was changed to a new type of test with more stable and robust measuring method. The new leak rate measurement method is briefly introduced and the merits of this proposed method are shown through the data analyzed for last 3 years

An Engineering Method of Civil Jet Requirements Validation Based on Requirements Project Principle

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Yue; Gao, Dan; Mao, Xuming

2018-03-01

A method of requirements validation is developed and defined to meet the needs of civil jet requirements validation in product development. Based on requirements project principle, this method will not affect the conventional design elements, and can effectively connect the requirements with design. It realizes the modern civil jet development concept, which is “requirement is the origin, design is the basis”. So far, the method has been successfully applied in civil jet aircraft development in China. Taking takeoff field length as an example, the validation process and the validation method of the requirements are detailed introduced in the study, with the hope of providing the experiences to other civil jet product design.

Methods of viscosity measurements in sealed ampoules

Science.gov (United States)

Mazuruk, Konstantin

1999-07-01

Viscosity of semiconductors and metallic melts is usually measured by oscillating cup method. This method utilizes the melts contained in vacuum sealed silica ampoules, thus the problems related to volatility, contamination, and high temperature and pressure can be alleviate. In a typical design, the time required for a single measurement is of the order of one hour. In order to reduce this time to a minute range, a high resolution angular detection system is implemented in our design of the viscometer. Furthermore, an electromagnet generating a rotational magnetic field (RMF) is incorporated into the apparatus. This magnetic field can be used to remotely and nonintrusively measure the electrical conductivity of the melt. It can also be used to induce a well controlled rotational flow in the system. The transient behavior of this flow can potentially yield of the fluid. Based on RMF implementation, two novel viscometry methods are proposed in this work: a) the transient torque method, b) the resonance method. A unified theoretical approach to the three methods is presented along with the initial test result of the constructed apparatus. Advantages of each of the method are discussed.

Method for the measurement of media player use

Science.gov (United States)

Webb, Graham

There has been ongoing concern that prolonged use of MP3 players can lead to noise-induced hearing loss. Acoustic exposure is the product of intensity and duration of exposure. Previous work has utilised measurements of maximum headphone output and output during listening tests to determine acoustic intensity; whilst duration of use is currently assessed with questionnaires and interviews. The subjective nature of these latter methods has led to a wide variation in figures for device use, restricting the scope of media player risk assessment. A need was therefore identified for an improved method of acquiring data of users' listening habits. This need was addressed with the design of a new data-logging device that discretely measures voltage output from the media player, whilst in use. A calibration method is proposed to implement the headphone transfer function into the data-logger, to relate output voltage to exposed pressure. It is proposed that the headphone transfer function is measured using an acoustic manikin, representative of the population of interest. The real ear measurement is put forward as an appropriate tool for validating results gained using this approach. A data-logger was designed and a proof of concept has been demonstrated in a software program written for this purpose. The proposed method has the advantages that an objective measurement can be made of the user's natural listening habits, over a long period of time, with a resolution comparable to personal acoustic dosimetry. A number of practical steps are required to further this work before data can be collected. A software graphic equaliser was used to implement the transfer function, but the chosen filter topology gave an unsatisfactory response, an investigation is required for further work. The device requires migration to hardware and the experimental calibration and validation of the system are also required. The worldwide population of MP3 player users is in the region of hundreds

Frequency Control Performance Measurement and Requirements

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Illian, Howard F.

2010-12-20

Frequency control is an essential requirement of reliable electric power system operations. Determination of frequency control depends on frequency measurement and the practices based on these measurements that dictate acceptable frequency management. This report chronicles the evolution of these measurements and practices. As technology progresses from analog to digital for calculation, communication, and control, the technical basis for frequency control measurement and practices to determine acceptable performance continues to improve. Before the introduction of digital computing, practices were determined largely by prior experience. In anticipation of mandatory reliability rules, practices evolved from a focus primarily on commercial and equity issues to an increased focus on reliability. This evolution is expected to continue and place increased requirements for more precise measurements and a stronger scientific basis for future frequency management practices in support of reliability.

Comparison of electric field exposure measurement methods under power lines

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Korpinen, L.; Kuisti, H.; Tarao, H.; Paeaekkoenen, R.; Elovaara, J.

2014-01-01

The object of the study was to investigate extremely low frequency (ELF) electric field exposure measurement methods under power lines. The authors compared two different methods under power lines: in Method A, the sensor was placed on a tripod; and Method B required the measurer to hold the meter horizontally so that the distance from him/her was at least 1.5 m. The study includes 20 measurements in three places under 400 kV power lines. The authors used two commercial three-axis meters, EFA-3 and EFA-300. In statistical analyses, they did not find significant differences between Methods A and B. However, in the future, it is important to take into account that measurement methods can, in some cases, influence ELF electric field measurement results, and it is important to report the methods used so that it is possible to repeat the measurements. (authors)

Quantitative comparison of in situ soil CO2 flux measurement methods

Science.gov (United States)

Jennifer D. Knoepp; James M. Vose

2002-01-01

Development of reliable regional or global carbon budgets requires accurate measurement of soil CO2 flux. We conducted laboratory and field studies to determine the accuracy and comparability of methods commonly used to measure in situ soil CO2 fluxes. Methods compared included CO2...

No actual measurement … was required: Maxwell and Cavendish's null method for the inverse square law of electrostatics.

Science.gov (United States)

Falconer, Isobel

In 1877 James Clerk Maxwell and his student Donald MacAlister refined Henry Cavendish's 1773 null experiment demonstrating the absence of electricity inside a charged conductor. This null result was a mathematical prediction of the inverse square law of electrostatics, and both Cavendish and Maxwell took the experiment as verifying the law. However, Maxwell had already expressed absolute conviction in the law, based on results of Michael Faraday's. So, what was the value to him of repeating Cavendish's experiment? After assessing whether the law was as secure as he claimed, this paper explores its central importance to the electrical programme that Maxwell was pursuing. It traces the historical and conceptual re-orderings through which Maxwell established the law by constructing a tradition of null tests and asserting the superior accuracy of the method. Maxwell drew on his developing 'doctrine of method' to identify Cavendish's experiment as a member of a wider class of null methods. By doing so, he appealed to the null practices of telegraph engineers, diverted attention from the flawed logic of the method, and sought to localise issues around the mapping of numbers onto instrumental indications, on the grounds that 'no actual measurement … was required'. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Method of orthogonally splitting imaging pose measurement

Science.gov (United States)

Zhao, Na; Sun, Changku; Wang, Peng; Yang, Qian; Liu, Xintong

2018-01-01

In order to meet the aviation's and machinery manufacturing's pose measurement need of high precision, fast speed and wide measurement range, and to resolve the contradiction between measurement range and resolution of vision sensor, this paper proposes an orthogonally splitting imaging pose measurement method. This paper designs and realizes an orthogonally splitting imaging vision sensor and establishes a pose measurement system. The vision sensor consists of one imaging lens, a beam splitter prism, cylindrical lenses and dual linear CCD. Dual linear CCD respectively acquire one dimensional image coordinate data of the target point, and two data can restore the two dimensional image coordinates of the target point. According to the characteristics of imaging system, this paper establishes the nonlinear distortion model to correct distortion. Based on cross ratio invariability, polynomial equation is established and solved by the least square fitting method. After completing distortion correction, this paper establishes the measurement mathematical model of vision sensor, and determines intrinsic parameters to calibrate. An array of feature points for calibration is built by placing a planar target in any different positions for a few times. An terative optimization method is presented to solve the parameters of model. The experimental results show that the field angle is 52 °, the focus distance is 27.40 mm, image resolution is 5185×5117 pixels, displacement measurement error is less than 0.1mm, and rotation angle measurement error is less than 0.15°. The method of orthogonally splitting imaging pose measurement can satisfy the pose measurement requirement of high precision, fast speed and wide measurement range.

New simple method for fast and accurate measurement of volumes

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Frattolillo, Antonio

2006-01-01

A new simple method is presented, which allows us to measure in just a few minutes but with reasonable accuracy (less than 1%) the volume confined inside a generic enclosure, regardless of the complexity of its shape. The technique proposed also allows us to measure the volume of any portion of a complex manifold, including, for instance, pipes and pipe fittings, valves, gauge heads, and so on, without disassembling the manifold at all. To this purpose an airtight variable volume is used, whose volume adjustment can be precisely measured; it has an overall capacity larger than that of the unknown volume. Such a variable volume is initially filled with a suitable test gas (for instance, air) at a known pressure, as carefully measured by means of a high precision capacitive gauge. By opening a valve, the test gas is allowed to expand into the previously evacuated unknown volume. A feedback control loop reacts to the resulting finite pressure drop, thus contracting the variable volume until the pressure exactly retrieves its initial value. The overall reduction of the variable volume achieved at the end of this process gives a direct measurement of the unknown volume, and definitively gets rid of the problem of dead spaces. The method proposed actually does not require the test gas to be rigorously held at a constant temperature, thus resulting in a huge simplification as compared to complex arrangements commonly used in metrology (gas expansion method), which can grant extremely accurate measurement but requires rather expensive equipments and results in time consuming methods, being therefore impractical in most applications. A simple theoretical analysis of the thermodynamic cycle and the results of experimental tests are described, which demonstrate that, in spite of its simplicity, the method provides a measurement accuracy within 0.5%. The system requires just a few minutes to complete a single measurement, and is ready immediately at the end of the process. The

Metric-based method of software requirements correctness improvement

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Yaremchuk Svitlana

2017-01-01

Full Text Available The work highlights the most important principles of software reliability management (SRM. The SRM concept construes a basis for developing a method of requirements correctness improvement. The method assumes that complicated requirements contain more actual and potential design faults/defects. The method applies a newer metric to evaluate the requirements complexity and double sorting technique evaluating the priority and complexity of a particular requirement. The method enables to improve requirements correctness due to identification of a higher number of defects with restricted resources. Practical application of the proposed method in the course of demands review assured a sensible technical and economic effect.

Security measures required for HIPAA privacy.

Science.gov (United States)

Amatayakul, M

2000-01-01

HIPAA security requirements include administrative, physical, and technical services and mechanisms to safeguard confidentiality, availability, and integrity of health information. Security measures, however, must be implemented in the context of an organization's privacy policies. Because HIPAA's proposed privacy rules are flexible and scalable to account for the nature of each organization's business, size, and resources, each organization will be determining its own privacy policies within the context of the HIPAA requirements and its security capabilities. Security measures cannot be implemented in a vacuum.

Impact of Different Creatinine Measurement Methods on Liver Transplant Allocation

Science.gov (United States)

Kaiser, Thorsten; Kinny-Köster, Benedict; Bartels, Michael; Parthaune, Tanja; Schmidt, Michael; Thiery, Joachim

2014-01-01

Introduction The model for end-stage liver disease (MELD) score is used in many countries to prioritize organ allocation for the majority of patients who require orthotopic liver transplantation. This score is calculated based on the following laboratory parameters: creatinine, bilirubin and the international normalized ratio (INR). Consequently, high measurement accuracy is essential for equitable and fair organ allocation. For serum creatinine measurements, the Jaffé method and enzymatic detection are well-established routine diagnostic tests. Methods A total of 1,013 samples from 445 patients on the waiting list or in evaluation for liver transplantation were measured using both creatinine methods from November 2012 to September 2013 at the university hospital Leipzig, Germany. The measurements were performed in parallel according to the manufacturer’s instructions after the samples arrived at the institute of laboratory medicine. Patients who had required renal replacement therapy twice in the previous week were excluded from analyses. Results Despite the good correlation between the results of both creatinine quantification methods, relevant differences were observed, which led to different MELD scores. The Jaffé measurement led to greater MELD score in 163/1,013 (16.1%) samples with differences of up to 4 points in one patient, whereas differences of up to 2 points were identified in 15/1,013 (1.5%) samples using the enzymatic assay. Overall, 50/152 (32.9%) patients with MELD scores >20 had higher scores when the Jaffé method was used. Discussion Using the Jaffé method to measure creatinine levels in samples from patients who require liver transplantation may lead to a systematic preference in organ allocation. In this study, the differences were particularly pronounced in samples with MELD scores >20, which has clinical relevance in the context of urgency of transplantation. These data suggest that official recommendations are needed to determine which

Delayless acceleration measurement method for motion control applications

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Vaeliviita, S.; Ovaska, S.J. [Helsinki University of Technology, Otaniemi (Finland). Institute of Intelligent Power Electronics

1997-12-31

Delayless and accurate sensing of angular acceleration can improve the performance of motion control in motor drives. Acceleration control is, however, seldom implemented in practical drive systems due to prohibitively high costs or unsatisfactory results of most acceleration measurement methods. In this paper we propose an efficient and accurate acceleration measurement method based on direct differentiation of the corresponding velocity signal. Polynomial predictive filtering is used to smooth the resulting noisy signal without delay. This type of prediction is justified by noticing that a low-degree polynomial can usually be fitted into the primary acceleration curve. No additional hardware is required to implement the procedure if the velocity signal is already available. The performance of the acceleration measurement method is evaluated by applying it to a demanding motion control application. (orig.) 12 refs.

Absolute nuclear energy measurements using the γ-γ coincidence method

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Benoit, P.; Philis, C.

1967-01-01

I n this report a summary is first given of the principle of the γ-γ calibration method, stress being laid on the corrections required. After a description of the equipment used, the choice of the experimental conditions required for various isotopes is discussed ( 22 Na, 46 Sc, 60 Co, 88 Y) and the agreement between these results and those obtained by other absolute measurement methods is considered. (authors) [fr

Statistical methods towards more efficient infiltration measurements.

Science.gov (United States)

Franz, T; Krebs, P

2006-01-01

A comprehensive knowledge about the infiltration situation in a catchment is required for operation and maintenance. Due to the high expenditures, an optimisation of necessary measurement campaigns is essential. Methods based on multivariate statistics were developed to improve the information yield of measurements by identifying appropriate gauge locations. The methods have a high degree of freedom against data needs. They were successfully tested on real and artificial data. For suitable catchments, it is estimated that the optimisation potential amounts up to 30% accuracy improvement compared to nonoptimised gauge distributions. Beside this, a correlation between independent reach parameters and dependent infiltration rates could be identified, which is not dominated by the groundwater head.

Effect of Heat Generation of Ultrasound Transducer on Ultrasonic Power Measured by Calorimetric Method

Science.gov (United States)

Uchida, Takeyoshi; Kikuchi, Tsuneo

2013-07-01

Ultrasonic power is one of the key quantities closely related to the safety of medical ultrasonic equipment. An ultrasonic power standard is required for establishment of safety. Generally, an ultrasonic power standard below approximately 20 W is established by the radiation force balance (RFB) method as the most accurate measurement method. However, RFB is not suitable for high ultrasonic power because of thermal damage to the absorbing target. Consequently, an alternative method to RFB is required. We have been developing a measurement technique for high ultrasonic power by the calorimetric method. In this study, we examined the effect of heat generation of an ultrasound transducer on ultrasonic power measured by the calorimetric method. As a result, an excessively high ultrasonic power was measured owing to the effect of heat generation from internal loss in the transducer. A reference ultrasound transducer with low heat generation is required for a high ultrasonic power standard established by the calorimetric method.

Monte Carlo Method with Heuristic Adjustment for Irregularly Shaped Food Product Volume Measurement

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Joko Siswantoro

2014-01-01

Full Text Available Volume measurement plays an important role in the production and processing of food products. Various methods have been proposed to measure the volume of food products with irregular shapes based on 3D reconstruction. However, 3D reconstruction comes with a high-priced computational cost. Furthermore, some of the volume measurement methods based on 3D reconstruction have a low accuracy. Another method for measuring volume of objects uses Monte Carlo method. Monte Carlo method performs volume measurements using random points. Monte Carlo method only requires information regarding whether random points fall inside or outside an object and does not require a 3D reconstruction. This paper proposes volume measurement using a computer vision system for irregularly shaped food products without 3D reconstruction based on Monte Carlo method with heuristic adjustment. Five images of food product were captured using five cameras and processed to produce binary images. Monte Carlo integration with heuristic adjustment was performed to measure the volume based on the information extracted from binary images. The experimental results show that the proposed method provided high accuracy and precision compared to the water displacement method. In addition, the proposed method is more accurate and faster than the space carving method.

Monte Carlo method with heuristic adjustment for irregularly shaped food product volume measurement.

Science.gov (United States)

Siswantoro, Joko; Prabuwono, Anton Satria; Abdullah, Azizi; Idrus, Bahari

2014-01-01

Volume measurement plays an important role in the production and processing of food products. Various methods have been proposed to measure the volume of food products with irregular shapes based on 3D reconstruction. However, 3D reconstruction comes with a high-priced computational cost. Furthermore, some of the volume measurement methods based on 3D reconstruction have a low accuracy. Another method for measuring volume of objects uses Monte Carlo method. Monte Carlo method performs volume measurements using random points. Monte Carlo method only requires information regarding whether random points fall inside or outside an object and does not require a 3D reconstruction. This paper proposes volume measurement using a computer vision system for irregularly shaped food products without 3D reconstruction based on Monte Carlo method with heuristic adjustment. Five images of food product were captured using five cameras and processed to produce binary images. Monte Carlo integration with heuristic adjustment was performed to measure the volume based on the information extracted from binary images. The experimental results show that the proposed method provided high accuracy and precision compared to the water displacement method. In addition, the proposed method is more accurate and faster than the space carving method.

L-C Measurement Acquisition Method for Aerospace Systems

Science.gov (United States)

Woodard, Stanley E.; Taylor, B. Douglas; Shams, Qamar A.; Fox, Robert L.

2003-01-01

This paper describes a measurement acquisition method for aerospace systems that eliminates the need for sensors to have physical connection to a power source (i.e., no lead wires) or to data acquisition equipment. Furthermore, the method does not require the sensors to be in proximity to any form of acquisition hardware. Multiple sensors can be interrogated using this method. The sensors consist of a capacitor, C(p), whose capacitance changes with changes to a physical property, p, electrically connected to an inductor, L. The method uses an antenna to broadcast electromagnetic energy that electrically excites one or more inductive-capacitive sensors via Faraday induction. This method facilitates measurements that were not previously possible because there was no practical means of providing power and data acquisition electrical connections to a sensor. Unlike traditional sensors, which measure only a single physical property, the manner in which the sensing element is interrogated simultaneously allows measurement of at least two unrelated physical properties (e.g., displacement rate and fluid level) by using each constituent of the L-C element. The key to using the method for aerospace applications is to increase the distance between the L-C elements and interrogating antenna; develop all key components to be non-obtrusive and to develop sensing elements that can easily be implemented. Techniques that have resulted in increased distance between antenna and sensor will be presented. Fluid-level measurements and pressure measurements using the acquisition method are demonstrated in the paper.

Test design requirements for overcoring stress measurements

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Stickney, R.G.

1985-12-01

This document establishes the test design requirements for a series of overcoring stress measurements to be performed in the Exploratory Shaft Facility. The stress measurements will be made to determine the in situ state of stress within the candidate repository horizon and to determine the magnitude and distribution of the stresses induced by the mined openings of the facility. The overcoring technique involves the measurement of strain (or deformation) in a volume of rock as the stress acting on the rock volume is relieved. This document presents an overview of the measurements, including objectives and rationale for the measurements. A description of the measurements is included. The support requirements are identified as are constraints for the design of the measurements. Discussions on Quality Assurance and Safety are also included in the document. 13 refs

40 CFR 51.1012 - Requirement for contingency measures.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-07-01

... 40 Protection of Environment 2 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Requirement for contingency measures... Implementation of PM2.5 National Ambient Air Quality Standards § 51.1012 Requirement for contingency measures... contingency measures to be undertaken if the area fails to make reasonable further progress, or fails to...

Instrumentation and method for measuring NIR light absorbed in tissue during MR imaging in medical NIRS measurements

Science.gov (United States)

Myllylä, Teemu S.; Sorvoja, Hannu S. S.; Nikkinen, Juha; Tervonen, Osmo; Kiviniemi, Vesa; Myllylä, Risto A.

2011-07-01

Our goal is to provide a cost-effective method for examining human tissue, particularly the brain, by the simultaneous use of functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) and near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS). Due to its compatibility requirements, MRI poses a demanding challenge for NIRS measurements. This paper focuses particularly on presenting the instrumentation and a method for the non-invasive measurement of NIR light absorbed in human tissue during MR imaging. One practical method to avoid disturbances in MR imaging involves using long fibre bundles to enable conducting the measurements at some distance from the MRI scanner. This setup serves in fact a dual purpose, since also the NIRS device will be less disturbed by the MRI scanner. However, measurements based on long fibre bundles suffer from light attenuation. Furthermore, because one of our primary goals was to make the measuring method as cost-effective as possible, we used high-power light emitting diodes instead of more expensive lasers. The use of LEDs, however, limits the maximum output power which can be extracted to illuminate the tissue. To meet these requirements, we improved methods of emitting light sufficiently deep into tissue. We also show how to measure NIR light of a very small power level that scatters from the tissue in the MRI environment, which is characterized by strong electromagnetic interference. In this paper, we present the implemented instrumentation and measuring method and report on test measurements conducted during MRI scanning. These measurements were performed in MRI operating rooms housing 1.5 Tesla-strength closed MRI scanners (manufactured by GE) in the Dept. of Diagnostic Radiology at the Oulu University Hospital.

Advances in the Surface Renewal Flux Measurement Method

Science.gov (United States)

Shapland, T. M.; McElrone, A.; Paw U, K. T.; Snyder, R. L.

2011-12-01

The measurement of ecosystem-scale energy and mass fluxes between the planetary surface and the atmosphere is crucial for understanding geophysical processes. Surface renewal is a flux measurement technique based on analyzing the turbulent coherent structures that interact with the surface. It is a less expensive technique because it does not require fast-response velocity measurements, but only a fast-response scalar measurement. It is therefore also a useful tool for the study of the global cycling of trace gases. Currently, surface renewal requires calibration against another flux measurement technique, such as eddy covariance, to account for the linear bias of its measurements. We present two advances in the surface renewal theory and methodology that bring the technique closer to becoming a fully independent flux measurement method. The first advance develops the theory of turbulent coherent structure transport associated with the different scales of coherent structures. A novel method was developed for identifying the scalar change rate within structures at different scales. Our results suggest that for canopies less than one meter in height, the second smallest coherent structure scale dominates the energy and mass flux process. Using the method for resolving the scalar exchange rate of the second smallest coherent structure scale, calibration is unnecessary for surface renewal measurements over short canopies. This study forms the foundation for analysis over more complex surfaces. The second advance is a sensor frequency response correction for measuring the sensible heat flux via surface renewal. Inexpensive fine-wire thermocouples are frequently used to record high frequency temperature data in the surface renewal technique. The sensible heat flux is used in conjunction with net radiation and ground heat flux measurements to determine the latent heat flux as the energy balance residual. The robust thermocouples commonly used in field experiments

A method to measure internal contact angle in opaque systems by magnetic resonance imaging.

Science.gov (United States)

Zhu, Weiqin; Tian, Ye; Gao, Xuefeng; Jiang, Lei

2013-07-23

Internal contact angle is an important parameter for internal wettability characterization. However, due to the limitation of optical imaging, methods available for contact angle measurement are only suitable for transparent or open systems. For most of the practical situations that require contact angle measurement in opaque or enclosed systems, the traditional methods are not effective. Based upon the requirement, a method suitable for contact angle measurement in nontransparent systems is developed by employing MRI technology. In the Article, the method is demonstrated by measuring internal contact angles in opaque cylindrical tubes. It proves that the method also shows great feasibility in transparent situations and opaque capillary systems. By using the method, contact angle in opaque systems could be measured successfully, which is significant in understanding the wetting behaviors in nontransparent systems and calculating interfacial parameters in enclosed systems.

47 CFR 2.1047 - Measurements required: Modulation characteristics.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-10-01

... 47 Telecommunication 1 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 false Measurements required: Modulation characteristics. 2.1047 Section 2.1047 Telecommunication FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS COMMISSION GENERAL FREQUENCY... Certification § 2.1047 Measurements required: Modulation characteristics. (a) Voice modulated communication...

Method of measuring misalignment of welded threaded connections

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kasatkin, V I

1981-01-01

A method is presented for measuring misalignment of welded connections by special attachment, superposed indicator. Requirements are analyzed for welding the threaded sleeves established by specifications. It is shown that measurement of the slack only in one section on the selected base is insufficient for monitoring the geometry of the connected pipe parts. It is suggested that in order to evaluate the misalignment the concept of total slack be used and formulas are derived to define it.

Wettability measurements of irregular shapes with Wilhelmy plate method

Science.gov (United States)

Park, Jaehyung; Pasaogullari, Ugur; Bonville, Leonard

2018-01-01

One of the most accurate methods for measuring the dynamic contact angle of liquids on solid surfaces is the Wilhelmy plate method. This method generally requires the use of rectangular samples having a constant perimeter in the liquid during advancing and receding cycles. A new formulation based on the Wilhelmy force balance equation to determine the contact angle for plate samples with irregular shapes has been developed. This method employs a profile plot obtained from an optical image to determine the perimeter (i.e. wetted length) of the sample as a function of the immersion depth. The raw force data measured by the force tensiometer is manipulated using the profile plot and the Wilhelmy equation to determine the wetting force and consequently advancing and the receding contact angle. This method is verified with both triangular and irregular PTFE samples in water, and measured contact angles are in good agreement with results from conventional regular shaped samples with a constant perimeter.

An alternative method to achieve metrological confirmation in measurement process

Science.gov (United States)

Villeta, M.; Rubio, E. M.; Sanz, A.; Sevilla, L.

2012-04-01

Metrological confirmation process must be designed and implemented to ensure that metrological characteristics of the measurement system meet metrological requirements of the measurement process. The aim of this paper is to present an alternative method to the traditional metrological requirements about the relationship between tolerance and measurement uncertainty, to develop such confirmation processes. The proposed way to metrological confirmation considers a given inspection task of the measurement process into the manufacturing system, and it is based on the Index of Contamination of the Capability, ICC. Metrological confirmation process is then developed taking into account the producer risks and economic considerations on this index. As a consequence, depending on the capability of the manufacturing process, the measurement system will be or will not be in adequate state of metrological confirmation for the measurement process.

Dynamic subcriticality measurements using the CF neutron noise method: Videotape

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Mihalczo, J.T.; Blakeman, E.D.; Ragan, G.E.; Johnson, E.B.

1987-01-01

The capability to measure the subcriticality for a multiplying system with k-effective values as low as 0.3 was demonstrated for measurement times of approximately 10 s; the measured k-effective values obtained do not depend on the speed with which the solution height is changed or on whether the tank is filling or draining. As in previous experiments, the low-frequency ratios of spectral densities are all that are needed to obtain the k-effective value. This method's effectiveness for systems where conditions are changing with time as demonstrated, probably exceeds the dynamic requirements for most nuclear fuel plant processing applications. The calculated k-effective values using the KENO code and Hansen-Roach cross-sections compare well with the experimental values. Before the dynamic capability of the method can be considered fully explored, additional dynamic experiments are required for other geometries and fuel concentrations.

Measurement of uranium dioxide thermophysical properties by the laser flash method

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Grossi, Pablo Andrade; Ferreira, Ricardo Alberto Neto; Camarano, Denise das Merces; Andrade, Roberto Marcio de

2009-01-01

The evaluation of the thermophysical properties of uranium dioxide (UO 2 ), including a reliable uncertainty assessment, are required by the nuclear reactor design. These important information are used by thermohydraulic codes to define operational aspects and to assure the safety, when analyzing various potential situations of accident. The laser flash method had become the most popular method to measure the thermophysical properties of materials. Despite its several advantages, some experimental obstacles have been found due to the difficulty to obtain experimentally the ideals initial and boundary conditions required by the original method. An experimental apparatus and a methodology for estimating uncertainties of thermal diffusivity, thermal conductivity and specific heat measurements based on the laser flash method are presented. A stochastic thermal diffusion modeling has been developed and validated by standard samples. Inverse heat conduction problems (IHCPs) solved by finite volumes technique were applied to the measurement process with real initial and boundary conditions, and Monte Carlo Method was used for propagating the uncertainties. The main sources of uncertainty were due to: pulse time, laser power, thermal exchanges, absorptivity, emissivity, sample thickness, specific mass and dynamic influence of temperature measurement system. As results, mean values and uncertainties of thermal diffusivity, thermal conductivity and specific heat of UO 2 are presented. (author)

A dynamic method for magnetic torque measurement

Science.gov (United States)

Lin, C. E.; Jou, H. L.

1994-01-01

In a magnetic suspension system, accurate force measurement will result in better control performance in the test section, especially when a wider range of operation is required. Although many useful methods were developed to obtain the desired model, however, significant error is inevitable since the magnetic field distribution of the large-gap magnetic suspension system is extremely nonlinear. This paper proposed an easy approach to measure the magnetic torque of a magnetic suspension system using an angular photo encoder. Through the measurement of the velocity change data, the magnetic torque is converted. The proposed idea is described and implemented to obtain the desired data. It is useful to the calculation of a magnetic force in the magnetic suspension system.

Methods of measurements on incidental X-radiation from electron tubes

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1977-01-01

The standard describes the method for detection of x-radiation and the method for the direct and indirect measurement of field pattern and exposure rate of random incidental radiation emanating from high voltage electron tubes. Required apparatus and calibration procedure for the exposure rate meter or film mount are described. (M.G.B.)

Reactivity measurements using the Zolotukhin-Mogilner Method

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

2015-07-01

The zero count probability method (also called Zolotukhin-Mogilner Method, after its inventors) is a method for measuring the reactivity in nuclear reactors, being a competitor of the [more well-known in the West] Feynman-alpha Method and the Rossi-alpha Method. The modus operandi of this method is using the detector channels where there was no counting at all in order to calculate reactor parameters. In deep subcriticality few models have been tested and this work tries out the Zolotukhin-Mogilner Method in one of such scenarios: measurements will be made in environments below -3,5 k pcm in the zero-potency water-moderated reactor IPEN/MB-01 which is fuelled by UO{sub 2} enriched by 4.3%. These extremely low reactivity environments are required because the chance of no counts on the detector must be significant: otherwise, the method would demand a large time of acquisition of data. Besides that, the method is very simple and straightforward. One of the advantages of this method is that it needs very little data reduction, since the essential data is directly given by the measuring apparatus. The detection will be in charge of modern BF{sub 3} detectors. It will be assumed that, in these deep subcritical systems, the function K{sub eff} = f(N-Nkp) has a linear portion in its first part, resulting of the decomposition of it in a Taylor series. The value of alpha is related to the reactivity ρ with linear dependency. The results will be compared with recent studies of the two main methods described above. Presented for the first time in the 60's, this tool has seen little use in the west hemisphere. This work shows its use in the measurements of the nuclear reactor IPEN/MB-01, as well as the code developed for its employment. It will be the first time this method is used in the south hemisphere. (authors)

Temporal response methods for dynamic measurement of in-process inventory of dissolved nuclear materials

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zivi, S.M.; Seefeldt, W.B.

1976-01-01

This analysis demonstrated that a plant's temporal response to perturbations of feed isotope composition can be used to measure the in-process inventory, without suspending plant operations. The main advantage of the temporal response technique over the step-displacement method are (1) it obviates the need for large special feed batches and (2) it obviates the requirement that all the in-process material have a uniform isotopic composition at the beginning of the measurement. The temporal response method holds promise for essentially continuous real-time determination of in-process SNM. The main disadvantage or problem with the temporal response method is that it requires the measurement of the isotopic composition of a great many samples to moderately high accuracy. This requirement appears amenable to solution by a modest effort in instrument development

Temporal response methods for dynamic measurement of in-process inventory of dissolved nuclear materials

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ziri, S.M.; Seefeldt, W.B.

1977-08-01

This analysis has demonstrated that a plant's temporal response to perturbation of feed isotope composition can be used to measure the in-process inventory, without suspending plant operations. The main advantages of the temporal response technique over the step-displacement method are (1) it (the temporal response method) obviates the need for large special feed batches, and (2) it obviates the requirement that all the in-process material have a uniform isotopic composition at the beginning of the measurement. The temporal response method holds promise for essentially continuous real-time determination of in-process SNM. However, the temporal response method requires the measurement of the isotopic composition of many samples, and it works best for a stationary random input time series of tracer perturbations. Both of these requirements appear amenable to satisfaction by practical equipment and procedures if the benefits are deemed sufficiently worthwhile

Temperature measurement of the land-surface. Measuring methods and their application for the survey of subsoil water

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Allvar, T

1979-02-01

The variation of the water content of a landscape has been investigated. The method of measurement was the use of the radiation of heat from the land surface. The radiation was measured by an airborne infrared scanner and a manual infrared thermometer. The water content and the temperature of the soil were recorded separately. The principle of the measurement is the slow reaction of a soil with a high water content to the temperature changes between day and night. Comparison of different methods points to an association of temperatures and water content. The correlation of the results is very low so that a mapping of water content in the area of Vibydalen becomes uncertain. The experiment displays the requirements of the accuracy in measuring methods.

Study on photoelectric parameter measurement method of high capacitance solar cell

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, Junchao; Xiong, Limin; Meng, Haifeng; He, Yingwei; Cai, Chuan; Zhang, Bifeng; Li, Xiaohui; Wang, Changshi

2018-01-01

The high efficiency solar cells usually have high capacitance characteristic, so the measurement of their photoelectric performance usually requires long pulse width and long sweep time. The effects of irradiance non-uniformity, probe shielding and spectral mismatch on the IV curve measurement are analyzed experimentally. A compensation method for irradiance loss caused by probe shielding is proposed, and the accurate measurement of the irradiance intensity in the IV curve measurement process of solar cell is realized. Based on the characteristics that the open circuit voltage of solar cell is sensitive to the junction temperature, an accurate measurement method of the temperature of solar cell under continuous irradiation condition is proposed. Finally, a measurement method with the characteristic of high accuracy and wide application range for high capacitance solar cell is presented.

Neutron activation analysis: A primary method of measurement

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Greenberg, Robert R., E-mail: robert.greenberg@nist.gov [National Institute of Standards and Technology, Gaithersburg, MD 20899-8395 (United States); Bode, Peter, E-mail: p.bode@tudelft.nl [Delft University of Technology, Delft (Netherlands); De Nadai Fernandes, Elisabete A., E-mail: lis@cena.usp.br [Centro de Energia Nuclear na Agricultura, Universidade de Sao Paulo, Piracicaba, SP (Brazil)

2011-03-15

Neutron activation analysis (NAA), based on the comparator method, has the potential to fulfill the requirements of a primary ratio method as defined in 1998 by the Comite Consultatif pour la Quantite de Matiere - Metrologie en Chimie (CCQM, Consultative Committee on Amount of Substance - Metrology in Chemistry). This thesis is evidenced in this paper in three chapters by: demonstration that the method is fully physically and chemically understood; that a measurement equation can be written down in which the values of all parameters have dimensions in SI units and thus having the potential for metrological traceability to these units; that all contributions to uncertainty of measurement can be quantitatively evaluated, underpinning the metrological traceability; and that the performance of NAA in CCQM key-comparisons of trace elements in complex matrices between 2000 and 2007 is similar to the performance of Isotope Dilution Mass Spectrometry (IDMS), which had been formerly designated by the CCQM as a primary ratio method.

The identification and repair of anomalous measurements in the measurement of big diameter based on rolling-wheel method

Science.gov (United States)

Chen, Haiou; Yu, Xiaofen

2011-05-01

Rolling-wheel method is an effective way of measuring big diameter. After amending the temperature error and pressure error, the uncertainty of measurement can not be φ =5um/m stably because of the influence of skid. The traditional method of identifying skid loses sight of the influences of the unstable motor speed, the appearance form error and the eccentric of installation of the big axis and rolling wheel and so on, so the method has its limitation. In this paper, a new method of multiple identification and repair is introduced, namely n diameters are measured and Chauvenet standard is used for identifying the anomalous measurements one by one, and then the average value of the remaining data is used for repairing identified anomalous measurements, and the next round identification and repair is carried out until the accuracy requirement of the measurement is satisfied. The result of experiments indicates that the method can identify anomalous measurements whose offsets caused by the skid are greater than 0.2φ , and the uncertainty of measurement has improved substantially.

Evaluation of positional plagiocephaly: Conventional anthropometric measurement versus laser scanning method.

Science.gov (United States)

Nahles, Susanne; Klein, Martin; Yacoub, Anke; Neyer, Julia

2018-01-01

The incidence of plagiocephaly has increased in the 25 years since the "Back to Sleep" campaign in 1991 to prevent sudden infant death. Plagiocephaly is not considered to be a pathological condition. It is more of an esthetic impairment and could have potentially negative psychological or psychosocial consequences; therefore, treatment is recommended. The aim of this study is to compare conventional anthropometry and laser scanning - two different measurement methods - as diagnostic instruments for plagiocephaly. The present study also tests the measurement time of both methods and whether one method is easier on the patient than the other. A total of 44 children (21 girls, 23 boys) with a mean age of 8.8 months were involved in the present study. Of all patients, the following parameters were routinely evaluated using a standard protocol with the conventional anthropometric method and the scan method: head circumference, head length, head width, head diagonals, and distances ex-t. Furthermore, the time required to obtain measurements and the behavior of the children during measurement were documented. For statistical analysis, a t-test and a Wilcoxon test were used to analyze differences between the two methods. The results for head circumference showed a mean of 441.5 mm for the anthropometric measurements and 441.6 mm for the scan method, with no significant difference between the two methods. A significant difference was found regarding the head width, head length, diagonals, and distance ex-t. The measurement process using the scan method needed a mean of 579.6 s in contrast to the manual anthropometric method, which required a mean time of 180.5 s. In comparison with the conventional anthropometric method, measurements made with a 3D laser scanner yield inconsistent results. Moreover, the current state of technology of 3D cephalometry has no advantages compared with the conventional anthropometric method. Disadvantages worth mentioning appear to be the

Standard guide for qualification of measurement methods by a laboratory within the nuclear industry

CERN Document Server

American Society for Testing and Materials. Philadelphia

2003-01-01

1.1 This guide provides guidance for selecting, validating, and qualifying measurement methods when qualification is required for a specific program. The recommended practices presented in this guide provide a major part of a quality assurance program for the laboratory data (see Fig. 1). Qualification helps to assure that the data produced will meet established requirements. 1.2 The activities intended to assure the quality of analytical laboratory measurement data are diagrammed in Fig. 1. Discussion and guidance related to some of these activities appear in the following sections: Section Selection of Measurement Methods 5 Validation of Measurement Methods 6 Qualification of Measurement Methods 7 Control 8 Personnel Qualification 9 1.3 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 standard to establish appropriate safety and health practices and determine the applicability of regulatory limitati...

A simple headspace equilibration method for measuring dissolved methane

Science.gov (United States)

Magen, C; Lapham, L.L.; Pohlman, John W.; Marshall, Kristin N.; Bosman, S.; Casso, Michael; Chanton, J.P.

2014-01-01

Dissolved methane concentrations in the ocean are close to equilibrium with the atmosphere. Because methane is only sparingly soluble in seawater, measuring it without contamination is challenging for samples collected and processed in the presence of air. Several methods for analyzing dissolved methane are described in the literature, yet none has conducted a thorough assessment of the method yield, contamination issues during collection, transport and storage, and the effect of temperature changes and preservative. Previous extraction methods transfer methane from water to gas by either a "sparge and trap" or a "headspace equilibration" technique. The gas is then analyzed for methane by gas chromatography. Here, we revisit the headspace equilibration technique and describe a simple, inexpensive, and reliable method to measure methane in fresh and seawater, regardless of concentration. Within the range of concentrations typically found in surface seawaters (2-1000 nmol L-1), the yield of the method nears 100% of what is expected from solubility calculation following the addition of known amount of methane. In addition to being sensitive (detection limit of 0.1 ppmv, or 0.74 nmol L-1), this method requires less than 10 min per sample, and does not use highly toxic chemicals. It can be conducted with minimum materials and does not require the use of a gas chromatograph at the collection site. It can therefore be used in various remote working environments and conditions.

Sensitive and simple method for measuring wire tensions

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Atac, M.; Mishina, M.

1982-08-01

Measuring tension of wires in drift chambers and multiwire proportional chambers after construction is an important process because sometimes wires get loose after soldering, crimping or glueing. One needs to sort out wires which have tensions below a required minimum value to prevent electrostatic instabilities. There have been several methods reported on this subject in which the wires were excited either with sinusoidal current under magnetic field or with sinusoidal voltage electrostatically coupled to the wire, searching for a resonating frequency with which the wires vibrate mechanically. Then the vibration is detected either visually, optically or with magnetic pick-up directly touching the wires. Any of these is only applicable to the usual multiwire chamber which has open access to the wire plane. They also need fairly large excitation currents to induce a detectable vibration to the wires. Here we report a very simple method that can be used for any type of wire chamber or proportional tube system for measuring wire tension. Only a very small current is required for the wire excitation to obtain a large enough signal because it detects the induced emf voltage across a wire. A sine-wave oscillator and a digital voltmeter are sufficient devices aside from a permanent magnet to provide the magnetic field around the wire. A useful application of this method to a large system is suggested

Meeting the measurement uncertainty and traceability requirements of ISO/AEC standard 17025 in chemical analysis.

Science.gov (United States)

King, B

2001-11-01

The new laboratory accreditation standard, ISO/IEC 17025, reflects current thinking on good measurement practice by requiring more explicit and more demanding attention to a number of activities. These include client interactions, method validation, traceability, and measurement uncertainty. Since the publication of the standard in 1999 there has been extensive debate about its interpretation. It is the author's view that if good quality practices are already in place and if the new requirements are introduced in a manner that is fit for purpose, the additional work required to comply with the new requirements can be expected to be modest. The paper argues that the rigour required in addressing the issues should be driven by customer requirements and the factors that need to be considered in this regard are discussed. The issues addressed include the benefits, interim arrangements, specifying the analytical requirement, establishing traceability, evaluating the uncertainty and reporting the information.

Sodium flow rate measurement method of annular linear induction pumps

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Araseki, Hideo; Kirillov, Igor R.; Preslitsky, Gennady V.

2012-01-01

Highlights: ► We found a new method of flow rate monitoring of electromagnetic pump. ► The method is very simple and does not require a large space. ► The method was verified with an experiment and a numerical analysis. ► The experimental data and the numerical results are in good agreement. - Abstract: The present paper proposes a method for measuring sodium flow rate of annular linear induction pumps. The feature of the method lies in measuring the leaked magnetic field with measuring coils near the stator end on the outlet side and in correlating it with the sodium flow rate. This method is verified through an experiment and a numerical analysis. The data obtained in the experiment reveals that the correlation between the leaked magnetic field and the sodium flow rate is almost linear. The result of the numerical analysis agrees with the experimental data. The present method will be particularly effective to sodium flow rate monitoring of each one of plural annular linear induction pumps arranged in parallel in a vessel which forms a large-scale pump unit.

Image based method for aberration measurement of lithographic tools

Science.gov (United States)

Xu, Shuang; Tao, Bo; Guo, Yongxing; Li, Gongfa

2018-01-01

Information of lens aberration of lithographic tools is important as it directly affects the intensity distribution in the image plane. Zernike polynomials are commonly used for a mathematical description of lens aberrations. Due to the advantage of lower cost and easier implementation of tools, image based measurement techniques have been widely used. Lithographic tools are typically partially coherent systems that can be described by a bilinear model, which entails time consuming calculations and does not lend a simple and intuitive relationship between lens aberrations and the resulted images. Previous methods for retrieving lens aberrations in such partially coherent systems involve through-focus image measurements and time-consuming iterative algorithms. In this work, we propose a method for aberration measurement in lithographic tools, which only requires measuring two images of intensity distribution. Two linear formulations are derived in matrix forms that directly relate the measured images to the unknown Zernike coefficients. Consequently, an efficient non-iterative solution is obtained.

The Sources and Methods of Engineering Design Requirement

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Li, Xuemeng; Zhang, Zhinan; Ahmed-Kristensen, Saeema

2014-01-01

to be defined in a new context. This paper focuses on understanding the design requirement sources at the requirement elicitation phase. It aims at proposing an improved design requirement source classification considering emerging markets and presenting current methods for eliciting requirement for each source...

A Simple Method for Measuring the Verticality of Small-Diameter Driven Wells

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Kjeldsen, Peter; Skov, Bent

1994-01-01

The presence of stones, solid waste, and other obstructions can deflect small-diameter driven wells during installation, leading to deviations of the well from its intended position. This could lead to erroneous results, especially for measurements of ground water levels by water level meters....... A simple method was developed to measure deviations from the intended positions of well screens and determine correction factors required for proper measurement of ground water levels in nonvertical wells. The method is based upon measurement of the hydrostatic pressure in the bottom of a water column...... ground water flow directions....

A simple method for the measurement of reflective foil emissivity

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ballico, M. J.; Ham, E. W. M. van der

2013-01-01

Reflective metal foil is widely used to reduce radiative heat transfer within the roof space of buildings. Such foils are typically mass-produced by vapor-deposition of a thin metallic coating onto a variety of substrates, ranging from plastic-coated reinforced paper to 'bubble-wrap'. Although the emissivity of such surfaces is almost negligible in the thermal infrared, typically less than 0.03, an insufficiently thick metal coating, or organic contamination of the surface, can significantly increase this value. To ensure that the quality of the installed insulation is satisfactory, Australian building code AS/NZS 4201.5:1994 requires a practical agreed method for measurement of the emissivity, and the standard ASTM-E408 is implied. Unfortunately this standard is not a 'primary method' and requires the use of specified expensive apparatus and calibrated reference materials. At NMIA we have developed a simple primary technique, based on an apparatus to thermally modulate the sample and record the apparent modulation in infra-red radiance with commercially available radiation thermometers. The method achieves an absolute accuracy in the emissivity of approximately 0.004 (k=2). This paper theoretically analyses the equivalence between the thermal emissivity measured in this manner, the effective thermal emissivity in application, and the apparent emissivity measured in accordance with ASTM-E408

A simple method for the measurement of reflective foil emissivity

Science.gov (United States)

Ballico, M. J.; van der Ham, E. W. M.

2013-09-01

Reflective metal foil is widely used to reduce radiative heat transfer within the roof space of buildings. Such foils are typically mass-produced by vapor-deposition of a thin metallic coating onto a variety of substrates, ranging from plastic-coated reinforced paper to "bubble-wrap". Although the emissivity of such surfaces is almost negligible in the thermal infrared, typically less than 0.03, an insufficiently thick metal coating, or organic contamination of the surface, can significantly increase this value. To ensure that the quality of the installed insulation is satisfactory, Australian building code AS/NZS 4201.5:1994 requires a practical agreed method for measurement of the emissivity, and the standard ASTM-E408 is implied. Unfortunately this standard is not a "primary method" and requires the use of specified expensive apparatus and calibrated reference materials. At NMIA we have developed a simple primary technique, based on an apparatus to thermally modulate the sample and record the apparent modulation in infra-red radiance with commercially available radiation thermometers. The method achieves an absolute accuracy in the emissivity of approximately 0.004 (k=2). This paper theoretically analyses the equivalence between the thermal emissivity measured in this manner, the effective thermal emissivity in application, and the apparent emissivity measured in accordance with ASTM-E408.

A Survey of Various Object Oriented Requirement Engineering Methods

OpenAIRE

Anandi Mahajan; Dr. Anurag Dixit

2013-01-01

In current years many industries have been moving to the use of object-oriented methods for the development of large scale information systems The requirement of Object Oriented approach in the development of software systems is increasing day by day. This paper is basically a survey paper on various Object-oriented requirement engineering methods. This paper contains a summary of the available Object-oriented requirement engineering methods with their relative advantages and disadvantages...

Center index method-an alternative for wear measurements with radiostereometry (RSA).

Science.gov (United States)

Dahl, Jon; Figved, Wender; Snorrason, Finnur; Nordsletten, Lars; Röhrl, Stephan M

2013-03-01

Radiostereometry (RSA) is considered to be the most precise and accurate method for wear-measurements in total hip replacement. Post-operative stereoradiographs has so far been necessary for wear measurement. Hence, the use of RSA has been limited to studies planned for RSA measurements. We compared a new RSA method for wear measurements that does not require previous radiographs with conventional RSA. Instead of comparing present stereoradiographs with post-operative ones, we developed a method for calculating the post-operative position of the center of the femoral head on the present examination and using this as the index measurement. We compared this alternative method to conventional RSA in 27 hips in an ongoing RSA study. We found a high degree of agreement between the methods for both mean proximal (1.19 mm vs. 1.14 mm) and mean 3D wear (1.52 mm vs. 1.44 mm) after 10 years. Intraclass correlation coefficients (ICC) were 0.958 and 0.955, respectively (pRSA offers comparable results to conventional RSA measurements. It allows precise wear measurements without previous radiological examinations. Copyright © 2012 Orthopaedic Research Society.

Novel measurement method of activation energy of non-metallic materials for NPP

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Park, Chang-Dae; Lim, Byung-Ju; Song, Chi-Sung

2008-01-01

This paper presents novel technique and its applicability for measuring activation energy of non-metallic materials for NPPs (nuclear power plants). The E a is a principal property for life assessment and accelerating thermal aging of equipment during environmental qualification. The E a is conventionally obtained by tensile test using UTM (Universal Testing Machine). However, this conventional method has many difficulties such as lots of big standardized specimens required and long measuring time of at least 3 months. Moreover, this is not only an inapplicable method during inservice inspection but destructive method, which are main obstacles for using UTM. Fortunately, newly developed technique for the E a such as TGA (Thermo-gravimetric Analysis) and DMA (Dynamic Mechanical Analysis) can eliminate almost all the problems of UTM. The common TGA is to measure weight change with time under constant heating rate. TGA was devised to perform the compositional analysis of materials such as rubber, carbon black, filler, volatile, etc., and to determine the thermal stability/decomposition, stoichiometry of reactions, and kinetics of reaction, by weight changes of materials when heated. TGA method has various advantages such as small amount of the sample (e.g. 20 mg), shortened measuring time of approximately 2 days, and virtually non-destructive method. In this study, we have tried to find the justification of TGA utilization for E a measurement by comparing the measured TGA data to UTM data for three cable materials. Considering reasonable consistency of our TGA data with UTM data, we conclude that TGA method gives convenient way to measure the activation energy for EPR, CR, and CSP materials with many merits, such as measuring time, specimen size and quantity required, and test expenses. (author)

Comparison of microstickies measurement methods. Part I, sample preparation and measurement methods

Science.gov (United States)

Mahendra R. Doshi; Angeles Blanco; Carlos Negro; Gilles M. Dorris; Carlos C. Castro; Axel Hamann; R. Daniel Haynes; Carl Houtman; Karen Scallon; Hans-Joachim Putz; Hans Johansson; R.A. Venditti; K. Copeland; H.-M. Chang

2003-01-01

Recently, we completed a project on the comparison of macrostickies measurement methods. Based on the success of the project, we decided to embark on this new project on comparison of microstickies measurement methods. When we started this project, there were some concerns and doubts principally due to the lack of an accepted definition of microstickies. However, we...

Quantitative Nuclear Medicine Imaging: Concepts, Requirements and Methods

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

2014-01-15

The absolute quantification of radionuclide distribution has been a goal since the early days of nuclear medicine. Nevertheless, the apparent complexity and sometimes limited accuracy of these methods have prevented them from being widely used in important applications such as targeted radionuclide therapy or kinetic analysis. The intricacy of the effects degrading nuclear medicine images and the lack of availability of adequate methods to compensate for these effects have frequently been seen as insurmountable obstacles in the use of quantitative nuclear medicine in clinical institutions. In the last few decades, several research groups have consistently devoted their efforts to the filling of these gaps. As a result, many efficient methods are now available that make quantification a clinical reality, provided appropriate compensation tools are used. Despite these efforts, many clinical institutions still lack the knowledge and tools to adequately measure and estimate the accumulated activities in the human body, thereby using potentially outdated protocols and procedures. The purpose of the present publication is to review the current state of the art of image quantification and to provide medical physicists and other related professionals facing quantification tasks with a solid background of tools and methods. It describes and analyses the physical effects that degrade image quality and affect the accuracy of quantification, and describes methods to compensate for them in planar, single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) and positron emission tomography (PET) images. The fast paced development of the computational infrastructure, both hardware and software, has made drastic changes in the ways image quantification is now performed. The measuring equipment has evolved from the simple blind probes to planar and three dimensional imaging, supported by SPECT, PET and hybrid equipment. Methods of iterative reconstruction have been developed to allow for

Criticism on Jäntti's Three Point Method on curtailing gas adsorption measurements

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Massen, C.H.; Poulis, J.A.; Robens, E.

2000-01-01

Jäntti introduced a method to reduce the time required for the stepwise measurement of adsorption isotherms (Jäntti et al., Progress in Vacuum Microbalance Techniques, Vol. 1, Heyden, London, pp. 345–353, 1972). After a pressure change he measured the adsorbed mass three times and calculated its

METHOD 415.3 - MEASUREMENT OF TOTAL ORGANIC ...

Science.gov (United States)

2.0 SUMMARY OF METHOD2.1 In both TOC and DOC determinations, organic carbon in the water sample is oxidized to form carbon dioxide (CO2), which is then measured by a detection system. There are two different approaches for the oxidation of organic carbon in water samples to carbon dioxide gas: (a) combustion in an oxidizing gas and (b) UV promoted or heat catalized chemical oxidation with a persulfate solution. Carbon dioxide, which is released from the oxidized sample, is detected by a conductivity detector or by a nondispersive infrared (NDIR) detector. Instruments using any combination of the above technologies may be used in this method.2.2. Setteable solids and floating matter may cause plugging of valves, tubing, and the injection needle port. The TOC procedure allows the removal of settleable solids and floating matter. The suspended matter is considered part of the sample. The resulting water sample is then considered a close approximation of the original whole water sample for the purpose of TOC measurement.2.3. The DOC procedure requires that the sample be passed through a 0.45 um filter prior to analysis.2.4. The TOC and DOC procedures require that all inorganic carbon be removed from the sample before the sample is analyzed for organic carbon content. If the inorganic carbon (IC) is not completely removed, significant error will occur. The inorganic carbon interference is removed by converting the mineralized IC to CO2 by acidification and

Screw scale measurement requirements and test methods%螺旋秤的计量要求和试验方法

Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

刘炜

2012-01-01

Through to the electronic spiral weighing feeder test, this article describes in detail on the basis of continuous totalizing automatic weighing instrument (belt) national standard (GBfF7721-2007) and test procedures (JJG195-2D02) corresponding to the terms of the screw scale test measurement requirements and test methods.%本文通过对电子螺旋称重给料机进行试验，详细地阐述了依据连续累计自动衡器（皮带秤）的国家标准（GB／T7721—2007）和检定规程~G195—2002）相应的条款对螺旋秤进行试验的计量要求和试验方法。

A Method for Software Requirement Volatility Analysis Using QFD

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Yunarso Anang

2016-10-01

Full Text Available Changes of software requirements are inevitable during the development life cycle. Rather than avoiding the circumstance, it is easier to just accept it and find a way to anticipate those changes. This paper proposes a method to analyze the volatility of requirement by using the Quality Function Deployment (QFD method and the introduced degree of volatility. Customer requirements are deployed to software functions and subsequently to architectural design elements. And then, after determining the potential for changes of the design elements, the degree of volatility of the software requirements is calculated. In this paper the method is described using a flow diagram and illustrated using a simple example, and is evaluated using a case study.

Evaluation of expansion algorithm of measurement range suited for 3D shape measurement using two pitches of projected grating with light source-stepping method

Science.gov (United States)

Sakaguchi, Toshimasa; Fujigaki, Motoharu; Murata, Yorinobu

2015-03-01

Accurate and wide-range shape measurement method is required in industrial field. The same technique is possible to be used for a shape measurement of a human body for the garment industry. Compact 3D shape measurement equipment is also required for embedding in the inspection system. A shape measurement by a phase shifting method can measure the shape with high spatial resolution because the coordinates can be obtained pixel by pixel. A key-device to develop compact equipment is a grating projector. Authors developed a linear LED projector and proposed a light source stepping method (LSSM) using the linear LED projector. The shape measurement euipment can be produced with low-cost and compact without any phase-shifting mechanical systems by using this method. Also it enables us to measure 3D shape in very short time by switching the light sources quickly. A phase unwrapping method is necessary to widen the measurement range with constant accuracy for phase shifting method. A general phase unwrapping method with difference grating pitches is often used. It is one of a simple phase unwrapping method. It is, however, difficult to apply the conventional phase unwrapping algorithm to the LSSM. Authors, therefore, developed an expansion unwrapping algorithm for the LSSM. In this paper, an expansion algorithm of measurement range suited for 3D shape measurement using two pitches of projected grating with the LSSM was evaluated.

Application of model-based and knowledge-based measuring methods as analytical redundancy

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hampel, R.; Kaestner, W.; Chaker, N.; Vandreier, B.

1997-01-01

The safe operation of nuclear power plants requires the application of modern and intelligent methods of signal processing for the normal operation as well as for the management of accident conditions. Such modern and intelligent methods are model-based and knowledge-based ones being founded on analytical knowledge (mathematical models) as well as experiences (fuzzy information). In addition to the existing hardware redundancies analytical redundancies will be established with the help of these modern methods. These analytical redundancies support the operating staff during the decision-making. The design of a hybrid model-based and knowledge-based measuring method will be demonstrated by the example of a fuzzy-supported observer. Within the fuzzy-supported observer a classical linear observer is connected with a fuzzy-supported adaptation of the model matrices of the observer model. This application is realized for the estimation of the non-measurable variables as steam content and mixture level within pressure vessels with water-steam mixture during accidental depressurizations. For this example the existing non-linearities will be classified and the verification of the model will be explained. The advantages of the hybrid method in comparison to the classical model-based measuring methods will be demonstrated by the results of estimation. The consideration of the parameters which have an important influence on the non-linearities requires the inclusion of high-dimensional structures of fuzzy logic within the model-based measuring methods. Therefore methods will be presented which allow the conversion of these high-dimensional structures to two-dimensional structures of fuzzy logic. As an efficient solution of this problem a method based on cascaded fuzzy controllers will be presented. (author). 2 refs, 12 figs, 5 tabs

New radiocarbon measurement methods in the Hertelendi Laboratory, Hungary

Science.gov (United States)

Janovics, Róbert; Major, István; Rinyu, László; Veres, Mihály; Molnár, Mihály

2013-04-01

In this paper we present two very different and novel methods for C-14 measurement from dissolved inorganic carbonate (DIC) of water samples. A new LSC sample preparation method for liquid scintillation C-14 measurements was implemented in the ATOMKI. The first method uses direct absorption into a special absorbent (Carbosorb E®) and a following liquid scintillation measurement. Typical sample size is 20-40 litre of water. The developed CO2 absorption method is fast, and simple. The C-14 activities is measured by an ultra low background LSC (TRI-CARB 3170 TR/SL, Perkin Elmer) including quenching parameter (tSIE).The corresponding limit of C-14 dating is 31200 year. Several tests were executed with old borehole CO2 gas without significant content of C-14 and also performed on samples of known C-14 activities between 29 and 7000 pMC, previously measured by GPC. The combined uncertainty of the described determination is about 2 % in the case of recent carbon. It is a very cost-effective and easy to use method based on a novel and simple static absorption process for the CO2 extracted from groundwater. The other very sensitive method is based on accelerator mass spectrometry (AMS) using gas ion source. This method does not require graphite generation and a small volume of water sample (1-20mL) is enough for the radiocarbon measurement. The procedure is very similar to pre-treatment of carbonate contained sample preparation for stable isotope measurement with gasbench technique. We applied a MICADAS type accelerator mass spectrometry (AMS) with gas ion source for C-14 analysis. The radiocarbon content of water was sat free with phosphoric acid and then the headspace gas was rinsed vials. The whole measurement needs only 20 min of each sample. The precision of measurement is better than 1% for modern samples. The preparation is vastly reduced compared to the other AMS methods and principally allows fully automated measurements of groundwater samples with an auto

Comparative Method for Indirect Sensitivity Measurement of UHF RFID Reader with Respect to Interoperability and Conformance Requirements

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Lukas Kypus

2014-01-01

Full Text Available There is never-ending race for the competitive advantage that forces RFID technology service integrators to focus more on used technology qualitative aspects and theirs impacts inside RFID ecosystem. This paper contributes to UHF RFID reader qualitative parameters evaluation and assessment problematic. It presents and describes in details indirect method and procedure of sensitivity measurement created for UHF RFID readers. We applied this method on RFID readers within prepared test environment and confirmed long term intention and recognized trend. Due to regulations limitations, there is not possible to increase output power over defined limits, but there are possibilities to influence reader sensitivity. Our proposal is to use customized comparative measurement method with insertion loss compensation for return link. Beside the main goal achievement, results show as well the qualitative status of development snapshot of reader. Method and following experiment helped us to gain an external view, current values of important parameters and motivation we want to follow up on as well as compared developed reader with its commercial competitors.

Latency in Visionic Systems: Test Methods and Requirements

Science.gov (United States)

Bailey, Randall E.; Arthur, J. J., III; Williams, Steven P.; Kramer, Lynda J.

2005-01-01

A visionics device creates a pictorial representation of the external scene for the pilot. The ultimate objective of these systems may be to electronically generate a form of Visual Meteorological Conditions (VMC) to eliminate weather or time-of-day as an operational constraint and provide enhancement over actual visual conditions where eye-limiting resolution may be a limiting factor. Empirical evidence has shown that the total system delays or latencies including the imaging sensors and display systems, can critically degrade their utility, usability, and acceptability. Definitions and measurement techniques are offered herein as common test and evaluation methods for latency testing in visionics device applications. Based upon available data, very different latency requirements are indicated based upon the piloting task, the role in which the visionics device is used in this task, and the characteristics of the visionics cockpit display device including its resolution, field-of-regard, and field-of-view. The least stringent latency requirements will involve Head-Up Display (HUD) applications, where the visionics imagery provides situational information as a supplement to symbology guidance and command information. Conversely, the visionics system latency requirement for a large field-of-view Head-Worn Display application, providing a Virtual-VMC capability from which the pilot will derive visual guidance, will be the most stringent, having a value as low as 20 msec.

A brief measure of attitudes toward mixed methods research in psychology.

Science.gov (United States)

Roberts, Lynne D; Povee, Kate

2014-01-01

The adoption of mixed methods research in psychology has trailed behind other social science disciplines. Teaching psychology students, academics, and practitioners about mixed methodologies may increase the use of mixed methods within the discipline. However, tailoring and evaluating education and training in mixed methodologies requires an understanding of, and way of measuring, attitudes toward mixed methods research in psychology. To date, no such measure exists. In this article we present the development and initial validation of a new measure: Attitudes toward Mixed Methods Research in Psychology. A pool of 42 items developed from previous qualitative research on attitudes toward mixed methods research along with validation measures was administered via an online survey to a convenience sample of 274 psychology students, academics and psychologists. Principal axis factoring with varimax rotation on a subset of the sample produced a four-factor, 12-item solution. Confirmatory factor analysis on a separate subset of the sample indicated that a higher order four factor model provided the best fit to the data. The four factors; 'Limited Exposure,' '(in)Compatibility,' 'Validity,' and 'Tokenistic Qualitative Component'; each have acceptable internal reliability. Known groups validity analyses based on preferred research orientation and self-rated mixed methods research skills, and convergent and divergent validity analyses based on measures of attitudes toward psychology as a science and scientist and practitioner orientation, provide initial validation of the measure. This brief, internally reliable measure can be used in assessing attitudes toward mixed methods research in psychology, measuring change in attitudes as part of the evaluation of mixed methods education, and in larger research programs.

Portable method of measuring gaseous acetone concentrations.

Science.gov (United States)

Worrall, Adam D; Bernstein, Jonathan A; Angelopoulos, Anastasios P

2013-08-15

Measurement of acetone in human breath samples has been previously shown to provide significant non-invasive diagnostic insight into the control of a patient's diabetic condition. In patients with diabetes mellitus, the body produces excess amounts of ketones such as acetone, which are then exhaled during respiration. Using various breath analysis methods has allowed for the accurate determination of acetone concentrations in exhaled breath. However, many of these methods require instrumentation and pre-concentration steps not suitable for point-of-care use. We have found that by immobilizing resorcinol reagent into a perfluorosulfonic acid polymer membrane, a controlled organic synthesis reaction occurs with acetone in a dry carrier gas. The immobilized, highly selective product of this reaction (a flavan) is found to produce a visible spectrum color change which could measure acetone concentrations to less than ppm. We here demonstrate how this approach can be used to produce a portable optical sensing device for real-time, non-invasive acetone analysis. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Resistivity measurements using a direct current induction method (1963)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Delaplace, J.; Hillairet, J.

1964-01-01

The conventional methods for measuring electrical resistivities necessitate the fixing of electrical contacts on the sample either mechanically or by soldering. Furthermore it is also necessary to carry,out the measurements on low cross-section samples which are not always easy to obtain. Our direct-current induction method on the other hand requires no contacts and can easily be applied to samples of large cross-section. The sample is placed in a uniform magnetic field; at the moment when the current is cut, eddy currents appear in the sample which tend to oppose the disappearance of the field. The way in which the magnetic flux decreases in the sample makes it possible to determine the resistivity of the material. This method has been applied to samples having diameters of between 1 and 30 mm in the case of metals which are good conductors. It gives a value for the local resistivity and makes it possible to detect any variation along a sample. The measurements can be carried out at all temperature from a few degrees absolute to 500 deg. C. We have used the induction method to follow the purification of beryllium by zone-melting; it is in effect possible to estimate the purity of a material by resistivity measurements. We have measured the resistivity along each bar treated by the zone-melting technique and have thus, localised the purest section. High temperature measurements have been carried out on uranium carbide and on iron-aluminium alloys. This method constitutes an interesting means of investigation the resistivity of solid materials. Its accuracy and rapidity make it particularly adapted both to fundamental research and to production control. (authors) [fr

Application of Hot-wire Method for Measuring Thermal Conductivity of Fine Ceramics

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Shangxi WANG

2016-11-01

Full Text Available Ceramic substrate is preferred in high density packaging due to its high electrical resistivity and moderate expansion coefficient. The thermal conductivity is a key parameter for packaging substrates. There are two common methods to measure the thermal conductivity, which are the hot-wire method and the laser-flash method. Usually, the thermal conductivities of porcelain is low and meet the measurement range of hot-wire method, and the measured value by hot-wire method has little difference with that by laser-flash method. In recent years, with the requirement of high-powered LED lighting, some kinds of ceramic substrates with good thermal conductivity have been developed and their thermal conductivity always measured by the means of laser flash method, which needs expensive instrument. In this paper, in order to detect the thermal conductivity of fine ceramic with convenience and low cost, the feasibility of replacing the laser flash method with hot wire method to measure thermal conductivity of ceramic composites was studied. The experiment results showed that the thermal conductivity value of fine ceramics measured by the hot-wire method is severely lower than that by the laser-flash method. However, there is a positive relationship between them. It is possible to measure the thermal conductivity of fine ceramic workpiece instantly by hot-wire method via a correction formula.DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5755/j01.ms.22.4.12543

Method of high precision interval measurement in pulse laser ranging system

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Zhen; Lv, Xin-yuan; Mao, Jin-jin; Liu, Wei; Yang, Dong

2013-09-01

Laser ranging is suitable for laser system, for it has the advantage of high measuring precision, fast measuring speed,no cooperative targets and strong resistance to electromagnetic interference,the measuremen of laser ranging is the key paremeters affecting the performance of the whole system.The precision of the pulsed laser ranging system was decided by the precision of the time interval measurement, the principle structure of laser ranging system was introduced, and a method of high precision time interval measurement in pulse laser ranging system was established in this paper.Based on the analysis of the factors which affected the precision of range measure,the pulse rising edges discriminator was adopted to produce timing mark for the start-stop time discrimination,and the TDC-GP2 high precision interval measurement system based on TMS320F2812 DSP was designed to improve the measurement precision.Experimental results indicate that the time interval measurement method in this paper can obtain higher range accuracy. Compared with the traditional time interval measurement system,the method simplifies the system design and reduce the influence of bad weather conditions,furthermore,it satisfies the requirements of low costs and miniaturization.

A Novel Method of SIR Measurement for Power Control in CDMA Systems

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yu, J; Wu, S B; He, J Z

2006-01-01

CDMA is interference limited multiple access system. Power control is an effective way to reduce co-channel interference and solve the near-far problem. Consequently, it can improve the system capacity, and make higher data rate possible. CDMA2000 employs fast closed-loop power control in reverse link to combat channel fading, and the estimation of signal to interference ratio (SIR) is required for closed-loop power control. Transmitting power is adjusted by comparing the SIR estimation with SIR target. So, it is crucial to measure the SIR of received signal accurately. Traditional measurement methods mostly depend on pilot signal strongly, when the pilots are few, there is a greater error brought to the measurement of SIR. In this paper, we discuss the SIR measurement of the received signal under the fewer pilots condition (especially only one pilot symbol) and present a novel SIR measurement method. According to the simulation, the numerical results indicate that the SIR measured by the proposed method is more accurate than the SIR measured by conventional method under fewer pilots condition

Modulation transfer function (MTF) measurement method based on support vector machine (SVM)

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, Zheng; Chen, Yueting; Feng, Huajun; Xu, Zhihai; Li, Qi

2016-03-01

An imaging system's spatial quality can be expressed by the system's modulation spread function (MTF) as a function of spatial frequency in terms of the linear response theory. Methods have been proposed to assess the MTF of an imaging system using point, slit or edge techniques. The edge method is widely used for the low requirement of targets. However, the traditional edge methods are limited by the edge angle. Besides, image noise will impair the measurement accuracy, making the measurement result unstable. In this paper, a novel measurement method based on the support vector machine (SVM) is proposed. Image patches with different edge angles and MTF levels are generated as the training set. Parameters related with MTF and image structure are extracted from the edge images. Trained with image parameters and the corresponding MTF, the SVM classifier can assess the MTF of any edge image. The result shows that the proposed method has an excellent performance on measuring accuracy and stability.

How to Compare the Security Quality Requirements Engineering (SQUARE) Method with Other Methods

National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

Mead, Nancy R

2007-01-01

The Security Quality Requirements Engineering (SQUARE) method, developed at the Carnegie Mellon Software Engineering Institute, provides a systematic way to identify security requirements in a software development project...

Method for developing cost estimates for generic regulatory requirements

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1985-01-01

The NRC has established a practice of performing regulatory analyses, reflecting costs as well as benefits, of proposed new or revised generic requirements. A method had been developed to assist the NRC in preparing the types of cost estimates required for this purpose and for assigning priorities in the resolution of generic safety issues. The cost of a generic requirement is defined as the net present value of total lifetime cost incurred by the public, industry, and government in implementing the requirement for all affected plants. The method described here is for commercial light-water-reactor power plants. Estimating the cost for a generic requirement involves several steps: (1) identifying the activities that must be carried out to fully implement the requirement, (2) defining the work packages associated with the major activities, (3) identifying the individual elements of cost for each work package, (4) estimating the magnitude of each cost element, (5) aggregating individual plant costs over the plant lifetime, and (6) aggregating all plant costs and generic costs to produce a total, national, present value of lifetime cost for the requirement. The method developed addresses all six steps. In this paper, we discuss on the first three

Classical Methods and Calculation Algorithms for Determining Lime Requirements

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

André Guarçoni

Full Text Available ABSTRACT The methods developed for determination of lime requirements (LR are based on widely accepted principles. However, the formulas used for calculation have evolved little over recent decades, and in some cases there are indications of their inadequacy. The aim of this study was to compare the lime requirements calculated by three classic formulas and three algorithms, defining those most appropriate for supplying Ca and Mg to coffee plants and the smaller possibility of causing overliming. The database used contained 600 soil samples, which were collected in coffee plantings. The LR was estimated by the methods of base saturation, neutralization of Al3+, and elevation of Ca2+ and Mg2+ contents (two formulas and by the three calculation algorithms. Averages of the lime requirements were compared, determining the frequency distribution of the 600 lime requirements (LR estimated through each calculation method. In soils with low cation exchange capacity at pH 7, the base saturation method may fail to adequately supply the plants with Ca and Mg in many situations, while the method of Al3+ neutralization and elevation of Ca2+ and Mg2+ contents can result in the calculation of application rates that will increase the pH above the suitable range. Among the methods studied for calculating lime requirements, the algorithm that predicts reaching a defined base saturation, with adequate Ca and Mg supply and the maximum application rate limited to the H+Al value, proved to be the most efficient calculation method, and it can be recommended for use in numerous crops conditions.

EPA Method 1615. Measurement of Enterovirus and Norovirus ...

Science.gov (United States)

A standardized method is required when national studies on virus occurrence in environmental and drinking waters utilize multiple analytical laboratories. The U.S Environmental Protection Agency’s (USEPA) Method 1615 was developed with the goal of providing such a standard for measuring Enterovirus and Norovirus in these waters. Virus is concentrated from water using an electropositive filter, eluted from the filter surface with beef extract, and then concentrated further using organic flocculation. Herein we present the protocol from Method 1615 for filter elution, secondary concentration, and measurement of total culturable viruses. A portion of the concentrated eluate from each sample is inoculated onto ten replicate flasks of Buffalo Green Monkey kidney cells. The number of flasks demonstrating cytopathic effects is used to quantify the most probable number (MPN) of infectious units per liter. The method uses a number of quality controls to increase data quality and to reduce interlaboratory and intralaboratory variation. Laboratories must meet defined performance standards. Method 1615 was evaluated by examining virus recovery from reagent-grade and ground waters seeded with Sabin poliovirus type 3. Mean poliovirus recoveries with the total culturable assay were 111% in reagent grade water and 58% in groundwaters. EPA Method 1615 is being used by a number of national and international labs. This paper and the accompanying video will provide training oppo

A modified Wheeler cap method for radiation efficiency measurement of balanced electrically small antennas

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Zhang, Jiaying; Pivnenko, Sergey; Breinbjerg, Olav

2010-01-01

, but not for balanced antennas like loops or dipoles. In this paper, a modified Wheeler cap method is proposed for the radiation efficiency measurement of balanced electrically small antennas and a three-port network model of the Wheeler cap measurement is introduced. The advantage of the modified method...... is that it is wideband, thus does not require any balun, and both the antenna input impedance and radiation efficiency can be obtained. An electrically small loop antenna and a wideband dipole were simulated and measured according to the proposed method and the results of measurements and simulations are presented...

Measurement of company effectiveness using analytic network process method

Science.gov (United States)

Goran, Janjić; Zorana, Tanasić; Borut, Kosec

2017-07-01

The sustainable development of an organisation is monitored through the organisation's performance, which beforehand incorporates all stakeholders' requirements in its strategy. The strategic management concept enables organisations to monitor and evaluate their effectiveness along with efficiency by monitoring of the implementation of set strategic goals. In the process of monitoring and measuring effectiveness, an organisation can use multiple-criteria decision-making methods as help. This study uses the method of analytic network process (ANP) to define the weight factors of the mutual influences of all the important elements of an organisation's strategy. The calculation of an organisation's effectiveness is based on the weight factors and the degree of fulfilment of the goal values of the strategic map measures. New business conditions influence the changes in the importance of certain elements of an organisation's business in relation to competitive advantage on the market, and on the market, increasing emphasis is given to non-material resources in the process of selection of the organisation's most important measures.

A study of the river velocity measurement techniques and analysis methods

Science.gov (United States)

Chung Yang, Han; Lun Chiang, Jie

2013-04-01

Velocity measurement technology can be traced back to the pitot tube velocity measurement method in the 18th century and today's velocity measurement technology use the acoustic and radar technology, with the Doppler principle developed technology advances, in order to develop the measurement method is more suitable for the measurement of velocity, the purpose is to get a more accurate measurement data and with the surface velocity theory, the maximum velocity theory and the indicator theory to obtain the mean velocity. As the main research direction of this article is to review the literature of the velocity measurement techniques and analysis methods, and to explore the applicability of the measurement method of the velocity measurement instruments, and then to describe the advantages and disadvantages of the different mean velocity profiles analysis method. Adequate review of the references of this study will be able to provide a reference for follow-up study of the velocity measurement. Review velocity measurement literature that different velocity measurement is required to follow the different flow conditions measured be upgraded its accuracy, because each flow rate measurement method has its advantages and disadvantages. Traditional velocity instrument can be used at low flow and RiverRAD microwave radar or imaging technology measurement method may be applied in high flow. In the tidal river can use the ADCP to quickly measure river vertical velocity distribution. In addition, urban rivers may be used the CW radar to set up on the bridge, and wide rivers can be used RiverRAD microwave radar to measure the velocities. Review the relevant literature also found that using Ultrasonic Doppler Current Profiler with the Chiu's theory to the velocity of observing automation work can save manpower and resources to improve measurement accuracy, reduce the risk of measurement, but the great variability of river characteristics in Taiwan and a lot of drifting floating

Work required for selective quantum measurement

Science.gov (United States)

Konishi, Eiji

2018-06-01

In quantum mechanics, we define the measuring system M in a selective measurement by two conditions. Firstly, when we define the measured system S as the system in which the non-selective measurement part acts, M is independent from the measured system S as a quantum system in the sense that any time-dependent process in the total system S  +  M is divisible into parts for S and M. Secondly, when we can separate S and M from each other without changing the unitary equivalence class of the state of S from that obtained by the partial trace of M, the eigenstate selection in the selective measurement cannot be realized. In order for such a system M to exist, we show that in one selective measurement of an observable of a quantum system S 0 of particles in S, there exists a negative entropy transfer from M to S that can be directly transformed into an amount of Helmholtz free energy of where T is the thermodynamic temperature of the system S. Equivalently, an extra amount of work, , is required to be done by the system M.

Comparison of eddy covariance and modified Bowen ratio methods for measuring gas fluxes and implications for measuring fluxes of persistent organic pollutants

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

D. J. Bolinius

2016-04-01

Full Text Available Semi-volatile persistent organic pollutants (POPs cycle between the atmosphere and terrestrial surfaces; however measuring fluxes of POPs between the atmosphere and other media is challenging. Sampling times of hours to days are required to accurately measure trace concentrations of POPs in the atmosphere, which rules out the use of eddy covariance techniques that are used to measure gas fluxes of major air pollutants. An alternative, the modified Bowen ratio (MBR method, has been used instead. In this study we used data from FLUXNET for CO2 and water vapor (H2O to compare fluxes measured by eddy covariance to fluxes measured with the MBR method using vertical concentration gradients in air derived from averaged data that simulate the long sampling times typically required to measure POPs. When concentration gradients are strong and fluxes are unidirectional, the MBR method and the eddy covariance method agree within a factor of 3 for CO2, and within a factor of 10 for H2O. To remain within the range of applicability of the MBR method, field studies should be carried out under conditions such that the direction of net flux does not change during the sampling period. If that condition is met, then the performance of the MBR method is neither strongly affected by the length of sample duration nor the use of a fixed value for the transfer coefficient.

Simple method for measuring reflectance of optical coatings

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wen Gui Wang; Yi Sheng Chen

1995-01-01

The quality of optical coatings has an important effect on the performance of optical instrument. The last few years, the requirements for super low loss dielectric mirror coatings used in low gain laser systems such as free electron laser and the ring laser etc., have given an impetus to the development of the technology of precise reflectance measurement of optical coatings. A reliable and workable technique is to measure the light intensity decay time of optical resonant cavity. This paper describes a measuring method which is dependent on direct measurement of the light intensity decay time of a resonant cavity comprised of low loss optical components. According to the evolution of a luminous flux stored inside the cavity, this method guarantees not only a quick and precise reflectance measurements of low loss highly reflecting mirror coatings but also transmittance measurements of low loss antireflection coatings and is especially effective with super los loss highly reflecting mirror. From the round-trip path length of the cavity and the speed of light, the light intensity exponential decay time of an optical cavity is easy to obtain and the cavity losses can be deduced. An optical reflectance of low loss highly mirror coatings and antireflection coatings is precisely measured as well. This is highly significant for the discrimination of the coating surface characteristics, the improvement of the performance of optical instrument and the development of high technology

Theodolite Polar measurements system and definition of the grid-lines method

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Andréa de Seixas

2004-12-01

Full Text Available The requirements of construction quality, mainly in the car and airplane industries, accelerate the development of new 3D-Measurement Systems and Measurement Processes that make possible the automatic object recording and it’s post-processing on the basis, for example, on deformations. The geometrical reconstruction of objects or surface requires a minimal number of points, which abstracts and will be fulfill through interpolation its exact form and quality of the object in each case. The applications of the laser for the active signalization of a point object in combination with the directional measurement make possible in such way the determination of objects or surfaces, including also, places where the use of artificial targets is dangerous or impossible. This work describes the development of such measurement system based on two measurement robots or a reflector-free measuring tachymeter. The system is capable of reaching the intersections points of a grid-line that is defined in an appropriate coordinate system. The aim of this paper is to present the development of measurement methods that can reconstruct unknown three-dimensional and not signalized objects. The existing deformation-measurement, based on Pointer Theodolite and a Video Theodolite Measurement System and the other reflector-free Tachymeter Measurement System in context with the problematic analysis of deformation will be presented. The grid-lines Methods appear a solution and stand as new alternative for the geometrical reconstruction of the object surfaces. Its definition and preparations in a suitable coordinate system are discussed in detail.

A brief measure of attitudes toward mixed methods research in psychology

Science.gov (United States)

Roberts, Lynne D.; Povee, Kate

2014-01-01

The adoption of mixed methods research in psychology has trailed behind other social science disciplines. Teaching psychology students, academics, and practitioners about mixed methodologies may increase the use of mixed methods within the discipline. However, tailoring and evaluating education and training in mixed methodologies requires an understanding of, and way of measuring, attitudes toward mixed methods research in psychology. To date, no such measure exists. In this article we present the development and initial validation of a new measure: Attitudes toward Mixed Methods Research in Psychology. A pool of 42 items developed from previous qualitative research on attitudes toward mixed methods research along with validation measures was administered via an online survey to a convenience sample of 274 psychology students, academics and psychologists. Principal axis factoring with varimax rotation on a subset of the sample produced a four-factor, 12-item solution. Confirmatory factor analysis on a separate subset of the sample indicated that a higher order four factor model provided the best fit to the data. The four factors; ‘Limited Exposure,’ ‘(in)Compatibility,’ ‘Validity,’ and ‘Tokenistic Qualitative Component’; each have acceptable internal reliability. Known groups validity analyses based on preferred research orientation and self-rated mixed methods research skills, and convergent and divergent validity analyses based on measures of attitudes toward psychology as a science and scientist and practitioner orientation, provide initial validation of the measure. This brief, internally reliable measure can be used in assessing attitudes toward mixed methods research in psychology, measuring change in attitudes as part of the evaluation of mixed methods education, and in larger research programs. PMID:25429281

Methods for measuring arctic and alpine shrub growth

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Myers-Smith, Isla; Hallinger, Martin; Blok, Daan

2015-01-01

Shrubs have increased in abundance and dominance in arctic and alpine regions in recent decades. This often dramatic change, likely due to climate warming, has the potential to alter both the structure and function of tundra ecosystems. The analysis of shrub growth is improving our understanding...... of tundra vegetation dynamics and environmental changes. However, dendrochronological methods developed for trees, need to be adapted for the morphology and growth eccentricity of shrubs. Here, we review current and developing methods to measure radial and axial growth, estimate age, and assess growth...... dynamics in relation to environmental variables. Recent advances in sampling methods, analysis and applications have improved our ability to investigate growth and recruitment dynamics of shrubs. However, to extrapolate findings to the biome scale, future dendroecologicalwork will require improved...

A portable measurement system for subcriticality measurements by the CF-source-driven neutron noise analysis method

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mihalczo, J.T.; Ragan, G.E.; Blakeman, E.D.

1988-01-01

A portable measurement system consisting of a personal computer used as a Fourier analyzer and three detection channels (with associated electronics that provide the signals to analog-to-digital (A/D) convertors) has been assembled to measure subcriticality by the /sup 252/Cf-source-driven neutron noise analysis method. The /sup 252/Cf-source-driven neutron noise analysis method for obtaining the subcritical neutron multiplication factor of a configuration of fissile material requires measurement of the frequency-dependent cross-power spectral density (CPSD), G/sub 23/(ω), between a pair of detectors (Nos. 2 and 3) located in or near the fissile material and CPSDs G/sub 12/(ω) and G/sub 13/(ω) between these same detectors and a source of neutrons emanating from an ionization chamber (No. 1) containing /sup 252/Cf, also positioned in or near the fissile material. The auto-power spectral density (APSD), G/sub 11/(ω), of the source is also required. A particular ratio of spectral densities, G/sub 12//sup */G/sub 13//G/sub 11/G/sub 23/ (/sup */ denotes complex conjugation), is then formed. This ratio is related to the subcritical neutron multiplication factor and is independent of detector efficiencies

A method of atmospheric density measurements during Shuttle entry using UV laser Rayleigh scattering

Science.gov (United States)

Mckenzie, Robert L.

1987-01-01

A detailed study is described of the performance capabilities and the hardware requirements for a method in which ambient density is measured along the Space Shuttle flight path using on-board optical instrumentation. The technique relies on Rayleigh scattering of light from a pulsed, ultraviolet, ArF excimer laser operating at a wavelength of 193 nm. The method is shown to be capable of providing direct measurements of ambient density with an uncertainty of less than 1 percent and with a spatial resolution of 1 km, over an altitude range from 50 to 90 km. In addition, extensions of this concept are discussed that allow measurements of the shock wave location and the density profile within the shock layer. Two approaches are identified that appear to be feasible, in which the same laser system is used for the extended measurements as that required for the ambient density measurements.

Method for transmittance measurements in sunglasses for a kiosk

Science.gov (United States)

Mello, Marcio M.; Figueiredo, M.; Konda, R. A.; Ventura, Liliane

2013-03-01

Light transmittance measurements through sunglasses lenses is one of the required tests of the Brazilian Standard NBR15111(2004). Its measurement establishes the category of the sample and determines the required ultraviolet, visible and infrared protection, as well as the attenuation coefficient for signal light recognition. However, these measurements are usually performed by spectrophotometers and educated users, who are acknowledged to manage the equipment, use the weighting functions (WF) and interpret the data. We propose an alternative method, which consists in having matching optics and electronics to obtain a close WF to be used in transmittance measurements, and create an accessible device, for public self-use, providing a simple way for measuring and educating the public about sunglasses protection. Measurements were made in 30 samples for UV test, performed for the 280 - 400nm range, where UVA and UVB light sources and two photodiode sensors with Erythema action response are assembled, and for traffic signal a visible light sensor was used with spectral human eye response and different LEDs. As for the visible test, the visible light sensor was used for different light sources: incandescent, fluorescent, and a set of LEDs, while the infrared test is performed by several LEDs that provide the 780 - 2000nm range, and an infrared sensor. For these tests, only the samples spectrum were used. The transmittances were within the deviation limit required by NBR15111. The results have led us to build a self service kiosk for public use providing the category, UV protection and IR protection of the sunglasses as well as the information regarding its use for driving.

Evaluation and development plan of NRTA measurement methods for the Rokkasho Reprocessing Plant

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Li, T.K.; Hakkila, E.A.; Flosterbuer, S.F.

1995-01-01

Near-real-time accounting (NRTA) has been proposed as a safeguards method at the Rokkasho Reprocessing Plant (RRP), a large-scale commercial boiling water and pressurized water reactors spent-fuel reprocessing facility. NRTA for RRP requires material balance closures every month. To develop a more effective and practical NRTA system for RRP, we have evaluated NRTA measurement techniques and systems that might be implemented in both the main process and the co-denitration process areas at RRP to analyze the concentrations of plutonium in solutions and mixed oxide powder. Based on the comparative evaluation, including performance, reliability, design criteria, operation methods, maintenance requirements, and estimated costs for each possible measurement method, recommendations for development were formulated. This paper discusses the evaluations and reports on the recommendation of the NRTA development plan for potential implementation at RRP

Handbook of methods for risk-based analysis of technical specification requirements

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Samanta, P.K.; Vesely, W.E.

1994-01-01

Technical Specifications (TS) requirements for nuclear power plants define the Limiting Conditions for Operation (LCOs) and Surveillance Requirements (SRs) to assure safety during operation. In general, these requirements were based on deterministic analysis and engineering judgments. Experiences with plant operation indicate that some elements of the requirements are unnecessarily restrictive, while others may not be conducive to safety. Improvements in these requirements are facilitated by the availability of plant specific Probabilistic Safety Assessments (PSAs). The use of risk and reliability-based methods to improve TS requirements has gained wide interest because these methods can: Quantitatively evaluate the risk and justify changes based on objective risk arguments; Provide a defensible basis for these requirements for regulatory applications. The US NRC Office of Research is sponsoring research to develop systematic risk-based methods to improve various aspects of TS requirements. The handbook of methods, which is being prepared, summarizes such risk-based methods. The scope of the handbook includes reliability and risk-based methods for evaluating allowed outage times (AOTs), action statements requiring shutdown where shutdown risk may be substantial, surveillance test intervals (STIs), defenses against common-cause failures, managing plant configurations, and scheduling maintenances. For each topic, the handbook summarizes methods of analysis and data needs, outlines the insights to be gained, lists additional references, and presents examples of evaluations

Handbook of methods for risk-based analysis of Technical Specification requirements

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Samanta, P.K.; Vesely, W.E.

1993-01-01

Technical Specifications (TS) requirements for nuclear power plants define the Limiting Conditions for Operation (LCOs) and Surveillance Requirements (SRs) to assure safety during operation. In general, these requirements were based on deterministic analysis and engineering judgments. Experiences with plant operation indicate that some elements of the requirements are unnecessarily restrictive, while others may not be conducive to safety. Improvements in these requirements are facilitated by the availability of plant specific Probabilistic Safety Assessments (PSAs). The use of risk and reliability-based methods to improve TS requirements has gained wide interest because these methods can: quantitatively evaluate the risk impact and justify changes based on objective risk arguments. Provide a defensible basis for these requirements for regulatory applications. The United States Nuclear Regulatory Commission (USNRC) Office of Research is sponsoring research to develop systematic risk-based methods to improve various aspects of TS requirements. The handbook of methods, which is being prepared, summarizes such risk-based methods. The scope of the handbook includes reliability and risk-based methods for evaluating allowed outage times (AOTs), action statements requiring shutdown where shutdown risk may be substantial, surveillance test intervals (STIs), defenses against common-cause failures, managing plant configurations, and scheduling maintenances. For each topic, the handbook summarizes methods of analysis and data needs, outlines the insights to be gained, lists additional references, and presents examples of evaluations

Measurement methods to build up the digital optical twin

Science.gov (United States)

Prochnau, Marcel; Holzbrink, Michael; Wang, Wenxin; Holters, Martin; Stollenwerk, Jochen; Loosen, Peter

2018-02-01

The realization of the Digital Optical Twin (DOT), which is in short the digital representation of the physical state of an optical system, is particularly useful in the context of an automated assembly process of optical systems. During the assembly process, the physical system status of the optical system is continuously measured and compared with the digital model. In case of deviations between physical state and the digital model, the latter one is adapted to match the physical state. To reach the goal described above, in a first step measurement/characterization technologies concerning their suitability to generate a precise digital twin of an existing optical system have to be identified and evaluated. This paper gives an overview of possible characterization methods and, finally, shows first results of evaluated, compared methods (e.g. spot-radius, MTF, Zernike-polynomials), to create a DOT. The focus initially lies on the unequivocalness of the optimization results as well as on the computational time required for the optimization to reach the characterized system state. Possible sources of error are the measurement accuracy (to characterize the system) , execution time of the measurement, time needed to map the digital to the physical world (optimization step) as well as interface possibilities to integrate the measurement tool into an assembly cell. Moreover, it is to be discussed whether the used measurement methods are suitable for a `seamless' integration into an assembly cell.

Measuring Blood Glucose Concentrations in Photometric Glucometers Requiring Very Small Sample Volumes.

Science.gov (United States)

Demitri, Nevine; Zoubir, Abdelhak M

2017-01-01

Glucometers present an important self-monitoring tool for diabetes patients and, therefore, must exhibit high accuracy as well as good usability features. Based on an invasive photometric measurement principle that drastically reduces the volume of the blood sample needed from the patient, we present a framework that is capable of dealing with small blood samples, while maintaining the required accuracy. The framework consists of two major parts: 1) image segmentation; and 2) convergence detection. Step 1 is based on iterative mode-seeking methods to estimate the intensity value of the region of interest. We present several variations of these methods and give theoretical proofs of their convergence. Our approach is able to deal with changes in the number and position of clusters without any prior knowledge. Furthermore, we propose a method based on sparse approximation to decrease the computational load, while maintaining accuracy. Step 2 is achieved by employing temporal tracking and prediction, herewith decreasing the measurement time, and, thus, improving usability. Our framework is tested on several real datasets with different characteristics. We show that we are able to estimate the underlying glucose concentration from much smaller blood samples than is currently state of the art with sufficient accuracy according to the most recent ISO standards and reduce measurement time significantly compared to state-of-the-art methods.

Automated methods of corrosion measurement

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Andersen, Jens Enevold Thaulov; Bech-Nielsen, Gregers; Reeve, John Ch

1997-01-01

to revise assumptions regarding the basis of the method, which sometimes leads to the discovery of as-yet unnoticed phenomena. The present selection of automated methods for corrosion measurements is not motivated simply by the fact that a certain measurement can be performed automatically. Automation...... is applied to nearly all types of measurements today....

Tensile and shear methods for measuring strength of bilayer tablets.

Science.gov (United States)

Chang, Shao-Yu; Li, Jian-Xin; Sun, Changquan Calvin

2017-05-15

Both shear and tensile measurement methods have been used to quantify interfacial bonding strength of bilayer tablets. The shear method is more convenient to perform, but reproducible strength data requires careful control of the placement of tablet and contact point for shear force application. Moreover, data obtained from the shear method depend on the orientation of the bilayer tablet. Although more time-consuming to perform, the tensile method yields data that are straightforward to interpret. Thus, the tensile method is preferred in fundamental bilayer tableting research to minimize ambiguity in data interpretation. Using both shear and tensile methods, we measured the mechanical strength of bilayer tablets made of several different layer combinations of lactose and microcrystalline cellulose. We observed a good correlation between strength obtained by the tensile method and carefully conducted shear method. This suggests that the shear method may be used for routine quality test of bilayer tablets during manufacturing because of its speed and convenience, provided a protocol for careful control of the placement of the tablet interface, tablet orientation, and blade is implemented. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Digital module for neutron flux measurement by Campbell method

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Baratte, G.

1987-02-01

The study reported here concerns a wide range measurement channel for reactor control instrumentation but it may also be useful for specific measurements requiring the Campbell method. A wide range measurement channel allows the processing of the signal issued from a single fission chamber so it's possible to insure control of nuclear reactors in three different running modes: pulse processing, fluctuations and current. The study described in this note includes three parts: - the analogical wide range neutron measurement channel is presented in the first chapter; the fluctuation mode is thoroughly studied; the results of tests and proper limitations of analogical processing are summarized. A theoretical study of the neutron flux measurement by numerical calculation of the fluctuation signal variance is given in the second chapter. The digital module is described in the third chapter; the results of experiments are analysed. The validity of the digital method is proved by means of a practical realisation. The performances obtained with the digital fluctuation test model may be compared with those given by the analogical fluctuation channel which can be used for the control of lower fission rates. The digital module may also be used for any fluctuation measurement where very short response time and broad spectral band of analysis are not strictly necessary [fr

The Videographic Requirements Gathering Method for Adolescent-Focused Interaction Design

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Tamara Peyton

2014-08-01

Full Text Available We present a novel method for conducting requirements gathering with adolescent populations. Called videographic requirements gathering, this technique makes use of mobile phone data capture and participant creation of media images. The videographic requirements gathering method can help researchers and designers gain intimate insight into adolescent lives while simultaneously reducing power imbalances. We provide rationale for this approach, pragmatics of using the method, and advice on overcoming common challenges facing researchers and designers relying on this technique.

Required doses for projection methods in X-ray diagnosis

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hagemann, G.

1992-01-01

The ideal dose requirement has been stated by Cohen et al. (1981) by a formula basing on parallel beam, maximum quantum yield and Bucky grid effect depending on the signal to noise ratio and object contrast. This was checked by means of contrast detail diagrams measured at the hole phantom, and was additionally compared with measurement results obtained with acrylic glass phantoms. The optimal dose requirement is obtained by the maximum technically possible approach to the ideal requirement level. Examples are given, besides for x-ray equipment with Gd 2 O 2 S screen film systems for grid screen mammography, and new thoracic examination systems for mass screenings. Finally, a few values concerning the dose requirement or the analogous time required for fluorscent screening in angiography and interventional radiology, are stated, as well as for dentistry and paediatric x-ray diagnostics. (orig./HP) [de

Chapter 15: Commercial New Construction Evaluation Protocol. The Uniform Methods Project: Methods for Determining Energy Efficiency Savings for Specific Measures

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kurnik, Charles W. [National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), Golden, CO (United States); Keates, Steven [ADM Associates, Inc., Atlanta, GA (United States)

2017-10-09

This protocol is intended to describe the recommended method when evaluating the whole-building performance of new construction projects in the commercial sector. The protocol focuses on energy conservation measures (ECMs) or packages of measures where evaluators can analyze impacts using building simulation. These ECMs typically require the use of calibrated building simulations under Option D of the International Performance Measurement and Verification Protocol (IPMVP).

Comparison between different methods of measurement of momentum and sensible heat fluxes over canopies

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Marc Aubinet

1997-01-01

Full Text Available Différent methods of measurement of momentum and sensible heat flux densifies are presented and compared above a gras covered fallow. The aerodynamic (AD and eddy covariance (EC methods are presented and compared for both momentum and sensible heat measurements. In addition, the temperature fluctuation (TF method is compared to the HEC method for the sensible heat flux measurement. The AD and EC methods are in good agreement for the momentum flux measurements. For the sensible heat flux, the AD method is very sensible to temperature errors. So it is unusable during night and gives biased estimations during the day. The TF method gives only estimations of the sensible heat flux. It is in good agreement with the EC method during the day but diverges completely during night, being unable to disceming positive from négative fluxes. From the three methods, the EC method is the sole that allows to measure continuously both momentum and sensible heat flux but it requires a loud data treatment. We présent in this paper the algorithm used for this treatment.

An accuracy measurement method for star trackers based on direct astronomic observation.

Science.gov (United States)

Sun, Ting; Xing, Fei; Wang, Xiaochu; You, Zheng; Chu, Daping

2016-03-07

Star tracker is one of the most promising optical attitude measurement devices and it is widely used in spacecraft for its high accuracy. However, how to realize and verify such an accuracy remains a crucial but unsolved issue until now. The authenticity of the accuracy measurement method of a star tracker will eventually determine the satellite performance. A new and robust accuracy measurement method for a star tracker based on the direct astronomical observation is proposed here. In comparison with the conventional method with simulated stars, this method utilizes real navigation stars as observation targets which makes the measurement results more authoritative and authentic. Transformations between different coordinate systems are conducted on the account of the precision movements of the Earth, and the error curves of directional vectors are obtained along the three axes. Based on error analysis and accuracy definitions, a three-axis accuracy evaluation criterion has been proposed in this paper, which could determine pointing and rolling accuracy of a star tracker directly. Experimental measurements confirm that this method is effective and convenient to implement. Such a measurement environment is close to the in-orbit conditions and it can satisfy the stringent requirement for high-accuracy star trackers.

Measurement of company effectiveness using analytic network process method

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Goran Janjić

2017-07-01

Full Text Available The sustainable development of an organisation is monitored through the organisation’s performance, which beforehand incorporates all stakeholders’ requirements in its strategy. The strategic management concept enables organisations to monitor and evaluate their effectiveness along with efficiency by monitoring of the implementation of set strategic goals. In the process of monitoring and measuring effectiveness, an organisation can use multiple-criteria decision-making methods as help. This study uses the method of analytic network process (ANP to define the weight factors of the mutual influences of all the important elements of an organisation’s strategy. The calculation of an organisation’s effectiveness is based on the weight factors and the degree of fulfilment of the goal values of the strategic map measures. New business conditions influence the changes in the importance of certain elements of an organisation’s business in relation to competitive advantage on the market, and on the market, increasing emphasis is given to non-material resources in the process of selection of the organisation’s most important measures.

Good performance of an immunoassay based method for nevirapine measurements in human breast milk

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Salado-Rasmussen, Kirsten; Persson Theilgaard, Zahra; Chiduo, Mercy

2011-01-01

, developed and validated for plasma use. In this study, the ARK NVP-test was evaluated for measurement of nevirapine concentrations in breast milk. High performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) is the method currently used to determine nevirapine in breast milk. This method, however, requires complicated...

Measurement of the resistivity of porous materials with an alternating air-flow method.

Science.gov (United States)

Dragonetti, Raffaele; Ianniello, Carmine; Romano, Rosario A

2011-02-01

Air-flow resistivity is a main parameter governing the acoustic behavior of porous materials for sound absorption. The international standard ISO 9053 specifies two different methods to measure the air-flow resistivity, namely a steady-state air-flow method and an alternating air-flow method. The latter is realized by the measurement of the sound pressure at 2 Hz in a small rigid volume closed partially by the test sample. This cavity is excited with a known volume-velocity sound source implemented often with a motor-driven piston oscillating with prescribed area and displacement magnitude. Measurements at 2 Hz require special instrumentation and care. The authors suggest an alternating air-flow method based on the ratio of sound pressures measured at frequencies higher than 2 Hz inside two cavities coupled through a conventional loudspeaker. The basic method showed that the imaginary part of the sound pressure ratio is useful for the evaluation of the air-flow resistance. Criteria are discussed about the choice of a frequency range suitable to perform simplified calculations with respect to the basic method. These criteria depend on the sample thickness, its nonacoustic parameters, and the measurement apparatus as well. The proposed measurement method was tested successfully with various types of acoustic materials.

Jet energy measurements at ILC. Calorimeter DAQ requirements and application in Higgs boson mass measurements

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ebrahimi, Aliakbar

2017-11-01

The idea of spontaneous symmetry breaking as the mechanism through which elementary particles gain mass has been confirmed by the discovery of the Higgs boson at the CERN Large Hadron Collider. Studying the Higgs boson properties are of great importance to verify the Standard Model predictions. Any deviation from these predictions could uncover physics beyond the Standard Model. The mass of the Higgs boson is one of the important parameters of the Standard Model. The precise determination of the Higgs boson mass is of interest in its own right and also for other Higgs physics studies since it enters as parametric uncertainty into the extraction of the partial width from branching ratio measurements. The International Linear Collider (ILC) is a future polarised e + e - collider designed for precision physics studies. The Higgs boson decay to a pair of bottom quarks H→b anti b has the largest branching ratio of all Higgs decays, providing a large dataset for physics analyses. The possibility of measuring the Higgs boson mass in the e + e - →ZH→q anti qb anti b channel is investigated in this thesis for centre-of-mass energies of 350 GeV and 500 GeV. Since the Higgs boson mass is reconstructed from two b jets, the jet energy resolution hasa high impact on the measurement. A new method to estimate the jet energy resolution for each jet individually is developed in this thesis. The jet-specific energy resolution is then used in the analysis for the Higgs boson mass measurements. Various strategies for the Higgs boson mass measurement are investigated. For an integrated luminosity of 1000 fb -1 and a beam polarisation of (-0.8,+0.3), statistical uncertainties of 42 MeV and 89 MeV are achieved for the centre-of-mass energies of 350 GeV and 500 GeV, respectively. Various sources of systematic uncertainties are also discussed. These results are obtained using a full GEANT4-based simulation of the International Large Detector (ILD) concept. The jet energy resolution

Jet energy measurements at ILC. Calorimeter DAQ requirements and application in Higgs boson mass measurements

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Ebrahimi, Aliakbar

2017-11-15

The idea of spontaneous symmetry breaking as the mechanism through which elementary particles gain mass has been confirmed by the discovery of the Higgs boson at the CERN Large Hadron Collider. Studying the Higgs boson properties are of great importance to verify the Standard Model predictions. Any deviation from these predictions could uncover physics beyond the Standard Model. The mass of the Higgs boson is one of the important parameters of the Standard Model. The precise determination of the Higgs boson mass is of interest in its own right and also for other Higgs physics studies since it enters as parametric uncertainty into the extraction of the partial width from branching ratio measurements. The International Linear Collider (ILC) is a future polarised e{sup +}e{sup -} collider designed for precision physics studies. The Higgs boson decay to a pair of bottom quarks H→b anti b has the largest branching ratio of all Higgs decays, providing a large dataset for physics analyses. The possibility of measuring the Higgs boson mass in the e{sup +}e{sup -}→ZH→q anti qb anti b channel is investigated in this thesis for centre-of-mass energies of 350 GeV and 500 GeV. Since the Higgs boson mass is reconstructed from two b jets, the jet energy resolution hasa high impact on the measurement. A new method to estimate the jet energy resolution for each jet individually is developed in this thesis. The jet-specific energy resolution is then used in the analysis for the Higgs boson mass measurements. Various strategies for the Higgs boson mass measurement are investigated. For an integrated luminosity of 1000 fb{sup -1} and a beam polarisation of (-0.8,+0.3), statistical uncertainties of 42 MeV and 89 MeV are achieved for the centre-of-mass energies of 350 GeV and 500 GeV, respectively. Various sources of systematic uncertainties are also discussed. These results are obtained using a full GEANT4-based simulation of the International Large Detector (ILD) concept. The

Comparison of the methods for determination of calibration and verification intervals of measuring devices

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Toteva Pavlina

2017-01-01

Full Text Available The paper presents different determination and optimisation methods for verification intervals of technical devices for monitoring and measurement based on the requirements of some widely used international standards, e.g. ISO 9001, ISO/IEC 17020, ISO/IEC 17025 etc., maintained by various organizations implementing measuring devices in practice. Comparative analysis of the reviewed methods is conducted in terms of opportunities for assessing the adequacy of interval(s for calibration of measuring devices and their optimisation accepted by an organization – an extension or reduction depending on the obtained results. The advantages and disadvantages of the reviewed methods are discussed, and recommendations for their applicability are provided.

Development of an Objective Measurement Method for Situation Awareness of Operation Teams in NPPs

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lee, Seung Woo; Kim, Ar Ryum; Kim, Hyoung Ju; Seong, Poong Hyun; Park, Jin Kyun

2011-01-01

Situation awareness (SA) continues to receive a considerable amount of attention from the ergonomics community since the need for operators to maintain SA is frequently cited as a key to effective and efficient performance. Even though complex and dynamic environments such as main control room (MCR) in the nuclear power plants (NPPs) is operated in teams and still SA which teams posses is important, research is currently focused on individual SA not for team situation awareness (TSA). Since there are not many measurement methods developed for TSA, individual SA measurement methods are at first reviewed and the critical requirements which new TSA measurements should consider are derived. With an assumption that TSA is an integration of individual SA, a new and objective TSA measurement method is developed. This method is developed mainly based on logical connections between TSA and team communication and implements verbal protocol analysis. This method provides measure for each level of TSA. By performing preliminary analysis with this method, it was shown that this method is feasible to some extent

Development of an Objective Measurement Method for Situation Awareness of Operation Teams in NPPs

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Lee, Seung Woo; Kim, Ar Ryum; Kim, Hyoung Ju; Seong, Poong Hyun [KAIST, Daejeon (Korea, Republic of); Park, Jin Kyun [KAERI, Daejeon (Korea, Republic of)

2011-08-15

Situation awareness (SA) continues to receive a considerable amount of attention from the ergonomics community since the need for operators to maintain SA is frequently cited as a key to effective and efficient performance. Even though complex and dynamic environments such as main control room (MCR) in the nuclear power plants (NPPs) is operated in teams and still SA which teams posses is important, research is currently focused on individual SA not for team situation awareness (TSA). Since there are not many measurement methods developed for TSA, individual SA measurement methods are at first reviewed and the critical requirements which new TSA measurements should consider are derived. With an assumption that TSA is an integration of individual SA, a new and objective TSA measurement method is developed. This method is developed mainly based on logical connections between TSA and team communication and implements verbal protocol analysis. This method provides measure for each level of TSA. By performing preliminary analysis with this method, it was shown that this method is feasible to some extent.

An Analog-Digital Mixed Measurement Method of Inductive Proximity Sensor

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Yi-Xin Guo

2015-12-01

Full Text Available Inductive proximity sensors (IPSs are widely used in position detection given their unique advantages. To address the problem of temperature drift, this paper presents an analog-digital mixed measurement method based on the two-dimensional look-up table. The inductance and resistance components can be separated by processing the measurement data, thus reducing temperature drift and generating quantitative outputs. This study establishes and implements a two-dimensional look-up table that reduces the online computational complexity through structural modeling and by conducting an IPS operating principle analysis. This table is effectively compressed by considering the distribution characteristics of the sample data, thus simplifying the processing circuit. Moreover, power consumption is reduced. A real-time, built-in self-test (BIST function is also designed and achieved by analyzing abnormal sample data. Experiment results show that the proposed method obtains the advantages of both analog and digital measurements, which are stable, reliable, and taken in real time, without the use of floating-point arithmetic and process-control-based components. The quantitative output of displacement measurement accelerates and stabilizes the system control and detection process. The method is particularly suitable for meeting the high-performance requirements of the aviation and aerospace fields.

Methods for measuring risk-aversion: problems and solutions

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Thomas, P J

2013-01-01

Risk-aversion is a fundamental parameter determining how humans act when required to operate in situations of risk. Its general applicability has been discussed in a companion presentation, and this paper examines methods that have been used in the past to measure it and their attendant problems. It needs to be borne in mind that risk-aversion varies with the size of the possible loss, growing strongly as the possible loss becomes comparable with the decision maker's assets. Hence measuring risk-aversion when the potential loss or gain is small will produce values close to the risk-neutral value of zero, irrespective of who the decision maker is. It will also be shown how the generally accepted practice of basing a measurement on the results of a three-term Taylor series will estimate a limiting value, minimum or maximum, rather than the value utilised in the decision. A solution is to match the correct utility function to the results instead

Methods for measuring risk-aversion: problems and solutions

Science.gov (United States)

Thomas, P. J.

2013-09-01

Risk-aversion is a fundamental parameter determining how humans act when required to operate in situations of risk. Its general applicability has been discussed in a companion presentation, and this paper examines methods that have been used in the past to measure it and their attendant problems. It needs to be borne in mind that risk-aversion varies with the size of the possible loss, growing strongly as the possible loss becomes comparable with the decision maker's assets. Hence measuring risk-aversion when the potential loss or gain is small will produce values close to the risk-neutral value of zero, irrespective of who the decision maker is. It will also be shown how the generally accepted practice of basing a measurement on the results of a three-term Taylor series will estimate a limiting value, minimum or maximum, rather than the value utilised in the decision. A solution is to match the correct utility function to the results instead.

Channel box dimension measuring method

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Oshima, Hirotake; Jo, Hiroto.

1994-01-01

The present invention provides a method for measuring the entire length of a channel box of a fuel assembly of a BWR type reactor. Namely, four sensors are used as one set that generate ultrasonic waves from oblique upper portion, oblique lower portion, upper portion and lower portion of the channel box respectively. The distances between the four sensors and each of the portions of the channel box are measured respectively for both of a reference member and a member to be measured. The entire length of the channel box is measured by calculating the measured values and the angles of the obliquely disposed sensors according to a predetermined formula. According to the method of the present invention, the inclination of the channel box to be measured can be corrected. In addition, accuracy of the measurement is improved and the measuring time is saved as well as the measuring device and operation can be simplified. (I.S.)

The measurement of the transmission loss of single leaf walls and panels by an impulse method

Science.gov (United States)

Balilah, Y. A.; Gibbs, B. M.

1988-06-01

The standard methods of measurement and rating of sound insulation of panels and walls are generally time-consuming and require expensive and often bulky equipment. In addition, the methods establish only that there has been failure to comply with insulation requirements without indicating the mode of failure. An impulse technique is proposed for the measurement of walls and partitions in situ. The method requires the digital capture of a short duration signal generated by a loudspeaker, and the isolation of the direct component from other reflected and scattered components by time-of-flight methods and windowing. The signal, when transferred from the time to frequency domain by means of fast Fourier transforms, can yield the sound insulation of a partition expressed as a transfer function. Experimental problems in the use of this technique, including those resulting from sphericity of the incident wave front and concentric bending excitation of the partition, are identified and methods proposed for their elimination. Most of the results presented are of single leaf panels subjected to sound at normal incidence, although some measurements were undertaken at oblique incidence. The range of surface densities considered was 7-500 kg/m 2, the highest value corresponding to a brick and plaster wall of thickness 285 mm. Measurement is compared with theoretical prediction, at one-third octave intervals in a frequency range of 100-5000 Hz, or as a continuous function of frequency with a typical resolution of 12·5 Hz. The dynamic range of the measurement equipment sets an upper limit to the measurable transmission loss. For the equipment eventually employed this was represented by a random incidence value of 50 dB.

Characteristics and correlation of various radiation measuring methods in spatial radiation measurement

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yoneda, Kazuhiro; Tonouchi, Shigemasa

1992-01-01

When the survey of the state of natural radiation distribution was carried out, for the purpose of examining the useful measuring method, the comparison of the γ-ray dose rate calculated from survey meter method, in-situ measuring method and the measuring method by sampling soil was carried out. Between the in-situ measuring method and the survey meter method, the correlation Y=0.986X+5.73, r=0.903, n=18, P<0.01 was obtained, and the high correlation having the inclination of nearly 1 was shown. Between the survey meter method and the measuring method by sampling soil, the correlation Y=1.297X-10.30, r=0.966, n=20 P<0.01 was obtained, and the high correlation was shown, but as for the dose rate contribution, the disparities of 36% in U series, 6% in Th series and 20% in K-40 were observed. For the survey of the state of natural radiation distribution, the method of using in combination the survey meter method and the in-situ measuring method or the measuring method by sampling soil is suitable. (author)

Pleural liquid clearance rate measured in awake sheep by the volume of dilution method

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Broaddus, V.C.; Wiener-Kronish, J.P.; Berthiaume, Y.; Staub, N.C.

1986-01-01

The authors reported 24h clearance of mock pleural effusions measured terminally in sheep. To measure effusion volume at different times in the same sheep, they injected 111 In-transferrin and measured its dilution. In 5 sheep with effusions of known sizes, the method was accurate to +/-10%. In 5 awake sheep, the authors injected 10 ml/kg of a 1% protein solution via a non-penetrating rib capsule. At 6h, the authors measured the volume by the dilution method and at 24h by direct recovery. The clearance rate in each animal was constant at 2.9-6.0%/h (average 4.8 +/- 1.3%/h). This new method gives a reliable two point clearance rate and requires fewer animals

Helium Mass Spectrometer Leak Detection: A Method to Quantify Total Measurement Uncertainty

Science.gov (United States)

Mather, Janice L.; Taylor, Shawn C.

2015-01-01

In applications where leak rates of components or systems are evaluated against a leak rate requirement, the uncertainty of the measured leak rate must be included in the reported result. However, in the helium mass spectrometer leak detection method, the sensitivity, or resolution, of the instrument is often the only component of the total measurement uncertainty noted when reporting results. To address this shortfall, a measurement uncertainty analysis method was developed that includes the leak detector unit's resolution, repeatability, hysteresis, and drift, along with the uncertainty associated with the calibration standard. In a step-wise process, the method identifies the bias and precision components of the calibration standard, the measurement correction factor (K-factor), and the leak detector unit. Together these individual contributions to error are combined and the total measurement uncertainty is determined using the root-sum-square method. It was found that the precision component contributes more to the total uncertainty than the bias component, but the bias component is not insignificant. For helium mass spectrometer leak rate tests where unit sensitivity alone is not enough, a thorough evaluation of the measurement uncertainty such as the one presented herein should be performed and reported along with the leak rate value.

Methods for measurement of durability parameters

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Hansen, Ernst Jan De Place

1996-01-01

Present selected methods for measurement of durabilty parameters relating to chlorides, corrosion, moisture and freeze-thaw, primarly on concrete. Advantages and drawbacks of the different methods are included.......Present selected methods for measurement of durabilty parameters relating to chlorides, corrosion, moisture and freeze-thaw, primarly on concrete. Advantages and drawbacks of the different methods are included....

30 CFR 75.1719-3 - Methods of measurement; light measuring instruments.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-07-01

... being measured and a sufficient distance from the surface to allow the light sensing element in the... 30 Mineral Resources 1 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Methods of measurement; light measuring... § 75.1719-3 Methods of measurement; light measuring instruments. (a) Compliance with § 75.1719-1(d...

Measuring the surgical 'learning curve': methods, variables and competency.

Science.gov (United States)

Khan, Nuzhath; Abboudi, Hamid; Khan, Mohammed Shamim; Dasgupta, Prokar; Ahmed, Kamran

2014-03-01

To describe how learning curves are measured and what procedural variables are used to establish a 'learning curve' (LC). To assess whether LCs are a valuable measure of competency. A review of the surgical literature pertaining to LCs was conducted using the Medline and OVID databases. Variables should be fully defined and when possible, patient-specific variables should be used. Trainee's prior experience and level of supervision should be quantified; the case mix and complexity should ideally be constant. Logistic regression may be used to control for confounding variables. Ideally, a learning plateau should reach a predefined/expert-derived competency level, which should be fully defined. When the group splitting method is used, smaller cohorts should be used in order to narrow the range of the LC. Simulation technology and competence-based objective assessments may be used in training and assessment in LC studies. Measuring the surgical LC has potential benefits for patient safety and surgical education. However, standardisation in the methods and variables used to measure LCs is required. Confounding variables, such as participant's prior experience, case mix, difficulty of procedures and level of supervision, should be controlled. Competency and expert performance should be fully defined. © 2013 The Authors. BJU International © 2013 BJU International.

Modified coaxial wire method for measurement of transfer impedance of beam position monitors

Science.gov (United States)

Kumar, Mukesh; Babbar, L. K.; Deo, R. K.; Puntambekar, T. A.; Senecha, V. K.

2018-05-01

The transfer impedance is a very important parameter of a beam position monitor (BPM) which relates its output signal with the beam current. The coaxial wire method is a standard technique to measure transfer impedance of the BPM. The conventional coaxial wire method requires impedance matching between coaxial wire and external circuits (vector network analyzer and associated cables). This paper presents a modified coaxial wire method for bench measurement of the transfer impedance of capacitive pickups like button electrodes and shoe box BPMs. Unlike the conventional coaxial wire method, in the modified coaxial wire method no impedance matching elements have been used between the device under test and the external circuit. The effect of impedance mismatch has been solved mathematically and a new expression of transfer impedance has been derived. The proposed method is verified through simulation of a button electrode BPM using cst studio suite. The new method is also applied to measure transfer impedance of a button electrode BPM developed for insertion devices of Indus-2 and the results are also compared with its simulations. Close agreement between measured and simulation results suggests that the modified coaxial wire setup can be exploited for the measurement of transfer impedance of capacitive BPMs like button electrodes and shoe box BPM.

Modified coaxial wire method for measurement of transfer impedance of beam position monitors

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mukesh Kumar

2018-05-01

Full Text Available The transfer impedance is a very important parameter of a beam position monitor (BPM which relates its output signal with the beam current. The coaxial wire method is a standard technique to measure transfer impedance of the BPM. The conventional coaxial wire method requires impedance matching between coaxial wire and external circuits (vector network analyzer and associated cables. This paper presents a modified coaxial wire method for bench measurement of the transfer impedance of capacitive pickups like button electrodes and shoe box BPMs. Unlike the conventional coaxial wire method, in the modified coaxial wire method no impedance matching elements have been used between the device under test and the external circuit. The effect of impedance mismatch has been solved mathematically and a new expression of transfer impedance has been derived. The proposed method is verified through simulation of a button electrode BPM using cst studio suite. The new method is also applied to measure transfer impedance of a button electrode BPM developed for insertion devices of Indus-2 and the results are also compared with its simulations. Close agreement between measured and simulation results suggests that the modified coaxial wire setup can be exploited for the measurement of transfer impedance of capacitive BPMs like button electrodes and shoe box BPM.

Design Of Measurements For Evaluating Readiness Of Technoware Components To Meet The Required Standard Of Products

Science.gov (United States)

Fauzi, Ilham; Muharram Hasby, Fariz; Irianto, Dradjad

2018-03-01

Although government is able to make mandatory standards that must be obeyed by the industry, the respective industries themselves often have difficulties to fulfil the requirements described in those standards. This is especially true in many small and medium sized enterprises that lack the required capital to invest in standard-compliant equipment and machineries. This study aims to develop a set of measurement tools for evaluating the level of readiness of production technology with respect to the requirements of a product standard based on the quality function deployment (QFD) method. By combining the QFD methodology, UNESCAP Technometric model [9] and Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP), this model is used to measure a firm’s capability to fulfill government standard in the toy making industry. Expert opinions from both the governmental officers responsible for setting and implementing standards and the industry practitioners responsible for managing manufacturing processes are collected and processed to find out the technological capabilities that should be improved by the firm to fulfill the existing standard. This study showed that the proposed model can be used successfully to measure the gap between the requirements of the standard and the readiness of technoware technological component in a particular firm.

Residual stress measurement by X-ray diffraction with the Gaussian curve method and its automation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kurita, M.

1987-01-01

X-ray technique with the Gaussian curve method and its automation are described for rapid and nondestructive measurement of residual stress. A simplified equation for measuring the stress by the Gaussian curve method is derived because in its previous form this method required laborious calculation. The residual stress can be measured in a few minutes, depending on materials, using an automated X-ray stress analyzer with a microcomputer which was developed in the laboratory. The residual stress distribution of a partially induction hardened and tempered (at 280 0 C) steel bar was measured with the Gaussian curve method. A sharp residual tensile stress peak of 182 MPa appeared right outside the hardened region at which fatigue failure is liable to occur

Calorimetric Measurement for Internal Conversion Efficiency of Photovoltaic Cells/Modules Based on Electrical Substitution Method

Science.gov (United States)

Saito, Terubumi; Tatsuta, Muneaki; Abe, Yamato; Takesawa, Minato

2018-02-01

We have succeeded in the direct measurement for solar cell/module internal conversion efficiency based on a calorimetric method or electrical substitution method by which the absorbed radiant power is determined by replacing the heat absorbed in the cell/module with the electrical power. The technique is advantageous in that the reflectance and transmittance measurements, which are required in the conventional methods, are not necessary. Also, the internal quantum efficiency can be derived from conversion efficiencies by using the average photon energy. Agreements of the measured data with the values estimated from the nominal values support the validity of this technique.

Measuring larval nematode contamination on cattle pastures: Comparing two herbage sampling methods.

Science.gov (United States)

Verschave, S H; Levecke, B; Duchateau, L; Vercruysse, J; Charlier, J

2015-06-15

Assessing levels of pasture larval contamination is frequently used to study the population dynamics of the free-living stages of parasitic nematodes of livestock. Direct quantification of infective larvae (L3) on herbage is the most applied method to measure pasture larval contamination. However, herbage collection remains labour intensive and there is a lack of studies addressing the variation induced by the sampling method and the required sample size. The aim of this study was (1) to compare two different sampling methods in terms of pasture larval count results and time required to sample, (2) to assess the amount of variation in larval counts at the level of sample plot, pasture and season, respectively and (3) to calculate the required sample size to assess pasture larval contamination with a predefined precision using random plots across pasture. Eight young stock pastures of different commercial dairy herds were sampled in three consecutive seasons during the grazing season (spring, summer and autumn). On each pasture, herbage samples were collected through both a double-crossed W-transect with samples taken every 10 steps (method 1) and four random located plots of 0.16 m(2) with collection of all herbage within the plot (method 2). The average (± standard deviation (SD)) pasture larval contamination using sampling methods 1 and 2 was 325 (± 479) and 305 (± 444)L3/kg dry herbage (DH), respectively. Large discrepancies in pasture larval counts of the same pasture and season were often seen between methods, but no significant difference (P = 0.38) in larval counts between methods was found. Less time was required to collect samples with method 2. This difference in collection time between methods was most pronounced for pastures with a surface area larger than 1 ha. The variation in pasture larval counts from samples generated by random plot sampling was mainly due to the repeated measurements on the same pasture in the same season (residual variance

Quantitative methods for developing C2 system requirement

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Tyler, K.K.

1992-06-01

The US Army established the Army Tactical Command and Control System (ATCCS) Experimentation Site (AES) to provide a place where material and combat developers could experiment with command and control systems. The AES conducts fundamental and applied research involving command and control issues using a number of research methods, ranging from large force-level experiments, to controlled laboratory experiments, to studies and analyses. The work summarized in this paper was done by Pacific Northwest Laboratory under task order from the Army Tactical Command and Control System Experimentation Site. The purpose of the task was to develop the functional requirements for army engineer automation and support software, including MCS-ENG. A client, such as an army engineer, has certain needs and requirements of his or her software; these needs must be presented in ways that are readily understandable to the software developer. A requirements analysis then, such as the one described in this paper, is simply the means of communication between those who would use a piece of software and those who would develop it. The analysis from which this paper was derived attempted to bridge the ``communications gap`` between army combat engineers and software engineers. It sought to derive and state the software needs of army engineers in ways that are meaningful to software engineers. In doing this, it followed a natural sequence of investigation: (1) what does an army engineer do, (2) with which tasks can software help, (3) how much will it cost, and (4) where is the highest payoff? This paper demonstrates how each of these questions was addressed during an analysis of the functional requirements of engineer support software. Systems engineering methods are used in a task analysis and a quantitative scoring method was developed to score responses regarding the feasibility of task automation. The paper discusses the methods used to perform utility and cost-benefits estimates.

Misalignment calibration of geomagnetic vector measurement system using parallelepiped frame rotation method

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Pang, Hongfeng; Zhu, XueJun; Pan, Mengchun; Zhang, Qi; Wan, Chengbiao; Luo, Shitu; Chen, Dixiang; Chen, Jinfei; Li, Ji; Lv, Yunxiao

2016-01-01

Misalignment error is one key factor influencing the measurement accuracy of geomagnetic vector measurement system, which should be calibrated with the difficulties that sensors measure different physical information and coordinates are invisible. A new misalignment calibration method by rotating a parallelepiped frame is proposed. Simulation and experiment result show the effectiveness of calibration method. The experimental system mainly contains DM-050 three-axis fluxgate magnetometer, INS (inertia navigation system), aluminium parallelepiped frame, aluminium plane base. Misalignment angles are calculated by measured data of magnetometer and INS after rotating the aluminium parallelepiped frame on aluminium plane base. After calibration, RMS error of geomagnetic north, vertical and east are reduced from 349.441 nT, 392.530 nT and 562.316 nT to 40.130 nT, 91.586 nT and 141.989 nT respectively. - Highlights: • A new misalignment calibration method by rotating a parallelepiped frame is proposed. • It does not need to know sensor attitude information or local dip angle. • The calibration system attitude change angle is not strictly required. • It can be widely used when sensors measure different physical information. • Geomagnetic vector measurement error is reduced evidently.

Misalignment calibration of geomagnetic vector measurement system using parallelepiped frame rotation method

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Pang, Hongfeng [Academy of Equipment, Beijing 101416 (China); College of Mechatronics Engineering and Automation, National University of Defense Technology, Changsha 410073 (China); Zhu, XueJun, E-mail: zhuxuejun1990@126.com [College of Mechatronics Engineering and Automation, National University of Defense Technology, Changsha 410073 (China); Pan, Mengchun; Zhang, Qi; Wan, Chengbiao; Luo, Shitu; Chen, Dixiang; Chen, Jinfei; Li, Ji; Lv, Yunxiao [College of Mechatronics Engineering and Automation, National University of Defense Technology, Changsha 410073 (China)

2016-12-01

Misalignment error is one key factor influencing the measurement accuracy of geomagnetic vector measurement system, which should be calibrated with the difficulties that sensors measure different physical information and coordinates are invisible. A new misalignment calibration method by rotating a parallelepiped frame is proposed. Simulation and experiment result show the effectiveness of calibration method. The experimental system mainly contains DM-050 three-axis fluxgate magnetometer, INS (inertia navigation system), aluminium parallelepiped frame, aluminium plane base. Misalignment angles are calculated by measured data of magnetometer and INS after rotating the aluminium parallelepiped frame on aluminium plane base. After calibration, RMS error of geomagnetic north, vertical and east are reduced from 349.441 nT, 392.530 nT and 562.316 nT to 40.130 nT, 91.586 nT and 141.989 nT respectively. - Highlights: • A new misalignment calibration method by rotating a parallelepiped frame is proposed. • It does not need to know sensor attitude information or local dip angle. • The calibration system attitude change angle is not strictly required. • It can be widely used when sensors measure different physical information. • Geomagnetic vector measurement error is reduced evidently.

Critical requirements of the SSTR method

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gold, R.

1975-08-01

Discrepancies have been reported in absolute fission rate measurements observed with Solid State Tract Recorders (SSTR) and fission chambers which lie well outside experimental error. As a result of these comparisons, the reliability of the SSTR method has been seriously questioned, and the fission chamber method has been advanced for sole use in absolute fission rate determinations. In view of the absolute accuracy already reported and well documented for the SSTR method, this conclusion is both surprising and unfortunate. Two independent methods are highly desirable. Moreover, these two methods more than compliment one another, since certain in-core experiments may be amenable to either but not both techniques. Consequently, one cannot abandon the SSTR method without sacrificing crucial advantages. A critical reappraisal of certain aspects of the SSTR method is offered in the hope that the source of the current controversy can be uncovered and a long term beneficial agreement between these two methods can therefore be established. (WHK)

Method of detecting system function by measuring frequency response

Science.gov (United States)

Morrison, John L.; Morrison, William H.; Christophersen, Jon P.; Motloch, Chester G.

2013-01-08

Methods of rapidly measuring an impedance spectrum of an energy storage device in-situ over a limited number of logarithmically distributed frequencies are described. An energy storage device is excited with a known input signal, and a response is measured to ascertain the impedance spectrum. An excitation signal is a limited time duration sum-of-sines consisting of a select number of frequencies. In one embodiment, magnitude and phase of each frequency of interest within the sum-of-sines is identified when the selected frequencies and sample rate are logarithmic integer steps greater than two. This technique requires a measurement with a duration of one period of the lowest frequency. In another embodiment, where selected frequencies are distributed in octave steps, the impedance spectrum can be determined using a captured time record that is reduced to a half-period of the lowest frequency.

Measurement of plant and soil water isotope composition by direct equilibration methods

Science.gov (United States)

Scrimgeour, C. M.

1995-11-01

Water contained in plant and soil samples can be analysed for 2H and 18O content by direct equilibration while contained within the sample matrix. Methods for this are described and compared with the commonly used azeotropic distillation of samples before isotope analysis. For δ18O, direct equilibration with CO 2 gives results in good agreement with azeotropic distillation, i.e. within 0.5%o at natural abundance. Direct equilibration is a practical method for individual twig samples containing less than 0.5 ml of water, and offers significant operator time savings compared with azeotropic distillation. Batches of up to 100 samples can be prepared in less time than required for a single azeotropic distillation, and analysis by automated continuous-flow isotope ratio mass spectrometry after equilibration for 3 days again requires a minimum of operator time. Complete equilibration of plant water with H 2 for δ2H measurement occurs only after the plant material has been heated to 100°C under vacuum. The method described here is barely precise enough for natural abundance measurements ( δ 2H ± 15‰ ) but is well suited to field tracer studies with deuterium oxide.

Developments of the indirect method for measuring the high frequency dynamic stiffness of resilient elements

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Thompson, D.J.; Vliet, van W.J.; Verheij, J.W.

1998-01-01

The complex stiffness of resilient elements is an important parameter required in order to model vibration isolation for many applications. Measurement methods are being standardized which allow such a stiffness to be measured as a function of excitation frequency for known loading conditions. This

Chapter 9: Metering Cross-Cutting Protocol. The Uniform Methods Project: Methods for Determining Energy-Efficiency Savings for Specific Measures

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Mort, Dan [ADM Associates, Inc. Sacramento, CA (United States)

2017-09-01

Estimated energy savings are calculated as the difference between the energy use during the baseline period and the energy use during the post installation period of the EEM. This chapter describes the physical properties measured in the process of evaluating EEMs and the specific metering methods for several types of measurements. Skill-level requirements and other operating considerations are discussed, including where, when, and how often measurements should be made. The subsequent section identifies metering equipment types and their respective measurement accuracies. This is followed by sections containing suggestions regarding proper data handling procedures and the categorization and definition of several load types.

A method enabling simultaneous pressure and temperature measurement using a single piezoresistive MEMS pressure sensor

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Frantlović, Miloš; Stanković, Srđan; Jokić, Ivana; Lazić, Žarko; Smiljanić, Milče; Obradov, Marko; Vukelić, Branko; Jakšić, Zoran

2016-01-01

In this paper we present a high-performance, simple and low-cost method for simultaneous measurement of pressure and temperature using a single piezoresistive MEMS pressure sensor. The proposed measurement method utilizes the parasitic temperature sensitivity of the sensing element for both pressure measurement correction and temperature measurement. A parametric mathematical model of the sensor was established and its parameters were calculated using the obtained characterization data. Based on the model, a real-time sensor correction for both pressure and temperature measurements was implemented in a target measurement system. The proposed method was verified experimentally on a group of typical industrial-grade piezoresistive sensors. The obtained results indicate that the method enables the pressure measurement performance to exceed that of typical digital industrial pressure transmitters, achieving at the same time the temperature measurement performance comparable to industrial-grade platinum resistance temperature sensors. The presented work is directly applicable in industrial instrumentation, where it can add temperature measurement capability to the existing pressure measurement instruments, requiring little or no additional hardware, and without adverse effects on pressure measurement performance. (paper)

Optimization of Control Points Number at Coordinate Measurements based on the Monte-Carlo Method

Science.gov (United States)

Korolev, A. A.; Kochetkov, A. V.; Zakharov, O. V.

2018-01-01

Improving the quality of products causes an increase in the requirements for the accuracy of the dimensions and shape of the surfaces of the workpieces. This, in turn, raises the requirements for accuracy and productivity of measuring of the workpieces. The use of coordinate measuring machines is currently the most effective measuring tool for solving similar problems. The article proposes a method for optimizing the number of control points using Monte Carlo simulation. Based on the measurement of a small sample from batches of workpieces, statistical modeling is performed, which allows one to obtain interval estimates of the measurement error. This approach is demonstrated by examples of applications for flatness, cylindricity and sphericity. Four options of uniform and uneven arrangement of control points are considered and their comparison is given. It is revealed that when the number of control points decreases, the arithmetic mean decreases, the standard deviation of the measurement error increases and the probability of the measurement α-error increases. In general, it has been established that it is possible to repeatedly reduce the number of control points while maintaining the required measurement accuracy.

Evaluation of Uranium Measurements in Water by Various Methods - 13571

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Tucker, Brian J. [Shaw Environmental and Infrastructure Group, 150 Royall Street, Canton, MA (United States); Workman, Stephen M. [ALS Laboratory Group, Environmental Division, 225 Commerce Drive, Fort Collins, CO 80524 (United States)

2013-07-01

In December 2000, EPA amended its drinking water regulations for radionuclides by adding a Maximum Contaminant Level (MCL) for uranium (so called MCL Rule)[1] of 30 micrograms per liter (μg/L). The MCL Rule also included MCL goals of zero for uranium and other radionuclides. Many radioactively contaminated sites must test uranium in wastewater and groundwater to comply with the MCL rule as well as local publicly owned treatment works discharge limitations. This paper addresses the relative sensitivity, accuracy, precision, cost and comparability of two EPA-approved methods for detection of total uranium: inductively plasma/mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) and alpha spectrometry. Both methods are capable of measuring the individual uranium isotopes U-234, U- 235, and U-238 and both methods have been deemed acceptable by EPA. However, the U-238 is by far the primary contributor to the mass-based ICP-MS measurement, especially for naturally-occurring uranium, which contains 99.2745% U-238. An evaluation shall be performed relative to the regulatory requirement promulgated by EPA in December 2000. Data will be garnered from various client sample results measured by ALS Laboratory in Fort Collins, CO. Data shall include method detection limits (MDL), minimum detectable activities (MDA), means and trends in laboratory control sample results, performance evaluation data for all methods, and replicate results. In addition, a comparison will be made of sample analyses results obtained from both alpha spectrometry and the screening method Kinetic Phosphorescence Analysis (KPA) performed at the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) FUSRAP Maywood Laboratory (UFML). Many uranium measurements occur in laboratories that only perform radiological analysis. This work is important because it shows that uranium can be measured in radiological as well as stable chemistry laboratories and it provides several criteria as a basis for comparison of two uranium test methods. This data will

Evaluation of Uranium Measurements in Water by Various Methods - 13571

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tucker, Brian J.; Workman, Stephen M.

2013-01-01

In December 2000, EPA amended its drinking water regulations for radionuclides by adding a Maximum Contaminant Level (MCL) for uranium (so called MCL Rule)[1] of 30 micrograms per liter (μg/L). The MCL Rule also included MCL goals of zero for uranium and other radionuclides. Many radioactively contaminated sites must test uranium in wastewater and groundwater to comply with the MCL rule as well as local publicly owned treatment works discharge limitations. This paper addresses the relative sensitivity, accuracy, precision, cost and comparability of two EPA-approved methods for detection of total uranium: inductively plasma/mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) and alpha spectrometry. Both methods are capable of measuring the individual uranium isotopes U-234, U- 235, and U-238 and both methods have been deemed acceptable by EPA. However, the U-238 is by far the primary contributor to the mass-based ICP-MS measurement, especially for naturally-occurring uranium, which contains 99.2745% U-238. An evaluation shall be performed relative to the regulatory requirement promulgated by EPA in December 2000. Data will be garnered from various client sample results measured by ALS Laboratory in Fort Collins, CO. Data shall include method detection limits (MDL), minimum detectable activities (MDA), means and trends in laboratory control sample results, performance evaluation data for all methods, and replicate results. In addition, a comparison will be made of sample analyses results obtained from both alpha spectrometry and the screening method Kinetic Phosphorescence Analysis (KPA) performed at the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) FUSRAP Maywood Laboratory (UFML). Many uranium measurements occur in laboratories that only perform radiological analysis. This work is important because it shows that uranium can be measured in radiological as well as stable chemistry laboratories and it provides several criteria as a basis for comparison of two uranium test methods. This data will

Quality functions for requirements engineering in system development methods.

Science.gov (United States)

Johansson, M; Timpka, T

1996-01-01

Based on a grounded theory framework, this paper analyses the quality characteristics for methods to be used for requirements engineering in the development of medical decision support systems (MDSS). The results from a Quality Function Deployment (QFD) used to rank functions connected to user value and a focus group study were presented to a validation focus group. The focus group studies take advantage of a group process to collect data for further analyses. The results describe factors considered by the participants as important in the development of methods for requirements engineering in health care. Based on the findings, the content which, according to the user a MDSS method should support is established.

Research on uncertainty evaluation measure and method of voltage sag severity

Science.gov (United States)

Liu, X. N.; Wei, J.; Ye, S. Y.; Chen, B.; Long, C.

2018-01-01

Voltage sag is an inevitable serious problem of power quality in power system. This paper focuses on a general summarization and reviews on the concepts, indices and evaluation methods about voltage sag severity. Considering the complexity and uncertainty of influencing factors, damage degree, the characteristics and requirements of voltage sag severity in the power source-network-load sides, the measure concepts and their existing conditions, evaluation indices and methods of voltage sag severity have been analyzed. Current evaluation techniques, such as stochastic theory, fuzzy logic, as well as their fusion, are reviewed in detail. An index system about voltage sag severity is provided for comprehensive study. The main aim of this paper is to propose thought and method of severity research based on advanced uncertainty theory and uncertainty measure. This study may be considered as a valuable guide for researchers who are interested in the domain of voltage sag severity.

LABORATORY EVALUATION OF AIR FLOW MEASUREMENT METHODS FOR RESIDENTIAL HVAC RETURNS

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Walker, Iain; Stratton, Chris

2015-02-01

This project improved the accuracy of air flow measurements used in commissioning California heating and air conditioning systems in Title 24 (Building and Appliance Efficiency Standards), thereby improving system performance and efficiency of California residences. The research team at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory addressed the issue that typical tools used by contractors in the field to test air flows may not be accurate enough to measure return flows used in Title 24 applications. The team developed guidance on performance of current diagnostics as well as a draft test method for use in future evaluations. The series of tests performed measured air flow using a range of techniques and devices. The measured air flows were compared to reference air flow measurements using inline air flow meters built into the test apparatus. The experimental results showed that some devices had reasonable results (typical errors of 5 percent or less) but others had much bigger errors (up to 25 percent). Because manufacturers’ accuracy estimates for their equipment do not include many of the sources of error found in actual field measurements (and replicated in the laboratory testing in this study) it is essential for a test method that could be used to determine the actual uncertainty in this specific application. The study team prepared a draft test method through ASTM International to determine the uncertainty of air flow measurements at residential heating ventilation and air conditioning returns and other terminals. This test method, when finalized, can be used by the Energy Commission and other entities to specify required accuracy of measurement devices used to show compliance with standards.

Emittance measurements by variable quadrupole method

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Toprek, D.

2005-01-01

The beam emittance is a measure of both the beam size and beam divergence, we cannot directly measure its value. If the beam size is measured at different locations or under different focusing conditions such that different parts of the phase space ellipse will be probed by the beam size monitor, the beam emittance can be determined. An emittance measurement can be performed by different methods. Here we will consider the varying quadrupole setting method.

A method for evaluating the effectiveness of site characterization measurements

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ditmars, J.D.

1987-01-01

A quantitative approach for evaluating the effectiveness of site characterization measurement activities is developed and illustrated with an example application to hypothetical measurement schemes at a potential geologic repository site for radioactive waste. The method is a general one and could also be applied at sites for underground disposal of hazardous chemicals. The approach presumes that measurements will be undertaken to support predictions of the performance of some aspect of a constructed facility or natural system. It requires a quantitative performance objective, such as groundwater travel time or contaminant concentration, against which to compare predictions of performance. The approach recognizes that such predictions are uncertain because the measurements upon which they are based are uncertain. The effectiveness of measurement activities is quantified by a confidence index, β, that reflects the number of standard deviations separating the best estimate of performance from the predetermined performance objective. Measurements that reduce the uncertainty in predictions lead to increased values of β. 5 refs., 4 figs

A method exploiting direct communication between phasor measurement units for power system wide-area protection and control algorithms.

Science.gov (United States)

Almas, Muhammad Shoaib; Vanfretti, Luigi

2017-01-01

Synchrophasor measurements from Phasor Measurement Units (PMUs) are the primary sensors used to deploy Wide-Area Monitoring, Protection and Control (WAMPAC) systems. PMUs stream out synchrophasor measurements through the IEEE C37.118.2 protocol using TCP/IP or UDP/IP. The proposed method establishes a direct communication between two PMUs, thus eliminating the requirement of an intermediate phasor data concentrator, data mediator and/or protocol parser and thereby ensuring minimum communication latency without considering communication link delays. This method allows utilizing synchrophasor measurements internally in a PMU to deploy custom protection and control algorithms. These algorithms are deployed using protection logic equations which are supported by all the PMU vendors. Moreover, this method reduces overall equipment cost as the algorithms execute internally in a PMU and therefore does not require any additional controller for their deployment. The proposed method can be utilized for fast prototyping of wide-area measurements based protection and control applications. The proposed method is tested by coupling commercial PMUs as Hardware-in-the-Loop (HIL) with Opal-RT's eMEGAsim Real-Time Simulator (RTS). As illustrative example, anti-islanding protection application is deployed using proposed method and its performance is assessed. The essential points in the method are: •Bypassing intermediate phasor data concentrator or protocol parsers as the synchrophasors are communicated directly between the PMUs (minimizes communication delays).•Wide Area Protection and Control Algorithm is deployed using logic equations in the client PMU, therefore eliminating the requirement for an external hardware controller (cost curtailment)•Effortless means to exploit PMU measurements in an environment familiar to protection engineers.

Methods for Human Dehydration Measurement

Science.gov (United States)

Trenz, Florian; Weigel, Robert; Hagelauer, Amelie

2018-03-01

The aim of this article is to give a broad overview of current methods for the identification and quantification of the human dehydration level. Starting off from most common clinical setups, including vital parameters and general patients' appearance, more quantifiable results from chemical laboratory and electromagnetic measurement methods will be reviewed. Different analysis methods throughout the electromagnetic spectrum, ranging from direct current (DC) conductivity measurements up to neutron activation analysis (NAA), are discussed on the base of published results. Finally, promising technologies, which allow for an integration of a dehydration assessment system in a compact and portable way, will be spotted.

Spectrometric kidney depth measurement method

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

George, P.; Soussaline, F.; Raynaud, C.

1976-01-01

The method proposed uses the single posterior surface measurement of the kidney radioactivity distribution. The ratio C/P of the number of scattered photons to the number of primary photons, which is a function of the tissue depth penetrated, is calculated for a given region. The parameters on which the C/P value depends are determined from studies on phantoms. On the basis of these results the kidney depth was measured on a series of 13 patients and a correlation was established between the value thus calculated and that obtained by the profile method. The reproducibility of the method is satisfactory [fr

Research on position and orientation measurement method for roadheader based on vision/INS

Science.gov (United States)

Yang, Jinyong; Zhang, Guanqin; Huang, Zhe; Ye, Yaozhong; Ma, Bowen; Wang, Yizhong

2018-01-01

Roadheader which is a kind of special equipment for large tunnel excavation has been widely used in Coal Mine. It is one of the main mechanical-electrical equipment for mine production and also has been regarded as the core equipment for underground tunnel driving construction. With the deep application of the rapid driving system, underground tunnel driving methods with higher automation level are required. In this respect, the real-time position and orientation measurement technique for roadheader is one of the most important research contents. For solving the problem of position and orientation measurement automatically in real time for roadheaders, this paper analyses and compares the features of several existing measuring methods. Then a new method based on the combination of monocular vision and strap down inertial navigation system (SINS) would be proposed. By realizing five degree-of-freedom (DOF) measurement of real-time position and orientation of roadheader, this method has been verified by the rapid excavation equipment in Daliuta coal mine. Experiment results show that the accuracy of orientation measurement is better than 0.1°, the standard deviation of static drift is better than 0.25° and the accuracy of position measurement is better than 1cm. It is proved that this method can be used in real-time position and orientation measurement application for roadheader which has a broad prospect in coal mine engineering.

Relationship between CT visual score and lung volume which is measured by helium dilution method and body plethysmographic method in patients with pulmonary emphysema

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Toyoshima, Hideo; Ishibashi, Masayoshi; Senju, Syoji; Tanaka, Hideki; Aritomi, Takamichi; Watanabe, Kentaro; Yoshida, Minoru

1997-01-01

We examined the relationship between CT visual score and pulmonary function studies in patients with pulmonary emphysema. Lung volume was measured using helium dilution method and body plethysmographic method. Although airflow obstruction and overinflation measured by helium dilution method did not correlate with CT visual score, CO diffusing capacity per alveolar volume (DL CO /V A ) showed significant negative correlation with CT visual score (r=-0.49, p CO /V A reflect pathologic change in pulmonary emphysema. Further, both helium dilution method and body plethysmographic method are required to evaluate lung volume of pulmonary emphysema because of its ventilatory unevenness. (author)

A Grid Voltage Measurement Method for Wind Power Systems during Grid Fault Conditions

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Cheol-Hee Yoo

2014-11-01

Full Text Available Grid codes in many countries require low-voltage ride-through (LVRT capability to maintain power system stability and reliability during grid fault conditions. To meet the LVRT requirement, wind power systems must stay connected to the grid and also supply reactive currents to the grid to support the recovery from fault voltages. This paper presents a new fault detection method and inverter control scheme to improve the LVRT capability for full-scale permanent magnet synchronous generator (PMSG wind power systems. Fast fault detection can help the wind power systems maintain the DC-link voltage in a safe region. The proposed fault detection method is based on on-line adaptive parameter estimation. The performance of the proposed method is verified in comparison to the conventional voltage measurement method defined in the IEC 61400-21 standard.

COMPANY PERFORMANCE MEASUREMENT AND REPORTING METHODS

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Nicu Ioana Elena

2012-12-01

Full Text Available One of the priorities of economic research has been and remains the re-evaluation of the notion of performance and especially exploring and finding some indicators that would reflect as accurately as possible the subtleties of the economic entity. The main purpose of this paper is to highlight the main company performance measurement and reporting methods. Performance is a concept that raises many question marks concerning the most accurate or the best method of reporting the performance at the company level. The research methodology has aimed at studying the Romanian and foreign specialized literature dealing with the analyzed field, studying magazines specialized on company performance measurement. If the financial performance measurement indicators are considered to offer an accurate image of the situation of the company, the modern approach through non-financial indicators offers a new perspective upon performance measurement, which is based on simplicity. In conclusion, after the theoretical study, I have noticed that the methods of performance measurement, reporting and interpretation are various, the opinions regarding the best performance measurement methods are contradictive and the companies prefer resorting to financial indicators that still play a more important role in the consolidation of the company performance measurement than the non-financial indicators do.

Seven methods to measure ground moisture

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Anon.

1983-01-01

The correct irrigation methods are of great importance to the deciduous fruit grower. The article discusses seven methods for the measuring of ground humidity. These methods are based on gravimetry, electric resistance, gamma attenuation, neutron humidity measurement, tensiometers and a study of the correlation between ground humidity and water evaporation. At this stage, the last technique is regarded as the most practicle method. Neutron moisture gages might be used if adhered to the regulations of NUCOR

Wind turbine performance: Methods and criteria for reliability of measured power curves

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Griffin, D.A. [Advanced Wind Turbines Inc., Seattle, WA (United States)

1996-12-31

In order to evaluate the performance of prototype turbines, and to quantify incremental changes in performance through field testing, Advanced Wind Turbines (AWT) has been developing methods and requirements for power curve measurement. In this paper, field test data is used to illustrate several issues and trends which have resulted from this work. Averaging and binning processes, data hours per wind-speed bin, wind turbulence levels, and anemometry methods are all shown to have significant impacts on the resulting power curves. Criteria are given by which the AWT power curves show a high degree of repeatability, and these criteria are compared and contrasted with current published standards for power curve measurement. 6 refs., 5 figs., 5 tabs.

Quantitative methods for developing C2 system requirement

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Tyler, K.K.

1992-06-01

The US Army established the Army Tactical Command and Control System (ATCCS) Experimentation Site (AES) to provide a place where material and combat developers could experiment with command and control systems. The AES conducts fundamental and applied research involving command and control issues using a number of research methods, ranging from large force-level experiments, to controlled laboratory experiments, to studies and analyses. The work summarized in this paper was done by Pacific Northwest Laboratory under task order from the Army Tactical Command and Control System Experimentation Site. The purpose of the task was to develop the functional requirements for army engineer automation and support software, including MCS-ENG. A client, such as an army engineer, has certain needs and requirements of his or her software; these needs must be presented in ways that are readily understandable to the software developer. A requirements analysis then, such as the one described in this paper, is simply the means of communication between those who would use a piece of software and those who would develop it. The analysis from which this paper was derived attempted to bridge the communications gap'' between army combat engineers and software engineers. It sought to derive and state the software needs of army engineers in ways that are meaningful to software engineers. In doing this, it followed a natural sequence of investigation: (1) what does an army engineer do, (2) with which tasks can software help, (3) how much will it cost, and (4) where is the highest payoff This paper demonstrates how each of these questions was addressed during an analysis of the functional requirements of engineer support software. Systems engineering methods are used in a task analysis and a quantitative scoring method was developed to score responses regarding the feasibility of task automation. The paper discusses the methods used to perform utility and cost-benefits estimates.

Proposal for Requirement Validation Criteria and Method Based on Actor Interaction

Science.gov (United States)

Hattori, Noboru; Yamamoto, Shuichiro; Ajisaka, Tsuneo; Kitani, Tsuyoshi

We propose requirement validation criteria and a method based on the interaction between actors in an information system. We focus on the cyclical transitions of one actor's situation against another and clarify observable stimuli and responses based on these transitions. Both actors' situations can be listed in a state transition table, which describes the observable stimuli or responses they send or receive. Examination of the interaction between both actors in the state transition tables enables us to detect missing or defective observable stimuli or responses. Typically, this method can be applied to the examination of the interaction between a resource managed by the information system and its user. As a case study, we analyzed 332 requirement defect reports of an actual system development project in Japan. We found that there were a certain amount of defects regarding missing or defective stimuli and responses, which can be detected using our proposed method if this method is used in the requirement definition phase. This means that we can reach a more complete requirement definition with our proposed method.

The implementation of nuclear methods for density measurements on Romanian roads

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tripadus, V.; Craciun, L.; Peticila, M.; Florea, N.

2000-01-01

The implementation of nuclear methods in field measurements presumes steps concerning the fulfillment of the many requirements to be undertaken. First of all the owner of the nuclear equipment must obtain all the documents imposed by the Romanian laws. The second step is connected with the recalibration of the equipment in order to obtain an improved precision of the measurements. In the last few years National Administration of Roads, Research Institute of Roads together with National Institute of Physics and Nuclear Engineering, made many efforts in order to implement nuclear methods destined to determine both the density and the moisture content either on asphalt or on compact soils. The American companies CPN and Troxler produced the equipment. On the basis of the comparison between nuclear and core density measurements the correction factor of the equipment was established. A special attention was paid to the definitions of different physical quantities occurring in Romanian Standards in order to connect them properly with the American ones. (authors)

Experimental Validation of the Dynamic Inertia Measurement Method to Find the Mass Properties of an Iron Bird Test Article

Science.gov (United States)

Chin, Alexander W.; Herrera, Claudia Y.; Spivey, Natalie D.; Fladung, William A.; Cloutier, David

2015-01-01

The mass properties of an aerospace vehicle are required by multiple disciplines in the analysis and prediction of flight behavior. Pendulum oscillation methods have been developed and employed for almost a century as a means to measure mass properties. However, these oscillation methods are costly, time consuming, and risky. The NASA Armstrong Flight Research Center has been investigating the Dynamic Inertia Measurement, or DIM method as a possible alternative to oscillation methods. The DIM method uses ground test techniques that are already applied to aerospace vehicles when conducting modal surveys. Ground vibration tests would require minimal additional instrumentation and time to apply the DIM method. The DIM method has been validated on smaller test articles, but has not yet been fully proven on large aerospace vehicles.

[A method of temperature measurement for hot forging with surface oxide based on infrared spectroscopy].

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, Yu-cun; Qi, Yan-de; Fu, Xian-bin

2012-05-01

High temperature large forging is covered with a thick oxide during forging. It leads to a big measurement data error. In this paper, a method of measuring temperature based on infrared spectroscopy is presented. It can effectively eliminate the influence of surface oxide on the measurement of temperature. The method can measure the surface temperature and emissivity of the oxide directly using the infrared spectrum. The infrared spectrum is radiated from surface oxide of forging. Then it can derive the real temperature of hot forging covered with the oxide using the heat exchange equation. In order to greatly restrain interference spectroscopy through included in the received infrared radiation spectrum, three interference filter system was proposed, and a group of optimal gap parameter values using spectral simulation were obtained. The precision of temperature measurement was improved. The experimental results show that the method can accurately measure the surface temperature of high temperature forging covered with oxide. It meets the requirements of measurement accuracy, and the temperature measurement method is feasible according to the experiment result.

Rf Discharge Impedance Measurements Using a New Method to Determine the Stray Impedances

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Bakker, L.P.; Kroesen, G.M.W.; Hoog, de F.J.

1999-01-01

The impedance of a capacitively coupled radio frequency discharge in a tubular fluorescent lamp filled with neon and mercury is measured. The stray impedances in the electrical network are determined using a new method that requires no extra instruments. The reflection of power is used to determine

Comparison of analytical methods used to measure petroleum hydrocarbons in soils and their application to bioremediation studies

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Douglas, G.S.; Wong, W.M.; Rigatti, M.J.; McMillen, S.J.

1995-01-01

Chemical measurements provide a means to evaluate crude oil and refined product bioremediation effectiveness in field and laboratory studies. These measurements are used to determine the net decrease in product or target compound concentrations in complex soil systems. The analytical methods used to evaluate these constituents will have a direct impact on the ability of the investigator to; (1) detect losses due to biodegradation, (2) understand the processes responsible for the hydrocarbon degradation and, (3) determine the rates of hydrocarbon degradation. This understanding is critical for the testing and design of bioremediation programs. While standard EPA methods are useful for measuring a wide variety of industrial and agrochemicals, they were not designed for the detection and accurate measurement of petroleum compounds. The chemical data generated with these standard methods are usually of limited utility because they lack the chemical specificity required to evaluate hydrocarbon compositional changes in the oil contamination required to evaluate biodegradation. The applications and limitations of standard EPA methodologies (EPA Methods 418.1, 8270, and modified 8015) will be evaluated and compared to several new analytical methods currently being used by the petroleum industry (e.g., gross compositional analysis, TLC-FID analysis, and enhanced EPA Method 8270) to evaluate bioremediation effectiveness in soils

The variability of piezoelectric measurements. Material and measurement method contributions

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Stewart, M.; Cain, M.

2002-01-01

The variability of piezoelectric materials measurements has been investigated in order to separate the contributions from intrinsic instrumental variability, and the contributions from the variability in materials. The work has pinpointed several areas where weaknesses in the measurement methods result in high variability, and also show that good correlation between piezoelectric parameters allow simpler measurement methods to be used. The Berlincourt method has been shown to be unreliable when testing thin discs, however when testing thicker samples there is a good correlation between this and other methods. The high field permittivity and low field permittivity correlate well, so tolerances on low field measurements would predict high field performance. In trying to identify microstructural origins of samples that behave differently to others within a batch, no direct evidence was found to suggest that outliers originate from either differences in microstructure or crystallography. Some of the samples chosen as maximum outliers showed pin-holes, probably from electrical breakdown during poling, even though these defects would ordinarily be detrimental to piezoelectric output. (author)

Residual gravimetric method to measure nebulizer output.

Science.gov (United States)

Vecellio None, Laurent; Grimbert, Daniel; Bordenave, Joelle; Benoit, Guy; Furet, Yves; Fauroux, Brigitte; Boissinot, Eric; De Monte, Michele; Lemarié, Etienne; Diot, Patrice

2004-01-01

The aim of this study was to assess a residual gravimetric method based on weighing dry filters to measure the aerosol output of nebulizers. This residual gravimetric method was compared to assay methods based on spectrophotometric measurement of terbutaline (Bricanyl, Astra Zeneca, France), high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) measurement of tobramycin (Tobi, Chiron, U.S.A.), and electrochemical measurements of NaF (as defined by the European standard). Two breath-enhanced jet nebulizers, one standard jet nebulizer, and one ultrasonic nebulizer were tested. Output produced by the residual gravimetric method was calculated by weighing the filters both before and after aerosol collection and by filter drying corrected by the proportion of drug contained in total solute mass. Output produced by the electrochemical, spectrophotometric, and HPLC methods was determined after assaying the drug extraction filter. The results demonstrated a strong correlation between the residual gravimetric method (x axis) and assay methods (y axis) in terms of drug mass output (y = 1.00 x -0.02, r(2) = 0.99, n = 27). We conclude that a residual gravimetric method based on dry filters, when validated for a particular agent, is an accurate way of measuring aerosol output.

A heteroscedastic measurement error model for method comparison data with replicate measurements.

Science.gov (United States)

Nawarathna, Lakshika S; Choudhary, Pankaj K

2015-03-30

Measurement error models offer a flexible framework for modeling data collected in studies comparing methods of quantitative measurement. These models generally make two simplifying assumptions: (i) the measurements are homoscedastic, and (ii) the unobservable true values of the methods are linearly related. One or both of these assumptions may be violated in practice. In particular, error variabilities of the methods may depend on the magnitude of measurement, or the true values may be nonlinearly related. Data with these features call for a heteroscedastic measurement error model that allows nonlinear relationships in the true values. We present such a model for the case when the measurements are replicated, discuss its fitting, and explain how to evaluate similarity of measurement methods and agreement between them, which are two common goals of data analysis, under this model. Model fitting involves dealing with lack of a closed form for the likelihood function. We consider estimation methods that approximate either the likelihood or the model to yield approximate maximum likelihood estimates. The fitting methods are evaluated in a simulation study. The proposed methodology is used to analyze a cholesterol dataset. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Multimodal Dispersion of Nanoparticles: A Comprehensive Evaluation of Size Distribution with 9 Size Measurement Methods.

Science.gov (United States)

Varenne, Fanny; Makky, Ali; Gaucher-Delmas, Mireille; Violleau, Frédéric; Vauthier, Christine

2016-05-01

Evaluation of particle size distribution (PSD) of multimodal dispersion of nanoparticles is a difficult task due to inherent limitations of size measurement methods. The present work reports the evaluation of PSD of a dispersion of poly(isobutylcyanoacrylate) nanoparticles decorated with dextran known as multimodal and developed as nanomedecine. The nine methods used were classified as batch particle i.e. Static Light Scattering (SLS) and Dynamic Light Scattering (DLS), single particle i.e. Electron Microscopy (EM), Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM), Tunable Resistive Pulse Sensing (TRPS) and Nanoparticle Tracking Analysis (NTA) and separative particle i.e. Asymmetrical Flow Field-Flow Fractionation coupled with DLS (AsFlFFF) size measurement methods. The multimodal dispersion was identified using AFM, TRPS and NTA and results were consistent with those provided with the method based on a separation step prior to on-line size measurements. None of the light scattering batch methods could reveal the complexity of the PSD of the dispersion. Difference between PSD obtained from all size measurement methods tested suggested that study of the PSD of multimodal dispersion required to analyze samples by at least one of the single size particle measurement method or a method that uses a separation step prior PSD measurement.

A simplified, improved method for making amplifier equivalent noise charge measurements using a new generation digitizing oscilloscope

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zimmerman, T.

1990-10-01

Historically a variety of methods have been used to measure the equivalent noise charge (ENC) of amplifier/shaper systems for high energy physics. Some of these methods require several pieces of special test equipment and a fair amount of effort. The advent of digitizing oscilloscopes with statistics capabilities makes it possible to perform certain types of noise measurements accurately with very little effort. This paper describes the noise measurement method of a time invariant amplifier/shaper and of a time variant correlated sampling system, using a Tektronix DSA602 Digitizing Signal Analyzer. 4 figs

Human performance assessment: methods and measures

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Andresen, Gisle; Droeivoldsmo, Asgeir

2000-10-01

The Human Error Analysis Project (HEAP) was initiated in 1994. The aim of the project was to acquire insights on how and why cognitive errors occur when operators are engaged in problem solving in advanced integrated control rooms. Since human error had not been studied in the HAlden Man-Machine LABoratory (HAMMLAB) before, it was also necessary to carry out research in methodology. In retrospect, it is clear that much of the methodological work is relevant to human-machine research in general, and not only to research on human error. The purpose of this report is, therefore, to give practitioners and researchers an overview of the methodological parts of HEAP. The scope of the report is limited to methods used throughout the data acquisition process, i.e., data-collection methods, data-refinement methods, and measurement methods. The data-collection methods include various types of verbal protocols, simulator logs, questionnaires, and interviews. Data-refinement methods involve different applications of the Eyecon system, a flexible data-refinement tool, and small computer programs used for rearranging, reformatting, and aggregating raw-data. Measurement methods involve assessment of diagnostic behaviour, erroneous actions, complexity, task/system performance, situation awareness, and workload. The report concludes that the data-collection methods are generally both reliable and efficient. The data-refinement methods, however, should be easier to use in order to facilitate explorative analyses. Although the series of experiments provided an opportunity for measurement validation, there are still uncertainties connected to several measures, due to their reliability still being unknown. (Author). 58 refs.,7 tabs

Tune measurement at GSI SIS-18. Methods and applications

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Singh, Rahul

2014-05-15

Two parallel tune measurement systems are installed at GSI SIS-18 based on different principles. The first is called the Tune, Orbit and POSition measurement system TOPOS. Its working principle involves direct digitization of BPM signals at 125 MSa/s, which is used for online bunch-by-bunch position calculation in FPGAs. In the course of this work, position calculation algorithms were developed and studied for real time implementation in the TOPOS FPGAs. The regression fit algorithm is found to be more efficient and robust in comparison to previously used weighted mean algorithm with the baseline restoration procedure. The second system is the Baseband Tune measurement system referred to as BBQ system. The operational principle of this system was conceived at the CERN Beam Instrumentation group and is based on direct diode detection. In the framework of this work, this system was optimized and brought into operation at GSI SIS-18. Front-end data from both systems are used to calculate the tune spectrum every 250-5000 beam revolutions or turns within SIS-18 based on the resolution requirement and the mode of operation. Advanced non-parametric spectrum estimation method like amplitude Capon estimator is compared to the conventional DFT based methods in terms of resolving power and computational requirements for the calculated spectrum. Further the TOPOS and BBQ systems are compared and characterized in terms of sensitivity, reliability and operational usage. The results from both systems are found to be consistent with each other and have their favoured regimes of operation. The effects on tune spectra obtained from both systems were studied with different types of excitations with excitation power levels up to 6 mW/Hz. These systems in association with other beam diagnostic devices at SIS-18 were used to conduct extensive experiments to understand the effect of high intensity beams on the tune spectrum. These careful measurements recorded all the relevant beam

Comparative study of radiometric and calorimetric methods for total hemispherical emissivity measurements

Science.gov (United States)

Monchau, Jean-Pierre; Hameury, Jacques; Ausset, Patrick; Hay, Bruno; Ibos, Laurent; Candau, Yves

2018-05-01

Accurate knowledge of infrared emissivity is important in applications such as surface temperature measurements by infrared thermography or thermal balance for building walls. A comparison of total hemispherical emissivity measurement was performed by two laboratories: the Laboratoire National de Métrologie et d'Essais (LNE) and the Centre d'Études et de Recherche en Thermique, Environnement et Systèmes (CERTES). Both laboratories performed emissivity measurements on four samples, chosen to cover a large range of emissivity values and angular reflectance behaviors. The samples were polished aluminum (highly specular, low emissivity), bulk PVC (slightly specular, high emissivity), sandblasted aluminum (diffuse surface, medium emissivity), and aluminum paint (slightly specular surface, medium emissivity). Results obtained using five measurement techniques were compared. LNE used a calorimetric method for direct total hemispherical emissivity measurement [1], an absolute reflectometric measurement method [2], and a relative reflectometric measurement method. CERTES used two total hemispherical directional reflectometric measurement methods [3, 4]. For indirect techniques by reflectance measurements, the total hemispherical emissivity values were calculated from directional hemispherical reflectance measurement results using spectral integration when required and directional to hemispherical extrapolation. Results were compared, taking into account measurement uncertainties; an added uncertainty was introduced to account for heterogeneity over the surfaces of the samples and between samples. All techniques gave large relative uncertainties for a low emissive and very specular material (polished aluminum), and results were quite scattered. All the indirect techniques by reflectance measurement gave results within ±0.01 for a high emissivity material. A commercial aluminum paint appears to be a good candidate for producing samples with medium level of emissivity

Absolute measurement method of environment radon content

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ji Changsong

1989-11-01

A portable environment radon content device with a 40 liter decay chamber based on the method of Thomas double filter radon content absolute measurement has been developed. The correctness of the method of Thomas double filter absolute measurement has been verified by the experiments to measure the sampling gas density of radon that the theoretical density has been known. In addition, the intrinsic uncertainty of this method is also determined in the experiments. The confidence of this device is about 95%, the sensitivity is better than 0.37 Bqm -3 and the intrinsic uncertainty is less than 10%. The results show that the selected measuring and structure parameters are reasonable and the experimental methods are acceptable. In this method, the influence on the measured values from the radioactive equilibrium of radon and its daughters, the ratio of combination daughters to the total daughters and the fraction of charged particles has been excluded in the theory and experimental methods. The formula of Thomas double filter absolute measuring radon is applicable to the cylinder decay chamber, and the applicability is also verified when the diameter of exit filter is much smaller than the diameter of inlet filter

Impact Strength of Natural Fibre Composites Measured by Different Test Methods: A Review

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Navaranjan Namasivayam

2017-01-01

Full Text Available Different types of impact test methods have been used in recent years to measure the impact resistance of natural fibre composites (NFCs. After reviewing the literature, the impact resistance of flax, hemp, sisal, wood and jute fibre composites that were measured using different test methods have been compared and discussed. It has been learned that the test methods were selected for research interest, industry requirement or availability of test equipment. Each method had its own advantages and limitations. The result from a particular test could be compared but not with the result from other test methods. Most impact test methods were developed for testing ductile-brittle transition of metals. However, each NFC has a different morphology and cannot be comparable to metals in failure mode and energy absorption characteristic during an impact test. A post evaluation of morphology of an NFC sample after an impact test is important to characterise the material.

How to choose methods for lake greenhouse gas flux measurements?

Science.gov (United States)

Bastviken, David

2017-04-01

Lake greenhouse gas (GHG) fluxes are increasingly recognized as important for lake ecosystems as well as for large scale carbon and GHG budgets. However, many of our flux estimates are uncertain and it can be discussed if the presently available data is representative for the systems studied or not. Data are also very limited for some important flux pathways. Hence, many ongoing efforts try to better constrain fluxes and understand flux regulation. A fundamental challenge towards improved knowledge and when starting new studies is what methods to choose. A variety of approaches to measure aquatic GHG exchange is used and data from different methods and methodological approaches have often been treated as equally valid to create large datasets for extrapolations and syntheses. However, data from different approaches may cover different flux pathways or spatio-temporal domains and are thus not always comparable. Method inter-comparisons and critical method evaluations addressing these issues are rare. Emerging efforts to organize systematic multi-lake monitoring networks for GHG fluxes leads to method choices that may set the foundation for decades of data generation and therefore require fundamental evaluation of different approaches. The method choices do not only regard the equipment but also for example consideration of overall measurement design and field approaches, relevant spatial and temporal resolution for different flux components, and accessory variables to measure. In addition, consideration of how to design monitoring approaches being affordable, suitable for widespread (global) use, and comparable across regions is needed. Inspired by discussions with Prof. Dr. Cristian Blodau during the EGU General Assembly 2016, this presentation aims to (1) illustrate fundamental pros and cons for a number of common methods, (2) show how common methodological approaches originally adapted for other environments can be improved for lake flux measurements, (3) suggest

The comparative analysis of the current-meter method and the pressure-time method used for discharge measurements in the Kaplan turbine penstocks

Science.gov (United States)

Adamkowski, A.; Krzemianowski, Z.

2012-11-01

The paper presents experiences gathered during many years of utilizing the current-meter and pressure-time methods for flow rate measurements in many hydropower plants. The integration techniques used in these both methods are different from the recommendations contained in the relevant international standards, mainly from the graphical and arithmetical ones. The results of the comparative analysis of both methods applied at the same time during the hydraulic performance tests of two Kaplan turbines in one of the Polish hydropower plant are presented in the final part of the paper. In the case of the pressure-time method application, the concrete penstocks of the tested turbines required installing a special measuring instrumentation inside the penstock. The comparison has shown a satisfactory agreement between the results of discharge measurements executed using the both considered methods. Maximum differences between the discharge values have not exceeded 1.0 % and the average differences have not been greater than 0.5 %.

The comparative analysis of the current-meter method and the pressure-time method used for discharge measurements in the Kaplan turbine penstocks

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Adamkowski, A; Krzemianowski, Z

2012-01-01

The paper presents experiences gathered during many years of utilizing the current-meter and pressure-time methods for flow rate measurements in many hydropower plants. The integration techniques used in these both methods are different from the recommendations contained in the relevant international standards, mainly from the graphical and arithmetical ones. The results of the comparative analysis of both methods applied at the same time during the hydraulic performance tests of two Kaplan turbines in one of the Polish hydropower plant are presented in the final part of the paper. In the case of the pressure-time method application, the concrete penstocks of the tested turbines required installing a special measuring instrumentation inside the penstock. The comparison has shown a satisfactory agreement between the results of discharge measurements executed using the both considered methods. Maximum differences between the discharge values have not exceeded 1.0 % and the average differences have not been greater than 0.5 %.

Measurement methods to assess diastasis of the rectus abdominis muscle (DRAM): A systematic review of their measurement properties and meta-analytic reliability generalisation.

Science.gov (United States)

van de Water, A T M; Benjamin, D R

2016-02-01

Systematic literature review. Diastasis of the rectus abdominis muscle (DRAM) has been linked with low back pain, abdominal and pelvic dysfunction. Measurement is used to either screen or to monitor DRAM width. Determining which methods are suitable for screening and monitoring DRAM is of clinical value. To identify the best methods to screen for DRAM presence and monitor DRAM width. AMED, Embase, Medline, PubMed and CINAHL databases were searched for measurement property studies of DRAM measurement methods. Population characteristics, measurement methods/procedures and measurement information were extracted from included studies. Quality of all studies was evaluated using 'quality rating criteria'. When possible, reliability generalisation was conducted to provide combined reliability estimations. Thirteen studies evaluated measurement properties of the 'finger width'-method, tape measure, calipers, ultrasound, CT and MRI. Ultrasound was most evaluated. Methodological quality of these studies varied widely. Pearson's correlations of r = 0.66-0.79 were found between calipers and ultrasound measurements. Calipers and ultrasound had Intraclass Correlation Coefficients (ICC) of 0.78-0.97 for test-retest, inter- and intra-rater reliability. The 'finger width'-method had weighted Kappa's of 0.73-0.77 for test-retest reliability, but moderate agreement (63%; weighted Kappa = 0.53) between raters. Comparing calipers and ultrasound, low measurement error was found (above the umbilicus), and the methods had good agreement (83%; weighted Kappa = 0.66) for discriminative purposes. The available information support ultrasound and calipers as adequate methods to assess DRAM. For other methods limited measurement information of low to moderate quality is available and further evaluation of their measurement properties is required. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Method for measuring the stochastic properties of corona and partial-discharge pulses

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Van Brunt, R.J.; Kulkarni, S.V.

1989-01-01

A new method is described for measuring the stochastic behavior of corona and partial-discharge pulses which utilizes a pulse selection and sorting circuit in conjunction with a computer-controlled multichannel analyzer to directly measure various conditional and unconditional pulse-height and pulse-time-separation distributions. From these measured distributions it is possible to determine the degree of correlation between successive discharge pulses. Examples are given of results obtained from measurements on negative, point-to-plane (Trichel-type) corona pulses in a N 2 /O 2 gas mixture which clearly demonstrate that the phenomenon is inherently stochastic in the sense that development of a discharge pulse is significantly affected by the amplitude of and time separation from the preceding pulse. It is found, for example, that corona discharge pulse amplitude and time separation from an earlier pulse are not independent random variables. Discussions are given about the limitations of the method, sources of error, and data analysis procedures required to determine self-consistency of the various measured distributions

A test case of the deformation rate analysis (DRA) stress measurement method

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Dight, P.; Hsieh, A. [Australian Centre for Geomechanics, Univ. of WA, Crawley (Australia); Johansson, E. [Saanio and Riekkola Oy, Helsinki (Finland); Hudson, J.A. [Rock Engineering Consultants (United Kingdom); Kemppainen, K.

2012-01-15

As part of Posiva's site and ONKALO investigations, the in situ rock stress has been measured by a variety of techniques, including hydraulic fracturing, overcoring, and convergence measurements. All these techniques involve direct measurements in a drillhole or at the rock surface. An alternative method is to test drillhole core in a way that enables estimation of the magnitudes and orientations of the in situ rock stress. The Kaiser Effect (KE) and Deformation Rate Analysis (DRA) are two ways to do this. In the work reported here, a 'blind' DRA test was conducted on core obtained from the POSE (Posiva's Olkiluoto Spalling Experiment) niche in the ONKALO. The term 'blind' means that the two first authors of this report, who conducted the tests at the Australian Centre for Geomechanics, did not know the depths below surface at which the cores had been obtained. The results of this DRA Test Case are presented, together with an explanation of the DRA procedure. Also, additional information that would help in such DRA testing and associated analysis is explained. One of the problems in comparing the DRA results with the known Olkiluoto stress field is that the latter is highly variable across the site, as experienced by the previous in situ stress measurements and as predicted by numerical analysis. The variability is mainly caused by the presence of the large brittle deformation zones which perturb the local stress state. However, this variability reduces with depth and the stress field becomes more stable at the {approx} 350 m at which the drillhole cores were obtained. Another compounding difficulty is that the stress quantity, being a second order tensor, requires six independent components for its specification. In other words, comparison of the DRA results and the known stress field requires comparison of six different quantities. In terms of the major principal stress orientation, the DRA results predict an orientation completely

A test case of the deformation rate analysis (DRA) stress measurement method

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Dight, P.; Hsieh, A.; Johansson, E.; Hudson, J.A.; Kemppainen, K.

2012-01-01

As part of Posiva's site and ONKALO investigations, the in situ rock stress has been measured by a variety of techniques, including hydraulic fracturing, overcoring, and convergence measurements. All these techniques involve direct measurements in a drillhole or at the rock surface. An alternative method is to test drillhole core in a way that enables estimation of the magnitudes and orientations of the in situ rock stress. The Kaiser Effect (KE) and Deformation Rate Analysis (DRA) are two ways to do this. In the work reported here, a 'blind' DRA test was conducted on core obtained from the POSE (Posiva's Olkiluoto Spalling Experiment) niche in the ONKALO. The term 'blind' means that the two first authors of this report, who conducted the tests at the Australian Centre for Geomechanics, did not know the depths below surface at which the cores had been obtained. The results of this DRA Test Case are presented, together with an explanation of the DRA procedure. Also, additional information that would help in such DRA testing and associated analysis is explained. One of the problems in comparing the DRA results with the known Olkiluoto stress field is that the latter is highly variable across the site, as experienced by the previous in situ stress measurements and as predicted by numerical analysis. The variability is mainly caused by the presence of the large brittle deformation zones which perturb the local stress state. However, this variability reduces with depth and the stress field becomes more stable at the ∼ 350 m at which the drillhole cores were obtained. Another compounding difficulty is that the stress quantity, being a second order tensor, requires six independent components for its specification. In other words, comparison of the DRA results and the known stress field requires comparison of six different quantities. In terms of the major principal stress orientation, the DRA results predict an orientation completely different to the NW-SE regional

Methods of measuring residual stresses in components

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rossini, N.S.; Dassisti, M.; Benyounis, K.Y.; Olabi, A.G.

2012-01-01

Highlights: ► Defining the different methods of measuring residual stresses in manufactured components. ► Comprehensive study on the hole drilling, neutron diffraction and other techniques. ► Evaluating advantage and disadvantage of each method. ► Advising the reader with the appropriate method to use. -- Abstract: Residual stresses occur in many manufactured structures and components. Large number of investigations have been carried out to study this phenomenon and its effect on the mechanical characteristics of these components. Over the years, different methods have been developed to measure residual stress for different types of components in order to obtain reliable assessment. The various specific methods have evolved over several decades and their practical applications have greatly benefited from the development of complementary technologies, notably in material cutting, full-field deformation measurement techniques, numerical methods and computing power. These complementary technologies have stimulated advances not only in measurement accuracy and reliability, but also in range of application; much greater detail in residual stresses measurement is now available. This paper aims to classify the different residual stresses measurement methods and to provide an overview of some of the recent advances in this area to help researchers on selecting their techniques among destructive, semi destructive and non-destructive techniques depends on their application and the availabilities of those techniques. For each method scope, physical limitation, advantages and disadvantages are summarized. In the end this paper indicates some promising directions for future developments.

A Study on the Quantitative Assessment Method of Software Requirement Documents Using Software Engineering Measures and Bayesian Belief Networks

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Eom, Heung Seop; Kang, Hyun Gook; Park, Ki Hong; Kwon, Kee Choon; Chang, Seung Cheol

2005-01-01

One of the major challenges in using the digital systems in a NPP is the reliability estimation of safety critical software embedded in the digital safety systems. Precise quantitative assessment of the reliability of safety critical software is nearly impossible, since many of the aspects to be considered are of qualitative nature and not directly measurable, but they have to be estimated for a practical use. Therefore an expert's judgment plays an important role in estimating the reliability of the software embedded in safety-critical systems in practice, because they can deal with all the diverse evidence relevant to the reliability and can perform an inference based on the evidence. But, in general, the experts' way of combining the diverse evidence and performing an inference is usually informal and qualitative, which is hard to discuss and will eventually lead to a debate about the conclusion. We have been carrying out research on a quantitative assessment of the reliability of safety critical software using Bayesian Belief Networks (BBN). BBN has been proven to be a useful modeling formalism because a user can represent a complex set of events and relationships in a fashion that can easily be interpreted by others. In the previous works we have assessed a software requirement specification of a reactor protection system by using our BBN-based assessment model. The BBN model mainly employed an expert's subjective probabilities as inputs. In the process of assessing the software requirement documents we found out that the BBN model was excessively dependent on experts' subjective judgments in a large part. Therefore, to overcome the weakness of our methodology we employed conventional software engineering measures into the BBN model as shown in this paper. The quantitative relationship between the conventional software measures and the reliability of software were not identified well in the past. Then recently there appeared a few researches on a ranking of

Methods of measurement signal acquisition from the rotational flow meter for frequency analysis

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Świsulski Dariusz

2017-01-01

Full Text Available One of the simplest and commonly used instruments for measuring the flow of homogeneous substances is the rotational flow meter. The main part of such a device is a rotor (vane or screw rotating at a speed which is the function of the fluid or gas flow rate. A pulse signal with a frequency proportional to the speed of the rotor is obtained at the sensor output. For measurements in dynamic conditions, a variable interval between pulses prohibits the analysis of the measuring signal. Therefore, the authors of the article developed a method involving the determination of measured values on the basis of the last inter-pulse interval preceding the moment designated by the timing generator. For larger changes of the measured value at a predetermined time, the value can be determined by means of extrapolation of the two adjacent interpulse ranges, assuming a linear change in the flow. The proposed methods allow analysis which requires constant spacing between measurements, allowing for an analysis of the dynamics of changes in the test flow, eg. using a Fourier transform. To present the advantages of these methods simulations of flow measurement were carried out with a DRH-1140 rotor flow meter from the company Kobold.

COMPARISON OF SPATIAL INTERPOLATION METHODS FOR WHEAT WATER REQUIREMENT AND ITS TEMPORAL DISTRIBUTION IN HAMEDAN PROVINCE (IRAN

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

M. H. Nazarifar

2014-01-01

Full Text Available Water is the main constraint for production of agricultural crops. The temporal and spatial variations in water requirement for agriculture products are limiting factors in the study of optimum use of water resources in regional planning and management. However, due to unfavorable distribution and density of meteorological stations, it is not possible to monitor the regional variations precisely. Therefore, there is a need to estimate the evapotranspiration of crops at places where meteorological data are not available and then extend the findings from points of measurements to regional scale. Geostatistical methods are among those methods that can be used for estimation of evapotranspiration at regional scale. The present study attempts to investigate different geostatistical methods for temporal and spatial estimation of water requirements for wheat crop in different periods. The study employs the data provided by 16 synoptic and climatology meteorological stations in Hamadan province in Iran. Evapotranspiration for each month and for the growth period were determined using Penman-Mantis and Torrent-White methods for different water periods based on Standardized Precipitation Index (SPI. Among the available geostatistical methods, three methods: Kriging Method, Cokriging Method, and inverse weighted distance were selected, and analyzed, using GS+ software. Analysis and selection of the suitable geostatistical method were performed based on two measures, namely Mean Absolute Error (MAE and Mean Bias Error (MBE. The findings suggest that, in general, during the drought period, Kriging method is the proper one for estimating water requirements for the six months: January, February, April, May, August, and December. However, weighted moving average is a better estimation method for the months March, June, September, and October. In addition, Kriging is the best method for July. In normal conditions, Kriging is suitable for April, August, December

Methods for measuring shrinkage

OpenAIRE

Chapman, Paul; Templar, Simon

2006-01-01

This paper presents findings from research amongst European grocery retailers into their methods for measuring shrinkage. The findings indicate that: there is no dominant method for valuing or stating shrinkage; shrinkage in the supply chain is frequently overlooked; data is essential in pinpointing where and when loss occurs and that many retailers collect data at the stock-keeping unit (SKU) level and do so every 6 months. These findings reveal that it is difficult to benc...

Direct method for measuring and witnessing quantum entanglement of arbitrary two-qubit states through Hong-Ou-Mandel interference

Science.gov (United States)

Bartkiewicz, Karol; Chimczak, Grzegorz; Lemr, Karel

2017-02-01

We describe a direct method for experimental determination of the negativity of an arbitrary two-qubit state with 11 measurements performed on multiple copies of the two-qubit system. Our method is based on the experimentally accessible sequences of singlet projections performed on up to four qubit pairs. In particular, our method permits the application of the Peres-Horodecki separability criterion to an arbitrary two-qubit state. We explicitly demonstrate that measuring entanglement in terms of negativity requires three measurements more than detecting two-qubit entanglement. The reported minimal set of interferometric measurements provides a complete description of bipartite quantum entanglement in terms of two-photon interference. This set is smaller than the set of 15 measurements needed to perform a complete quantum state tomography of an arbitrary two-qubit system. Finally, we demonstrate that the set of nine Makhlin's invariants needed to express the negativity can be measured by performing 13 multicopy projections. We demonstrate both that these invariants are a useful theoretical concept for designing specialized quantum interferometers and that their direct measurement within the framework of linear optics does not require performing complete quantum state tomography.

A novel acoustic method for gas flow measurement using correlation techniques

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Knuuttila, M. [VTT Chemical Technology, Espoo (Finland). Industrial Physics

1997-12-31

The study demonstrates a new kind of acoustic method for gas flow measurement. The method uses upstream and downstream propagating low frequency plane wave and correlation techniques for volume flow rate determination. The theory of propagating low frequency plane waves in the pipe is introduced and is proved empirically to be applicable for flow measurement. The flow profile dependence of the method is verified and found to be negligible at least in the region of moderate perturbations. The physical principles of the method were applied in practice in the form of a flowmeter with new design concepts. The developed prototype meters were verified against the reference standard of NMI (Nederlands Meetinstituut), which showed that a wide dynamic range of 1:80 is achievable with total expanded uncertainty below 0.3 %. Also the requirements used for turbine meters of linearity, weighted mean error and stability were shown to be well fulfilled. A brief comparison with other flowmeter types shows the new flowmeter to be competitive. The advantages it offers are a small pressure drop over the meter, no blockage of flow in possible malfunction, no pulsation to flow, essentially no moving parts, and the possibility for bidirectional measurements. The introduced flowmeter is also capable of using the telephone network or a radio-modem to read the consumption of gas and report its operation to the user. (orig.) 51 refs.

Accuracy and precision of four common peripheral temperature measurement methods in intensive care patients.

Science.gov (United States)

Asadian, Simin; Khatony, Alireza; Moradi, Gholamreza; Abdi, Alireza; Rezaei, Mansour

2016-01-01

An accurate determination of body temperature in critically ill patients is a fundamental requirement for initiating the proper process of diagnosis, and also therapeutic actions; therefore, the aim of the study was to assess the accuracy and precision of four noninvasive peripheral methods of temperature measurement compared to the central nasopharyngeal measurement. In this observational prospective study, 237 patients were recruited from the intensive care unit of Imam Ali Hospital of Kermanshah. The patients' body temperatures were measured by four peripheral methods; oral, axillary, tympanic, and forehead along with a standard central nasopharyngeal measurement. After data collection, the results were analyzed by paired t-test, kappa coefficient, receiver operating characteristic curve, and using Statistical Package for the Social Sciences, version 19, software. There was a significant meaningful correlation between all the peripheral methods when compared with the central measurement (Ptemperatures of right and left tympanic membranes and the standard central nasopharyngeal measurement (88%). Paired t-test demonstrated an acceptable precision with forehead (P=0.132), left (P=0.18) and right (P=0.318) tympanic membranes, oral (P=1.00), and axillary (P=1.00) methods. Sensitivity and specificity of both the left and right tympanic membranes were more than for other methods. The tympanic and forehead methods had the highest and lowest accuracy for measuring body temperature, respectively. It is recommended to use the tympanic method (right and left) for assessing a patient's body temperature in the intensive care units because of high accuracy and acceptable precision.

Functional Mobility Testing: A Novel Method to Create Suit Design Requirements

Science.gov (United States)

England, Scott A.; Benson, Elizabeth A.; Rajulu, Sudhakar L.

2008-01-01

This study was performed to aide in the creation of design requirements for the next generation of space suits that more accurately describe the level of mobility necessary for a suited crewmember through the use of an innovative methodology utilizing functional mobility. A novel method was utilized involving the collection of kinematic data while 20 subjects (10 male, 10 female) performed pertinent functional tasks that will be required of a suited crewmember during various phases of a lunar mission. These tasks were selected based on relevance and criticality from a larger list of tasks that may be carried out by the crew. Kinematic data was processed through Vicon BodyBuilder software to calculate joint angles for the ankle, knee, hip, torso, shoulder, elbow, and wrist. Maximum functional mobility was consistently lower than maximum isolated mobility. This study suggests that conventional methods for establishing design requirements for human-systems interfaces based on maximal isolated joint capabilities may overestimate the required mobility. Additionally, this method provides a valuable means of evaluating systems created from these requirements by comparing the mobility available in a new spacesuit, or the mobility required to use a new piece of hardware, to this newly established database of functional mobility.

Absolute method of measuring magnetic susceptibility

Science.gov (United States)

Thorpe, A.; Senftle, F.E.

1959-01-01

An absolute method of standardization and measurement of the magnetic susceptibility of small samples is presented which can be applied to most techniques based on the Faraday method. The fact that the susceptibility is a function of the area under the curve of sample displacement versus distance of the magnet from the sample, offers a simple method of measuring the susceptibility without recourse to a standard sample. Typical results on a few substances are compared with reported values, and an error of less than 2% can be achieved. ?? 1959 The American Institute of Physics.

Complementary methods of transverse emittance measurement

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Zagel, James; Hu, Martin; Jansson, Andreas; Thurman-Keup, Randy; Yan, Ming-Jen; /Fermilab

2008-05-01

Several complementary transverse emittance monitors have been developed and used at the Fermilab accelerator complex. These include Ionization profile Monitors (IPM), Flying Wires, Schottky detectors and a Synchrotron Light Monitor (Synchlite). Mechanical scrapers have also been used for calibration purposes. This paper describes the various measurement devices by examining their basic features, calibration requirements, systematic uncertainties, and applications to collider operation. A comparison of results from different kinds of measurements is also presented.

The surface renewal method for better spatial resolution of evapotranspiration measurements

Science.gov (United States)

Suvocarev, K.; Fischer, M.; Massey, J. H.; Reba, M. L.; Runkle, B.

2017-12-01

Evaluating feasible irrigation strategies when water is scarce requires measurements or estimations of evapotranspiration (ET). Direct observations of ET from agricultural fields are preferred, and micrometeorological methods such as eddy covariance (EC) provide a high quality, continuous time series of ET. However, when replicates of the measurements are needed to compare irrigation strategies, the cost of such experiments is often prohibitive and limits experimental scope. An alternative micrometeorological approach to ET, the surface renewal (SR) method, may be reduced to a thermocouple and a propeller anemometer (Castellvi and Snyder, 2009). In this case, net radiation, soil and sensible heat flux (H) are measured and latent heat flux (an energy equivalent for ET) is estimated as the residual of the surface energy-balance equation. In our experiment, thermocouples (Type E Fine-Wire Thermocouple, FW3) were deployed next to the EC system and combined with mean horizontal wind speed measurements to obtain H using SR method for three weeks. After compensating the temperature signal for non-ideal frequency response in the wavelet half-plane and correcting the sonic anemometer for the flow distortion (Horst et al., 2015), the SR H fluxes compared well to those measured by EC (r2 = 0.9, slope = 0.92). This result encouraged us to install thermocouples over 16 rice fields under different irrigation treatments (continuous cascade flood, continuous multiple inlet rice irrigation, alternate wetting and drying, and furrow irrigation). The EC measurements with net radiometer and soil heat flux plates are deployed at three of these fields to provide a direct comparison. The measurement campaign will finish soon and the data will be processed to evaluate the SR approach for ET estimation. The results will be used to show better spatial resolution of ET measurements to support irrigation decisions in agricultural crops.

Software Safety Analysis of Digital Protection System Requirements Using a Qualitative Formal Method

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lee, Jang-Soo; Kwon, Kee-Choon; Cha, Sung-Deok

2004-01-01

The safety analysis of requirements is a key problem area in the development of software for the digital protection systems of a nuclear power plant. When specifying requirements for software of the digital protection systems and conducting safety analysis, engineers find that requirements are often known only in qualitative terms and that existing fault-tree analysis techniques provide little guidance on formulating and evaluating potential failure modes. A framework for the requirements engineering process is proposed that consists of a qualitative method for requirements specification, called the qualitative formal method (QFM), and a safety analysis method for the requirements based on causality information, called the causal requirements safety analysis (CRSA). CRSA is a technique that qualitatively evaluates causal relationships between software faults and physical hazards. This technique, extending the qualitative formal method process and utilizing information captured in the state trajectory, provides specific guidelines on how to identify failure modes and the relationship among them. The QFM and CRSA processes are described using shutdown system 2 of the Wolsong nuclear power plants as the digital protection system example

Research on the method of improving the accuracy of CMM (coordinate measuring machine) testing aspheric surface

Science.gov (United States)

Cong, Wang; Xu, Lingdi; Li, Ang

2017-10-01

Large aspheric surface which have the deviation with spherical surface are being used widely in various of optical systems. Compared with spherical surface, Large aspheric surfaces have lots of advantages, such as improving image quality, correcting aberration, expanding field of view, increasing the effective distance and make the optical system compact, lightweight. Especially, with the rapid development of space optics, space sensor resolution is required higher and viewing angle is requred larger. Aspheric surface will become one of the essential components in the optical system. After finishing Aspheric coarse Grinding surface profile error is about Tens of microns[1].In order to achieve the final requirement of surface accuracy,the aspheric surface must be quickly modified, high precision testing is the basement of rapid convergence of the surface error . There many methods on aspheric surface detection[2], Geometric ray detection, hartmann detection, ronchi text, knifeedge method, direct profile test, interferometry, while all of them have their disadvantage[6]. In recent years the measure of the aspheric surface become one of the import factors which are restricting the aspheric surface processing development. A two meter caliber industrial CMM coordinate measuring machine is avaiable, but it has many drawbacks such as large detection error and low repeatability precision in the measurement of aspheric surface coarse grinding , which seriously affects the convergence efficiency during the aspherical mirror processing. To solve those problems, this paper presents an effective error control, calibration and removal method by calibration mirror position of the real-time monitoring and other effective means of error control, calibration and removal by probe correction and the measurement mode selection method to measure the point distribution program development. This method verified by real engineer examples, this method increases the original industrial

Observing System Simulations for ASCENDS: Synthesizing Science Measurement Requirements (Invited)

Science.gov (United States)

Kawa, S. R.; Baker, D. F.; Schuh, A. E.; Crowell, S.; Rayner, P. J.; Hammerling, D.; Michalak, A. M.; Wang, J. S.; Eluszkiewicz, J.; Ott, L.; Zaccheo, T.; Abshire, J. B.; Browell, E. V.; Moore, B.; Crisp, D.

2013-12-01

The measurement of atmospheric CO2 from space using active (lidar) sensing techniques has several potentially significant advantages in comparison to current and planned passive CO2 instruments. Application of this new technology aims to advance CO2 measurement capability and carbon cycle science into the next decade. The NASA Active Sensing of Carbon Emissions, Nights, Days, and Seasons (ASCENDS) mission has been recommended by the US National Academy of Sciences Decadal Survey for the next generation of space-based CO2 observing systems. ASCENDS is currently planned for launch in 2022. Several possible lidar instrument approaches have been demonstrated in airborne campaigns and the results indicate that such sensors are quite feasible. Studies are now underway to evaluate performance requirements for space mission implementation. Satellite CO2 observations must be highly precise and unbiased in order to accurately infer global carbon source/sink fluxes. Measurement demands are likely to further increase in the wake of GOSAT, OCO-2, and enhanced ground-based in situ and remote sensing CO2 data. The objective of our work is to quantitatively and consistently evaluate the measurement capabilities and requirements for ASCENDS in the context of advancing our knowledge of carbon flux distributions and their dependence on underlying physical processes. Considerations include requirements for precision, relative accuracy, spatial/temporal coverage and resolution, vertical information content, interferences, and possibly the tradeoffs among these parameters, while at the same time framing a mission that can be implemented within a constrained budget. Here, we attempt to synthesize the results of observing system simulation studies, commissioned by the ASCENDS Science Requirements Definition Team, into a coherent set of mission performance guidelines. A variety of forward and inverse model frameworks are employed to reduce the potential dependence of the results on model

Some basic requirements for the application of electrokinetic methods for the reconstruction of masonry with rising humidity

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Friese, P; Jacobasch, H J; Boerner, M

1987-12-01

Based on some theoretical statements concerning the electro-osmosis the most important requirements for the application of electrokinetic methods for drying masonry with rising humidity are described. Samples of brick masonry (brick and mortar) were examined by means of an electrokinetic measuring system (EKM) with different electrolytes (CaSO/sub 4/ and KCl) being used for different concentrations. It was found for all samples, that the zeta potential is provided with a negative sign and that the absolute value of the zeta potential approaches zero with increasing electrolyte concentration. Based on these measurements, an upper limit of the electrolyte concentration of 0.1 Mol/liter is established for the application of electrokinetic methods for drying masonry.

Required accuracy of tune measurement and parametrization of chromaticity control

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Maas, R.

1991-02-01

The betatron tunes v x and v y will be measured by Fourier-analyzing a BPM signal generated by a beam which received a fast ( kick /f rev ) equals the fractional part of the tune, a beam blow-up can be observed. In this note the required accuracy of such a tune measurement is discussed. (author). 6 schemes

Development of an automated method for in situ measurement of the geometrical properties of the ITER bolometer diagnostic

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Meister, H., E-mail: meister@ipp.mpg.de; Penzel, F.; Giannone, L.; Kannamueller, M.; Kling, A.; Koll, J.; Trautmann, T.

2011-10-15

In order to derive the local emission profile of the plasma radiation in a fusion device using the line-integrated measurements of the bolometer diagnostic, tomographic reconstruction methods have to be applied to the measurements from many lines-of-sight. A successful reconstruction needs to take the finite sizes of detectors and apertures and the resulting non-ideal measurements into account. In ITER a method for in situ measurement of the geometrical properties of the various components of the bolometer diagnostic after installation is required as the viewing cones have to pass through narrow gaps between components. The method proposed to be used for ITER uses the beam of a laser with high intensity to illuminate the bolometer assembly from many different angles {xi} and {theta}. A light-weight robot from Kuka Robotics is used to efficiently position the laser on many points covering the complete viewing cone of each line-of-sight and to direct the beam precisely into the entrance aperture of the bolometer. Measuring the response of the bolometer allows for the calculation of the transmission function t({xi}, {theta}), the angular etendue and finally the geometric function in reconstruction space, which is required for the tomography algorithms. Measuring the transmission function for a laboratory assembly demonstrates the viability of the proposed method. Results for a collimator-type camera from a prototype envisaged for ITER are presented. The implemented procedure is discussed in detail, in particular with respect to the automatisation applied which takes the achievable positioning and alignment accuracies of the robot into account. This discussion is extended towards the definition of requirements for a remote-handling tool for ITER.

5 CFR 610.404 - Requirement for time-accounting method.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-01-01

... REGULATIONS HOURS OF DUTY Flexible and Compressed Work Schedules § 610.404 Requirement for time-accounting method. An agency that authorizes a flexible work schedule or a compressed work schedule under this...

Method for Pre-Conditioning a Measured Surface Height Map for Model Validation

Science.gov (United States)

Sidick, Erkin

2012-01-01

This software allows one to up-sample or down-sample a measured surface map for model validation, not only without introducing any re-sampling errors, but also eliminating the existing measurement noise and measurement errors. Because the re-sampling of a surface map is accomplished based on the analytical expressions of Zernike-polynomials and a power spectral density model, such re-sampling does not introduce any aliasing and interpolation errors as is done by the conventional interpolation and FFT-based (fast-Fourier-transform-based) spatial-filtering method. Also, this new method automatically eliminates the measurement noise and other measurement errors such as artificial discontinuity. The developmental cycle of an optical system, such as a space telescope, includes, but is not limited to, the following two steps: (1) deriving requirements or specs on the optical quality of individual optics before they are fabricated through optical modeling and simulations, and (2) validating the optical model using the measured surface height maps after all optics are fabricated. There are a number of computational issues related to model validation, one of which is the "pre-conditioning" or pre-processing of the measured surface maps before using them in a model validation software tool. This software addresses the following issues: (1) up- or down-sampling a measured surface map to match it with the gridded data format of a model validation tool, and (2) eliminating the surface measurement noise or measurement errors such that the resulted surface height map is continuous or smoothly-varying. So far, the preferred method used for re-sampling a surface map is two-dimensional interpolation. The main problem of this method is that the same pixel can take different values when the method of interpolation is changed among the different methods such as the "nearest," "linear," "cubic," and "spline" fitting in Matlab. The conventional, FFT-based spatial filtering method used to

Optimization on Measurement Method for Neutron Moisture Meter

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gong Yalin; Wu Zhiqiang; Li Yanfeng; Wang Wei; Song Qingfeng; Liu Hui; Wei Xiaoyun; Zhao Zhonghua

2010-01-01

When the water in the measured material is nonuniformity, the measured results of the neutron moisture meter in the field may have errors, so the measured errors of the moisture meter associated with the water nonuniformity in material were simulated by Monte Carlo method. A new measurement method of moisture meter named 'transmission plus scatter' was put forward. The experiment results show that the new measurement method can reduce the error even if the water in the material is nonuniformity. (authors)

Simple method based on intensity measurements for characterization of aberrations from micro-optical components.

Science.gov (United States)

Perrin, Stephane; Baranski, Maciej; Froehly, Luc; Albero, Jorge; Passilly, Nicolas; Gorecki, Christophe

2015-11-01

We report a simple method, based on intensity measurements, for the characterization of the wavefront and aberrations produced by micro-optical focusing elements. This method employs the setup presented earlier in [Opt. Express 22, 13202 (2014)] for measurements of the 3D point spread function, on which a basic phase-retrieval algorithm is applied. This combination allows for retrieval of the wavefront generated by the micro-optical element and, in addition, quantification of the optical aberrations through the wavefront decomposition with Zernike polynomials. The optical setup requires only an in-motion imaging system. The technique, adapted for the optimization of micro-optical component fabrication, is demonstrated by characterizing a planoconvex microlens.

Effective teaching methods in higher education: requirements and barriers

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

NAHID SHIRANI BIDABADI

2016-10-01

Full Text Available Introduction: Teaching is one of the main components in educational planning which is a key factor in conducting educational plans. Despite the importance of good teaching, the outcomes are far from ideal. The present qualitative study aimed to investigate effective teaching in higher education in Iran based on the experiences of best professors in the country and the best local professors of Isfahan University of Technology. Methods: This qualitative content analysis study was conducted through purposeful sampling. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with ten faculty members (3 of them from the best professors in the country and 7 from the best local professors. Content analysis was performed by MAXQDA software. The codes, categories and themes were explored through an inductive process that began from semantic units or direct quotations to general themes. Results: According to the results of this study, the best teaching approach is the mixed method (student-centered together with teacher-centered plus educational planning and previous readiness. But whenever the teachers can teach using this method confront with some barriers and requirements; some of these requirements are prerequisite in professors’ behavior and some of these are prerequisite in professors’ outlook. Also, there are some major barriers, some of which are associated with the professors’ operation and others are related to laws and regulations. Implications of these findings for teachers’ preparation in education are discussed. Conclusion: In the present study, it was illustrated that a good teaching method helps the students to question their preconceptions, and motivates them to learn, by putting them in a situation in which they come to see themselves as the authors of answers, as the agents of responsibility for change. But training through this method has some barriers and requirements. To have an effective teaching; the faculty members of the universities

How many stakes are required to measure the mass balance of a glacier?

Science.gov (United States)

Fountain, A.G.; Vecchia, A.

1999-01-01

Glacier mass balance is estimated for South Cascade Glacier and Maclure Glacier using a one-dimensional regression of mass balance with altitude as an alternative to the traditional approach of contouring mass balance values. One attractive feature of regression is that it can be applied to sparse data sets where contouring is not possible and can provide an objective error of the resulting estimate. Regression methods yielded mass balance values equivalent to contouring methods. The effect of the number of mass balance measurements on the final value for the glacier showed that sample sizes as small as five stakes provided reasonable estimates, although the error estimates were greater than for larger sample sizes. Different spatial patterns of measurement locations showed no appreciable influence on the final value as long as different surface altitudes were intermittently sampled over the altitude range of the glacier. Two different regression equations were examined, a quadratic, and a piecewise linear spline, and comparison of results showed little sensitivity to the type of equation. These results point to the dominant effect of the gradient of mass balance with altitude of alpine glaciers compared to transverse variations. The number of mass balance measurements required to determine the glacier balance appears to be scale invariant for small glaciers and five to ten stakes are sufficient.

Measuring method for optical fibre sensors

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Lammerink, Theodorus S.J.; Fluitman, J.H.J.

1984-01-01

A new measuring method for the signal amplitude in intensity modulating fibre optic sensors is described. A reference signal is generated in the time domain. The method is insensitive for the sensitivity fluctuations of the light transmitter and the light receiver. The method is experimentally

Chapter 11: Sample Design Cross-Cutting Protocol. The Uniform Methods Project: Methods for Determining Energy Efficiency Savings for Specific Measures

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kurnik, Charles W [National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), Golden, CO (United States); Khawaja, M. Sami [The Cadmus Group, Portland, OR (United States); Rushton, Josh [The Cadmus Group, Portland, OR (United States); Keeling, Josh [The Cadmus Group, Portland, OR (United States)

2017-09-01

Evaluating an energy efficiency program requires assessing the total energy and demand saved through all of the energy efficiency measures provided by the program. For large programs, the direct assessment of savings for each participant would be cost-prohibitive. Even if a program is small enough that a full census could be managed, such an undertaking would almost always be an inefficient use of evaluation resources. The bulk of this chapter describes methods for minimizing and quantifying sampling error. Measurement error and regression error are discussed in various contexts in other chapters.

Rapid methods for jugular bleeding of dogs requiring one technician.

Science.gov (United States)

Frisk, C S; Richardson, M R

1979-06-01

Two methods were used to collect blood from the jugular vein of dogs. In both techniques, only one technician was required. A rope with a slip knot was placed around the base of the neck to assist in restraint and act as a tourniquet for the vein. The technician used one hand to restrain the dog by the muzzle and position the head. The other hand was used for collecting the sample. One of the methods could be accomplished with the dog in its cage. The bleeding techniques were rapid, requiring approximately 1 minute per dog.

A method for measuring three-dimensional mandibular kinematics in vivo using single-plane fluoroscopy

Science.gov (United States)

Chen, C-C; Lin, C-C; Chen, Y-J; Hong, S-W; Lu, T-W

2013-01-01

Objectives Accurate measurement of the three-dimensional (3D) motion of the mandible in vivo is essential for relevant clinical applications. Existing techniques are either of limited accuracy or require the use of transoral devices that interfere with jaw movements. This study aimed to develop further an existing method for measuring 3D, in vivo mandibular kinematics using single-plane fluoroscopy; to determine the accuracy of the method; and to demonstrate its clinical applicability via measurements on a healthy subject during opening/closing and chewing movements. Methods The proposed method was based on the registration of single-plane fluoroscopy images and 3D low-radiation cone beam CT data. It was validated using roentgen single-plane photogrammetric analysis at static positions and during opening/closing and chewing movements. Results The method was found to have measurement errors of 0.1 ± 0.9 mm for all translations and 0.2° ± 0.6° for all rotations in static conditions, and of 1.0 ± 1.4 mm for all translations and 0.2° ± 0.7° for all rotations in dynamic conditions. Conclusions The proposed method is considered an accurate method for quantifying the 3D mandibular motion in vivo. Without relying on transoral devices, the method has advantages over existing methods, especially in the assessment of patients with missing or unstable teeth, making it useful for the research and clinical assessment of the temporomandibular joint and chewing function. PMID:22842637

Space Suit Joint Torque Measurement Method Validation

Science.gov (United States)

Valish, Dana; Eversley, Karina

2012-01-01

In 2009 and early 2010, a test method was developed and performed to quantify the torque required to manipulate joints in several existing operational and prototype space suits. This was done in an effort to develop joint torque requirements appropriate for a new Constellation Program space suit system. The same test method was levied on the Constellation space suit contractors to verify that their suit design met the requirements. However, because the original test was set up and conducted by a single test operator there was some question as to whether this method was repeatable enough to be considered a standard verification method for Constellation or other future development programs. In order to validate the method itself, a representative subset of the previous test was repeated, using the same information that would be available to space suit contractors, but set up and conducted by someone not familiar with the previous test. The resultant data was compared using graphical and statistical analysis; the results indicated a significant variance in values reported for a subset of the re-tested joints. Potential variables that could have affected the data were identified and a third round of testing was conducted in an attempt to eliminate and/or quantify the effects of these variables. The results of the third test effort will be used to determine whether or not the proposed joint torque methodology can be applied to future space suit development contracts.

Research Progress on Measurement Methods and Influence Factors of Thin-film Stress

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

MA Yibo

2018-02-01

Full Text Available With the size of thin-film electronic devices decreasing, the film stress became an important reason for the failure of thin film devices. Film stress not only affected the membrane structure, but also associated with film optics, electricity, mechanics and other properties, therefore film stress turned into one hot spot in the research field of thin-film materials. This paper reviewed the latest research progress of film stress, substrate curvature method, X-ray diffraction technique and Raman spectroscopy, several frequently used stress measuring techniques were compared and analyzed, and composition ratios of thin film, substrate types, magnetron sputtering process parameters (sputtering power, work pressure, substrate temperature and annealing etc. factors influencing thin film stress were summarized. It was found that substrate curvature method was suitable for measuring almost all kinds of thin film materials. X-ray diffraction and Raman spectroscopy were just fit for measuring materials with characteristic peaks. Nanoindentation method required extra stress-free samples as comparison experiments. During film fabrication and annealing process, film stress usually transited from compressive to tensile status, and several factors combined together could affect stress, so film stress could be reached the minimum value or even stress-free status through setting appropriate parameters. Finally, combined with film stress research status, accurate stress measurement methods for different materials as a thin-film stress research direction were introduced, and challenges in thin film detection range were pointed out.

Spectrometric methods used in the calibration of radiodiagnostic measuring instruments

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

De Vries, W [Rijksuniversiteit Utrecht (Netherlands)

1995-12-01

Recently a set of parameters for checking the quality of radiation for use in diagnostic radiology was established at the calibration facility of Nederlands Meetinstituut (NMI). The establishment of the radiation quality required re-evaluation of the correction factors for the primary air-kerma standards. Free-air ionisation chambers require several correction factors to measure air-kerma according to its definition. These correction factors were calculated for the NMi free-air chamber by Monte Carlo simulations for monoenergetic photons in the energy range from 10 keV to 320 keV. The actual correction factors follow from weighting these mono-energetic correction factors with the air-kerma spectrum of the photon beam. This paper describes the determination of the photon spectra of the X-ray qualities used for the calibration of dosimetric instruments used in radiodiagnostics. The detector used for these measurements is a planar HPGe-detector, placed in the direct beam of the X-ray machine. To convert the measured pulse height spectrum to the actual photon spectrum corrections must be made for fluorescent photon escape, single and multiple compton scattering inside the detector, and detector efficiency. From the calculated photon spectra a number of parameters of the X-ray beam can be calculated. The calculated first and second half value layer in aluminum and copper are compared with the measured values of these parameters to validate the method of spectrum reconstruction. Moreover the spectrum measurements offer the possibility to calibrate the X-ray generator in terms of maximum high voltage. The maximum photon energy in the spectrum is used as a standard for calibration of kVp-meters.

Comparison of ISO-GUM and Monte Carlo Method for Evaluation of Measurement Uncertainty

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Ha, Young-Cheol; Her, Jae-Young; Lee, Seung-Jun; Lee, Kang-Jin [Korea Gas Corporation, Daegu (Korea, Republic of)

2014-07-15

To supplement the ISO-GUM method for the evaluation of measurement uncertainty, a simulation program using the Monte Carlo method (MCM) was developed, and the MCM and GUM methods were compared. The results are as follows: (1) Even under a non-normal probability distribution of the measurement, MCM provides an accurate coverage interval; (2) Even if a probability distribution that emerged from combining a few non-normal distributions looks as normal, there are cases in which the actual distribution is not normal and the non-normality can be determined by the probability distribution of the combined variance; and (3) If type-A standard uncertainties are involved in the evaluation of measurement uncertainty, GUM generally offers an under-valued coverage interval. However, this problem can be solved by the Bayesian evaluation of type-A standard uncertainty. In this case, the effective degree of freedom for the combined variance is not required in the evaluation of expanded uncertainty, and the appropriate coverage factor for 95% level of confidence was determined to be 1.96.

Methods of radon measurement and devices

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Miles, J.

2004-01-01

The following topics and instrumentation are discussed: The quantity to be measured; Active measurement methods (scintillation cells, ionisation chambers, electrostatic collection of decay products); Passive measurement methods (charcoal detectors; electret ion chambers; etched track detectors); and Detector considerations for large-scale surveys ('always on' or 'switchable' detectors?; response to radon-220; avoidance of electrostatic effects; quality assurance for passive radon detectors; quality control within the laboratory; external quality assurance; detectors need to be easily deliverable). It is concluded that the ideal detector for large scale surveys of radon in houses is a small, closed detector in a conducting holder which excludes radon-220, supported by rigorous quality assurance procedures. (P.A.)

Model Multi Criteria Decision Making with Fuzzy ANP Method for Performance Measurement Small Medium Enterprise (SME)

Science.gov (United States)

Rahmanita, E.; Widyaningrum, V. T.; Kustiyahningsih, Y.; Purnama, J.

2018-04-01

SMEs have a very important role in the development of the economy in Indonesia. SMEs assist the government in terms of creating new jobs and can support household income. The number of SMEs in Madura and the number of measurement indicators in the SME mapping so that it requires a method.This research uses Fuzzy Analytic Network Process (FANP) method for performance measurement SME. The FANP method can handle data that contains uncertainty. There is consistency index in determining decisions. Performance measurement in this study is based on a perspective of the Balanced Scorecard. This research approach integrated internal business perspective, learning, and growth perspective and fuzzy Analytic Network Process (FANP). The results of this research areframework a priority weighting of assessment indicators SME.

Calorimetric method of ac loss measurement in a rotating magnetic field

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Ghoshal, P. K. [Oxford Instruments NanoScience, Abingdon, Oxfordshire OX13 5QX (United Kingdom); Coombs, T. A.; Campbell, A. M. [Department of Engineering, Electrical Engineering, University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB3 0FA (United Kingdom)

2010-07-15

A method is described for calorimetric ac-loss measurements of high-T{sub c} superconductors (HTS) at 80 K. It is based on a technique used at 4.2 K for conventional superconducting wires that allows an easy loss measurement in parallel or perpendicular external field orientation. This paper focuses on ac loss measurement setup and calibration in a rotating magnetic field. This experimental setup is to demonstrate measuring loss using a temperature rise method under the influence of a rotating magnetic field. The slight temperature increase of the sample in an ac-field is used as a measure of losses. The aim is to simulate the loss in rotating machines using HTS. This is a unique technique to measure total ac loss in HTS at power frequencies. The sample is mounted on to a cold finger extended from a liquid nitrogen heat exchanger (HEX). The thermal insulation between the HEX and sample is provided by a material of low thermal conductivity, and low eddy current heating sample holder in vacuum vessel. A temperature sensor and noninductive heater have been incorporated in the sample holder allowing a rapid sample change. The main part of the data is obtained in the calorimetric measurement is used for calibration. The focus is on the accuracy and calibrations required to predict the actual ac losses in HTS. This setup has the advantage of being able to measure the total ac loss under the influence of a continuous moving field as experienced by any rotating machines.

A method to screen obstructive sleep apnea using multi-variable non-intrusive measurements

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

De Silva, S; Abeyratne, U R; Hukins, C

2011-01-01

Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is a serious sleep disorder. The current standard OSA diagnosis method is polysomnography (PSG) testing. PSG requires an overnight hospital stay while physically connected to 10–15 channels of measurement. PSG is expensive, inconvenient and requires the extensive involvement of a sleep technologist. As such, it is not suitable for community screening. OSA is a widespread disease and more than 80% of sufferers remain undiagnosed. Simplified, unattended and cheap OSA screening methods are urgently needed. Snoring is commonly associated with OSA but is not fully utilized in clinical diagnosis. Snoring contains pseudo-periodic packets of energy that produce characteristic vibrating sounds familiar to humans. In this paper, we propose a multi-feature vector that represents pitch information, formant information, a measure of periodic structure existence in snore episodes and the neck circumference of the subject to characterize OSA condition. Snore features were estimated from snore signals recorded in a sleep laboratory. The multi-feature vector was applied to a neural network for OSA/non-OSA classification and K-fold cross-validated using a random sub-sampling technique. We also propose a simple method to remove a specific class of background interference. Our method resulted in a sensitivity of 91 ± 6% and a specificity of 89 ± 5% for test data for AHI THRESHOLD = 15 for a database consisting of 51 subjects. This method has the potential as a non-intrusive, unattended technique to screen OSA using snore sound as the primary signal

Arterial pressure measurement: Is the envelope curve of the oscillometric method influenced by arterial stiffness?

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gelido, G; Angiletta, S; Pujalte, A; Quiroga, P; Cornes, P; Craiem, D

2007-01-01

Measurement of peripheral arterial pressure using the oscillometric method is commonly used by professionals as well as by patients in their homes. This non invasive automatic method is fast, efficient and the required equipment is affordable with a low cost. The measurement method consists of obtaining parameters from a calibrated decreasing curve that is modulated by heart beats witch appear when arterial pressure reaches the cuff pressure. Diastolic, mean and systolic pressures are obtained calculating particular instants from the heart beats envelope curve. In this article we analyze the envelope of this amplified curve to find out if its morphology is related to arterial stiffness in patients. We found, in 33 volunteers, that the envelope waveform width correlates to systolic pressure (r=0.4, p<0.05), to pulse pressure (r=0.6, p<0.05) and to pulse pressure normalized to systolic pressure (r=0.6, p<0.05). We believe that the morphology of the heart beats envelope curve obtained with the oscillometric method for peripheral pressure measurement depends on arterial stiffness and can be used to enhance pressure measurements

Laboratory Evaluation of Air Flow Measurement Methods for Residential HVAC Returns for New Instrument Standards

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Walker, Iain [Lawrence Berkeley National Lab. (LBNL), Berkeley, CA (United States); Stratton, Chris [Lawrence Berkeley National Lab. (LBNL), Berkeley, CA (United States)

2015-08-01

This project improved the accuracy of air flow measurements used in commissioning California heating and air conditioning systems in Title 24 (Building and Appliance Efficiency Standards), thereby improving system performance and efficiency of California residences. The research team at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory addressed the issue that typical tools used by contractors in the field to test air flows may not be accurate enough to measure return flows used in Title 24 applications. The team developed guidance on performance of current diagnostics as well as a draft test method for use in future evaluations. The study team prepared a draft test method through ASTM International to determine the uncertainty of air flow measurements at residential heating ventilation and air conditioning returns and other terminals. This test method, when finalized, can be used by the Energy Commission and other entities to specify required accuracy of measurement devices used to show compliance with standards.

The Gas-Absorption/Chemical-Reaction Method for Measuring Air-Water Interfacial Area in Natural Porous Media

Science.gov (United States)

Lyu, Ying; Brusseau, Mark L.; El Ouni, Asma; Araujo, Juliana B.; Su, Xiaosi

2017-11-01

The gas-absorption/chemical-reaction (GACR) method used in chemical engineering to quantify gas-liquid interfacial area in reactor systems is adapted for the first time to measure the effective air-water interfacial area of natural porous media. Experiments were conducted with the GACR method, and two standard methods (X-ray microtomographic imaging and interfacial partitioning tracer tests) for comparison, using model glass beads and a natural sand. The results of a series of experiments conducted under identical conditions demonstrated that the GACR method exhibited excellent repeatability for measurement of interfacial area (Aia). Coefficients of variation for Aia were 3.5% for the glass beads and 11% for the sand. Extrapolated maximum interfacial areas (Am) obtained with the GACR method were statistically identical to independent measures of the specific solid surface areas of the media. For example, the Am for the glass beads is 29 (±1) cm-1, compared to 32 (±3), 30 (±2), and 31 (±2) cm-1 determined from geometric calculation, N2/BET measurement, and microtomographic measurement, respectively. This indicates that the method produced accurate measures of interfacial area. Interfacial areas determined with the GACR method were similar to those obtained with the standard methods. For example, Aias of 47 and 44 cm-1 were measured with the GACR and XMT methods, respectively, for the sand at a water saturation of 0.57. The results of the study indicate that the GACR method is a viable alternative for measuring air-water interfacial areas. The method is relatively quick, inexpensive, and requires no specialized instrumentation compared to the standard methods.

Evaluation of preparation methods for suspended nano-objects on substrates for dimensional measurements by atomic force microscopy

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Petra Fiala

2017-08-01

Full Text Available Dimensional measurements on nano-objects by atomic force microscopy (AFM require samples of safely fixed and well individualized particles with a suitable surface-specific particle number on flat and clean substrates. Several known and proven particle preparation methods, i.e., membrane filtration, drying, rinsing, dip coating as well as electrostatic and thermal precipitation, were performed by means of scanning electron microscopy to examine their suitability for preparing samples for dimensional AFM measurements. Different suspensions of nano-objects (with varying material, size and shape stabilized in aqueous solutions were prepared therefore on different flat substrates. The drop-drying method was found to be the most suitable one for the analysed suspensions, because it does not require expensive dedicated equipment and led to a uniform local distribution of individualized nano-objects. Traceable AFM measurements based on Si and SiO2 coated substrates confirmed the suitability of this technique.

Evaluation of preparation methods for suspended nano-objects on substrates for dimensional measurements by atomic force microscopy.

Science.gov (United States)

Fiala, Petra; Göhler, Daniel; Wessely, Benno; Stintz, Michael; Lazzerini, Giovanni Mattia; Yacoot, Andrew

2017-01-01

Dimensional measurements on nano-objects by atomic force microscopy (AFM) require samples of safely fixed and well individualized particles with a suitable surface-specific particle number on flat and clean substrates. Several known and proven particle preparation methods, i.e., membrane filtration, drying, rinsing, dip coating as well as electrostatic and thermal precipitation, were performed by means of scanning electron microscopy to examine their suitability for preparing samples for dimensional AFM measurements. Different suspensions of nano-objects (with varying material, size and shape) stabilized in aqueous solutions were prepared therefore on different flat substrates. The drop-drying method was found to be the most suitable one for the analysed suspensions, because it does not require expensive dedicated equipment and led to a uniform local distribution of individualized nano-objects. Traceable AFM measurements based on Si and SiO 2 coated substrates confirmed the suitability of this technique.

An Investigation of Pulse Transit Time as a Non-Invasive Blood Pressure Measurement Method

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

McCarthy, B M; O'Flynn, B; Mathewson, A

2011-01-01

The objective of this paper is to examine the Pulse Transit Method (PTT) as a non-invasive means to track Blood Pressure over a short period of time. PTT was measured as the time it takes for an ECG R-wave to propagate to the finger, where it is detected by a photoplethysmograph sensor. The PTT method is ideal for continuous 24-hour Blood Pressure Measurement (BPM) since it is both cuff-less and non-invasive and therefore comfortable and unobtrusive for the patient. Other techniques, such as the oscillometric method, have shown to be accurate and reliable but require a cuff for operation, making them unsuitable for long term monitoring. Although a relatively new technique, the PTT method has shown to be able to accurately track blood pressure changes over short periods of time, after which re-calibration is necessary. The purpose of this study is to determine the accuracy of the method.

40 CFR 63.344 - Performance test requirements and test methods.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-07-01

... electroplating tanks or chromium anodizing tanks. The sampling time and sample volume for each run of Methods 306... Chromium Anodizing Tanks § 63.344 Performance test requirements and test methods. (a) Performance test... Emissions From Decorative and Hard Chromium Electroplating and Anodizing Operations,” appendix A of this...

A method and tool for combining differential or inclusive measurements obtained with simultaneously constrained uncertainties

Science.gov (United States)

Kieseler, Jan

2017-11-01

A method is discussed that allows combining sets of differential or inclusive measurements. It is assumed that at least one measurement was obtained with simultaneously fitting a set of nuisance parameters, representing sources of systematic uncertainties. As a result of beneficial constraints from the data all such fitted parameters are correlated among each other. The best approach for a combination of these measurements would be the maximization of a combined likelihood, for which the full fit model of each measurement and the original data are required. However, only in rare cases this information is publicly available. In absence of this information most commonly used combination methods are not able to account for these correlations between uncertainties, which can lead to severe biases as shown in this article. The method discussed here provides a solution for this problem. It relies on the public result and its covariance or Hessian, only, and is validated against the combined-likelihood approach. A dedicated software package implementing this method is also presented. It provides a text-based user interface alongside a C++ interface. The latter also interfaces to ROOT classes for simple combination of binned measurements such as differential cross sections.

A method and tool for combining differential or inclusive measurements obtained with simultaneously constrained uncertainties

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kieseler, Jan [CERN, Geneva (Switzerland)

2017-11-15

A method is discussed that allows combining sets of differential or inclusive measurements. It is assumed that at least one measurement was obtained with simultaneously fitting a set of nuisance parameters, representing sources of systematic uncertainties. As a result of beneficial constraints from the data all such fitted parameters are correlated among each other. The best approach for a combination of these measurements would be the maximization of a combined likelihood, for which the full fit model of each measurement and the original data are required. However, only in rare cases this information is publicly available. In absence of this information most commonly used combination methods are not able to account for these correlations between uncertainties, which can lead to severe biases as shown in this article. The method discussed here provides a solution for this problem. It relies on the public result and its covariance or Hessian, only, and is validated against the combined-likelihood approach. A dedicated software package implementing this method is also presented. It provides a text-based user interface alongside a C++ interface. The latter also interfaces to ROOT classes for simple combination of binned measurements such as differential cross sections. (orig.)

Theory of the Allen method and its practical bearing on pipe discharge measurement

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Guizerix, J.; Margrita, R.

1976-01-01

The Allen method for measurement of pipe discharge is based on a general relationship between discharge, instrument section volume and the first moment of the residence time distribution. An original demonstration of this standard chemical engineering relationship is given. The Allen method thus offers a very wide practical application scope. Requirements are limited to knowing the volume of the instrument section and the residence time distribution; the shape of the instrument section is immaterial. The information can be obtained for example by means of a system correlating the instrument section input and output signals [fr

Radiation protection, measurements and methods

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1983-06-01

The introductory lectures discuss subjects such as radiation protection principles and appropriate measuring techniques; methods, quantities and units in radiation protection measurement; technical equipment; national and international radiation protection standards. The papers presented at the various sessions deal with: Dosimetry of external radiation (27 papers); Working environment monitoring and emission monitoring (21 contributions); Environmental monitoring (19 papers); Incorporation monitoring (9 papers); Detection limits (4 papers); Non-ionizing radiation, measurement of body dose and biological dosimetry (10 papers). All 94 contributions (lectures, compacts and posters) are retrievable as separate records. (HP) [de

Radon/radon-daughter measurement methods and instrumentation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rock, R.L.

1977-01-01

Radon-daughter measurement equipment and techniques have been continuously improved over the last 25 years. Improvements have been in the areas of accuracy, time and convenience. We now have miniaturized scalers and detectors available for measuring the alpha particle count rates from aerosol samples collected on filter papers. We also have small lightweight efficient pumps for conveniently collecting samples and we have various counting methods which allow us to choose between making very precise measurements or nominal measurements. Radon-daughter measurement methods used in uranium mines and mills are discussed including a personal radon-daughter-exposure integrating device which can be worn by miners

Measuring intestinal fluid transport in vitro: Gravimetric method versus non-absorbable marker.

Science.gov (United States)

Whittamore, Jonathan M; Genz, Janet; Grosell, Martin; Wilson, Rod W

2016-04-01

The gut sac is a long-standing, widely used in vitro preparation for studying solute and water transport, and calculation of these fluxes requires an accurate assessment of volume. This is commonly determined gravimetrically by measuring the change in mass over time. While convenient this likely under-estimates actual net water flux (Jv) due to tissue edema. We evaluated whether the popular in vivo volume marker [(14)C]-PEG 4000, offers a more representative measure of Jvin vitro. We directly compared these two methods in five teleost species (toadfish, flounder, rainbow trout, killifish and tilapia). Net fluid absorption by the toadfish intestine based on PEG was significantly higher, by almost 4-fold, compared to gravimetric measurements, compatible with the latter under-estimating Jv. Despite this, PEG proved inconsistent for all of the other species frequently resulting in calculation of net secretion, in contrast to absorption seen gravimetrically. Such poor parallelism could not be explained by the absorption of [(14)C]-PEG (typically gravimetric method therefore remains the most reliable measure of Jv and we urge caution in the use of PEG as a volume marker. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Calorimetric method for current sharing temperature measurements in ITER conductor samples in SULTAN

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bagnasco, M.

2009-01-01

Several Toroidal Field Conductor short samples with slight layout variations have been assembled and tested in the SULTAN facility at CRPP. The measurement campaigns started in 2007 and are still ongoing. The performance of every conductor is expressed in terms of current sharing temperature (T cs ), i.e. the temperature at which a defined electric field, 10 μV/m, is detected in the cable due to the incipient superconducting-to-normal state transition. The T cs at specific operating conditions is the key design parameter for the ITER conductors and is the main object of the qualification tests. Typically, the average electric field is measured with voltage tap pairs attached on the jacket along the conductor. The inability however to explain observed premature voltage developments opened the discussion about possible alternative measuring methods. The He flow calorimetric method is based on the measurement of the resistive power generation in the conductor. It relies on the detection of very small temperature increases along the conductor in steady state operation. The accuracy and the reliability of the calorimetric method in SULTAN are critically discussed, with particular emphasis on the instrumentation requirements and test procedures. The application of the calorimetric method to the recent SULTAN test campaigns is described with its merits and limits. For future tests of ITER conductors in SULTAN, the calorimetric method for T cs test is proposed as a routine procedure.

Comparison of Thermal Properties Measured by Different Methods

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sundberg, Jan; Kukkonen, Ilmo; Haelldahl, Lars

2003-04-01

A strategy for a thermal site descriptive model of bedrock is under development at SKB. In the model different kinds of uncertainties exist. Some of these uncertainties are related to the potential errors in the methods used for determining thermal properties of rock. In two earlier investigations thermal properties of rock samples were analysed according to the TPS method (transient plane source). Thermal conductivity and thermal diffusivity were determined using the TPS method. For a comparison, the same samples have been measured at the Geological Survey of Finland (GSF), using different laboratory methods. In this later investigation, the thermal conductivity was determined using the divided-bar method and the specific heat capacity using a calorimetric method. The mean differences between the results of different methods are relatively low but the results of individual samples show large variations. The thermal conductivity measured by the divided bar method gives for most samples slightly higher values, in average about 3%, than the TPS method. The specific heat capacity measured by the calorimetric method gives lower values, in average about 2%, than the TPS method. Consequently, the thermal diffusivity calculated from thermal conductivity and specific heat capacity gives higher values, in average about 6%, than the TPS method. Reasons for the differences are estimated mainly to be dependent on differences between the samples, errors in the temperature dependence of specific heat and in the transformation from volumetric to specific heat. The TPS measurements are performed using two pieces (sub-samples) of rock. Only one of these two sub-samples was measured using the divided bar method and the calorimetric method. Further, sample preparation involved changes in the size of some of the samples. The mean differences between the results of different methods are within the margins of error reported by the measuring laboratories. However, systematic errors in

Comparison of Thermal Properties Measured by Different Methods

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Sundberg, Jan [Geo Innova AB, Linkoeping (Sweden); Kukkonen, Ilmo [Geological Survey of Finland, Helsinki (Finland); Haelldahl, Lars [Hot Disk AB, Uppsala (Sweden)

2003-04-01

A strategy for a thermal site descriptive model of bedrock is under development at SKB. In the model different kinds of uncertainties exist. Some of these uncertainties are related to the potential errors in the methods used for determining thermal properties of rock. In two earlier investigations thermal properties of rock samples were analysed according to the TPS method (transient plane source). Thermal conductivity and thermal diffusivity were determined using the TPS method. For a comparison, the same samples have been measured at the Geological Survey of Finland (GSF), using different laboratory methods. In this later investigation, the thermal conductivity was determined using the divided-bar method and the specific heat capacity using a calorimetric method. The mean differences between the results of different methods are relatively low but the results of individual samples show large variations. The thermal conductivity measured by the divided bar method gives for most samples slightly higher values, in average about 3%, than the TPS method. The specific heat capacity measured by the calorimetric method gives lower values, in average about 2%, than the TPS method. Consequently, the thermal diffusivity calculated from thermal conductivity and specific heat capacity gives higher values, in average about 6%, than the TPS method. Reasons for the differences are estimated mainly to be dependent on differences between the samples, errors in the temperature dependence of specific heat and in the transformation from volumetric to specific heat. The TPS measurements are performed using two pieces (sub-samples) of rock. Only one of these two sub-samples was measured using the divided bar method and the calorimetric method. Further, sample preparation involved changes in the size of some of the samples. The mean differences between the results of different methods are within the margins of error reported by the measuring laboratories. However, systematic errors in

A method of reconstructing the spatial measurement network by mobile measurement transmitter for shipbuilding

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Guo, Siyang; Lin, Jiarui; Yang, Linghui; Ren, Yongjie; Guo, Yin

2017-01-01

The workshop Measurement Position System (wMPS) is a distributed measurement system which is suitable for the large-scale metrology. However, there are some inevitable measurement problems in the shipbuilding industry, such as the restriction by obstacles and limited measurement range. To deal with these factors, this paper presents a method of reconstructing the spatial measurement network by mobile transmitter. A high-precision coordinate control network with more than six target points is established. The mobile measuring transmitter can be added into the measurement network using this coordinate control network with the spatial resection method. This method reconstructs the measurement network and broadens the measurement scope efficiently. To verify this method, two comparison experiments are designed with the laser tracker as the reference. The results demonstrate that the accuracy of point-to-point length is better than 0.4mm and the accuracy of coordinate measurement is better than 0.6mm. (paper)

Methods of Reverberation Mapping. I. Time-lag Determination by Measures of Randomness

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Chelouche, Doron; Pozo-Nuñez, Francisco [Department of Physics, Faculty of Natural Sciences, University of Haifa, Haifa 3498838 (Israel); Zucker, Shay, E-mail: doron@sci.haifa.ac.il, E-mail: francisco.pozon@gmail.com, E-mail: shayz@post.tau.ac.il [Department of Geosciences, Raymond and Beverly Sackler Faculty of Exact Sciences, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv 6997801 (Israel)

2017-08-01

A class of methods for measuring time delays between astronomical time series is introduced in the context of quasar reverberation mapping, which is based on measures of randomness or complexity of the data. Several distinct statistical estimators are considered that do not rely on polynomial interpolations of the light curves nor on their stochastic modeling, and do not require binning in correlation space. Methods based on von Neumann’s mean-square successive-difference estimator are found to be superior to those using other estimators. An optimized von Neumann scheme is formulated, which better handles sparsely sampled data and outperforms current implementations of discrete correlation function methods. This scheme is applied to existing reverberation data of varying quality, and consistency with previously reported time delays is found. In particular, the size–luminosity relation of the broad-line region in quasars is recovered with a scatter comparable to that obtained by other works, yet with fewer assumptions made concerning the process underlying the variability. The proposed method for time-lag determination is particularly relevant for irregularly sampled time series, and in cases where the process underlying the variability cannot be adequately modeled.

Noise thermometry - a new temperature measuring method

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Brixy, H.; Hecker, R.; Rittinghaus, K.F.

1975-01-01

The thermal Johnson-Niquist noise is the basis of noise thermometry. This temperature measuring method is, e.g., of interest insofar as the noise thermometer gives absolute values as a primary thermometer and is in principle extensively independent of environmental influences and material properties. The resistance values of the measuring probe are about 10 Ohm to a few kOhm. The demands of electronics are high, the self-noise of the measuring apparatus must be as small as possible; a comparative measuring method is advantageous. 1 to 2,500 K are given as a possible temperature range. An accuracy of 0.1% could be achieved in laboratory measurements. Temperature measurements to be used in operation in a few nuclear reactors are mentioned. (HP/LH) [de

Measurement of glomerular filtration rate using technetium-99m-DTPA and the gamma camera: A comparison of methods

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Russell, C.D.; Bischoff, P.G.; Kontzen, F.; Rowell, K.L.; Yester, M.V.; Lloyd, L.K.; Tauxe, W.N.; Dubovsky, E.V.

1984-01-01

A variety of methods has been proposed to estimate glomerular filtration rate (GFR) from renal uptake of Tc-99m-DTPA using a gamma camera. To compare alternative methods, the authors have calculated GFR in several different ways from measurements in 33 patients, and compared the results with an independent GFR measurement based on 8-point plasma clearance of Yb-169-DTPA. The best agreement was obtained using an algorithm that has not been described previously. This was a modification of a method used previously in which correction was made for overlap of kidneys by liver and spleen. The correlation coefficient was 0.958 and the residual standard deviation was 12.1 ml/min. This method required a single 20-min blood sample as well as the camera data. The best method not requiring a blood sample was significantly less accurate, with correlation coefficient 0.866 and residual standard deviation 21.1 ml/min. The accuracy of these methods was comparable to that reported for the creatinine clearance, the most commonly used estimate of GFR in current clinical practice

Ratio method of measuring W boson mass

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Guo, Feng [Stony Brook Univ., NY (United States)

2010-08-01

This dissertation describes an alternative method of measuring the W boson mass in DØ experiment. Instead of extracting M_W from the fitting of W → ev fast Monte Carlo simulations to W → ev data as in the standard method, we make the direct fit of transverse mass between W → ev data and Z → ee data. One of the two electrons from Z boson is treated as a neutrino in the calculation of transverse mass. In ratio method, the best fitted scale factor corresponds to the ratio of W and Z boson mass (M_W/M_Z). Given the precisely measured Z boson mass, W mass is directly fitted from W → ev and Z → ee data. This dissertation demonstrates that ratio method is a plausible method of measuring the W boson mass. With the 1 fb^-1 DØ Run IIa dataset, ratio method gives M_W = 80435 ± 43(stat) ± 26(sys) MeV.

Specification of safety requirements for waste packages with respect to practicable quality control measures

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gruendler, D.; Wurtinger, W.

1987-01-01

Waste packages for disposal in a repository in the Federal Republic of Germany have to meet safety requirements derived from site specific safety analyses. The examination of the waste packages with regard to compliance with these requirements is the main objective of quality control measures. With respect to quality control the requirements have to be specified in a way that practicable control measures can be applied. This is dealt with for the quality control of the activity inventory and the quality control of the waste form. The paper discusses the determination of the activity of hard-to-measure radionuclides and the specification of safety related requirements for the waste form and the packaging using typical examples

Present status and future of simple measuring methods; Suishitsu kan`i sokutei gijutsu no genjo to hatten no hoko

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Urano, K.; Ishii, S. [Yokohama National University, Yokohama (Japan)

1998-05-10

This paper discusses simple measuring methods for water quality. There are various purposes for measuring water quality. It is not necessary to measure the water quality in an official way by taking a lot of labor and cost. Simple measuring methods are often adopted. By applying simple methods, measuring points and frequency of main discharge processes can be increased, resulting in the detailed evaluation and monitoring. Easy safety check for earth filling waste and soil pollutants is realized. Daily inspection and atmospheric measurements at accidents and disasters are easily promoted. The simple methods require easy and rapid operation, sensibility, accuracy and reproducibility suitable for the purpose, small size apparatus, low cost for measurements, and safety against used harmful matters. Coloring reaction is utilized for most of the measuring principles of simple methods, which include tests using test papers, pack tests, colorimetric tests, and tests using photoelectric colorimeter. The bacteria detection includes titration methods using dropping bottles, tablets and syringes, and tests using test papers. A measuring kit for the enzyme immunity method is commercialized. Cooperation of experts, measuring operators at the site and citizens is also indispensable. 7 refs., 3 figs., 2 tabs.

Further elucidation of nanofluid thermal conductivity measurement using a transient hot-wire method apparatus

Science.gov (United States)

Yoo, Donghoon; Lee, Joohyun; Lee, Byeongchan; Kwon, Suyong; Koo, Junemo

2018-02-01

The Transient Hot-Wire Method (THWM) was developed to measure the absolute thermal conductivity of gases, liquids, melts, and solids with low uncertainty. The majority of nanofluid researchers used THWM to measure the thermal conductivity of test fluids. Several reasons have been suggested for the discrepancies in these types of measurements, including nanofluid generation, nanofluid stability, and measurement challenges. The details of the transient hot-wire method such as the test cell size, the temperature coefficient of resistance (TCR) and the sampling number are further investigated to improve the accuracy and consistency of the measurements of different researchers. It was observed that smaller test apparatuses were better because they can delay the onset of natural convection. TCR values of a coated platinum wire were measured and statistically analyzed to reduce the uncertainty in thermal conductivity measurements. For validation, ethylene glycol (EG) and water thermal conductivity were measured and analyzed in the temperature range between 280 and 310 K. Furthermore, a detailed statistical analysis was conducted for such measurements, and the results confirmed the minimum number of samples required to achieve the desired resolution and precision of the measurements. It is further proposed that researchers fully report the information related to their measurements to validate the measurements and to avoid future inconsistent nanofluid data.

Effective Teaching Methods in Higher Education: Requirements and Barriers.

Science.gov (United States)

Shirani Bidabadi, Nahid; Nasr Isfahani, Ahmmadreza; Rouhollahi, Amir; Khalili, Roya

2016-10-01

Teaching is one of the main components in educational planning which is a key factor in conducting educational plans. Despite the importance of good teaching, the outcomes are far from ideal. The present qualitative study aimed to investigate effective teaching in higher education in Iran based on the experiences of best professors in the country and the best local professors of Isfahan University of Technology. This qualitative content analysis study was conducted through purposeful sampling. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with ten faculty members (3 of them from the best professors in the country and 7 from the best local professors). Content analysis was performed by MAXQDA software. The codes, categories and themes were explored through an inductive process that began from semantic units or direct quotations to general themes. According to the results of this study, the best teaching approach is the mixed method (student-centered together with teacher-centered) plus educational planning and previous readiness. But whenever the teachers can teach using this method confront with some barriers and requirements; some of these requirements are prerequisite in professors' behavior and some of these are prerequisite in professors' outlook. Also, there are some major barriers, some of which are associated with the professors' operation and others are related to laws and regulations. Implications of these findings for teachers' preparation in education are discussed. In the present study, it was illustrated that a good teaching method helps the students to question their preconceptions, and motivates them to learn, by putting them in a situation in which they come to see themselves as the authors of answers, as the agents of responsibility for change. But training through this method has some barriers and requirements. To have an effective teaching; the faculty members of the universities should be awarded of these barriers and requirements as a way to

Fibrinogen estimates are influenced by methods of measurement and hemodilution with colloid plasma expanders.

Science.gov (United States)

Fenger-Eriksen, Christian; Moore, Gary W; Rangarajan, Savita; Ingerslev, Jørgen; Sørensen, Benny

2010-12-01

Measurement of plasma fibrinogen is often required in critically ill patients or massively bleeding patients being resuscitated with colloid plasma expander. This study aimed at evaluating different assays of plasma fibrinogen after in vitro dilution with commonly used plasma expanders and challenged the hypothesis that levels of fibrinogen are estimated significantly higher in plasma diluted with colloid plasma expander compared with isotonic saline. Fibrinogen measurements were established in plasma samples each diluted in vitro to 30 or 50% with isotonic saline, hydroxyethyl starch (HES) 130/0.4, and human albumin. Fibrinogen levels were assessed using an antigen determination, three photo-optical Clauss methods, one mechanical Clauss method, a prothrombin-derived method, and viscoelastic measurement through thromboelastometry. Measurement of fibrinogen levels was significantly different when performed on alternate analytical platforms. By 30 and 50% dilution with HES 130/0.4 coagulation analyzers using the photo-optical Clauss methods significantly overestimated levels of fibrinogen. Dilution with human albumin did not affect fibrinogen levels except from one analyzer by 50% dilution level. Viscoelastic measurement of fibrin polymerization was reduced at both dilution levels and appeared to reflect the impairment of fibrin polymerization induced by HES 130/0.4 and to a lesser extent human albumin. This study demonstrated that different automated coagulation analyzers revealed significantly different levels of fibrinogen. The presence of colloid plasma expander gave rise to erroneous high levels of fibrinogen returned from some coagulation analyzers employing the method of Clauss. © 2010 American Association of Blood Banks.

Science and Measurement Requirements for a Plant Physiology and Functional Types Mission: Measuring the Composition, Function and Health of Global Land and Coastal Ocean Ecosystems

Science.gov (United States)

Green, Robert O.; Rogez, Francois; Green, Rob; Ungar, Steve; Knox, Robert; Asner, Greg; Muller-Karger, Frank; Bissett, Paul; Chekalyuk, Alex; Dierssen, Heidi;

Predicted versus measured resting energy expenditure in patients requiring home parenteral nutrition.

Science.gov (United States)

Ławiński, Michał; Singer, Pierre; Gradowski, Łukasz; Gradowska, Aleksandra; Bzikowska, Agnieszka; Majewska, Krystyna

2015-01-01

Guidelines from the European Society for Clinical Nutrition and Metabolism (ESPEN) recommend between 20 and 35 kcal/kg daily for patients requiring home parenteral nutrition (PN). Other guidelines use predictive equations. However, these equations have not been validated. Indirect calorimetry is recommended as the gold standard for determining resting energy expenditure (REE). The aim of this study was to compare the frequently used equations with measured REE. Seventy-six hospitalized patients suffering from intestinal failure (ages 21-85 y) were enrolled between January 2012 and May 2014. They were eligible for implementation of home parenteral nutrition (HPN) due to short bowel syndrome (54%), intestinal fistulae (24%), cancer obstruction (16%), and radiation-induced intestinal injury (6%). REE measurements were compared with predictive equations by Harris and Benedict (HB), Owen, Ireton-Jones, and Mifflin, as well as recommendations from ESPEN. In all, 152 calorimetry measurements (two per patient) were performed in 76 patients, after total PN administrations. An average result of REE measurement by indirect calorimetry was 1181 ± 322 kcal/d. Variability in momentary energy expenditure (MEE) from one measurement to the other was 8% ± 7%. Bland-Altman analysis showed a mean bias of -192 ± 300 kcal/d between MEE and estimated energy expenditure using the HB equation, which means that the equation increased the score on average by 192 ± 300 kcal/d. Limits of agreement (LoA) between the two methods was -780 to +396 kcal/d. Estimation energy expenditure using the Ireton-Jones equation gave a mean bias of -359 ± 335 kcal/d. LoA between the two methods was -1015 to +297 kcal/d. For Owen equation, Bland-Altman analysis showed a mean bias of -208 ± 313 kcal/d and the LoA between the two methods was -822 to +406 kcal/d. Using the Mifflin equation, estimation energy expenditure gave a mean bias of -172 ± 312 kcal/d and the LoA between the

Development of a Novel Scanning Thermal Microscopy (SThM) Method to Measure the Thermal Conductivity of Biological Cells.

Science.gov (United States)

Nakanishi, Kouichi; Kogure, Akinori; Kuwana, Ritsuko; Takamatsu, Hiromu; Ito, Kiyoshi

2017-01-01

　Differences in the physical properties of individual cells cannot be evaluated with conventional experimental methods that are used to study groups of cells obtained from pure cultures. To examine the differences in the thermal tolerance of individual cells that are genetically identical, a method is needed to measure the thermal energy required to kill single cells. We developed a scanning thermal microscopy (SThM) system and measured the thermal conductivity of various bacterial cells, for example, spore formeing Bacillus genus and non spore-forming bacteria such as Escherichia coli. The thermal conductivity of vegetative cells (0.61 to 0.75 W/m・K) was found to be higher than that of spores (0.29 to 0.45 W/m・K). Furthermore the newly developed method enables us to estimate the thermal energy needed to kill individual cells or spores. We believe that this method can estimate the thermal energy required to achieve the cell for sterilization by heating.

Measured attenuation correction methods

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ostertag, H.; Kuebler, W.K.; Doll, J.; Lorenz, W.J.

1989-01-01

Accurate attenuation correction is a prerequisite for the determination of exact local radioactivity concentrations in positron emission tomography. Attenuation correction factors range from 4-5 in brain studies to 50-100 in whole body measurements. This report gives an overview of the different methods of determining the attenuation correction factors by transmission measurements using an external positron emitting source. The long-lived generator nuclide 68 Ge/ 68 Ga is commonly used for this purpose. The additional patient dose from the transmission source is usually a small fraction of the dose due to the subsequent emission measurement. Ring-shaped transmission sources as well as rotating point or line sources are employed in modern positron tomographs. By masking a rotating line or point source, random and scattered events in the transmission scans can be effectively suppressed. The problems of measured attenuation correction are discussed: Transmission/emission mismatch, random and scattered event contamination, counting statistics, transmission/emission scatter compensation, transmission scan after administration of activity to the patient. By using a double masking technique simultaneous emission and transmission scans become feasible. (orig.)

A novel variable baseline visibility detection system and its measurement method

Science.gov (United States)

Li, Meng; Jiang, Li-hui; Xiong, Xing-long; Zhang, Guizhong; Yao, JianQuan

2017-10-01

As an important meteorological observation instrument, the visibility meter can ensure the safety of traffic operation. However, due to the optical system contamination as well as sample error, the accuracy and stability of the equipment are difficult to meet the requirement in the low-visibility environment. To settle this matter, a novel measurement equipment was designed based upon multiple baseline, which essentially acts as an atmospheric transmission meter with movable optical receiver, applying weighted least square method to process signal. Theoretical analysis and experiments in real atmosphere environment support this technique.

The measurement of magnetic properties of electrical sheet steel - survey on methods and situation of standards

CERN Document Server

Sievert, J

2000-01-01

A brief review of the different requirements for magnetic measurement techniques for material research, modelling of material properties and grading of the electrical sheet steel for trade purposes is presented. In relation to the main application of laminated electrical steel, this paper deals with AC measurement techniques. Two standard methods, Epstein frame and Single Sheet Tester (SST), producing different results, are used in parallel. This dilemma was analysed in detail. The study leads to a possible solution of the problem, i.e. the possibility of converting the results of one of the two methods into the results of the other in order to satisfy the users of the Epstein method and, at the same time, to improve the acceptance of the more economical SST method.

Methods and techniques for measuring gas emissions from agricultural and animal feeding operations.

Science.gov (United States)

Hu, Enzhu; Babcock, Esther L; Bialkowski, Stephen E; Jones, Scott B; Tuller, Markus

2014-01-01

Emissions of gases from agricultural and animal feeding operations contribute to climate change, produce odors, degrade sensitive ecosystems, and pose a threat to public health. The complexity of processes and environmental variables affecting these emissions complicate accurate and reliable quantification of gas fluxes and production rates. Although a plethora of measurement technologies exist, each method has its limitations that exacerbate accurate quantification of gas fluxes. Despite a growing interest in gas emission measurements, only a few available technologies include real-time, continuous monitoring capabilities. Commonly applied state-of-the-art measurement frameworks and technologies were critically examined and discussed, and recommendations for future research to address real-time monitoring requirements for forthcoming regulation and management needs are provided.

An Optimal Estimation Method to Obtain Surface Layer Turbulent Fluxes from Profile Measurements

Science.gov (United States)

Kang, D.

2015-12-01

In the absence of direct turbulence measurements, the turbulence characteristics of the atmospheric surface layer are often derived from measurements of the surface layer mean properties based on Monin-Obukhov Similarity Theory (MOST). This approach requires two levels of the ensemble mean wind, temperature, and water vapor, from which the fluxes of momentum, sensible heat, and water vapor can be obtained. When only one measurement level is available, the roughness heights and the assumed properties of the corresponding variables at the respective roughness heights are used. In practice, the temporal mean with large number of samples are used in place of the ensemble mean. However, in many situations the samples of data are taken from multiple levels. It is thus desirable to derive the boundary layer flux properties using all measurements. In this study, we used an optimal estimation approach to derive surface layer properties based on all available measurements. This approach assumes that the samples are taken from a population whose ensemble mean profile follows the MOST. An optimized estimate is obtained when the results yield a minimum cost function defined as a weighted summation of all error variance at each sample altitude. The weights are based one sample data variance and the altitude of the measurements. This method was applied to measurements in the marine atmospheric surface layer from a small boat using radiosonde on a tethered balloon where temperature and relative humidity profiles in the lowest 50 m were made repeatedly in about 30 minutes. We will present the resultant fluxes and the derived MOST mean profiles using different sets of measurements. The advantage of this method over the 'traditional' methods will be illustrated. Some limitations of this optimization method will also be discussed. Its application to quantify the effects of marine surface layer environment on radar and communication signal propagation will be shown as well.

A gamma-source method of measuring soil moisture

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Al-Jeboori, M.A.; Ameen, I.A.

1986-01-01

Water content in soil column was measured using NaI scintillation detector 5 mci Cs-137 as a gamma source. The measurements were done with a back scatter gauge, restricted with scattering angle less to than /2 overcome the effect of soil type. A 3 cm air gap was maintained between the front of the detector and the wall of the soil container in order to increase the counting rate. The distance between the center of the source and the center of the back scattering detector was 14 cm. The accuracy of the measurements was 0.63. For comparision, a direct rays method was used to measure the soil moisture. The results gave an error of 0.65. Results of the two methods were compared with the gravimetric method which gave an error of 0.18 g/g and 0.17 g/g for direct and back method respectively. The quick direct method was used to determine the gravimetric and volumetric percentage constants, and were found to be 1.62 and 0.865 respectively. The method then used to measure the water content in the layers of soil column.(6 tabs., 4 figs., 12 refs.)

Radon in indoor air. Health risk, measurement methods and remedial measures

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Strand, T.

1996-02-01

Radon in indoor air is the main source of ionizing radiation in Norway. The booklet contains a presentation of radon sources, measurement methods, indoor radon concentrations, action levels, health risk and remedial measures

Multiple coil pulsed magnetic resonance method for measuring cold SSC dipole magnet field quality

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Clark, W.G.; Moore, J.M.; Wong, W.H.

1990-01-01

The operating principles and system architecture for a method to measure the magnetic field multipole expansion coefficients are described in the context of the needs of SSC dipole magnets. The operation of an 8-coil prototype system is discussed. Several of the most important technological issues that influence the design are identified and the basis of their resolution is explained. The new features of a 32-coil system presently under construction are described, along with estimates of its requirements for measurement time and data storage capacity

Flow analysis methods for the direct ultra-violet spectrophotometric measurement of nitrate and total nitrogen in freshwaters

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Gentle, Brady S.; Ellis, Peter S.; Grace, Michael R. [Water Studies Centre, School of Chemistry, Monash University, Victoria 3800 (Australia); McKelvie, Ian D., E-mail: iandm@unimelb.edu.au [School of Chemistry, University of Melbourne, Victoria 3010 (Australia); School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Plymouth, Drake Circus, Plymouth PL4 8AA (United Kingdom)

2011-10-17

Highlights: {yields} Second derivative UV spectrophotometry has been used to determine nitrate and total N using flow analysis techniques. {yields} A simple flow system with a single-reflection flow-through cell was used for the UV measurement of nitrate. {yields} Total N was determined after on-line UV photooxidation with alkaline peroxodisulfate. {yields} Analyses carried out using the developed flow systems show a high degree of agreement with comparative analyses. {yields} This method requires no colorimetric reagents and eliminates the requirement for a toxic cadmium reduction column. - Abstract: Second derivative ultra-violet spectrophotometric methods are described for the measurement of nitrate and total nitrogen in freshwaters using flow analysis techniques. A simple flow system consisting of a peristaltic pump and a single-reflection flow-through cell was used for the measurement of nitrate. Quantification of total nitrogen using alkaline peroxodisulfate photo-digestion was achieved by incorporating an ultra-violet photo-reactor, a hollow-fibre filter and a debubbler into the flow system. The nitrate system featured a limit of detection of 0.04 mg N L{sup -1}, 0.4%RSD (1 mg N L{sup -1} as nitrate, n = 10), a coefficient of determination (R{sup 2}) of 0.9995 over the calibration range 0.0-2.0 mg N L{sup -1}, and a data acquisition time of 1.5 s per spectrum. The total nitrogen system featured a limit of detection of 0.05 mg N L{sup -1}, 1%RSD (1 mg N L{sup -1} as ammonium chloride, n = 10), a coefficient of determination of 0.9989 over the calibration range 0.0-2.0 mg N L{sup -1}, and a throughput of 5 sample h{sup -1} measured in triplicate. Digestions of five model nitrogen compounds returned recoveries of >88%. Determinations carried out using the developed systems show a high degree of agreement with data obtained using reference methods. These methods require no colorimetric reagents and eliminate the requirement for a toxic cadmium reduction column

Flow analysis methods for the direct ultra-violet spectrophotometric measurement of nitrate and total nitrogen in freshwaters

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gentle, Brady S.; Ellis, Peter S.; Grace, Michael R.; McKelvie, Ian D.

2011-01-01

Highlights: → Second derivative UV spectrophotometry has been used to determine nitrate and total N using flow analysis techniques. → A simple flow system with a single-reflection flow-through cell was used for the UV measurement of nitrate. → Total N was determined after on-line UV photooxidation with alkaline peroxodisulfate. → Analyses carried out using the developed flow systems show a high degree of agreement with comparative analyses. → This method requires no colorimetric reagents and eliminates the requirement for a toxic cadmium reduction column. - Abstract: Second derivative ultra-violet spectrophotometric methods are described for the measurement of nitrate and total nitrogen in freshwaters using flow analysis techniques. A simple flow system consisting of a peristaltic pump and a single-reflection flow-through cell was used for the measurement of nitrate. Quantification of total nitrogen using alkaline peroxodisulfate photo-digestion was achieved by incorporating an ultra-violet photo-reactor, a hollow-fibre filter and a debubbler into the flow system. The nitrate system featured a limit of detection of 0.04 mg N L -1 , 0.4%RSD (1 mg N L -1 as nitrate, n = 10), a coefficient of determination (R 2 ) of 0.9995 over the calibration range 0.0-2.0 mg N L -1 , and a data acquisition time of 1.5 s per spectrum. The total nitrogen system featured a limit of detection of 0.05 mg N L -1 , 1%RSD (1 mg N L -1 as ammonium chloride, n = 10), a coefficient of determination of 0.9989 over the calibration range 0.0-2.0 mg N L -1 , and a throughput of 5 sample h -1 measured in triplicate. Digestions of five model nitrogen compounds returned recoveries of >88%. Determinations carried out using the developed systems show a high degree of agreement with data obtained using reference methods. These methods require no colorimetric reagents and eliminate the requirement for a toxic cadmium reduction column. The overlap of chloride and nitrate spectra in seawater is

Automatic Recognition Method for Optical Measuring Instruments Based on Machine Vision

Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

SONG Le; LIN Yuchi; HAO Liguo

2008-01-01

Based on a comprehensive study of various algorithms, the automatic recognition of traditional ocular optical measuring instruments is realized. Taking a universal tools microscope (UTM) lens view image as an example, a 2-layer automatic recognition model for data reading is established after adopting a series of pre-processing algorithms. This model is an optimal combination of the correlation-based template matching method and a concurrent back propagation (BP) neural network. Multiple complementary feature extraction is used in generating the eigenvectors of the concurrent network. In order to improve fault-tolerance capacity, rotation invariant features based on Zernike moments are extracted from digit characters and a 4-dimensional group of the outline features is also obtained. Moreover, the operating time and reading accuracy can be adjusted dynamically by setting the threshold value. The experimental result indicates that the newly developed algorithm has optimal recognition precision and working speed. The average reading ratio can achieve 97.23%. The recognition method can automatically obtain the results of optical measuring instruments rapidly and stably without modifying their original structure, which meets the application requirements.

A new computational method of a moment-independent uncertainty importance measure

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Liu Qiao; Homma, Toshimitsu

2009-01-01

For a risk assessment model, the uncertainty in input parameters is propagated through the model and leads to the uncertainty in the model output. The study of how the uncertainty in the output of a model can be apportioned to the uncertainty in the model inputs is the job of sensitivity analysis. Saltelli [Sensitivity analysis for importance assessment. Risk Analysis 2002;22(3):579-90] pointed out that a good sensitivity indicator should be global, quantitative and model free. Borgonovo [A new uncertainty importance measure. Reliability Engineering and System Safety 2007;92(6):771-84] further extended these three requirements by adding the fourth feature, moment-independence, and proposed a new sensitivity measure, δ i . It evaluates the influence of the input uncertainty on the entire output distribution without reference to any specific moment of the model output. In this paper, a new computational method of δ i is proposed. It is conceptually simple and easier to implement. The feasibility of this new method is proved by applying it to two examples.

Measurement of Tritium Activity in Plants by Ice Extraction Method

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Pelled, O.; Ovad, S.; Tubul, Y.; Tsroya, S.; Gonen, R.; Abraham, A.; Weinstein, M.; German, U.

2014-01-01

Tritium is produced primarily by interactions of cosmic rays with the atmosphere. However, nuclear installations may add significantly tritium to the surroundings, increasing its concentration. The main sources of tritium released by man are linked to the nuclear power cycle: nuclear power stations, nuclear fuel reprocessing plants or tritium production plants. Tritium is found in the environment mainly as tritiated water, in gaseous or liquid form (HTO, T2O), in the surrounding air and in soil. It accumulates in plants, which may use as a measure to the level of tritium concentration in the environment. The most common routes of tritium uptake from the environment in plants are from atmospheric humidity and by precipitation water which entered the soil. The fraction of tritium bound to the plant tissue is small compared to that present as tritiated water in the plant (from 0.06% to 0.3% for growing crops). The tritiated water uptake is through the roots, as tritiated water from the soil follows a pathway similar to that of ordinary water. As most tritium in plants consists of tritiated water, the measurements of only the tissue free water tritium concentration (as HTO or T2O) gives an accurate estimate of the tritium content in the plant. Analyzing free tritium in biological matrices usually requires using the freeze-drying method to extract the water from the sample, and then measure the water collected in a cold trap with a Liquid Scintillation Counter (LSC). The 'freeze-drying' occurs because of the sublimation of the frozen water inside the plant, that takes place when the temperature is beneath the triple point and the vapour pressure is low. In the temperature range of -5° to -10° C the mechanism that plants use to avoid freezing is drawing of water from the cell protoplasm into the intercellular spaces. Changes in cell membrane permeability allow water to leave the cell and enter the spaces between the cells where it freezes instead of freezing within the

Evaluation method of lead measurement accuracy of gears using a wedge artefact

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Komori, Masaharu; Takeoka, Fumi; Kubo, Aizoh; Okamoto, Kazuhiko; Osawa, Sonko; Sato, Osamu; Takatsuji, Toshiyuki

2009-01-01

The reduction of the vibration and noise of gears is an important issue in mechanical devices such as vehicles and wind turbines. The characteristics of the vibration and noise of gears are markedly affected by deviations of the tooth flank form of micrometre order; therefore, a strict quality control of the tooth flank form is required. The accuracy of the lead measurement for a gear-measuring instrument is usually evaluated using a master gear or a lead master. However, it is difficult to manufacture masters with high accuracy because the helix is a complicated geometrical form. In this paper, we propose a method of evaluating a gear-measuring instrument using a wedge artefact, which includes a highly precise plane surface. The concept of the wedge artefact is described and a mathematical model of the measuring condition of the wedge artefact is constructed. Theoretical measurement results for the wedge artefact are calculated. The wedge artefact is designed and produced on the basis of the theoretical measurement results. A measurement experiment using the wedge artefact is carried out and its effectiveness is verified

[Comparision of Different Methods of Area Measurement in Irregular Scar].

Science.gov (United States)

Ran, D; Li, W J; Sun, Q G; Li, J Q; Xia, Q

2016-10-01

To determine a measurement standard of irregular scar area by comparing the advantages and disadvantages of different measurement methods in measuring same irregular scar area. Irregular scar area was scanned by digital scanning and measured by coordinate reading method, AutoCAD pixel method, Photoshop lasso pixel method, Photoshop magic bar filled pixel method and Foxit PDF reading software, and some aspects of these methods such as measurement time, repeatability, whether could be recorded and whether could be traced were compared and analyzed. There was no significant difference in the scar areas by the measurement methods above. However, there was statistical difference in the measurement time and repeatability by one or multi performers and only Foxit PDF reading software could be traced back. The methods above can be used for measuring scar area, but each one has its advantages and disadvantages. It is necessary to develop new measurement software for forensic identification. Copyright© by the Editorial Department of Journal of Forensic Medicine

Comparative studies of the laser Thomson scattering and Langmuir probe methods for measurements of negative ion density in a glow discharge plasma

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Noguchi, M; Hirao, T; Shindo, M; Sakurauchi, K; Yamagata, Y; Uchino, K; Kawai, Y; Muraoka, K

2003-01-01

The newly developed method of the negative ion density measurement in a plasma by laser Thomson scattering (LTS) was checked by comparing the obtained results against an independent technique, namely the Langmuir probe method. Both measurements were performed at the same position of the same inductively coupled plasma. The results agree quite well with each other and this has given confidence in the LTS method of negative ion density measurement. At the same time, both methods are complementary to each other, because the Langmuir probe measurement requires knowledge of the positive ion mass number

Simple measurement of 14C in the environment using a gel suspension method

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wakabayashi, G.; Ohura, H.; Okai, T.; Matoba, M.

1999-01-01

A simple analytical method for environmental 14 C with a low background liquid scintillation counter was developed. A new gelling agent, N-lauroyl-L-glutamic-α,γ-dibutylamide was used, for the liquid scintillation counting of 14 C as CaCO 3 (gel suspension method). Our procedure for sample preparation was much simpler than that of conventional methods and required no special equipment. The samples prepared with the standard sample of CaCO 3 were measured to evaluate the self absorption of the sample, the optimum condition of counting and the detection limit. Our results indicated that the newly developed technique could be efficiently applied for the monitoring of environmental 14 C. (author)

Identifying and prioritizing customer requirements from tractor production by QFD method

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

H Taghizadeh

2017-05-01

Full Text Available Introduction Discovering and understanding customer needs and expectations are considered as important factors on customer satisfaction and play vital role to maintain the current activity among its competitors, proceeding and obtaining customer satisfaction which are critical factors to design a successful production; thus the successful organizations must meet their needs containing the quality of the products or services to customers. Quality Function Deployment (QFD is a technique for studying demands and needs of customers which is going to give more emphasis to the customer's interests in this way. The QFD method in general implemented various tools and methods for reaching qualitative goals; but the most important and the main tool of this method is the house of quality diagrams. The Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP is a famous and common MADM method based on pair wise comparisons used for determining the priority of understudied factors in various studies until now. With considering effectiveness of QFD method to explicating customer's demands and obtaining customer satisfaction, generally, the researchers followed this question's suite and scientific answer: how can QFD explicate real demands and requirements of customers from tractor final production and what is the prioritization of these demands and requirements in view of customers. Accordingly, the aim of this study was to identify and prioritize the customer requirements of Massey Ferguson (MF 285 tractor production in Iran tractor manufacturing company with t- student statistical test, AHP and QFD methods. Materials and Methods Research method was descriptive and statistical population included all of the tractor customers of Tractor Manufacturing Company in Iran from March 2011 to March 2015. The statistical sample size was 171 which are determined with Cochran index. Moreover, 20 experts' opinion has been considered for determining product's technical requirements. Literature

Accuracy and precision of four common peripheral temperature measurement methods in intensive care patients

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Asadian S

2016-09-01

Full Text Available Simin Asadian,1 Alireza Khatony,1 Gholamreza Moradi,2 Alireza Abdi,1 Mansour Rezaei,3 1Nursing and Midwifery School, Kermanshah University of Medical Sciences, 2Department of Anesthesiology, 3Biostatistics & Epidemiology Department, Kermanshah University of Medical Sciences, Kermanshah, Iran Introduction: An accurate determination of body temperature in critically ill patients is a fundamental requirement for initiating the proper process of diagnosis, and also therapeutic actions; therefore, the aim of the study was to assess the accuracy and precision of four noninvasive peripheral methods of temperature measurement compared to the central nasopharyngeal measurement. Methods: In this observational prospective study, 237 patients were recruited from the intensive care unit of Imam Ali Hospital of Kermanshah. The patients’ body temperatures were measured by four peripheral methods; oral, axillary, tympanic, and forehead along with a standard central nasopharyngeal measurement. After data collection, the results were analyzed by paired t-test, kappa coefficient, receiver operating characteristic curve, and using Statistical Package for the Social Sciences, version 19, software. Results: There was a significant meaningful correlation between all the peripheral methods when compared with the central measurement (P<0.001. Kappa coefficients showed good agreement between the temperatures of right and left tympanic membranes and the standard central nasopharyngeal measurement (88%. Paired t-test demonstrated an acceptable precision with forehead (P=0.132, left (P=0.18 and right (P=0.318 tympanic membranes, oral (P=1.00, and axillary (P=1.00 methods. Sensitivity and specificity of both the left and right tympanic membranes were more than for other methods. Conclusion: The tympanic and forehead methods had the highest and lowest accuracy for measuring body temperature, respectively. It is recommended to use the tympanic method (right and left for

Torsion method for measuring piezooptic coefficients

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Skab, I.; Smaga, I.; Savaryn, V.; Vasylkiv, Yu.; Vlokh, R. [Institute of Physical Optics, Lviv (Ukraine)

2011-01-15

We develop and describe analytically a torsion method for measuring piezooptic coefficients associated with shear stresses. It is shown that the method enables to increase significantly the accuracy of determination of piezooptic coefficients. The method and the appropriate apparatus are verified experimentally on the example of LiNbO{sub 3} crystals. (copyright 2011 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH and Co. KGaA, Weinheim) (orig.)

Studies of coherent/Compton scattering method for bone mineral content measurement

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sakurai, Kiyoko; Iwanami, Shigeru; Nakazawa, Keiji; Matsubayashi, Takashi; Imamura, Keiko.

1980-01-01

A measurement of bone mineral content by a coherent/Compton scattering method was described. A bone sample was irradiated by a collimated narrow beam of 59.6 keV gamma-rays emitted from a 300 mCi 241 Am source, and the scattered radiations were detected using a collimated pure germanium detector placed at 90 0 to the incident beam. The ratio of coherent to Compton peaks in a spectrum of the scattered radiations depends on the bone mineral content of the bone sample. The advantage of this method is that bone mineral content of a small region in a bone can be accurately measured. Assuming that bone consists of two components, protein and bone mineral, and that the mass absorption coefficient for Compton scattering is independent of material, the coherent to Compton scattering ratio is linearly related to the percentage in weight of bone mineral. A calibration curve was obtained by measuring standard samples which were mixed with Ca 3 (PO 4 ) 2 and H 2 O. The error due to the assumption about the mass absorption coefficient for Compton scattering and to the difference between true bone and standard samples was estimated to be less than 3% within the range from 10 to 60% in weight of bone mineral. The fat in bone affects an estimated value by only 1.5% when it is 20% in weight. For the clinical application of this method, the location to be analyzed should be selected before the measurement with two X-ray images viewed from the source and the detector. These views would be also used to correct the difference in absorption between coherent and Compton scattered radiations whose energies are slightly different from each other. The absorbed dose to the analyzed region was approximately 150 mrad. The time required for one measurement in this study was about 10 minutes. (author)

Measurement System Analyses - Gauge Repeatability and Reproducibility Methods

Science.gov (United States)

Cepova, Lenka; Kovacikova, Andrea; Cep, Robert; Klaput, Pavel; Mizera, Ondrej

2018-02-01

The submitted article focuses on a detailed explanation of the average and range method (Automotive Industry Action Group, Measurement System Analysis approach) and of the honest Gauge Repeatability and Reproducibility method (Evaluating the Measurement Process approach). The measured data (thickness of plastic parts) were evaluated by both methods and their results were compared on the basis of numerical evaluation. Both methods were additionally compared and their advantages and disadvantages were discussed. One difference between both methods is the calculation of variation components. The AIAG method calculates the variation components based on standard deviation (then a sum of variation components does not give 100 %) and the honest GRR study calculates the variation components based on variance, where the sum of all variation components (part to part variation, EV & AV) gives the total variation of 100 %. Acceptance of both methods among the professional society, future use, and acceptance by manufacturing industry were also discussed. Nowadays, the AIAG is the leading method in the industry.

Fabrication of 94Zr thin target for recoil distance doppler shift method of lifetime measurement

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gupta, C.K.; Rohilla, Aman; Abhilash, S.R.; Kabiraj, D.; Singh, R.P.; Mehta, D.; Chamoli, S.K.

2014-01-01

A thin isotopic 94 Zr target of thickness 520μg/cm 2 has been prepared for recoil distance Doppler shift method (RDM) lifetime measurement by using an electron beam deposition method on tantalum backing of 3.5 mg/cm 2 thickness at Inter University Accelerator Center (IUAC), New Delhi. To meet the special requirement of smoothness of surface for RDM lifetime measurement and also to protect the outer layer of 94 Zr from peeling off, a very thin layer of gold has been evaporated on a 94 Zr target on a specially designed substrate holder. In all, 143 mg of 99.6% enriched 94 Zr target material was utilized for the fabrication of 94 Zr targets. The target has been successfully used in a recent RDM lifetime measurement experiment at IUAC

Fabrication of 94Zr thin target for recoil distance doppler shift method of lifetime measurement

Science.gov (United States)

Gupta, C. K.; Rohilla, Aman; Abhilash, S. R.; Kabiraj, D.; Singh, R. P.; Mehta, D.; Chamoli, S. K.

2014-11-01

A thin isotopic 94Zr target of thickness 520 μg /cm2 has been prepared for recoil distance Doppler shift method (RDM) lifetime measurement by using an electron beam deposition method on tantalum backing of 3.5 mg/cm2 thickness at Inter University Accelerator Center (IUAC), New Delhi. To meet the special requirement of smoothness of surface for RDM lifetime measurement and also to protect the outer layer of 94Zr from peeling off, a very thin layer of gold has been evaporated on a 94Zr target on a specially designed substrate holder. In all, 143 mg of 99.6% enriched 94Zr target material was utilized for the fabrication of 94Zr targets. The target has been successfully used in a recent RDM lifetime measurement experiment at IUAC.

Experimental verification of neutron emission method for measuring of fissile material content in spent fuel

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Abou-Zaid, A.A.; Pytel, K.

1999-01-01

A non-destructive method of measurement of fissile nuclides content remained in spent fuel from research reactor is presented. The method, called the neutron emission one, is based on counting of fission neutrons emitted from fissile isotopes: 235 U, 239 Pu, 241 Pu. Fissions are induced mainly by neutrons supplied by the external neutron source. Another effects contribute also to the measured neutron population, e. g. source neutrons from penetrating the fuel without being captured and scattered, neutrons (α,n) reactions and from spontaneous fissions of actinides. Complexity of phenomena occurring within the measurement facility required the detailed numerical simulation and experimental studies prior design of ultimate measurement stand. In the previous paper, the results of Monte Carlo simulation on optimisation of measuring stand for neutron emission method were presented. On the basis of those results, the experimental stand for Maria reactor fuel investigation has been designed and manufactured. The present paper, being the continuation of previous one, contains the description of experimental facility and the results of measurements for the fresh fuel (without burnup) and the fuel mock-up (without fissile materials). Although some discrepancies were found between Monte Carlo and experimental results, the main conclusions concerning the optimal geometry of measuring facility have been confirmed. (author)

Organizational flexibility as a challenge of contemporary management. Determinants and methods of measurement

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Piotr Buła

2011-12-01

Full Text Available Purpose: This paper has been aimed at defining contemporary management flexibility determinants and the methods of its measurement. Problem investigated: This paper presents an analysis of organizational flexibility determinants related to the contemporary concepts and challenges within the area of management. The discussion includes two types of measurement of organizational flexibility based on declarative tests and quantitative criteria. The described methods are subject to evaluation. The paper also presents authors' own proposal for determinants classification, organizational flexibility assessment and an exemplary application. Methodology: The paper has been based on the results of research on organizational flexibility conducted by the Department of Business Studies Aalborg University (Denmark and Wrocław University of Economics (Poland. Conclusion: Organizational flexibility constitutes one of the major challenges of contemporary management. This issue has already been extensively discussed, however, despite numerous publications and relevant research projects many issues still need to be resolved. One of them is organizational flexibility measurement. In the first place, it needs a description of flexibility determinants relevant to a certain organization. There are no objective methods that would allow a description of the set of determinants since they are dependent on organization's special features and individually set objectives. In addition, it should be noted that those factors are subject to change, in line with the development of theory and concepts of management. The very flexibility measurement requires simultaneous application of various methods of factor analysis and polling stakeholder opinions.

A Method for and Issues Associated with the Determination of Space Suit Joint Requirements

Science.gov (United States)

Matty, Jennifer E.; Aitchison, Lindsay

2009-01-01

In the design of a new space suit it is necessary to have requirements that define what mobility space suit joints should be capable of achieving in both a system and at the component level. NASA elected to divide mobility into its constituent parts-range of motion (ROM) and torque- in an effort to develop clean design requirements that limit subject performance bias and are easily verified. Unfortunately, the measurement of mobility can be difficult to obtain. Current technologies, such as the Vicon motion capture system, allow for the relatively easy benchmarking of range of motion (ROM) for a wide array of space suit systems. The ROM evaluations require subjects in the suit to accurately evaluate the ranges humans can achieve in the suit. However, when it comes to torque, there are significant challenges for both benchmarking current performance and writing requirements for future suits. This is reflected in the fact that torque definitions have been applied to very few types of space suits and with limited success in defining all the joints accurately. This paper discussed the advantages and disadvantages to historical joint torque evaluation methods, describes more recent efforts directed at benchmarking joint torques of prototype space suits, and provides an outline for how NASA intends to address joint torque in design requirements for the Constellation Space Suit System (CSSS).

What gets measured gets managed: A new method of measuring household food waste.

Science.gov (United States)

Elimelech, Efrat; Ayalon, Ofira; Ert, Eyal

2018-03-22

The quantification of household food waste is an essential part of setting policies and waste reduction goals, but it is very difficult to estimate. Current methods include either direct measurements (physical waste surveys) or measurements based on self-reports (diaries, interviews, and questionnaires). The main limitation of the first method is that it cannot always trace the waste source, i.e., an individual household, whereas the second method lacks objectivity. This article presents a new measurement method that offers a solution to these challenges by measuring daily produced food waste at the household level. This method is based on four main principles: (1) capturing waste as it enters the stream, (2) collecting waste samples at the doorstep, (3) using the individual household as the sampling unit, and (4) collecting and sorting waste daily. We tested the feasibility of the new method with an empirical study of 192 households, measuring the actual amounts of food waste from households as well as its composition. Household food waste accounted for 45% of total waste (573 g/day per capita), of which 54% was identified as avoidable. Approximately two thirds of avoidable waste consisted of vegetables and fruit. These results are similar to previous findings from waste surveys, yet the new method showed a higher level of accuracy. The feasibility test suggests that the proposed method provides a practical tool for policy makers for setting policy based on reliable empirical data and monitoring the effectiveness of different policies over time. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

A method for measuring the velocity flow field in the vicinity of a moving cascade

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bammert, K.; Mobarak, A.

1977-01-01

Centrifugal compressors and blowers are often used for recycling the coolant gas in gas-cooled reactors. To achieve the required pressure ratios, highly loaded centrifugal compressors are built. The paper deals with a method of measuring the flow field in the vicinity of a moving impeller or cascade with hot wires. The relative flow pattern induced ahead of a cascade or impeller or the rotating wakes behind a moving cascade (which is important for loss evaluation) could be now measured with the help of a single hot wire. The wire should be rotated about the axis of the probe for 3 different inclinations with respect to the approaching flow. The method has been used for measuring the flow field in the vicinity of the inducer of a highly loaded centrifugal compressor. The results and the accuracy of the method are discussed and the mean values have been compared with the theoretically estimated velocities. (orig.) [de

Accurate method for luminous transmittance and signal detection quotients measurements in sunglasses lenses

Science.gov (United States)

Loureiro, A. D.; Gomes, L. M.; Ventura, L.

2018-02-01

The international standard ISO 12312-1 proposes transmittance tests that quantify how dark sunglasses lenses are and whether or not they are suitable for driving. To perform these tests a spectrometer is required. In this study, we present and analyze theoretically an accurate alternative method for performing these measurements using simple components. Using three LEDs and a four-channel sensor we generated weighting functions similar to the standard ones for luminous and traffic lights transmittances. From 89 sunglasses lens spectroscopy data, we calculated luminous transmittance and signal detection quotients using our obtained weighting functions and the standard ones. Mean-difference Tukey plots were used to compare the results. All tested sunglasses lenses were classified in the right category and correctly as suitable or not for driving. The greatest absolute errors for luminous transmittance and red, yellow, green and blue signal detection quotients were 0.15%, 0.17, 0.06, 0.04 and 0.18, respectively. This method will be used in a device capable to perform transmittance tests (visible, traffic lights and ultraviolet (UV)) according to the standard. It is important to measure rightly luminous transmittance and relative visual attenuation quotients to report correctly whether or not sunglasses are suitable for driving. Moreover, standard UV requirements depend on luminous transmittance.

Simple method of measuring pulmonary extravascular water using heavy water

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Basset, G; Moreau, F; Scaringella, M; Tistchenko, S; Botter, F; Marsac, J

1975-11-20

The field of application of the multiple indicators dilution method in human pathology, already used to study pulmonary edema, can be extended to cover the identification and testing of all conditions leading to increase lung water. To be really practical it must be simple, fast, sensitive, inexpensive and subject to repetition; the use of non-radioactive tracers is implied. Indocyanine Green and heavy water were chosen respectively as vascular and diffusible indicators. Original methods have been developed for the treatment and isotopic analysis of blood: mass spectrometric analysis of aqueous blood extracts after deproteinisation by zinc sulphate then rapid distillation of the supernatant under helium; infrared analysis either of acetone extracts from small blood samples (100..mu..litre) or of blood itself in a continuous measurement. The infrared technique adopted has been used on rats and on men in normal and pathological situations. The results show that the method proposed for the determination of pulmonary extravascular water meets the requirements of clinicians while respecting the patients' safety, and could be generalized to other organs.

A SPME-based method for rapidly and accurately measuring the characteristic parameter for DEHP emitted from PVC floorings.

Science.gov (United States)

Cao, J; Zhang, X; Little, J C; Zhang, Y

2017-03-01

Semivolatile organic compounds (SVOCs) are present in many indoor materials. SVOC emissions can be characterized with a critical parameter, y 0 , the gas-phase SVOC concentration in equilibrium with the source material. To reduce the required time and improve the accuracy of existing methods for measuring y 0 , we developed a new method which uses solid-phase microextraction (SPME) to measure the concentration of an SVOC emitted by source material placed in a sealed chamber. Taking one typical indoor SVOC, di-(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (DEHP), as the example, the experimental time was shortened from several days (even several months) to about 1 day, with relative errors of less than 5%. The measured y 0 values agree well with the results obtained by independent methods. The saturated gas-phase concentration (y sat ) of DEHP was also measured. Based on the Clausius-Clapeyron equation, a correlation that reveals the effects of temperature, the mass fraction of DEHP in the source material, and y sat on y 0 was established. The proposed method together with the correlation should be useful in estimating and controlling human exposure to indoor DEHP. The applicability of the present approach for other SVOCs and other SVOC source materials requires further study. © 2016 John Wiley & Sons A/S. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Reliability and validity of non-radiographic methods of thoracic kyphosis measurement: a systematic review.

Science.gov (United States)

Barrett, Eva; McCreesh, Karen; Lewis, Jeremy

2014-02-01

A wide array of instruments are available for non-invasive thoracic kyphosis measurement. Guidelines for selecting outcome measures for use in clinical and research practice recommend that properties such as validity and reliability are considered. This systematic review reports on the reliability and validity of non-invasive methods for measuring thoracic kyphosis. A systematic search of 11 electronic databases located studies assessing reliability and/or validity of non-invasive thoracic kyphosis measurement techniques. Two independent reviewers used a critical appraisal tool to assess the quality of retrieved studies. Data was extracted by the primary reviewer. The results were synthesized qualitatively using a level of evidence approach. 27 studies satisfied the eligibility criteria and were included in the review. The reliability, validity and both reliability and validity were investigated by sixteen, two and nine studies respectively. 17/27 studies were deemed to be of high quality. In total, 15 methods of thoracic kyphosis were evaluated in retrieved studies. All investigated methods showed high (ICC ≥ .7) to very high (ICC ≥ .9) levels of reliability. The validity of the methods ranged from low to very high. The strongest levels of evidence for reliability exists in support of the Debrunner kyphometer, Spinal Mouse and Flexicurve index, and for validity supports the arcometer and Flexicurve index. Further reliability and validity studies are required to strengthen the level of evidence for the remaining methods of measurement. This should be addressed by future research. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Quality assurance requirements and methods for high level waste package acceptability

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1992-12-01

This document should serve as guidance for assigning the necessary items to control the conditioning process in such a way that waste packages are produced in compliance with the waste acceptance requirements. It is also provided to promote the exchange of information on quality assurance requirements and on the application of quality assurance methods associated with the production of high level waste packages, to ensure that these waste packages comply with the requirements for transportation, interim storage and waste disposal in deep geological formations. The document is intended to assist both the operators of conditioning facilities and repositories as well as national authorities and regulatory bodies, involved in the licensing of the conditioning of high level radioactive wastes or in the development of deep underground disposal systems. The document recommends the quality assurance requirements and methods which are necessary to generate data for these parameters identified in IAEA-TECDOC-560 on qualitative acceptance criteria, and indicates where and when the control methods can be applied, e.g. in the operation or commissioning of a process or in the development of a waste package design. Emphasis is on the control of the process and little reliance is placed on non-destructive or destructive testing. Qualitative criteria, relevant to disposal of high level waste, are repository dependent and are not addressed here. 37 refs, 3 figs, 2 tabs

Assessing methods for measurement of clinical outcomes and quality of care in primary care practices

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Green Michael E

2012-07-01

Full Text Available Abstract Purpose To evaluate the appropriateness of potential data sources for the population of performance indicators for primary care (PC practices. Methods This project was a cross sectional study of 7 multidisciplinary primary care teams in Ontario, Canada. Practices were recruited and 5-7 physicians per practice agreed to participate in the study. Patients of participating physicians (20-30 were recruited sequentially as they presented to attend a visit. Data collection included patient, provider and practice surveys, chart abstraction and linkage to administrative data sets. Matched pairs analysis was used to examine the differences in the observed results for each indicator obtained using multiple data sources. Results Seven teams, 41 physicians, 94 associated staff and 998 patients were recruited. The survey response rate was 81% for patients, 93% for physicians and 83% for associated staff. Chart audits were successfully completed on all but 1 patient and linkage to administrative data was successful for all subjects. There were significant differences noted between the data collection methods for many measures. No single method of data collection was best for all outcomes. For most measures of technical quality of care chart audit was the most accurate method of data collection. Patient surveys were more accurate for immunizations, chronic disease advice/information dispensed, some general health promotion items and possibly for medication use. Administrative data appears useful for indicators including chronic disease diagnosis and osteoporosis/ breast screening. Conclusions Multiple data collection methods are required for a comprehensive assessment of performance in primary care practices. The choice of which methods are best for any one particular study or quality improvement initiative requires careful consideration of the biases that each method might introduce into the results. In this study, both patients and providers were

Simple and versatile molecular method of copy-number measurement using cloned competitors.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Hyun-Kyoung Kim

Full Text Available Variations and alterations of copy numbers (CNVs and CNAs carry disease susceptibility and drug responsiveness implications. Although there are many molecular methods to measure copy numbers, sensitivity, reproducibility, cost, and time issues remain. In the present study, we were able to solve those problems utilizing our modified real competitive PCR method with cloned competitors (mrcPCR. First, the mrcPCR for ERBB2 copy number was established, and the results were comparable to current standard methods but with a shorter assay time and a lower cost. Second, the mrcPCR assays for 24 drug-target genes were established, and the results in a panel of NCI-60 cells were comparable to those from real-time PCR and microarray. Third, the mrcPCR results for FCGR3A and the FCGR3B CNVs were comparable to those by the paralog ratio test (PRT, but without PRT's limitations. These results suggest that mrcPCR is comparable to the currently available standard or the most sensitive methods. In addition, mrcPCR would be invaluable for measurement of CNVs in genes with variants of similar structures, because combination of the other methods is not necessary, along with its other advantages such as short assay time, small sample amount requirement, and applicability to all sequences and genes.

Functional requirements document for measuring emissions of airborne radioactive materials

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Glissmeyer, J.A.; Alvarez, J.L.; Hoover, M.D.; Newton, G.C.; McFarland, A.R.; Rodgers, J.C.

1994-11-01

This document states the general functional requirements for systems and procedures for measuring emissions of airborne radioactive materials from facilities administered by the Westinghouse Hanford Company (WHC). The following issues are addressed in this document: lg-bullet definition of the program objectives lg-bullet selection of the overall approach to collecting the samples lg-bullet sampling equipment design lg-bullet sampling equipment maintenance and quality assurance issues. The following issues are not addressed in this document: lg-bullet air sampling in work areas or containments lg-bullet selection of specific on-line sample monitoring instrumentation lg-bullet analyzing collected samples lg-bullet reporting and interpreting results. The document provides equipment design guidance that is performance based rather than prescriptive. Locations from which samples are obtained should exhibit mixing of the contaminants with the airstream and acceptable air flow characteristics. Sample collection equipment and effluent and sample flow elements should meet defined performance standards. Quality control and assurance requirements specific to sample collection, equipment inspection, and calibration are presented. Key sample collection performance requirements are summarized in Section 5.4. The intent of this document is to assist WHC in demonstrating a high quality of air emission measurements with verified system performance based on documented system design, testing, inspection, and maintenance

A new measurement method of coatings thickness based on lock-in thermography

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, Jin-Yu; Meng, Xiang-bin; Ma, Yong-chao

2016-05-01

Coatings have been widely used in modern industry and it plays an important role. Coatings thickness is directly related to the performance of the functional coatings, therefore, rapid and accurate coatings thickness inspection has great significance. Existing coatings thickness measurement method is difficult to achieve fast and accurate on-site non-destructive coatings inspection due to cost, accuracy, destruction during inspection and other reasons. This paper starts from the introduction of the principle of lock-in thermography, and then performs an in-depth study on the application of lock-in thermography in coatings inspection through numerical modeling and analysis. The numerical analysis helps explore the relationship between coatings thickness and phase, and the relationship lays the foundation for accurate calculation of coatings thickness. The author sets up a lock-in thermography inspection system and uses thermal barrier coatings specimens to conduct an experiment. The specimen coatings thickness is measured and calibrated to verify the quantitative inspection. Experiment results show that the lock-in thermography method can perform fast coatings inspection and the inspection accuracy is about 95%. Therefore, the method can meet the field testing requirements for engineering projects.

Direct methods for radionuclides measurement in water environment

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chernyaev, A.; Gaponov, I.; Kazennov, A.

2004-01-01

The paper is devoted to the direct method of anthropogenic radionuclide measurement in the water environment. Opportunities of application of submersible gamma-spectrometers for in situ underwater measurements of gamma-radiating nuclides and also the direct method for 90 Sr detection are considered

Suitability of analytical methods to measure solubility for the purpose of nanoregulation.

Science.gov (United States)

Tantra, Ratna; Bouwmeester, Hans; Bolea, Eduardo; Rey-Castro, Carlos; David, Calin A; Dogné, Jean-Michel; Jarman, John; Laborda, Francisco; Laloy, Julie; Robinson, Kenneth N; Undas, Anna K; van der Zande, Meike

2016-01-01

Solubility is an important physicochemical parameter in nanoregulation. If nanomaterial is completely soluble, then from a risk assessment point of view, its disposal can be treated much in the same way as "ordinary" chemicals, which will simplify testing and characterisation regimes. This review assesses potential techniques for the measurement of nanomaterial solubility and evaluates the performance against a set of analytical criteria (based on satisfying the requirements as governed by the cosmetic regulation as well as the need to quantify the concentration of free (hydrated) ions). Our findings show that no universal method exists. A complementary approach is thus recommended, to comprise an atomic spectrometry-based method in conjunction with an electrochemical (or colorimetric) method. This article shows that although some techniques are more commonly used than others, a huge research gap remains, related with the need to ensure data reliability.

Measurement of the surface tension by the method of maximum gas bubble pressure

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Dugne, Jean

1971-01-01

A gas bubble method for measuring surface tension was studied. Theoretical investigations demonstrated that the maximum pressure can be represented by the envelope of a certain family of curves and that the physical nature of the capillary tube imposes an upper limit to its useful radius. With a given tube and a specified liquid, the dynamic evolution of the gas bubble depends only upon the variation of the mass of gas contained with time; this fact may restrict the choice of tubes. The use of one single tube requires important corrections. Computer treatment of the problem led to some accurate equations for calculating γ. Schroedinger equations and Sudgen's table are examined. The choice of tubes, the necessary corrections, density measurement, and the accuracy attainable are discussed. Experiments conducted with water and mercury using the sessile drop method and continuous recording of the pressure verified the theoretical ideas. (author) [fr

Gastrointestinal tract volume measurement method using a compound eye type endoscope

Science.gov (United States)

Yoshimoto, Kayo; Yamada, Kenji; Watabe, Kenji; Kido, Michiko; Nagakura, Toshiaki; Takahashi, Hideya; Nishida, Tsutomu; Iijima, Hideki; Tsujii, Masahiko; Takehara, Tetsuo; Ohno, Yuko

2015-03-01

We propose an intestine volume measurement method using a compound eye type endoscope. This method aims at assessment of the gastrointestinal function. Gastrointestinal diseases are mainly based on morphological abnormalities. However, gastrointestinal symptoms are sometimes apparent without visible abnormalities. Such diseases are called functional gastrointestinal disorder, for example, functional dyspepsia, and irritable bowel syndrome. One of the major factors for these diseases is abnormal gastrointestinal motility. For the diagnosis of the gastrointestinal tract, both aspects of organic and functional assessment is important. While endoscopic diagnosis is essential for assessment of organic abnormalities, three-dimensional information is required for assessment of the functional abnormalities. Thus, we proposed the three dimensional endoscope system using compound eye. In this study, we forces on the volume of gastrointestinal tract. The volume of the gastrointestinal tract is thought to related its function. In our system, we use a compound eye type endoscope system to obtain three-dimensional information of the tract. The volume can be calculated by integrating the slice data of the intestine tract shape using the obtained three-dimensional information. First, we evaluate the proposed method by known-shape tube. Then, we confirm that the proposed method can measure the tract volume using the tract simulated model. Our system can assess the wall of gastrointestinal tract directly in a three-dimensional manner. Our system can be used for examination of gastric morphological and functional abnormalities.

Carbon dioxide titration method for soil respiration measurements

OpenAIRE

Martín Rubio, Luis

2017-01-01

This thesis was commissioned by Tampere University of Applied Sciences, which was interested in studying and developing a titration measurement method for soil respiration and biodegradability. Some experiments were carried out measuring soil respiration for testing the method and others adding some biodegradable material like polylactic acid compressed material and 100% biodegradable plastic bags to test its biodegradability and the possibility to measure it via titration. The thesi...

Track detection methods of radium measurements

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Somogyi, G.

1986-06-01

The principles of tack formation and processing including the description of etching and etch-track evaluation for the preferably used plastic track detectors are discussed. Measuring methods to determine 226 Ra activity based either on the mapping of alpha-decaying elements in the complete U-Ra series by alpha-radiography, or on the measurement of uranium alone by neutron induced fissionography, or on the alpha-decay measurement of 222 Rn, the first daughter element of radium, and finally on the measurement of alpha-tracks originating from radium itself, which is separated from its parent nuclides are described in detail. (V.N.)

New flowmetric measurement methods of power dissipated by an ultrasonic generator in an aqueous medium.

Science.gov (United States)

Mancier, Valérie; Leclercq, Didier

2007-02-01

Two new determination methods of the power dissipated in an aqueous medium by an ultrasound generator were developed. They are based on the use of a heat flow sensor inserted between a tank and a heat sink that allows to measure the power directly coming through the sensor. To be exploitable, the first method requires waiting for stationary flow. On the other hand, the second, extrapolated from the first one, makes it possible to determine the dissipated power in only five minutes. Finally, the results obtained with the flowmetric method are compared to the classical calorimetric ones.

Method of fission product beta spectra measurements for predicting reactor anti-neutrino emission

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Asner, D.M.; Burns, K.; Campbell, L.W.; Greenfield, B.; Kos, M.S., E-mail: markskos@gmail.com; Orrell, J.L.; Schram, M.; VanDevender, B.; Wood, L.S.; Wootan, D.W.

2015-03-11

The nuclear fission process that occurs in the core of nuclear reactors results in unstable, neutron-rich fission products that subsequently beta decay and emit electron antineutrinos. These reactor neutrinos have served neutrino physics research from the initial discovery of the neutrino to today's precision measurements of neutrino mixing angles. The prediction of the absolute flux and energy spectrum of the emitted reactor neutrinos hinges upon a series of seminal papers based on measurements performed in the 1970s and 1980s. The steadily improving reactor neutrino measurement techniques and recent reconsiderations of the agreement between the predicted and observed reactor neutrino flux motivates revisiting the underlying beta spectra measurements. A method is proposed to use an accelerator proton beam delivered to an engineered target to yield a neutron field tailored to reproduce the neutron energy spectrum present in the core of an operating nuclear reactor. Foils of the primary reactor fissionable isotopes placed in this tailored neutron flux will ultimately emit beta particles from the resultant fission products. Measurement of these beta particles in a time projection chamber with a perpendicular magnetic field provides a distinctive set of systematic considerations for comparison to the original seminal beta spectra measurements. Ancillary measurements such as gamma-ray emission and post-irradiation radiochemical analysis will further constrain the absolute normalization of beta emissions per fission. The requirements for unfolding the beta spectra measured with this method into a predicted reactor neutrino spectrum are explored.

Research On The Measure Method Of Oblique Pinhole Parameters

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ma Yu-Zhen

2016-01-01

Full Text Available There are many special advantages in measuring the diameter of blind and deep holes with a capacitive probe, there are still some challenges for the measurement of a oblique pinhole parameters because the measuring device is inconvenient to stretch into the oblique pinhole exactly. A five-dimensional measurement system was adopted in the paper which included a capacitive sensor probe and a three-coordinate measuring machine to accomplish the measurement for oblique pinholes. With the help of the three-dimensional coordinates measured from the pinhole axis, we put forward a comprehensive method of combining the projection method and the least squares method together for fitting spatial straight line to obtain the optimal equation of the spacial axis. Finally, a reliable and entire measurement system was set up.

A novel calibration method for non-orthogonal shaft laser theodolite measurement system

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Wu, Bin, E-mail: wubin@tju.edu.cn, E-mail: xueting@tju.edu.cn; Yang, Fengting; Ding, Wen [State Key Laboratory of Precision Measuring Technology and Instruments, Tianjin University, Tianjin 300072 (China); Xue, Ting, E-mail: wubin@tju.edu.cn, E-mail: xueting@tju.edu.cn [College of Electrical Engineering and Automation, Tianjin Key Laboratory of Process Measurement and Control, Tianjin University, Tianjin 300072 (China)

2016-03-15

Non-orthogonal shaft laser theodolite (N-theodolite) is a new kind of large-scale metrological instrument made up by two rotary tables and one collimated laser. There are three axes for an N-theodolite. According to naming conventions in traditional theodolite, rotary axes of two rotary tables are called as horizontal axis and vertical axis, respectively, and the collimated laser beam is named as sight axis. And the difference between N-theodolite and traditional theodolite is obvious, since the former one with no orthogonal and intersecting accuracy requirements. So the calibration method for traditional theodolite is no longer suitable for N-theodolite, while the calibration method applied currently is really complicated. Thus this paper introduces a novel calibration method for non-orthogonal shaft laser theodolite measurement system to simplify the procedure and to improve the calibration accuracy. A simple two-step process, calibration for intrinsic parameters and for extrinsic parameters, is proposed by the novel method. And experiments have shown its efficiency and accuracy.

Neural Interfaces for Intracortical Recording: Requirements, Fabrication Methods, and Characteristics.

Science.gov (United States)

Szostak, Katarzyna M; Grand, Laszlo; Constandinou, Timothy G

2017-01-01

Implantable neural interfaces for central nervous system research have been designed with wire, polymer, or micromachining technologies over the past 70 years. Research on biocompatible materials, ideal probe shapes, and insertion methods has resulted in building more and more capable neural interfaces. Although the trend is promising, the long-term reliability of such devices has not yet met the required criteria for chronic human application. The performance of neural interfaces in chronic settings often degrades due to foreign body response to the implant that is initiated by the surgical procedure, and related to the probe structure, and material properties used in fabricating the neural interface. In this review, we identify the key requirements for neural interfaces for intracortical recording, describe the three different types of probes-microwire, micromachined, and polymer-based probes; their materials, fabrication methods, and discuss their characteristics and related challenges.

Estimation methods of eco-environmental water requirements: Case study

Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

YANG Zhifeng; CUI Baoshan; LIU Jingling

2005-01-01

Supplying water to the ecological environment with certain quantity and quality is significant for the protection of diversity and the realization of sustainable development. The conception and connotation of eco-environmental water requirements, including the definition of the conception, the composition and characteristics of eco-environmental water requirements, are evaluated in this paper. The classification and estimation methods of eco-environmental water requirements are then proposed. On the basis of the study on the Huang-Huai-Hai Area, the present water use, the minimum and suitable water requirement are estimated and the corresponding water shortage is also calculated. According to the interrelated programs, the eco-environmental water requirements in the coming years (2010, 2030, 2050) are estimated. The result indicates that the minimum and suitable eco-environmental water requirements fluctuate with the differences of function setting and the referential standard of water resources, and so as the water shortage. Moreover, the study indicates that the minimum eco-environmental water requirement of the study area ranges from 2.84×1010m3 to 1.02×1011m3, the suitable water requirement ranges from 6.45×1010m3 to 1.78×1011m3, the water shortage ranges from 9.1×109m3 to 2.16×1010m3 under the minimum water requirement, and it is from 3.07×1010m3 to 7.53×1010m3 under the suitable water requirement. According to the different values of the water shortage, the water priority can be allocated. The ranges of the eco-environmental water requirements in the three coming years (2010, 2030, 2050) are 4.49×1010m3-1.73×1011m3, 5.99×10m3?2.09×1011m3, and 7.44×1010m3-2.52×1011m3, respectively.

Measurement of ion energy by a calorimetric method

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Mizuhashi, Kiyoshi; Tajima, Satoshi [Japan Atomic Energy Research Inst., Takasaki, Gunma (Japan). Takasaki Radiation Chemistry Research Establishment; Bunak, Suwat

1996-12-01

In calorimetric method, ion energy is determined based on the temperature changes during radiation of an absorbing material, radiation current and heat capacity of the calorimeter. This method is convenient and its measuring procedures are simple as well as the measuring apparatus. Here, the temperature changes of the calorimeter during {sup 14}N ion beam radiation were determined. The temperature increased linearly when irradiated with {sup 14}N{sup 3+}, 8.3 MeV or {sup 14}N{sup 2+}, 6 MeV, but not linearly for {sup 14}N{sup 1+}, 3.6 MeV, resulting in a comparatively large error. Thus, the measurement of ion energy by calorimetric method was found available as a convenient method for an accelerator having an energy stability less than 10{sup -3}. Especially this method seems to be useful for low-energy ion accelerator or ion injecting apparatus. (M.N.)

Development, optimisation, and application of ICP-SFMS methods for the measurement of isotope ratios

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Stuerup, S.

2000-07-01

The measurement of isotopic composition and isotope ratios in biological and environmental samples requires sensitive, precise, and accurate analytical techniques. The analytical techniques used are traditionally based on mass spectrometry, among these techniques is the ICP-SFMS technique, which became commercially available in the mid 1990s. This technique is characterised by high sensitivity, low background, and the ability to separate analyte signals from spectral interferences. These features are beneficial for the measurement of isotope ratios and enable the measurement of isotope ratios of elements, which it has not previously been possible to measure due to either spectral interferences or poor sensitivity. The overall purpose of the project was to investigate the potential of the single detector ICP-SFMS technique for the measurement of isotope ratios in biological and environmental samples. One part of the work has focused on the fundamental aspects of the ICP-SFMS technique with special emphasize on the features important to the measurement of isotope ratios, while another part has focused on the development, optimisation and application of specific methods for the measurement of isotope ratios of elements of nutritional interest and radionuclides. The fundamental aspects of the ICP-SFMS technique were investigated theoretically and experimentally by the measurement of isotope ratios applying different experimental conditions. It was demonstrated that isotope ratios could be measured reliably using ICP-SFMS by educated choice of acquisition parameters, scanning mode, mass discrimination correction, and by eliminating the influence of detector dead time. Applying the knowledge gained through the fundamental study, ICP-SFMS methods for the measurement of isotope ratios of calcium, zinc, molybdenum and iron in human samples and a method for the measurement of plutonium isotope ratios and ultratrace levels of plutonium and neptunium in environmental samples

A convenient method for synthesis of glyconanoparticles for colorimetric measuring carbohydrate-protein interactions

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chuang, Yen-Jun; Zhou, Xichun; Pan, Zhengwei; Turchi, Craig

2009-01-01

Carbohydrate functionalized nanoparticles, i.e., the glyconanoparticles, have wide application ranging from studies of carbohydrate-protein interactions, in vivo cell imaging, biolabeling, etc. Currently reported methods for preparation of glyconanoparticles require multi-step modifications of carbohydrates moieties to conjugate to nanoparticle surface. However, the required synthetic manipulations are difficult and time consuming. We report herewith a simple and versatile method for preparing glyconanoparticles. This method is based on the utilization of clean and convenient microwave irradiation energy for one-step, site-specific conjugation of unmodified carbohydrates onto hydrazide-functionalized Au nanoparticles. A colorimetric assay that utilizes the ensemble of gold glyconanoparticles and Concanavalin A (ConA) was also presented. This feasible assay system was developed to analyze multivalent interactions and to determine the dissociation constant (K d ) for five kind of Au glyconanoparticles with lectin. Surface plasmon changes of the Au glyconanoparticles as a function of lectin-carbohydrate interactions were measured and the dissociation constants were determined based on non-linear curve fitting. The strength of the interaction of carbohydrates with ConA was found to be as follows: maltose > mannose > glucose > lactose > MAN5.

Apparent diffusion coefficient measurements in diffusion-weighted magnetic resonance imaging of the anterior mediastinum: inter-observer reproducibility of five different methods of region-of-interest positioning

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Priola, Adriano Massimiliano; Priola, Sandro Massimo; Parlatano, Daniela; Gned, Dario; Veltri, Andrea [San Luigi Gonzaga University Hospital, Department of Diagnostic Imaging, Regione Gonzole 10, Orbassano, Torino (Italy); Giraudo, Maria Teresa [University of Torino, Department of Mathematics ' ' Giuseppe Peano' ' , Torino (Italy); Giardino, Roberto; Ardissone, Francesco [San Luigi Gonzaga University Hospital, Department of Thoracic Surgery, Regione Gonzole 10, Orbassano, Torino (Italy); Ferrero, Bruno [San Luigi Gonzaga University Hospital, Department of Neurology, Regione Gonzole 10, Orbassano, Torino (Italy)

2017-04-15

To investigate inter-reader reproducibility of five different region-of-interest (ROI) protocols for apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) measurements in the anterior mediastinum. In eighty-one subjects, on ADC mapping, two readers measured the ADC using five methods of ROI positioning that encompassed the entire tissue (whole tissue volume [WTV], three slices observer-defined [TSOD], single-slice [SS]) or the more restricted areas (one small round ROI [OSR], multiple small round ROI [MSR]). Inter-observer variability was assessed with interclass correlation coefficient (ICC), coefficient of variation (CoV), and Bland-Altman analysis. Nonparametric tests were performed to compare the ADC between ROI methods. The measurement time was recorded and compared between ROI methods. All methods showed excellent inter-reader agreement with best and worst reproducibility in WTV and OSR, respectively (ICC, 0.937/0.874; CoV, 7.3 %/16.8 %; limits of agreement, ±0.44/±0.77 x 10{sup -3} mm{sup 2}/s). ADC values of OSR and MSR were significantly lower compared to the other methods in both readers (p < 0.001). The SS and OSR methods required less measurement time (14 ± 2 s) compared to the others (p < 0.0001), while the WTV method required the longest measurement time (90 ± 56 and 77 ± 49 s for each reader) (p < 0.0001). All methods demonstrate excellent inter-observer reproducibility with the best agreement in WTV, although it requires the longest measurement time. (orig.)

Method of measurement on materials shielding effectiveness test in time domain

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Liu Shunkun; Han Jun; Chen Xiangyue

2009-01-01

Windows method is a measurement of slot coupling effect in nature when it is used to measure material's shielding effectiveness. The error of measurement will become serious when it is used to measure material's shielding effectiveness in low frequency band. It is difficult to measure material's shielding effectiveness of electromagnetic pulse with Windows method. Device under test method (DUT method) was presented in this paper to overcome the limitations of Windows method in material's shielding effectiveness test. The method can be used to measure any material's shielding Effectiveness effectively through the design and the test of the DUT.The method was used to measure shielding effectiveness of special cement .Compared with theoretical analysis,the measurement result prove the DUT method to be very efficient in material's shielding effectiveness test. (authors)

arXiv A method and tool for combining differential or inclusive measurements obtained with simultaneously constrained uncertainties

CERN Document Server

Kieseler, Jan

2017-11-22

A method is discussed that allows combining sets of differential or inclusive measurements. It is assumed that at least one measurement was obtained with simultaneously fitting a set of nuisance parameters, representing sources of systematic uncertainties. As a result of beneficial constraints from the data all such fitted parameters are correlated among each other. The best approach for a combination of these measurements would be the maximization of a combined likelihood, for which the full fit model of each measurement and the original data are required. However, only in rare cases this information is publicly available. In absence of this information most commonly used combination methods are not able to account for these correlations between uncertainties, which can lead to severe biases as shown in this article. The method discussed here provides a solution for this problem. It relies on the public result and its covariance or Hessian, only, and is validated against the combined-likelihood approach. A d...

Direct measurement of tritium in urine by liquid scintillation method

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zhang Caihong; Wen Qinghua; Chen Kefei; Li Huaixin

1999-01-01

The author introduces the method for direct measurement of tritium concentration in urine using liquid scintillation. Effects of sampling containers, store patterns and storage time are studied. Meanwhile, results of two methods are compared with direct measurement method and oxidation distillation method. The results shows that direct measurement method is a economic and simple method, which can meet the need of determination of urine tritium for NPP workers. There is no significant difference compared with the data obtained by oxidation distillation method

A simple method for in vivo measurement of implant rod three-dimensional geometry during scoliosis surgery.

Science.gov (United States)

Salmingo, Remel A; Tadano, Shigeru; Fujisaki, Kazuhiro; Abe, Yuichiro; Ito, Manabu

2012-05-01

Scoliosis is defined as a spinal pathology characterized as a three-dimensional deformity of the spine combined with vertebral rotation. Treatment for severe scoliosis is achieved when the scoliotic spine is surgically corrected and fixed using implanted rods and screws. Several studies performed biomechanical modeling and corrective forces measurements of scoliosis correction. These studies were able to predict the clinical outcome and measured the corrective forces acting on screws, however, they were not able to measure the intraoperative three-dimensional geometry of the spinal rod. In effect, the results of biomechanical modeling might not be so realistic and the corrective forces during the surgical correction procedure were intra-operatively difficult to measure. Projective geometry has been shown to be successful in the reconstruction of a three-dimensional structure using a series of images obtained from different views. In this study, we propose a new method to measure the three-dimensional geometry of an implant rod using two cameras. The reconstruction method requires only a few parameters, the included angle θ between the two cameras, the actual length of the rod in mm, and the location of points for curve fitting. The implant rod utilized in spine surgery was used to evaluate the accuracy of the current method. The three-dimensional geometry of the rod was measured from the image obtained by a scanner and compared to the proposed method using two cameras. The mean error in the reconstruction measurements ranged from 0.32 to 0.45 mm. The method presented here demonstrated the possibility of intra-operatively measuring the three-dimensional geometry of spinal rod. The proposed method could be used in surgical procedures to better understand the biomechanics of scoliosis correction through real-time measurement of three-dimensional implant rod geometry in vivo.

Improved Data Reduction Algorithm for the Needle Probe Method Applied to In-Situ Thermal Conductivity Measurements of Lunar and Planetary Regoliths

Science.gov (United States)

Nagihara, S.; Hedlund, M.; Zacny, K.; Taylor, P. T.

2013-01-01

The needle probe method (also known as the' hot wire' or 'line heat source' method) is widely used for in-situ thermal conductivity measurements on soils and marine sediments on the earth. Variants of this method have also been used (or planned) for measuring regolith on the surfaces of extra-terrestrial bodies (e.g., the Moon, Mars, and comets). In the near-vacuum condition on the lunar and planetary surfaces, the measurement method used on the earth cannot be simply duplicated, because thermal conductivity of the regolith can be approximately 2 orders of magnitude lower. In addition, the planetary probes have much greater diameters, due to engineering requirements associated with the robotic deployment on extra-terrestrial bodies. All of these factors contribute to the planetary probes requiring much longer time of measurement, several tens of (if not over a hundred) hours, while a conventional terrestrial needle probe needs only 1 to 2 minutes. The long measurement time complicates the surface operation logistics of the lander. It also negatively affects accuracy of the thermal conductivity measurement, because the cumulative heat loss along the probe is no longer negligible. The present study improves the data reduction algorithm of the needle probe method by shortening the measurement time on planetary surfaces by an order of magnitude. The main difference between the new scheme and the conventional one is that the former uses the exact mathematical solution to the thermal model on which the needle probe measurement theory is based, while the latter uses an approximate solution that is valid only for large times. The present study demonstrates the benefit of the new data reduction technique by applying it to data from a series of needle probe experiments carried out in a vacuum chamber on JSC-1A lunar regolith stimulant. The use of the exact solution has some disadvantage, however, in requiring three additional parameters, but two of them (the diameter and the

Study on principle and method of measuring system for external dimensions, geometric density and appearance quality of uranium dioxide pellet

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Cao Wei; Deng Hua; Wang Tao

2010-01-01

To adapt to the need of nuclear power development, and keep in step with the increasingly growing nuclear fuel element production, a special measuring system for integrated measuring, calculation, data processing method of External Dimensions, Tolerance of figure and place, Geometric Density and Appearance Quality of Uranium Dioxide Pellet is studied and discussed. This system is with important guiding significance for the improvement of technologic and frocking level.. The measuring system is primarily applied to sampling test during production and is the same with several types of products.The successful application of this measuring method ensures the accuracy and reliability of measured data, reduces the artificial error and makes the measuring be move convenient and fast, thus achieves high precision and high efficiency of measuring process. The measuring method is approach the advanced world level of measuring method at the same industry. So, based on the product inspection requirement, using special measuring instrument and computer data processing system is an important approach we use for nonce and future. (authors)

Instructions for applying inverse method for reactivity measurement

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Milosevic, M.

1988-11-01

This report is a brief description of the completed method for reactivity measurement. It contains description of the experimental procedure needed instrumentation and computer code IM for determining reactivity. The objective of this instructions manual is to enable experiments and reactivity measurement on any critical system according to the methods adopted at the RB reactor

Two self-referencing methods for the measurement of beam spot position

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nyiri, Balazs J.; Smale, Jason R.; Gerig, Lee H.

2012-01-01

using the Flexmap image registration/ball-bearing test. Results: Within their uncertainties, both methods report the same beam spot displacement. In clinical use, a total of 203 monthly beam spot measurements on 14 different beams showed an average displacement of 0.11 mm (σ= 0.07 mm) in-plane and 0.10 mm (σ= 0.07 mm) cross-plane with maximum displacement of 0.37 mm in-plane and 0.34 mm cross-plane. Conclusions: The methods described provide a quantitative measure of beam spot position, are easy to use, and provide another tool for Linac setup and quality assurance. Fundamental to the techniques is that they are self-referencing–i.e., they do not require the user to independently define the CAOR.

Two self-referencing methods for the measurement of beam spot position

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Nyiri, Balazs J.; Smale, Jason R.; Gerig, Lee H. [Ottawa Hospital Cancer Centre, Ottawa K1H 8L6 (Canada) and Faculty of Medicine, University of Ottawa, Ottawa K1H 8M5 (Canada); Elekta Canada, Ottawa, Ontario K1Y 1Z3 (Canada); Ottawa Hospital Cancer Centre, Ottawa K1H 8L6 (Canada); Department of Physics, Carleton University, Ottawa K1S 5B6 (Canada) and Faculty of Medicine, University of Ottawa, Ottawa K1H 8M5 (Canada)

2012-12-15

performed using the Flexmap image registration/ball-bearing test. Results: Within their uncertainties, both methods report the same beam spot displacement. In clinical use, a total of 203 monthly beam spot measurements on 14 different beams showed an average displacement of 0.11 mm ({sigma}= 0.07 mm) in-plane and 0.10 mm ({sigma}= 0.07 mm) cross-plane with maximum displacement of 0.37 mm in-plane and 0.34 mm cross-plane. Conclusions: The methods described provide a quantitative measure of beam spot position, are easy to use, and provide another tool for Linac setup and quality assurance. Fundamental to the techniques is that they are self-referencing-i.e., they do not require the user to independently define the CAOR.

Neural Interfaces for Intracortical Recording: Requirements, Fabrication Methods, and Characteristics

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Katarzyna M. Szostak

2017-12-01

Full Text Available Implantable neural interfaces for central nervous system research have been designed with wire, polymer, or micromachining technologies over the past 70 years. Research on biocompatible materials, ideal probe shapes, and insertion methods has resulted in building more and more capable neural interfaces. Although the trend is promising, the long-term reliability of such devices has not yet met the required criteria for chronic human application. The performance of neural interfaces in chronic settings often degrades due to foreign body response to the implant that is initiated by the surgical procedure, and related to the probe structure, and material properties used in fabricating the neural interface. In this review, we identify the key requirements for neural interfaces for intracortical recording, describe the three different types of probes—microwire, micromachined, and polymer-based probes; their materials, fabrication methods, and discuss their characteristics and related challenges.

Accurate color measurement methods for medical displays.

Science.gov (United States)

Saha, Anindita; Kelley, Edward F; Badano, Aldo

2010-01-01

The necessity for standard instrumentation and measurements of color that are repeatable and reproducible is the major motivation behind this work. Currently, different instrumentation and methods can yield very different results when measuring the same feature such as color uniformity or color difference. As color increasingly comes into play in medical imaging diagnostics, display color will have to be quantified in order to assess whether the display should be used for imaging purposes. The authors report on the characterization of three novel probes for measuring display color with minimal contamination from screen areas outside the measurement spot or from off-normal emissions. They compare three probe designs: A modified small-spot luminance probe and two conic probe designs based on black frusta. To compare the three color probe designs, spectral and luminance measurements were taken with specialized instrumentation to determine the luminance changes and color separation abilities of the probes. The probes were characterized with a scanning slit method, veiling glare, and a moving laser and LED arrangement. The scanning slit measurement was done using a black slit plate over a white line on an LCD monitor. The luminance was measured in 1 mm increments from the center of the slit to +/- 15 mm above and below the slit at different distances between the probe and the slit. The veiling glare setup consisted of measurements of the luminance of a black spot pattern with a white disk of radius of 100 mm as the black spot increases in 1 mm radius increments. The moving LED and laser method consisted of a red and green light orthogonal to the probe tip for the light to directly shine into the probe. The green light source was moved away from the red source in 1 cm increments to measure color stray-light contamination at different probe distances. The results of the color testing using the LED and laser methods suggest a better performance of one of the frusta probes

A fluorescence anisotropy method for measuring protein concentration in complex cell culture media.

Science.gov (United States)

Groza, Radu Constantin; Calvet, Amandine; Ryder, Alan G

2014-04-22

The rapid, quantitative analysis of the complex cell culture media used in biopharmaceutical manufacturing is of critical importance. Requirements for cell culture media composition profiling, or changes in specific analyte concentrations (e.g. amino acids in the media or product protein in the bioprocess broth) often necessitate the use of complicated analytical methods and extensive sample handling. Rapid spectroscopic methods like multi-dimensional fluorescence (MDF) spectroscopy have been successfully applied for the routine determination of compositional changes in cell culture media and bioprocess broths. Quantifying macromolecules in cell culture media is a specific challenge as there is a need to implement measurements rapidly on the prepared media. However, the use of standard fluorescence spectroscopy is complicated by the emission overlap from many media components. Here, we demonstrate how combining anisotropy measurements with standard total synchronous fluorescence spectroscopy (TSFS) provides a rapid, accurate quantitation method for cell culture media. Anisotropy provides emission resolution between large and small fluorophores while TSFS provides a robust measurement space. Model cell culture media was prepared using yeastolate (2.5 mg mL(-1)) spiked with bovine serum albumin (0 to 5 mg mL(-1)). Using this method, protein emission is clearly discriminated from background yeastolate emission, allowing for accurate bovine serum albumin (BSA) quantification over a 0.1 to 4.0 mg mL(-1) range with a limit of detection (LOD) of 13.8 μg mL(-1). Copyright © 2014. Published by Elsevier B.V.

A New Method to Measure Vaginal Sensibility

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Lakeman, M. M. E.; Laan, E.; Vaart, C. H.; Roovers, J. P.

2010-01-01

Introduction: Vaginal surgery may affect sexual function both positively and negatively. Possibly, negative consequences of surgical interventions on sexuality may be caused by reduced sensibility of the vaginal wall. Aims: To develop a new method to measure vaginal sensibility. Methods: We

Acoustic methods for measuring bullet velocity

OpenAIRE

Courtney, Michael

2008-01-01

This article describes two acoustic methods to measure bullet velocity with an accuracy of 1% or better. In one method, a microphone is placed within 0.1 m of the gun muzzle and a bullet is fired at a steel target 45 m away. The bullet's flight time is the recorded time between the muzzle blast and sound of hitting the target minus the time for the sound to return from the target to the microphone. In the other method, the microphone is placed equidistant from both the gun muzzle and the stee...

A convenient method for X-ray analysis in TEM that measures mass thickness and composition

Science.gov (United States)

Statham, P.; Sagar, J.; Holland, J.; Pinard, P.; Lozano-Perez, S.

2018-01-01

We consider a new approach for quantitative analysis in transmission electron microscopy (TEM) that offers the same convenience as single-standard quantitative analysis in scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Instead of a bulk standard, a thin film with known mass thickness is used as a reference. The procedure involves recording an X-ray spectrum from the reference film for each session of acquisitions on real specimens. There is no need to measure the beam current; the current only needs to be stable for the duration of the session. A new reference standard with a large (1 mm x 1 mm) area of uniform thickness of 100 nm silicon nitride is used to reveal regions of X-ray detector occlusion that would give misleading results for any X-ray method that measures thickness. Unlike previous methods, the new X-ray method does not require an accurate beam current monitor but delivers equivalent accuracy in mass thickness measurement. Quantitative compositional results are also automatically corrected for specimen self-absorption. The new method is tested using a wedge specimen of Inconel 600 that is used to calibrate the high angle angular dark field (HAADF) signal to provide a thickness reference and results are compared with electron energy-loss spectrometry (EELS) measurements. For the new X-ray method, element composition results are consistent with the expected composition for the alloy and the mass thickness measurement is shown to provide an accurate alternative to EELS for thickness determination in TEM without the uncertainty associated with mean free path estimates.

Palpatory method of measuring diastolic blood pressure

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Dinesh Sahu

2010-01-01

Conclusion: The palpatory method would be very useful where frequent blood pressure measurement are being done manually like in wards, in busy OPD, patient on treadmill and also whenever stethoscope is not available. The blood pressure can be measured in noisy environment too.

Solar Sail Models and Test Measurements Correspondence for Validation Requirements Definition

Science.gov (United States)

Ewing, Anthony; Adams, Charles

2004-01-01

Solar sails are being developed as a mission-enabling technology in support of future NASA science missions. Current efforts have advanced solar sail technology sufficient to justify a flight validation program. A primary objective of this activity is to test and validate solar sail models that are currently under development so that they may be used with confidence in future science mission development (e.g., scalable to larger sails). Both system and model validation requirements must be defined early in the program to guide design cycles and to ensure that relevant and sufficient test data will be obtained to conduct model validation to the level required. A process of model identification, model input/output documentation, model sensitivity analyses, and test measurement correspondence is required so that decisions can be made to satisfy validation requirements within program constraints.

Development of a new measurement method for fast breeder reactor fuel burnup using a shielded ion microprobe analyzer

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mizuno, M.; Enokido, Y.; Itaki, T.; Kono, K.; Unno, I.; Yamanouchi, S.

1985-01-01

A new method of burnup measurement using a shielded ion microprobe analyzer (SIMA) has been developed. The method is based on the isotope analysis of uranium, plutonium, and fission products in irradiated mixed oxide fuel by means of secondary ion mass spectrometry (SIMS). Fourteen samples irradiated in the Japanese experimental fast reactor JOYO were examined. The maximum local burnup of JOYO MK-I core fuels was about5.1 at. %. The axial burnup distribution of the fuel pin was in good agreement with that of the sibling pin in the same subassembly, measured by surface ionization mass spectrometry, which requires the chemical separation of fission products and heavy metals. The new method facilitates the rapid and accurate measurement of fast breeder reactor fuel burnup without human radiation exposure during sample preparation and analysis

A gravimetric method for the measurement of total spontaneous activity in rats.

Science.gov (United States)

Biesiadecki, B J; Brand, P H; Koch, L G; Britton, S L

1999-10-01

Currently available methods for the measurement of spontaneous activity of laboratory animals require expensive, specialized equipment and may not be suitable for use in low light conditions with nocturnal species. We developed a gravimetric method that uses common laboratory equipment to quantify the total spontaneous activity of rats and is suitable for use in the dark. The rat in its home cage is placed on a top-loading electronic balance interfaced to a computer. Movements are recorded by the balance as changes in weight and transmitted to the computer at 10 Hz. Data are analyzed on-line to derive the absolute value of the difference in weight between consecutive samples, and the one-second average of the absolute values is calculated. The averages are written to file for off-line analysis and summed over the desired observation period to provide a measure of total spontaneous activity. The results of in vitro experiments demonstrated that: 1) recorded weight changes were not influenced by position of the weight on the bottom of the cage, 2) values recorded from a series of weight changes were not significantly different from the calculated values, 3) the constantly decreasing force exerted by a swinging pendulum placed on the balance was accurately recorded, 4) the measurement of activity was not influenced by the evaporation of a fluid such as urine, and 5) the method can detect differences in the activity of sleeping and waking rats over a 10-min period, as well as during 4-hr intervals recorded during active (night-time) and inactive (daytime) periods. These results demonstrate that this method provides an inexpensive, accurate, and noninvasive method to quantitate the spontaneous activity of small animals.

A simple differential steady-state method to measure the thermal conductivity of solid bulk materials with high accuracy.

Science.gov (United States)

Kraemer, D; Chen, G

2014-02-01

Accurate measurements of thermal conductivity are of great importance for materials research and development. Steady-state methods determine thermal conductivity directly from the proportionality between heat flow and an applied temperature difference (Fourier Law). Although theoretically simple, in practice, achieving high accuracies with steady-state methods is challenging and requires rather complex experimental setups due to temperature sensor uncertainties and parasitic heat loss. We developed a simple differential steady-state method in which the sample is mounted between an electric heater and a temperature-controlled heat sink. Our method calibrates for parasitic heat losses from the electric heater during the measurement by maintaining a constant heater temperature close to the environmental temperature while varying the heat sink temperature. This enables a large signal-to-noise ratio which permits accurate measurements of samples with small thermal conductance values without an additional heater calibration measurement or sophisticated heater guards to eliminate parasitic heater losses. Additionally, the differential nature of the method largely eliminates the uncertainties of the temperature sensors, permitting measurements with small temperature differences, which is advantageous for samples with high thermal conductance values and/or with strongly temperature-dependent thermal conductivities. In order to accelerate measurements of more than one sample, the proposed method allows for measuring several samples consecutively at each temperature measurement point without adding significant error. We demonstrate the method by performing thermal conductivity measurements on commercial bulk thermoelectric Bi2Te3 samples in the temperature range of 30-150 °C with an error below 3%.

An AFM-based pit-measuring method for indirect measurements of cell-surface membrane vesicles

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zhang, Xiaojun; Chen, Yuan; Chen, Yong

2014-01-01

Highlights: • Air drying induced the transformation of cell-surface membrane vesicles into pits. • An AFM-based pit-measuring method was developed to measure cell-surface vesicles. • Our method detected at least two populations of cell-surface membrane vesicles. - Abstract: Circulating membrane vesicles, which are shed from many cell types, have multiple functions and have been correlated with many diseases. Although circulating membrane vesicles have been extensively characterized, the status of cell-surface membrane vesicles prior to their release is less understood due to the lack of effective measurement methods. Recently, as a powerful, micro- or nano-scale imaging tool, atomic force microscopy (AFM) has been applied in measuring circulating membrane vesicles. However, it seems very difficult for AFM to directly image/identify and measure cell-bound membrane vesicles due to the similarity of surface morphology between membrane vesicles and cell surfaces. Therefore, until now no AFM studies on cell-surface membrane vesicles have been reported. In this study, we found that air drying can induce the transformation of most cell-surface membrane vesicles into pits that are more readily detectable by AFM. Based on this, we developed an AFM-based pit-measuring method and, for the first time, used AFM to indirectly measure cell-surface membrane vesicles on cultured endothelial cells. Using this approach, we observed and quantitatively measured at least two populations of cell-surface membrane vesicles, a nanoscale population (<500 nm in diameter peaking at ∼250 nm) and a microscale population (from 500 nm to ∼2 μm peaking at ∼0.8 μm), whereas confocal microscopy only detected the microscale population. The AFM-based pit-measuring method is potentially useful for studying cell-surface membrane vesicles and for investigating the mechanisms of membrane vesicle formation/release

Three methods to measure RH bond energies

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Berkowitz, J.; Ellison, G.B.; Gutman, D.

1993-01-01

In this paper the authors compare and contrast three powerful methods for experimentally measuring bond energies in polyatomic molecules. The methods are: radical kinetics; gas phase acidity cycles; and photoionization mass spectroscopy. The knowledge of the values of bond energies are a basic piece of information to a chemist. Chemical reactions involve the making and breaking of chemical bonds. It has been shown that comparable bonds in polyatomic molecules, compared to the same bonds in radicals, can be significantly different. These bond energies can be measured in terms of bond dissociation energies

Measurement methods of building structures deflections

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Wróblewska Magdalena

2018-01-01

Full Text Available Underground mining exploitation is leading to the occurrence of deformations manifested by, in particular, sloping terrain. The structures situated on the deforming subsoil are subject to uneven subsidence which is leading in consequence to their deflection. Before a building rectification process takes place by, e.g. uneven raising, the structure's deflection direction and value is determined so that the structure is restored to its vertical position as a result of the undertaken remedial measures. Deflection can be determined by applying classical as well as modern measurement techniques. The article presents examples of measurement methods used considering the measured elements of building structures’ constructions and field measurements. Moreover, for a given example of a mining area, the existing deflections of buildings were compared with mining terrain sloping.

Chapter 17: Residential Behavior Evaluation Protocol. The Uniform Methods Project: Methods for Determining Energy Efficiency Savings for Specific Measures

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kurnik, Charles W. [National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), Golden, CO (United States); Stewart, James [Cadmus, Waltham, MA (United States); Todd, Annika [Lawrence Berkeley National Lab. (LBNL), Berkeley, CA (United States)

2017-11-01

Residential behavior-based (BB) programs use strategies grounded in the behavioral and social sciences to influence household energy use. These may include providing households with real-time or delayed feedback about their energy use; supplying energy efficiency education and tips; rewarding households for reducing their energy use; comparing households to their peers; and establishing games, tournaments, and competitions. BB programs often target multiple energy end uses and encourage energy savings, demand savings, or both. Savings from BB programs are usually a small percentage of energy use, typically less than 5 percent. Utilities will continue to implement residential BB programs as large-scale, randomized control trials (RCTs); however, some are now experimenting with alternative program designs that are smaller scale; involve new communication channels such as the web, social media, and text messaging; or that employ novel strategies for encouraging behavior change (for example, Facebook competitions). These programs will create new evaluation challenges and may require different evaluation methods than those currently employed to verify any savings they generate. Quasi-experimental methods, however, require stronger assumptions to yield valid savings estimates and may not measure savings with the same degree of validity and accuracy as randomized experiments.

A new method to measure vaginal sensibility

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Lakeman, M. M. E.; Laan, E.; Vaart, C. H.; Roovers, J. P.

2010-01-01

Vaginal surgery may affect sexual function both positively and negatively. Possibly, negative consequences of surgical interventions on sexuality may be caused by reduced sensibility of the vaginal wall. To develop a new method to measure vaginal sensibility. We developed a technique to measure the

National comparison on volume sample activity measurement methods

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sahagia, M.; Grigorescu, E.L.; Popescu, C.; Razdolescu, C.

1992-01-01

A national comparison on volume sample activity measurements methods may be regarded as a step toward accomplishing the traceability of the environmental and food chain activity measurements to national standards. For this purpose, the Radionuclide Metrology Laboratory has distributed 137 Cs and 134 Cs water-equivalent solid standard sources to 24 laboratories having responsibilities in this matter. Every laboratory has to measure the activity of the received source(s) by using its own standards, equipment and methods and report the obtained results to the organizer. The 'measured activities' will be compared with the 'true activities'. A final report will be issued, which plans to evaluate the national level of precision of such measurements and give some suggestions for improvement. (Author)

A method for measuring the local gas pressure within a gas-flow stage in situ in the transmission electron microscope

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Colby, R.; Alsem, D.H.; Liyu, A.; Kabius, B.

2015-01-01

Environmental transmission electron microscopy (TEM) has enabled in situ experiments in a gaseous environment with high resolution imaging and spectroscopy. Addressing scientific challenges in areas such as catalysis, corrosion, and geochemistry can require pressures much higher than the ∼20 mbar achievable with a differentially pumped environmental TEM. Gas flow stages, in which the environment is contained between two semi-transparent thin membrane windows, have been demonstrated at pressures of several atmospheres. However, the relationship between the pressure at the sample and the pressure drop across the system is not clear for some geometries. We demonstrate a method for measuring the gas pressure at the sample by measuring the ratio of elastic to inelastic scattering and the defocus of the pair of thin windows. This method requires two energy filtered high-resolution TEM images that can be performed during an ongoing experiment, at the region of interest. The approach is demonstrated to measure greater than atmosphere pressures of N 2 gas using a commercially available gas-flow stage. This technique provides a means to ensure reproducible sample pressures between different experiments, and even between very differently designed gas-flow stages. - Highlights: • Method developed for measuring gas pressure within a gas-flow stage in the TEM. • EFTEM and CTF-fitting used to calculate amount and volume of gas. • Requires only a pair of images without leaving region of interest. • Demonstrated for P > 1 atm with a common commercial gas-flow stage

MTR fuel element burn-up measurements by the reactivity method

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zuniga, A.; Cuya, T.R.; Ravnik, M.

2003-01-01

Fuel element burn-up was measured by the reactivity method in the 10 MW Peruvian MTR reactor RP-10. The main purpose of the experiment was testing the reactivity method for an MTR reactor as the reactivity method was originally developed for TRIGA reactors. The reactivity worth of each measured fuel element was measured in its original core position in order to measure the burn-up of the fuel elements that were part of the experimental core. The burn-up of each measured fuel element was derived by interpolating its reactivity worth from the reactivity worth of two reference fuel elements of known burn-up, whose reactivity worth was measured in the position of the measured fuel element. The accuracy of the method was improved by separating the reactivity effect of burn-up from the effect of the position in the core. The results of the experiment showed that the modified reactivity method for fuel element burn-up determination could be applied also to MTR reactors. (orig.)

Evaluation of verification methods for input-accountability measurements

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Maeck, W.J.

1980-01-01

As part of TASTEX related programs two independent methods have been evaluated for the purpose of providing verification of the amount of Pu charged to the head-end of a nuclear fuel processing plant. The first is the Pu/U (gravimetric method), TASTEX Task-L, and the second is the Tracer Method, designated Task-M. Summaries of the basic technology, results of various studies under actual plant conditions, future requirements, are given for each of the Tasks

Comparison of usual and alternative methods to measure height in mechanically ventilated patients: potential impact on protective ventilation.

Science.gov (United States)

Bojmehrani, Azadeh; Bergeron-Duchesne, Maude; Bouchard, Carmelle; Simard, Serge; Bouchard, Pierre-Alexandre; Vanderschuren, Abel; L'Her, Erwan; Lellouche, François

2014-07-01

Protective ventilation implementation requires the calculation of predicted body weight (PBW), determined by a formula based on gender and height. Consequently, height inaccuracy may be a limiting factor to correctly set tidal volumes. The objective of this study was to evaluate the accuracy of different methods in measuring heights in mechanically ventilated patients. Before cardiac surgery, actual height was measured with a height gauge while subjects were standing upright (reference method); the height was also estimated by alternative methods based on lower leg and forearm measurements. After cardiac surgery, upon ICU admission, a subject's height was visually estimated by a clinician and then measured with a tape measure while the subject was supine and undergoing mechanical ventilation. One hundred subjects (75 men, 25 women) were prospectively included. Mean PBW was 61.0 ± 9.7 kg, and mean actual weight was 30.3% higher. In comparison with the reference method, estimating the height visually and using the tape measure were less accurate than both lower leg and forearm measurements. Errors above 10% in calculating the PBW were present in 25 and 40 subjects when the tape measure or visual estimation of height was used in the formula, respectively. With lower leg and forearm measurements, 15 subjects had errors above 10% (P bedridden patients on mechanical ventilation. Alternative methods based on lower leg and forearm measurements are potentially interesting solutions to facilitate the accurate application of protective ventilation. Copyright © 2014 by Daedalus Enterprises.

A condensed water method for measuring the atmospheric radon

CERN Document Server

Wu Xin; Pan Xiao Qing; Yu Yi Ling

1998-01-01

The author summarizes the present situation of atmospheric Radon measurement, and introduces the working principle, working method and advantage and disadvantage of condensed water method in detail. The structure and function of the instrument used for this method, and the measuring result are discussed. The direction of further work is pointed out from now on

Non-destructive measurement methods for large scale gaseous diffusion process equipment

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mayer, R.L.; Hagenauer, R.C.; McGinnis, B.R.

1994-01-01

Two measurement methods have been developed to measure non-destructively uranium hold-up in gaseous diffusion plants. These methods include passive neutron and passive γ ray measurements. An additional method, high resolution γ ray spectroscopy, provides supplementary information about additional γ ray emitting isotopes, γ ray correction factors, 235 U/ 234 U ratios and 235 U enrichment. Many of these methods can be used as a general purpose measurement technique for large containers of uranium. Measurement applications for these methods include uranium hold-up, waste measurements, criticality safety and nuclear accountability

A four-probe thermal transport measurement method for nanostructures

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kim, Jaehyun; Ou, Eric; Sellan, Daniel P.; Shi, Li, E-mail: lishi@mail.utexas.edu [Department of Mechanical Engineering, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas 78712 (United States)

2015-04-15

Several experimental techniques reported in recent years have enabled the measurement of thermal transport properties of nanostructures. However, eliminating the contact thermal resistance error from the measurement results has remained a critical challenge. Here, we report a different four-probe measurement method that can separately obtain both the intrinsic thermal conductance and the contact thermal resistance of individual nanostructures. The measurement device consists of four microfabricated, suspended metal lines that act as resistive heaters and thermometers, across which the nanostructure sample is assembled. The method takes advantage of the variation in the heat flow along the suspended nanostructure and across its contacts to the four suspended heater and thermometer lines, and uses sixteen sets of temperature and heat flow measurements to obtain nine of the thermal resistances in the measurement device and the nanostructure sample, including the intrinsic thermal resistance and the two contact thermal resistances to the middle suspended segment of the nanostructure. Two single crystalline Si nanowires with different cross sections are measured in this work to demonstrate the effectiveness of the method. This four-probe thermal transport measurement method can lead to future discoveries of unique size-dependent thermal transport phenomena in nanostructures and low-dimensional materials, in addition to providing reliable experimental data for calibrating theoretical models.

A four-probe thermal transport measurement method for nanostructures

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kim, Jaehyun; Ou, Eric; Sellan, Daniel P.; Shi, Li

2015-01-01

Several experimental techniques reported in recent years have enabled the measurement of thermal transport properties of nanostructures. However, eliminating the contact thermal resistance error from the measurement results has remained a critical challenge. Here, we report a different four-probe measurement method that can separately obtain both the intrinsic thermal conductance and the contact thermal resistance of individual nanostructures. The measurement device consists of four microfabricated, suspended metal lines that act as resistive heaters and thermometers, across which the nanostructure sample is assembled. The method takes advantage of the variation in the heat flow along the suspended nanostructure and across its contacts to the four suspended heater and thermometer lines, and uses sixteen sets of temperature and heat flow measurements to obtain nine of the thermal resistances in the measurement device and the nanostructure sample, including the intrinsic thermal resistance and the two contact thermal resistances to the middle suspended segment of the nanostructure. Two single crystalline Si nanowires with different cross sections are measured in this work to demonstrate the effectiveness of the method. This four-probe thermal transport measurement method can lead to future discoveries of unique size-dependent thermal transport phenomena in nanostructures and low-dimensional materials, in addition to providing reliable experimental data for calibrating theoretical models

Separability criteria and method of measurement for entanglement

Science.gov (United States)

Mohd, Siti Munirah; Idrus, Bahari; Mukhtar, Muriati

2014-06-01

Quantum computers have the potentials to solve certain problems faster than classical computers. In quantum computer, entanglement is one of the elements beside superposition. Recently, with the advent of quantum information theory, entanglement has become an important resource for Quantum Information and Computation. The purpose of this paper is to discuss the separability criteria and method of measurement for entanglement. This paper is aimed at viewing the method that has been proposed in previous works in bipartite and multipartite entanglement. The outcome of this paper is to classify the different method that used to measure entanglement for bipartite and multipartite cases including the advantage and disadvantage of each method.

Separability criteria and method of measurement for entanglement

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Mohd, Siti Munirah; Idrus, Bahari; Mukhtar, Muriati [Industrial Computing Research Group, Faculty of Information Science and Technology, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, 43600 Bangi, Selangor (Malaysia)

2014-06-19

Quantum computers have the potentials to solve certain problems faster than classical computers. In quantum computer, entanglement is one of the elements beside superposition. Recently, with the advent of quantum information theory, entanglement has become an important resource for Quantum Information and Computation. The purpose of this paper is to discuss the separability criteria and method of measurement for entanglement. This paper is aimed at viewing the method that has been proposed in previous works in bipartite and multipartite entanglement. The outcome of this paper is to classify the different method that used to measure entanglement for bipartite and multipartite cases including the advantage and disadvantage of each method.

Separability criteria and method of measurement for entanglement

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mohd, Siti Munirah; Idrus, Bahari; Mukhtar, Muriati

2014-01-01

Quantum computers have the potentials to solve certain problems faster than classical computers. In quantum computer, entanglement is one of the elements beside superposition. Recently, with the advent of quantum information theory, entanglement has become an important resource for Quantum Information and Computation. The purpose of this paper is to discuss the separability criteria and method of measurement for entanglement. This paper is aimed at viewing the method that has been proposed in previous works in bipartite and multipartite entanglement. The outcome of this paper is to classify the different method that used to measure entanglement for bipartite and multipartite cases including the advantage and disadvantage of each method

Sensitivity Analysis of Hydraulic Methods Regarding Hydromorphologic Data Derivation Methods to Determine Environmental Water Requirements

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Alireza Shokoohi

2015-07-01

Full Text Available This paper studies the accuracy of hydraulic methods in determining environmental flow requirements. Despite the vital importance of deriving river cross sectional data for hydraulic methods, few studies have focused on the criteria for deriving this data. The present study shows that the depth of cross section has a meaningful effect on the results obtained from hydraulic methods and that, considering fish as the index species for river habitat analysis, an optimum depth of 1 m should be assumed for deriving information from cross sections. The second important parameter required for extracting the geometric and hydraulic properties of rivers is the selection of an appropriate depth increment; ∆y. In the present research, this parameter was found to be equal to 1 cm. The uncertainty of the environmental discharge evaluation, when allocating water in areas with water scarcity, should be kept as low as possible. The Manning friction coefficient (n is an important factor in river discharge calculation. Using a range of "n" equal to 3 times the standard deviation for the study area, it is shown that the influence of friction coefficient on the estimation of environmental flow is much less than that on the calculation of river discharge.

Fabrication of {sup 94}Zr thin target for recoil distance doppler shift method of lifetime measurement

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Gupta, C.K.; Rohilla, Aman [Department of Physics and Astrophysics, University of Delhi, Delhi 110007 (India); Abhilash, S.R.; Kabiraj, D.; Singh, R.P. [Inter University Accelerator Centre, Aruna Asaf Ali Marg, New Delhi 110067 (India); Mehta, D. [Department of Physics, Panjab University, Chandigarh 160014 (India); Chamoli, S.K., E-mail: skchamoli@physics.du.ac.in [Department of Physics and Astrophysics, University of Delhi, Delhi 110007 (India)

2014-11-11

A thin isotopic {sup 94}Zr target of thickness 520μg/cm{sup 2} has been prepared for recoil distance Doppler shift method (RDM) lifetime measurement by using an electron beam deposition method on tantalum backing of 3.5 mg/cm{sup 2} thickness at Inter University Accelerator Center (IUAC), New Delhi. To meet the special requirement of smoothness of surface for RDM lifetime measurement and also to protect the outer layer of {sup 94}Zr from peeling off, a very thin layer of gold has been evaporated on a {sup 94}Zr target on a specially designed substrate holder. In all, 143 mg of 99.6% enriched {sup 94}Zr target material was utilized for the fabrication of {sup 94}Zr targets. The target has been successfully used in a recent RDM lifetime measurement experiment at IUAC.

Application of radiotracer methods in streamflow measurements

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Dincer, T.

1967-01-01

An attempt is made to evaluate methods using radiotracers in streamflow measurements. The basic principles of the tracer method are explained and background information given. Radiotracers used in stream discharge measurements are discussed and measurements made by different research workers are described. Problems such as adsorption of the tracer and the mixing length are discussed and the potential use of the radioisotopes as tracer in the routine stream-gauging work is evaluated. It is concluded that, at the present stage of development, radiotracer methods do not seem to be ready for routine use in stream-gauging work, and can only be used in some special cases. For gamma-emitting radioisotopes there are problems related to safety, transport and injection which should be solved. Tritium, though a very attractive tracer in some respects, has the disadvantages of having a relatively long half-life and of disturbing the natural tritium levels in the region. Finally, an attempt is made to define the objectives of the research in the field of application of radioisotopes in hydrometry. (author)

Measurement of protein digestibility in humans by a dual-tracer method.

Science.gov (United States)

Devi, Sarita; Varkey, Aneesia; Sheshshayee, M S; Preston, Thomas; Kurpad, Anura V

2018-06-01

for an accurate measure of digestion and absorption of the intrinsically labeled protein. This minimally invasive method is critical to redefining protein quality and will aid in revisiting human protein requirements in different settings and in vulnerable populations. This trial was registered at Clinical Trials Registry-India as CTRI/2017/11/010468.

A Simulation Method Measuring Psychomotor Nursing Skills.

Science.gov (United States)

McBride, Helena; And Others

1981-01-01

The development of a simulation technique to evaluate performance of psychomotor skills in an undergraduate nursing program is described. This method is used as one admission requirement to an alternate route nursing program. With modifications, any health profession could use this technique where psychomotor skills performance is important.…

New digital measurement methods for left ventricular volume using real-time three-dimensional echocardiography: comparison with electromagnetic flow method and magnetic resonance imaging

Science.gov (United States)

Qin, J. J.; Jones, M.; Shiota, T.; Greenberg, N. L.; Firstenberg, M. S.; Tsujino, H.; Zetts, A. D.; Sun, J. P.; Cardon, L. A.; Odabashian, J. A.;

Proposed New Method of Interpretation of Infrared Ship Signature Requirements

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Neele, F.P.; Wilson, M.T.; Youern, K.

2005-01-01

new method of deriving and defining requirements for the infrared signature of new ships is presented. The current approach is to specify the maximum allowed temperature or radiance contrast of the ship with respect to its background. At present, in most NATO countries, it is the contractor’s

Planetary method to measure the neutrons spectrum in lineal accelerators of medical use

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)