The migrating crane

CERN Document Server

CERN's new crane is constantly on the move back and forth from the Meyrin to Prévessin sites. The crane arrived on 16 June and has already performed many tasks on these sites. This telescopic mobile crane replaces the two existing cranes which are leaving for a well-earned retirement. The compact new crane handles routine tasks which usually involve lifting loads of between one and ten tonnes anywhere at CERN. That explains why it is never in one place for long. With its 30-metre telescopic arm, it can lift up to 30 tonnes at three metres. With its little on-board computer, it can assess masses and distances and the safety margins with respect to its nominal capacity. Here, the new 30-tonne crane and the older 160-tonne crane, acquired two years ago, are unloading a helium tank from a trailer. They are turning the tank before installing it beside Building 180, ATLAS's assembly hall.

Overhead Crane Computer Model

Science.gov (United States)

Enin, S. S.; Omelchenko, E. Y.; Fomin, N. V.; Beliy, A. V.

2018-03-01

The paper has a description of a computer model of an overhead crane system. The designed overhead crane system consists of hoisting, trolley and crane mechanisms as well as a payload two-axis system. With the help of the differential equation of specified mechanisms movement derived through Lagrange equation of the II kind, it is possible to build an overhead crane computer model. The computer model was obtained using Matlab software. Transients of coordinate, linear speed and motor torque of trolley and crane mechanism systems were simulated. In addition, transients of payload swaying were obtained with respect to the vertical axis. A trajectory of the trolley mechanism with simultaneous operation with the crane mechanism is represented in the paper as well as a two-axis trajectory of payload. The designed computer model of an overhead crane is a great means for studying positioning control and anti-sway control systems.

Cryopreservation of crane semen

Science.gov (United States)

Gee, G.F.; Harris, James

1991-01-01

The method for the cryopreservation of crane semen at Patuxent Wildlife Research Center is described in detail. Cryopreservation is useful for the long-term storage of crane semen and for specialized propagation needs. A 50% fertility rate from most sandhill cranes, Grus canadensis, inseminated with frozen-thawed semen can be expected. Additional research should improve the fertility rate and determine how applicable the technique is to other crane species.

Wave response analyses of floating crane structure; Crane sen no jobu kozobutsu no haro oto

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Nobukawa, H.; Takaki, M.; Kitamura, M.; Ahou, G. [Hiroshima University, Hiroshima (Japan). Faculty of Engineering; Higashimura, M. [Fukada Salvage and Marine Works Co. Ltd., Osaka (Japan)

1996-12-31

Identifying a dynamic load acting on a lifted load in a floating crane moving in waves is important for preparing an operation manual for the floating crane. Analyses were made on motions in waves of a floating crane with a lifting load of 3,600 tons, with considerations given to deformation of the crane structure. Discussions were given on a dynamic load acting on a lifted load. If a case that considers elastic deformation in the crane structure is compared with a case that does not consider same in calculating hull motions of the floating crane, the difference between them is small if wave length {lambda} to the ship length L is about 0.5. However, if {lambda}/L is 1.0 and 1.5, the difference grows very large. Therefore, the effect of deformation in the crane structure on hull motions of the floating crane cannot be ignored in these cases. A dynamic load acting on a lifted load that considers deformation in the crane structure is about 5% of lifted weight in a headsea condition in which the wave height is 2 m and {lambda}/L is 1.5. As opposed, an estimated value of a dynamic load when the crane structure is regarded as a rigid body is 13%, which is 2.6 times as great as the case that considers deformation of the crane structure. 3 refs., 17 figs., 1 tab.

Wave response analyses of floating crane structure; Crane sen no jobu kozobutsu no haro oto

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Nobukawa, H; Takaki, M; Kitamura, M; Ahou, G [Hiroshima University, Hiroshima (Japan). Faculty of Engineering; Higashimura, M [Fukada Salvage and Marine Works Co. Ltd., Osaka (Japan)

1997-12-31

Identifying a dynamic load acting on a lifted load in a floating crane moving in waves is important for preparing an operation manual for the floating crane. Analyses were made on motions in waves of a floating crane with a lifting load of 3,600 tons, with considerations given to deformation of the crane structure. Discussions were given on a dynamic load acting on a lifted load. If a case that considers elastic deformation in the crane structure is compared with a case that does not consider same in calculating hull motions of the floating crane, the difference between them is small if wave length {lambda} to the ship length L is about 0.5. However, if {lambda}/L is 1.0 and 1.5, the difference grows very large. Therefore, the effect of deformation in the crane structure on hull motions of the floating crane cannot be ignored in these cases. A dynamic load acting on a lifted load that considers deformation in the crane structure is about 5% of lifted weight in a headsea condition in which the wave height is 2 m and {lambda}/L is 1.5. As opposed, an estimated value of a dynamic load when the crane structure is regarded as a rigid body is 13%, which is 2.6 times as great as the case that considers deformation of the crane structure. 3 refs., 17 figs., 1 tab.

46 CFR 126.130 - Cranes.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-10-01

... 46 Shipping 4 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 false Cranes. 126.130 Section 126.130 Shipping COAST GUARD... § 126.130 Cranes. (a) Except as provided by paragraph (b) of this section, cranes, if installed, must... chapter. (b) The manufacturer of a crane may have tests and inspections conducted in compliance with § 107...

NECESSITY OF WIRE ROPE REPLACEMENT IN CRANE LIFTING EQUIPMENT AFTER CHANGE OF CRANE OPERATIONAL PARAMETERS

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jozef Kuľka

2017-06-01

Full Text Available This article describes a specific expertise and evaluation process relating to a foundry crane, which is installed in a steel production factory. The main task was to analyse a possibility to increase lifting speed of the crane lifting mechanism in order to improve efficiency of the production process. The steel supporting structure of the given foundry crane was considered by means of the performed experimental measurements and calculations. The presented article describes the special experimental/analytical methodology, which was used for evaluation of the crane steel construction and crane mechanisms, namely the lifting mechanisms and travelling mechanisms. There are also explained the required modifications of the individual crane construction parts.

Haemosporida prevalence and diversity are similar in endangered wild whooping cranes (Grus americana) and sympatric sandhill cranes (Grus canadensis).

Science.gov (United States)

Bertram, Miranda R; Hamer, Gabriel L; Hartup, Barry K; Snowden, Karen F; Medeiros, Matthew C; Hamer, Sarah A

2017-04-01

The population growth of endangered whooping cranes (Grus americana) is not consistent with species recovery goals, and the impact of parasite infection on whooping crane populations is largely unknown. Disease ecology and epidemiology research of endangered species is often hindered by limited ability to conduct invasive sampling on the target taxa. Accordingly, we hypothesized that sandhill cranes (Grus canadensis) would be a useful surrogate species to investigate the health impacts of Haemosporida infection in whooping cranes. Our goal was to compare the prevalence and diversity of Haemosporida infection between whooping cranes and sandhill cranes. We detected an overall infection prevalence of 83·6% (n = 61) in whooping cranes and 59·6% (n = 47) and 63·6 (n = 22) in two sympatric sandhill crane populations captured in Texas. Prevalence was significantly lower in allopatric sandhill cranes captured in New Mexico (12·1%, n = 33). Haemoproteus antigonis was the most abundant haemoparasite in cranes, present in 57·4% of whooping cranes and 39·2% of sandhill cranes; Plasmodium and Leucocytozoon were present at significantly lower levels. The high prevalence of Haemosporida in whooping cranes and sympatric sandhill cranes, with shared parasite lineages between the two species, supports sandhill cranes as a surrogate species for understanding health threats to endangered whooping cranes.

Comparative evaluation of different offshore wind turbine installation vessels for Korean west–south wind farm

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Dang Ahn

2017-01-01

Full Text Available The purpose of this study is to evaluate various means of wind power turbines installation in the Korean west–south wind farm (Test bed 100 MW, Demonstrate site 400 MW. We presented the marine environment of the southwest offshore wind farm in order to decide the appropriate installation vessel to be used in this site. The various vessels would be WTIV (Wind turbine installation vessel, jack-up barge, or floating crane … etc. We analyzed the installation cost of offshore wind turbine and the transportation duration for each vessel. The analysis results showed the most suitable installation means for offshore wind turbine in the Korean west–south wind farm.

Control of Rotary Cranes Using Fuzzy Logic

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Amjed A. Al-mousa

2003-01-01

Full Text Available Rotary cranes (tower cranes are common industrial structures that are used in building construction, factories, and harbors. These cranes are usually operated manually. With the size of these cranes becoming larger and the motion expected to be faster, the process of controlling them has become difficult without using automatic control methods. In general, the movement of cranes has no prescribed path. Cranes have to be run under different operating conditions, which makes closed-loop control attractive.

Slewing Port Jib Cranes

OpenAIRE

Boris Visočnik; Stojan Kravanja

2002-01-01

The paper presents slewing port cranes with a luffing jib. The advantages of slewing port jib cranes are high lifting capacities, high speeds of re-loading and excellent mobility since they are capable of load lifting, travelling, luffing and slewing. The paper gives a detailed description of their characteristics such as the highest reached load-carrying capacities, speeds of motion and accelerations. It also presents the crane assembly, driving mechanisms, loads and load cases, transport by...

Study of an API migration for two XML APIs

NARCIS (Netherlands)

T.T. Bartholomei; K. Czarnecki; R. Lämmel (Ralf); T. van der Storm (Tijs); M.G.J. van den Brand (Mark); D. Gasevic; J. Gray

2010-01-01

htmlabstractAPI migration refers to adapting an application such that its dependence on a given API (the source API) is eliminated in favor of depending on an alternative API (the target API) with the source and target APIs serving the same domain. One may attempt to automate API migration by code

Development of swing-free / shock free crane

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yoon, J. S.; Park, B. S.; Kim, S. H.; Kwon, D. A.; Kim, D. W.; Kim, J. H.; Jeon, B. K.; Lee, Y. E.; Lee, S. H.

1999-04-01

To develop the automatized crane and to apply the relevant technology to nuclear power plants, in this project and automatized crane control system is developed along with a swing and shock crane. Also, this technology has been transferred to Bando Machinery Co. Ltd. The drive mechanism of crane is designed by adopting vector drives which provide soft acceleration and deceleration characteristics. Also, radio modems and a long-range laser displacement sensor which are commercially available are introduced to accommodate the large scaled crane systems. Also, several devices are developed for the automation of crane system. These are a crane controller, a supervisory controller, a angle measuring device, and laser localizer, a drum grapple device, and crane supervisory program. The performance of developed crane system is revealed to rapidly reduce the residual swing of the transported object and precisely controls the object position in any case. Also, the laser localizer provides he capability of measuring any arbitrary located objects within 3 cm error range

Design Report for Hotcell Crane of ACP Facility

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Ku, J. H.; You, G. S.; Choung, W. M.; Kwon, K. C.; Cho, I. J.; Kook, D. H.; Lee, W. K.; Lee, E. P.; Park, S. W

2005-12-15

For the handling of the process material, equipment, and radioactive material transport cask, hot-cell crane, crane gate and jib crane are designed and constructed in the advanced spent fuel conditioning process (ACP) demonstration facility. The in-cell crane and the crane gate were installed in the hot-cell, and the jib crane was installed in isolation room. The in-cell crane mainly consists of hoist, driving unit for travelling motion, operation and control equipment and other mechanical equipment. The in-cell crane is specially design to maximize its access area since the inside hot-cell is not accessed by workers. And the manual lifting and travelling devices are attached in the in-cell crane for the electric power failure accident as a fail safe design. The crane gate, which is used for closing the open space above the inter-cell wall, was designed to sufficiently guarantee radiation shielding safety. To investigate the structural safety of the in-cell crane and the crane gate, seismic analysis, structural analysis, modal analysis and stress analysis were performed. The results showed that a structural safety is sufficiently assured under various loading conditions. After installation was completed, the in-cell crane and the jib crane were inspected and tested by Korea Occupational Safety and Health Agency (KOSHA), and received the approval certificates of these cranes from KOSHA.

Book review: A chorus of cranes: The cranes of North America and the world

Science.gov (United States)

Pearse, Aaron T.

2017-01-01

Cranes (Gruidae) are widely distributed throughout the world, have lived on Earth for several million years, and currently reside on five continents. Archaeological evidence and historical references suggest that humans have interacted with and been captivated by cranes for many thousands of years (e.g., Leslie 1988, Muellner 1990). A glimpse of our reverence for these birds can be found in A Chorus of Cranes by Paul A. Johnsgard, with photographs by Thomas D. Mangelsen. Many species of cranes are currently identified as threatened or endangered, and their future will likely rest in the hands of humans; this book presents their plight and some of the measures that have been taken to conserve them. Dr. Johnsgard, an emeritus professor at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, is a prolific writer, having written more than 60 books in ornithology and other topics. This book serves as the latest update of previous efforts concerning crane biology, conservation, and management. A review without making comparisons to his past works is difficult, yet this assessment will primarily focus on the content of the current book, with little reference to past endeavors.A Chorus of Cranes: The Cranes of North America and the World by Paul A. Johnsgard. 2015. University Press of Colorado, Boulder, CO, USA. x + 208 pp., 38 color photographs, 41 figures. ISBN 978-1-60732-436-2. $23.95 (Ebook). ISBN 978-1-60732-436-9.

46 CFR 109.525 - Cranes: Working loads.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-10-01

... 46 Shipping 4 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 false Cranes: Working loads. 109.525 Section 109.525 Shipping... Cranes § 109.525 Cranes: Working loads. The master or person in charge shall ensure that tables... working the crane. ...

Human Factors Engineering Guidelines for Overhead Cranes

Science.gov (United States)

Chandler, Faith; Delgado, H. (Technical Monitor)

2001-01-01

This guideline provides standards for overhead crane cabs that can be applied to the design and modification of crane cabs to reduce the potential for human error due to design. This guideline serves as an aid during the development of a specification for purchases of cranes or for an engineering support request for crane design modification. It aids human factors engineers in evaluating existing cranes during accident investigations or safety reviews.

APIs

CERN Document Server

Jacobson, Daniel; Woods, Dan

2011-01-01

Programmers used to be the only people excited about APIs, but now a growing number of companies see them as a hot new product channel. This concise guide describes the tremendous business potential of APIs, and demonstrates how you can use them to provide valuable services to clients, partners, or the public via the Internet. You'll learn all the steps necessary for building a cohesive API business strategy from experts in the trenches. Facebook and Twitter APIs continue to be extremely successful, and many other companies find that API demand greatly exceeds website traffic. This book offe

Reliability Modeling of Double Beam Bridge Crane

Science.gov (United States)

Han, Zhu; Tong, Yifei; Luan, Jiahui; Xiangdong, Li

2018-05-01

This paper briefly described the structure of double beam bridge crane and the basic parameters of double beam bridge crane are defined. According to the structure and system division of double beam bridge crane, the reliability architecture of double beam bridge crane system is proposed, and the reliability mathematical model is constructed.

46 CFR 109.527 - Cranes: Operator designation.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-10-01

... 46 Shipping 4 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 false Cranes: Operator designation. 109.527 Section 109.527... OPERATIONS Cranes § 109.527 Cranes: Operator designation. (a) The master or person in charge shall designate, in writing, each crane operator. (b) The master or person in charge shall ensure that only designated...

The African Crane Database (1978-2014): Records of three threatened crane species (Family: Gruidae) from southern and eastern Africa

Science.gov (United States)

Smith, Tanya; Page-Nicholson, Samantha; Gibbons, Bradley; Jones, M. Genevieve W.; van Niekerk, Mark; Botha, Bronwyn; Oliver, Kirsten; McCann, Kevin

2016-01-01

Abstract Background The International Crane Foundation (ICF) / Endangered Wildlife Trust’s (EWT) African Crane Conservation Programme has recorded 26 403 crane sightings in its database from 1978 to 2014. This sightings collection is currently ongoing and records are continuously added to the database by the EWT field staff, ICF/EWT Partnership staff, various partner organizations and private individuals. The dataset has two peak collection periods: 1994-1996 and 2008-2012. The dataset collection spans five African countries: Kenya, Rwanda, South Africa, Uganda and Zambia; 98% of the data were collected in South Africa. Georeferencing of the dataset was verified before publication of the data. The dataset contains data on three African crane species: Blue Crane Anthropoides paradiseus, Grey Crowned Crane Balearica regulorum and Wattled Crane Bugeranus carunculatus. The Blue and Wattled Cranes are classified by the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species as Vulnerable and the Grey Crowned Crane as Endangered. New information This is the single most comprehensive dataset published on African Crane species that adds new information about the distribution of these three threatened species. We hope this will further aid conservation authorities to monitor and protect these species. The dataset continues to grow and especially to expand in geographic coverage into new countries in Africa and new sites within countries. The dataset can be freely accessed through the Global Biodiversity Information Facility data portal. PMID:27956850

Dynamic berth and quay crane allocation for multiple berth positions and quay cranes

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Tri Cahyono, Rully; Flonk, E.J.; Jayawardhana, Bayu

2015-01-01

We study in this paper a dynamic berth and quay cranes allocation strategy in general seaport container terminals. We develop a dynamical model that describes the operation of berthing process with multiple discrete berthing positions and multiple quay cranes. Based on the proposed model, we develop

Head stabilization in whooping cranes

Science.gov (United States)

Kinloch, M.R.; Cronin, T.W.; Olsen, Glenn H.; Chavez-Ramirez, Felipe

2005-01-01

The whooping crane (Grus americana) is the tallest bird in North America, yet not much is known about its visual ecology. How these birds overcome their unusual height to identify, locate, track, and capture prey items is not well understood. There have been many studies on head and eye stabilization in large wading birds (herons and egrets), but the pattern of head movement and stabilization during foraging is unclear. Patterns of head movement and stabilization during walking were examined in whooping cranes at Patuxent Wildlife Research Center, Laurel, Maryland USA. Four whooping cranes (1 male and 3 females) were videotaped for this study. All birds were already acclimated to the presence of people and to food rewards. Whooping cranes were videotaped using both digital and Hi-8 Sony video cameras (Sony Corporation, 7-35 Kitashinagawa, 6-Chome, Shinagawa-ku, Tokyo, Japan), placed on a tripod and set at bird height in the cranes' home pens. The cranes were videotaped repeatedly, at different locations in the pens and while walking (or running) at different speeds. Rewards (meal worms, smelt, crickets and corn) were used to entice the cranes to walk across the camera's view plane. The resulting videotape was analyzed at the University of Maryland at Baltimore County. Briefly, we used a computerized reduced graphic model of a crane superimposed over each frame of analyzed tape segments by means of a custom written program (T. W. Cronin, using C++) with the ability to combine video and computer graphic input. The speed of the birds in analyzed segments ranged from 0.30 m/s to 2.64 m/s, and the proportion of time the head was stabilized ranged from 79% to 0%, respectively. The speed at which the proportion reached 0% was 1.83 m/s. The analyses suggest that the proportion of time the head is stable decreases as speed of the bird increases. In all cases, birds were able to reach their target prey with little difficulty. Thus when cranes are walking searching for food

Crane and Excavator Operator.

Science.gov (United States)

Marine Corps Inst., Washington, DC.

Developed as part of the Marine Corps Institute (MCI) correspondence training program, this course on crane and excavator operation is designed to enable the crane and excavator operator to perform his/her duties more proficiently. Introductory materials include specific information for MCI students, a course introduction, and a study guide…

Structural Integrity Management for Fixed Offshore Platforms in Malaysia

OpenAIRE

Narayanan Sambu Potty; Mohammad Kabir B. Mohd Akram

2009-01-01

Structural Integrity Management (SIM) is important for the protection of offshore crew, environment, business assets and company and industry reputation. API RP 2A contained guidelines for assessment of existing platforms mostly for the Gulf of Mexico (GOM). ISO 19902 SIM framework also does not specifically cater for Malaysia. There are about 200 platforms in Malaysia with 90 exceeding their design life. The Petronas Carigali Sdn Bhd (PCSB) uses the Asset Integrity Management ...

Load out and offshore lifting of the PRA-1 platform modules; Embarque e icamento offshore dos modulos de PRA-1

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Barbosa, Fernando; Raigorodsky, Jacques; Mitidieri, Jorge L.U.; Ricardi, Paulo S. [Construtora Norberto Odebrecht S.A., Rio de Janeiro, RJ (Brazil)

2008-07-01

The technology innovations are characteristics of offshore Engineering around the world. These technologies just make sense when they aim the productivity, security and costs gains compared to ordinary methods. It is in this context that the proposal of the Consorcio PRA-1 (Odebrecht e UTC) team makes sense, in the definition of basic methodology for the PRA-1 platform construction and installation. Through the innovative concept, It was defined (still in the proposal phase) the basic premise that the modules construction and assembly were onshore ending up that just few hours after the offshore installation the modules should be operational in minimal habitability conditions. This innovative method allowed the lack of Flotel, that is a platform which provide support to the offshore construction and assembly (Flotel represents a high costs to the project) and, as consequence, the contract signature by CONSORCIO PRA-1. This work aims to describe the method used for the LOUD-OUT of the PRA-1 modules and the installation of them on the jacket through a vessel provide with cranes the has performed the lifting. Theses operations became unique in Brazil due its challengers characteristics: Module 12 weight = 7203 tf and Module 35 = 5725 tf. For the accomplishment of the Load-out and offshore lifting, was performed a detailed planning and a high level of subcontract interface management. The operations mentioned above were filmed/photographed and published in the specialized media. (author)

Molecular characterization of crane Coccidia, Eimeria gruis and E. reichenowi, found in feces of migratory cranes.

Science.gov (United States)

Matsubayashi, Makoto; Takami, Kazutoshi; Abe, Niichiro; Kimata, Isao; Tani, Hiroyuki; Sasai, Kazumi; Baba, Eiichiroh

2005-08-01

Eimeria gruis and E. reichenowi have lethal pathogenicity to a number of species of cranes. These parasites develop at multiple organs or tissues in infected cranes, thus lacking the specificity of infection sites shown by other Eimeria spp. in spite of morphologic similarity. To date, there have been many reports of crane Eimeria infections, however, genetic examinations of these parasites have never been published. In the present study, we isolated oocysts of E. gruis and E. reichenowi from crane feces at a wintering area in Japan. By phylogenic analysis, we first demonstrated that partial sequences of the isolates formed their own cluster, located separately from other Eimeria spp.

Cranes and Crops: Investigating Farmer Tolerances toward Crop Damage by Threatened Blue Cranes ( Anthropoides paradiseus) in the Western Cape, South Africa

Science.gov (United States)

van Velden, Julia L.; Smith, Tanya; Ryan, Peter G.

2016-12-01

The Western Cape population of Blue Cranes ( Anthropoides paradiseus) in South Africa is of great importance as the largest population throughout its range. However, Blue Cranes are strongly associated with agricultural lands in the Western Cape, and therefore may come into conflict with farmers who perceive them as damaging to crops. We investigated the viability of this population by exploring farmer attitudes toward crane damage in two regions of the Western Cape, the Swartland and Overberg, using semi-structured interviews. Perceptions of cranes differed widely between regions: farmers in the Swartland perceived crane flocks to be particularly damaging to the feed crop sweet lupin (65 % of farmers reported some level of damage by cranes), and 40 % of these farmers perceived cranes as more problematic than other common bird pests. Farmers in the Overberg did not perceive cranes as highly damaging, although there was concern about cranes eating feed at sheep troughs. Farmers who had experienced large flocks on their farms and farmers who ranked cranes as more problematic than other bird pests more often perceived cranes to be damaging to their livelihoods. Biographical variables and crop profiles could not be related to the perception of damage, indicating the complexity of this human-wildlife conflict. Farmers' need for management alternatives was related to the perceived severity of damage. These results highlight the need for location-specific management solutions to crop damage by cranes, and contribute to the management of this vulnerable species.

The Dutch xAPI Experience: xAPI Recipes

OpenAIRE

Berg, Alan; Scheffel, Maren; Drachsler, Hendrik; Ternier, Stefaan; Specht, Marcus

2017-01-01

We present the collected experiences since 2012 of the Dutch Special Interest Group (SIG) for Learning Analytics in the application of the xAPI standard and best practices around the application of xAPI in various contexts. We present three projects that apply xAPI in very different ways and publish a consistent set of xAPI recipes.

Research on Multidisciplinary Optimization Design of Bridge Crane

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Tong Yifei

2013-01-01

Full Text Available Bridge crane is one of the most widely used cranes in our country, which is indispensable equipment for material conveying in the modern production. In this paper, the framework of multidisciplinary optimization for bridge crane is proposed. The presented research on crane multidisciplinary design technology for energy saving includes three levels, respectively: metal structures level, transmission design level, and electrical system design level. The shape optimal mathematical model of the crane is established for shape optimization design of metal structure level as well as size optimal mathematical model and topology optimal mathematical model of crane for topology optimization design of metal structure level is established. Finally, system-level multidisciplinary energy-saving optimization design of bridge crane is further carried out with energy-saving transmission design results feedback to energy-saving optimization design of metal structure. The optimization results show that structural optimization design can reduce total mass of crane greatly by using the finite element analysis and multidisciplinary optimization technology premised on the design requirements of cranes such as stiffness and strength; thus, energy-saving design can be achieved.

Issues in offshore platform research - Part 1: Semi-submersibles

Science.gov (United States)

Sharma, R.; Kim, Tae-Wan; Sha, O. P.; Misra, S. C.

2010-09-01

Availability of economic and efficient energy resources is crucial to a nation's development. Because of their low cost and advancement in drilling and exploration technologies, oil and gas based energy systems are the most widely used energy source throughout the world. The inexpensive oil and gas based energy systems are used for everything, i.e., from transportation of goods and people to the harvesting of crops for food. As the energy demand continues to rise, there is strong need for inexpensive energy solutions. An offshore platform is a large structure that is used to house workers and machinery needed to drill wells in the ocean bed, extract oil and/or natural gas, process the produced fluids, and ship or pipe them to shore. Depending on the circumstances, the offshore platform can be fixed (to the ocean floor) or can consist of an artificial island or can float. Semi-submersibles are used for various purposes in offshore and marine engineering, e.g. crane vessels, drilling vessels, tourist vessels, production platforms and accommodation facilities, etc. The challenges of deepwater drilling have further motivated the researchers to design optimum choices for semi-submersibles for a chosen operating depth. In our series of eight papers, we discuss the design and production aspects of all the types of offshore platforms. In the present part I, we present an introduction and critical analysis of semi-submersibles.

Contamination Status of Seven Elements in Hooded Cranes Wintering in South-West Kyushu, Japan: Comparison with Red-Crowned Cranes in Hokkaido, Japan.

Science.gov (United States)

Teraoka, Hiroki; Miyagi, Hasumi; Haraguchi, Yuko; Takase, Kozo; Kitazawa, Takio; Noda, Jun

2018-05-31

The hooded crane is designated as an endangered species. The cranes breed primarily in wetlands in southeast Russia and China in summer. Most of the hooded crane population winters in the Izumi plain in Japan. It is difficult to know the contamination status of their habitat because of their vast breeding area. We determined the levels of Cd, Pb, As, (total) Hg, Se, Zn, and Cu in the liver, kidney, and muscle of hooded cranes that were found dead in Izumi in the periods 2003-2006 and 2014-2015 compared with the levels in red-crowned cranes in Hokkaido, Japan, as the only cranes in which these elements had been studied extensively. There were no notable differences between levels of the seven elements in the two periods. Overall, tissue levels of the elements examined in hooded cranes were comparable to those in red-crowned cranes except for Hg and Se. Tissue levels of Hg and Se were clearly lower in hooded cranes than in red-crowned cranes that were found dead from 2000. One lead poisoning case was confirmed. The results suggest that Hooded cranes wintering in Izumi are not extensively contaminated with the seven elements examined.

Towards a Risk-based Decision Support for Offshore Wind Turbine Installation and Operation & Maintenance

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Gintautas, Tomas; Sørensen, John Dalsgaard; Vatne, Sigrid Ringdalen

2016-01-01

Costs of operation & maintenance, assembly, transport and installation of offshore wind turbines contribute significantly to the total cost of offshore wind farm. These operations are mostly carried out by specific ships that have to be hired for the operational phase and for duration of installa......Costs of operation & maintenance, assembly, transport and installation of offshore wind turbines contribute significantly to the total cost of offshore wind farm. These operations are mostly carried out by specific ships that have to be hired for the operational phase and for duration...... of installation process, respectively. Duration, and therefore ship hiring costs is, among others, driven by waiting time for weather windows for weather-sensitive operations. Today, state of the art decision making criteria for weather-sensitive operations are restrictions to the significant wave height...... and the average wind velocity at reference height. However, actual limitations are physical, related to response of equipment used e.g. crane wire tension, rotor assembly motions while lifting, etc. Transition from weather condition limits to limits on physical equipment response in decision making would improve...

Stabilizer for seismically exposed bridge cranes

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Engelke, M.; Kuhr, H.

1982-01-01

The invention concerns a stabilizer for seismically exposed bridge cranes in reactor buildings. The trolley and the crane bridge are fitted with the stabilizer consisting of a bipartite safety catch which is connected with a joint and able to take up the vertical loads during an earthquake. This stabilizer is suitable for all kinds of bridge cranes operated in seismically active regions

Crane. Incidental Classroom Instruction 20295

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Reynolds, Richard Jennings [Los Alamos National Laboratory

2016-04-01

The purpose of this course is to introduce safe hoisting and rigging practices to personnel who are attempting to become LANL incidental crane operators and to review and refresh safe hoisting and rigging practices with existing incidental crane operators.

Crane cabins' interior space multivariate anthropometric modeling.

Science.gov (United States)

Essdai, Ahmed; Spasojević Brkić, Vesna K; Golubović, Tamara; Brkić, Aleksandar; Popović, Vladimir

2018-01-01

Previous research has shown that today's crane cabins fail to meet the needs of a large proportion of operators. Performance and financial losses and effects on safety should not be overlooked as well. The first aim of this survey is to model the crane cabin interior space using up-to-date crane operator anthropometric data and to compare the multivariate and univariate method anthropometric models. The second aim of the paper is to define the crane cabin interior space dimensions that enable anthropometric convenience. To facilitate the cabin design, the anthropometric dimensions of 64 crane operators in the first sample and 19 more in the second sample were collected in Serbia. The multivariate anthropometric models, spanning 95% of the population on the basis of a set of 8 anthropometric dimensions, have been developed. The percentile method was also used on the same set of data. The dimensions of the interior space, necessary for the accommodation of the crane operator, are 1174×1080×1865 mm. The percentiles results for the 5th and 95th model are within the obtained dimensions. The results of this study may prove useful to crane cabin designers in eliminating anthropometric inconsistencies and improving the health of operators, but can also aid in improving the safety, performance and financial results of the companies where crane cabins operate.

Slewing Port Jib Cranes

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Boris Visočnik

2002-09-01

Full Text Available The paper presents slewing port cra11es with a luffing jib.The advantages of slewing port jib cranes are high lifting capacities,high speeds of re-loading and excellent mobility since theyare capable of load lifting, travelling, luffing and slewing. Thepaper gives a detailed description of their characteristics suchas the highest reached load-canying capacities, speeds of motionand accelerations. It also presents the crane assembly,driving mechanisms, loads and load cases, transport by shipsand testing of lifting capacity. As a practical example the paperpresents the slewing port jib crane with the capacity of25!15!5 tat a 27/37/40 m radius made by the Slovenian companyMetalna Maribor for the shipyard 3. Maj, Rijeka, Croatia.

Control strategies for crane systems: A comprehensive review

Science.gov (United States)

Ramli, Liyana; Mohamed, Z.; Abdullahi, Auwalu M.; Jaafar, H. I.; Lazim, Izzuddin M.

2017-10-01

Crane systems are tremendously utilised in numerous heavy load transportation industries, and therefore, the control of crane systems is a well-established research field. As the last review paper was published more than a decade ago, there is a lack of collected and organised information regarding the latest and the newest updates on control strategies for crane control systems. Hence, this paper presents a comprehensive review of crane control strategies discussing the latest research works during the years from 2000 to 2016. Various crane types and control issues are highlighted, followed by the main focus of this paper, an extensive review of the control schemes for diverse types of crane systems that have been carried out in the 21st century. A brief review on modelling of single-pendulum and double-pendulum crane systems is also given. In addition, anti-sway control systems for industrial cranes that are available on the market is described. This paper summarises most of the related work and also pays a special focus on research trends regarding the control of crane systems that have been previously published in the literature. It is envisaged that this review paper will be helpful to new researchers when identifying research directions for this particular area of interest.

A mathematical model for optimal tower crane layout planning

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mojtaba Hosseini

2017-09-01

Full Text Available Tower cranes, on today’s typical building construction sites, are the centerpiece of production, hoisting and transporting of a variety of loads. Due to a simple crane limited capacity; there is an urgent need to use high capacity cranes such as tower cranes. However, we have to select an appropriate type of cranes to be utilized to reduce the associated coste as much as possible. In this research, we propose a method to select the suitable type of crane and locate the best place for crane erection based on a minimum radius for requested crane and minimum cost. To fulfill the target, a computer program is designed to numerate these problems, demonstrating an example explaining how to apply the program and the results are discussed.

Crane allocation with stability considerations

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Ursavas, Evrim

Crane planning in a container terminal is a major concern for terminal operators. Crane scheduling has an enormous impact on port efficiency and profitability, and these activities have, therefore, received high priority from terminal managers and researchers. Owing to the complex structure of the

DEVELOPMENT OF METHODS FOR STABILITY ANALYSIS OF TOWER CRANES

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Sinel'shchikov Aleksey Vladimirovich

2018-01-01

Full Text Available Tower cranes are one of the main tools for execution of reloading works during construction. Design of tower cranes is carried out in accordance with RD 22-166-86 “Construction of tower cranes. Rules of analysis”, according to which to ensure stability it is required not to exceed the overturning moment upper limit. The calculation of these moments is carried out with the use of empirical coefficients and quite time-consuming. Moreover, normative methodology only considers the static position of the crane and does not take into account the presence of dynamic transients due to crane functioning (lifting and swinging of the load, boom turning and the presence of the dynamic external load (e.g. from wind for different orientations of the crane. This paper proposes a method of determining the stability coefficient of the crane based on acting reaction forces at the support points - the points of contact of wheels with the crane rail track, which allows us, at the design stage, to investigate stability of tower crane under variable external loads and operating conditions. Subject: the safety of tower cranes operation with regard to compliance with regulatory requirements of ensuring their stability both at the design stage and at the operational stage. Research objectives: increasing the safety of operation of tower cranes on the basis of improving methodology of their design to ensure static and dynamic stability. Materials and methods: analysis and synthesis of the regulatory framework and modern research works on provision of safe operation of tower cranes, the method of numerical simulation. Results: we proposed the formula for analysis of stability of tower cranes using the resulting reaction forces at the supports of the crane at the point of contact of the wheel with the rail track.

Dynamics three-tier hydraulic crane-manipulators

OpenAIRE

Lagerev I.A.; Lagerev A.V.

2018-01-01

The methods and generalized recommendations for modeling dynamic loading of load-bearing elements of steel structures of three-tier hydraulic cranes-manipulators are considered. Mathematical models have been developed to study the dynamics of moving elements of the crane-manipulator, the movement of the load-lifting machine on a stochastic uneven surface with a suspended load. The presented approaches can be used to calculate other types of jib cranes equipped with hydraulic drive.

Study on earthquake responses of overhead traveling cranes

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Komori, A.; Fukuda, T.; Veki, T.; Kirata, M.; Hoshii, T.; Kashiwazaki, A.

1989-01-01

In nuclear power plants, large-size overhead traveling cranes, such as reactor building crane and turbine building crane, are installed. These overhead cranes are used for transporting heavy loads on the operation floor, and call for safety and reliability even during strong earthquake as well as under the normal operational conditions. The seismic behaviors of overhead traveling cranes, which move on the rails, may be different from those of other structures that are anchored to the building: in the case of cranes, traveling wheels and rails can slip relative to each other when the horizontal seismic force reaches the level of frictional force. In Japan, therefore, a practical guide to the seismic design that considers the sliding has been proposed. However, detailed experimental study on sliding between wheels and rails has not been carried out. In this study, the seismic behaviors of traveling overhead cranes accompanied by sliding between wheels and rails in the traveling direction are examined

46 CFR 109.437 - Crane record book.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-10-01

... 46 Shipping 4 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 false Crane record book. 109.437 Section 109.437 Shipping... Reports, Notifications, and Records Records § 109.437 Crane record book. The master or person in charge shall ensure that the following are maintained in a crane record book: (a) Descriptive information which...

Issues in offshore platform research - Part 1: Semi-submersibles

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

R. Sharma

2010-09-01

Full Text Available Availability of economic and efficient energy resources is crucial to a nation's development. Because of their low cost and advancement in drilling and exploration technologies, oil and gas based energy systems are the most widely used energy source throughout the world. The inexpensive oil and gas based energy systems are used for everything, i.e., from transportation of goods and people to the harvesting of crops for food. As the energy demand continues to rise, there is strong need for inexpensive energy solutions. An offshore platform is a large structure that is used to house workers and machinery needed to drill wells in the ocean bed, extract oil and/or natural gas, process the produced fluids, and ship or pipe them to shore. Depending on the circumstances, the offshore platform can be fixed (to the ocean floor or can consist of an artificial island or can float. Semi-submersibles are used for various purposes in offshore and marine engineering, e.g. crane vessels, drilling vessels, tourist vessels, production platforms and accommodation facilities, etc. The challenges of deepwater drilling have further motivated the researchers to design optimum choices for semi-submersibles for a chosen operating depth. In our series of eight papers, we discuss the design and production aspects of all the types of offshore platforms. In the present part I, we present an introduction and critical analysis of semi-submersibles.

Host–parasite behavioral interactions in a recently introduced, whooping crane population

Science.gov (United States)

King, Richard S.; McKann, Patrick C.; Gray, Brian R.; Putnam, Michael S.

2015-01-01

The whooping crane Grus americana has a long conservation history, but despite multiple attempts across North America, introduction success is lacking. Recently introduced, captively reared whooping cranes have had periods of poor reproductive performance in central Wisconsin that sometimes coincided with black fly (Diptera: Simuliidae) emergences. Sandhill crane Grus canadensis reproductive performance in central Wisconsin is approximately double that of whooping cranes. We used comfort behaviors as a measure of black fly harassment to infer whether behavioral differences existed between nesting sandhill cranes and nesting whooping cranes and between successful and unsuccessful whooping crane pairs. To further explore the interaction between black flies and incubating whooping cranes, we examined differences in behaviors between incubating birds and their off-nest mates. Compared to their off-nest mates, incubating whooping cranes exhibited elevated comfort behaviors, suggesting a bird at a nest may experience greater harassment from black flies. Sandhill cranes had elevated head-flicks over whooping cranes. Whooping cranes exhibited more head-rubs than sandhill cranes, and successful whooping crane pairs had elevated head-rubs over pairs that deserted their nests. Behavioral differences between sandhill cranes and whooping cranes as well as differences in reproductive performance, could be explained by exposure to local breeding conditions. Whereas sandhill cranes have nested in the area for hundreds, if not thousands, of years, whooping cranes were only recently introduced to the area. Behavioral differences between the species as well as those between successful and unsuccessful whooping crane pairs could also be explained by the effect of captive exposure, which could affect all whooping crane introductions.

Polar crane

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Makosinski, S.

1981-01-01

In many applications polar cranes have to be repeatedly positioned with high accuracy. A guidance system is disclosed which has two pairs of guides. Each guide consists of two rollers carried by a sheave rotatable mounted on the crane bridge, the rollers being locatable one on each side of a guideway, e.g. the circular track on which the bridge runs. The pairs of guides are interconnected by respective rope loops which pass around and are locked to the respective pairs of sheaves in such a manner that movement of one guide results in equal movement of the other guide in a sense to maintain the repeatability of positioning of the centre of the bridge. A hydraulically-linked guide system is also described. (author)

Use of ultralight aircraft for introducing migratory crane populations

Science.gov (United States)

Clegg, K.R.; Lewis, J.C.; Ellis, D.H.; Urbanek, Richard P.; Stahlecker, Dale

1997-01-01

Objectives were to determine if captive-reared cranes could be led behind an ultralight aircraft (UL) along a migration route and, if after release on a wintering area, they would integrate with wild cranes and migrate north in spring to their natal area without assistance. Greater sandhill cranes (Grus canadensis tabida) were used as the research surrogate for whooping cranes (Grus americana). In 1995, the senior author raised 15 cranes to fledging and trained them to respond to his vocal imitation of a sandhill crane brood call. Chicks learned to follow him as he walked, drove an all-terrain vehicle (ATV), or piloted an UL. The caretakers were not in crane costumes. Cranes were tame but allowed to roam at will without accompanying humans part of the day and were penned at night. Daily excursions provided exposure to habitats, foods, and predators the birds would encounter after release into the wild. In mid-October 1995, 11 radio-tagged cranes were led in migration from Grade, Idaho to Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge (BdANWR), central New Mexico, and released near wild wintering sandhill cranes. The 1,204km migration took 11 days, including 1 day when the aircraft were grounded due to a winter storm. Hazards encountered enroute included mountainous terrain, turbulent air, and attacks by gold eagles (Aquila chrysaetos). On the wintering ground, hazards included crane hunters and coyotes (Canis latrans). Within 2 days after release at the BdANWR wintering site, the research cranes were associating with and imitating the behavior of wild cranes. The 4 surviving birds migrated north in spring 1996 and at the time of this writing 2 were within 53 km of their natal area in Idaho.

Seismic requalification of a safety class crane

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wu, Ting-shu; Moran, T.J.

1991-01-01

A remotely operated 5-ton crane within a nuclear fuel handling facility was designed and constructed over 25 years ago. At that time, less severe design criteria, particularly on seismic loadings, were in use. This crane is being reactivated and requalified under new design criteria with loads including a site specific design basis earthquake. Detailed analyses of the crane show that the maximum stress coefficient is less than 90% of the code allowable, indicating that this existing crane is able to withstand loadings including those from the design basis earthquake. 3 refs., 8 figs., 2 tabs

Book review: Sandhill and whooping cranes: Ancient voices over America's wetlands

Science.gov (United States)

Austin, Jane E.

2011-01-01

Paul Johnsgard has long been captivated by wild cranes and their unique vocalizations, courtship dances, and wide-ranging migrations. As a scientist and an admirer, Johnsgard has watched their migrations and behaviors for decades as hundreds of thousands of cranes staged each spring by the central Platte River, not far from his home in Lincoln, Nebraska. As an artist, he has skilfully captured their courtship dances and other behaviours in his exceptional line drawings. And, as an author, he has written extensively on their ecology in three earlier books: Cranes of the World (1983), Those of the Gray Wind: the Sandhill Crane (1986), and Crane Music: a Natural History of Cranes (1991). Much has happened relative to North American cranes in the 20 years since Johnsgard published Crane Music, including increased crane abundance in many areas and the completion of multiple studies on crane ecology and conservation. This new crane book serves as an update to Crane Music and provides the reader with many useful resources for observing and learning about cranes.

A Historical Analysis of Crane Mishaps at Kennedy Space Center

Science.gov (United States)

Wolfe, Crystal

2014-01-01

Cranes and hoists are widely used in many areas. Crane accidents and handling mishaps are responsible for injuries, costly equipment damage, and program delays. Most crane accidents are caused by preventable factors. Understanding these factors is critical when designing cranes and preparing lift plans. Analysis of previous accidents provides insight into current recommendations for crane safety. Cranes and hoists are used throughout Kennedy Space Center to lift everything from machine components to critical flight hardware. Unless they are trained crane operators, most NASA employees and contractors do not need to undergo specialized crane training and may not understand the safety issues surrounding the use of cranes and hoists. A single accident with a crane or hoist can injure or kill people, cause severe equipment damage, and delay or terminate a program. Handling mishaps can also have a significant impact on the program. Simple mistakes like bouncing or jarring a load, or moving the crane down when it should go up, can damage fragile flight hardware and cause major delays in processing. Hazardous commodities (high pressure gas, hypergolic propellants, and solid rocket motors) can cause life safety concerns for the workers performing the lifting operations. Most crane accidents are preventable with the correct training and understanding of potential hazards. Designing the crane with human factors taken into account can prevent many accidents. Engineers are also responsible for preparing lift plans where understanding the safety issues can prevent or mitigate potential accidents. Cranes are widely used across many areas of KSC. Failure of these cranes often leads to injury, high damage costs, and significant delays in program objectives. Following a basic set of principles and procedures during design, fabrication, testing, regular use, and maintenance can significantly minimize many of these failures. As the accident analysis shows, load drops are often caused

A new crane for the LHC magnets

CERN Multimedia

2002-01-01

Last Friday CERN took delivery of the new crane that will be used for handling the LHC magnets. CERN took delivery of its new telescopic mobile crane on Friday, 22 February. It underwent its first operating tests, which consisted of lifting a 37-tonne concrete block. Five drive-steer axles, two engines with a capacity of 544 and 203 hp respectively, a telescopic boom with a 60-metre reach and a lifting capacity of 160 tonnes at 3 metres: these are the impressive characteristics of CERN's new 160-tonne crane. And the handling of the LHC magnets, each weighing a 'trifling' 33 tonnes, demands no less than this. The new crane will be required to load the magnets made in Building SM18 onto a trailer that will take them to the Prévessin site, where they will be put in storage until they can be lowered into the tunnel. The telescopic mobile crane arrived at CERN last Friday and has passed its first operating tests with flying colours. Until now, CERN had two cranes, with a maximum capacity of 40 and 60...

Distribution and migration chronology of Eastern population sandhill cranes

Science.gov (United States)

Fronczak, David L.; Andersen, David; Hanna, Everett E.; Cooper, Thomas R.

2017-01-01

The Eastern Population (EP) of greater sandhill cranes (Antigone canadensis tabida; cranes) is expanding in size and geographic range. Little information exists regarding the geographic extent of breeding, migration, and wintering ranges, migration chronology, or use of staging areas for cranes in the EP. To obtain these data, we attached solar global positioning system (GPS) platform transmitting terminals (PTTs) to 42 sandhill cranes and monitored daily locations from December 2009 through August 2014. On average, tagged cranes settled in summer areas during late‐March in Minnesota (7%), Wisconsin (29%), Michigan, USA (21%), and Ontario, Canada (38%) and arrived at their winter terminus beginning mid‐December in Indiana (15%), Kentucky (3%), Tennessee (45%), Georgia (5%), and Florida (32%). Cranes initiated spring migration beginning mid‐February to their respective summer areas on routes similar to those used during fall migration. Twenty‐five marked cranes returned to the same summer area after a second spring migration, of which 19 (76%) settled cranes in the EP, we estimated that approximately 29–31% of cranes that summered in both Wisconsin and the Lower Peninsula of Michigan were not in areas included in the survey. The information we collected on crane movements provides insight into distribution and migration chronology that will aid in assessment of the current USFWS fall survey. In addition, information on specific use sites can assist state and federal managers to identify and protect key staging and winter areas particularly during current and future recreational harvest seasons.

30 CFR 56.16014 - Operator-carrying overhead cranes.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-07-01

... 30 Mineral Resources 1 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Operator-carrying overhead cranes. 56.16014 Section 56.16014 Mineral Resources MINE SAFETY AND HEALTH ADMINISTRATION, DEPARTMENT OF LABOR METAL AND... Storage and Handling § 56.16014 Operator-carrying overhead cranes. Operator-carrying overhead cranes shall...

30 CFR 57.16014 - Operator-carrying overhead cranes.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-07-01

... 30 Mineral Resources 1 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Operator-carrying overhead cranes. 57.16014 Section 57.16014 Mineral Resources MINE SAFETY AND HEALTH ADMINISTRATION, DEPARTMENT OF LABOR METAL AND... Storage and Handling § 57.16014 Operator-carrying overhead cranes. Operator-carrying overhead cranes shall...

Efficacy of eastern equine encephalitis immunization in whooping cranes.

Science.gov (United States)

Olsen, G H; Turell, M J; Pagac, B B

1997-04-01

An epizootic of eastern equine encephalitis (EEE) at the Patuxent Wildlife Research Center (PWRC), Laurel, Maryland (USA), in 1989 provided an opportunity to determine if EEE immunization protected whooping cranes (Grus americana). Based on seroconversion of 31% of sympatric hatch-year sandhill cranes, Grus canadensis, and a previous 35% case fatality rate in whooping cranes, 17 (37%) of the 46 susceptible whooping cranes should have been exposed to virus and six should have died. As there were no deaths in these birds, the EEE vaccination program appeared to be efficacious in this whooping crane population.

The bile acid composition of crane gallbladder bile

Science.gov (United States)

Serafin, J.A.

1983-01-01

1. The biliary bile acids of the whooping crane (Grus americana) and the Florida sandhill crane (G. canadensis pratensis) have been examined.2. Cholic acid (CA), chenodeoxycholic acid (CDOCA) and lithocholic acid were found in bile from both species of these North American cranes.3. CDOCA and CA were the primary bile acids in both species, together constituting 70% or more of the bile acids by weight.4. The primary bile acids of cranes appear to be the same as those that have been identified in other avian species.

Timing of spring surveys for midcontinent sandhill cranes

Science.gov (United States)

Pearse, Aaron T.; Krapu, Gary L.; Brandt, David A.; Sargeant, Glen A.

2015-01-01

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has used spring aerial surveys to estimate numbers of migrating sandhill cranes (Grus canadensis) staging in the Platte River Valley of Nebraska, USA. Resulting estimates index the abundance of the midcontinent sandhill crane population and inform harvest management decisions. However, annual changes in the index have exceeded biologically plausible changes in population size (>50% of surveys between 1982 and 2013 indicate >±20% change), raising questions about nuisance variation due to factors such as migration chronology. We used locations of cranes marked with very-high-frequency transmitters to estimate migration chronology (i.e., proportions of cranes present within the Platte River Valley). We also used roadside surveys to determine the percentage of cranes staging at the Platte River Valley but outside of the survey area when surveys occur. During March 2001–2007, an average of 86% (71–94%; SD = 7%) of marked cranes were present along the Platte River during scheduled survey dates, and 0–11% of cranes that were present along the Platte River were not within the survey boundaries. Timing of the annual survey generally corresponded with presence of the greatest proportion of marked cranes and with least inter-annual variation; consequently, accuracy of estimates could not have been improved by surveying on different dates. Conducting the survey earlier would miss birds not yet arriving at the staging site; whereas, a later date would occur at a time when a larger portion of birds may have already departed the staging site and when a greater proportion of birds occurred outside of the surveyed area. Index values used to monitor midcontinent sandhill crane abundance vary annually, in part, due to annual variation in migration chronology and to spatial distribution of cranes in the Platte River Valley; therefore, managers should interpret survey results cautiously, with awareness of a continuing need to identify and

Improved soil characterization for pipe piles in sand in API RP-2A

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hossain, M.K.; Briaud, J.L.

1993-01-01

In the offshore, most foundations are steel pipe piles and most of them are designed using the API RP 2A guidelines. For axial capacity of piles in sand the current guidelines in many cases show definite discrepancies when compared against actual load capacities of piles. An updated data base analysis shows that there are three major weaknesses in the current guidelines with respect to soil characterization: (a) the consideration of the lateral earth pressure coefficient, K, as a constant (1.0 or 0.8); (b) the consideration of the unit point bearing resistance, q, as a linear function of depth; and (c) the absence of an unambiguous soil parameter determination process based on reliable in-situ test results. In this paper, specific modifications to the current API RP 2A guidelines are proposed on the basis of a data base analysis to account for the discrepancies arising from (a), (b), and (c) above. These modifications will reduce the discrepancies in the current API RP 2A method and increase the accuracy of the prediction of axial capacity of pipe piles in sand. Furthermore this will make the method fundamentally more consistent with soil behavior in deep foundations

Simulation of fatigue damagesin secondary truss of crane

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Eremin Konstantin Ivanovich

2014-02-01

Full Text Available Basing on the damaging statistics obtained during the on-site inspections of industrial multi-span building structures with under-crane secondary trusses which have continuous lower plinth, we simulated the scenario of the most likely damage development of under-crane secondary trusses.The first scenario is the development of cracks along the total cross section of plinth. In the process of calculations we defined a real deformation scheme of plinth of under-crane secondary trusses with damage and its stress condition.The second scenario is the destruction of a support or support mounting unit to the lower plinth of under-crane secondary trusses. The destruction of this kind can occur as a result of a crack in a support or as a result of destruction of high-strength fasteners of a support to plinth. We discovered that a system with such damage is geometrically unchanged; there is no possibility of sudden destruction of both the under-crane secondary trusses and the entire building frame.The third scenario is the upper plinth separation from one of the walls of lower plinth of under-crane secondary trusses.The scenario is developed to define the viability of under-crane secondary trusses as a result of cracks in the area of wall junction with the upper shelf of lower plinth, their further development and the appearance of discrete cracks developing into a backbone along the entire span length of under-crane secondary trusses.Based on the calculations of the stress strain state of under-crane secondary trusses with damages in the emergency nature in a separate span of the lower plinth and a truss member, we estimated the viability of structure. The analysis of viability limits makes it possible to find the measures of collapse preventing and avoid possible victims.

Isolation of a sex-linked DNA sequence in cranes.

Science.gov (United States)

Duan, W; Fuerst, P A

2001-01-01

A female-specific DNA fragment (CSL-W; crane sex-linked DNA on W chromosome) was cloned from female whooping cranes (Grus americana). From the nucleotide sequence of CSL-W, a set of polymerase chain reaction (PCR) primers was identified which amplify a 227-230 bp female-specific fragment from all existing crane species and some other noncrane species. A duplicated versions of the DNA segment, which is found to have a larger size (231-235 bp) than CSL-W in both sexes, was also identified, and was designated CSL-NW (crane sex-linked DNA on non-W chromosome). The nucleotide similarity between the sequences of CSL-W and CSL-NW from whooping cranes was 86.3%. The CSL primers do not amplify any sequence from mammalian DNA, limiting the potential for contamination from human sources. Using the CSL primers in combination with a quick DNA extraction method allows the noninvasive identification of crane gender in less than 10 h. A test of the methodology was carried out on fully developed body feathers from 18 captive cranes and resulted in 100% successful identification.

Uplifting : mobile cranes and picker trucks get higher, stronger, and safer

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Budd, G.

2008-10-15

New crane and picker truck equipment designed for use in the oil and gas industry was discussed in this article. The longest crane in the North America is due to arrive in Calgary soon. Mobile cranes are often used for maintenance, construction, and shutdowns at natural gas plants, refineries, and oil batteries. Telescopic cranes are also used to service pump jacks and lift rolls of coiled tubing into place on drilling rigs. While cranes carry more weight, picker trucks are more mobile and flexible. Lattice boom crawler cranes were designed to pick up loads and carry them to different positions. Telescopic cranes must remain stationary, and careful planning is needed to ensure that they are used efficiently. Modern telescopic cranes have hydraulically powered booms. Advanced steel alloy technology is used to produce lightweight booms equipped with automated pin-locking mechanisms. The largest telescopic crane in North America will be used by an oil and gas operator in Alberta. The crane will have a combined boom and lattice jib height of 226 meters, and its maximum lifting capacity is 1200 tonnes. Gantry cranes are also increasingly being used by oil and gas operators due to their ability to straddle loads, thereby reducing the risk of tipping. It was concluded that gantry cranes are particularly suitable for rougher terrains. 4 figs.

Crane Scheduling on a Plate Storage

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Hansen, Jesper

2002-01-01

OSS produces the worlds largest container ships. The first process of producing the steel ships is handling arrival and storage of steel plates until they are needed in production. Two gantry cranes carry out this task. The planning task is now to create a schedule of movements for the 2 cranes...

Simulation of control drives in a tower crane

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Wojciech SOLARZ

2011-01-01

Full Text Available The design of a control system for a tower crane is investigated. Underlying the controller design is the theory of optimal linear control. Computer models of a crane and the control systems for the crane drives are developed. Simulation data reveals that the motion of the load can be effectively controlled so that it should follow a predetermined trajectory.

Fecal corticosterone reflects serum corticosterone in Florida sandhill cranes.

Science.gov (United States)

Ludders, J W; Langenberg, J A; Czekala, N M; Erb, H N

2001-07-01

Florida sandhill cranes (Grus canadensis pratensis) were conditioned to confinement 6 hr/day for 7 days. On day 8, each bird's jugular vein was catheterized, blood samples were drawn, and each crane was confined for 6 hr. Using a randomized, restricted cross-over design, cranes were injected intravenously with either 0.9% NaCl solution or ACTH (cosyntropin; Cortrosyn; 0.25 mg). During the 6 hr of confinement, fecal samples (feces and urine) were collected from each of five cranes immediately after defecation. Individual fecal samples were collected approximately at hourly intervals and assayed for corticosterone. We showed previously that serum corticosterone did not vary significantly following saline injection, but peaked significantly 60 min after ACTH injection. Maximal fecal corticosterone concentrations (ng/g) were greater (P cranes under controlled conditions, fecal corticosterone concentration reflects serum corticosterone levels, fecal corticosterone, Grus canadensis pratensis, sandhill cranes, serum corticosterone levels.

Drug Interaction API

Data.gov (United States)

U.S. Department of Health & Human Services — The Interaction API is a web service for accessing drug-drug interactions. No license is needed to use the Interaction API. Currently, the API uses DrugBank for its...

An input shaping controller enabling cranes to move without sway

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Singer, N.; Singhose, W.; Kriikku, E.

1997-01-01

A gantry crane at the Savannah River Technology Center was retrofitted with an Input Shaping controller. The controller intercepts the operator's pendant commands and modifies them in real time so that the crane is moved without residual sway in the suspended load. Mechanical components on the crane were modified to make the crane suitable for the anti-sway algorithm. This paper will describe the required mechanical modifications to the crane, as well as, a new form of Input Shaping that was developed for use on the crane. Experimental results are presented which demonstrate the effectiveness of the new process. Several practical considerations will be discussed including a novel (patent pending) approach for making small, accurate moves without residual oscillations

Plasma treatment of crane rails

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Владислав Олександрович Мазур

2016-07-01

Full Text Available Crane operation results in wear and tear of rails and crane wheels. Renovation and efficiency of these details is therefore relevant. Modern technologies of wheels and rails restoration use surfacing or high-frequency currents treatment. Surface treatment with highly concentrated streams of energy- with a laser beam, plasma jet- is a promising direction.. It is proposed to increase the efficiency of crane rails by means of surface plasma treatment. The modes of treatment have been chosen.. Modelling of plasma jet thermal impact on a solid body of complex shape has been made. Plasma hardening regimes that meet the requirements of production have been defined. Structural transformation of the material in the crane rails on plasma treatment has been investigated. It has been concluded that for carbon and low alloy crane steels the plasma exposure zone is characterized by a high degree of hardened structure dispersion and higher hardness as compared to the hardness after high-frequency quenching. As this takes place phase transformations are both shift (in the upper zone of plasma influence and fluctuation (in the lower zone of the plasma. With high-speed plasma heating granular or lamellar pearlite mainly transforms into austenite. The level of service characteristics of hardened steel, which is achieved in this case is determined by the kinetics and completeness of pearlite → austenite transformation. For carbon and low alloy rail steels plasma hardening can replace bulk hardening, hardening by high-frequency currents, or surfacing. The modes for plasma treatment which make it possible to obtain a surface layer with a certain service characteristics have been defined

Container crane for sea freight containers

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Luttekes, E.; Rijsenbrij, J.C.

2001-01-01

The invention relates to a container crane for loading and unloading seaborne containers. The container crane comprises a bridge girder (7), a jib (8), at least two crabs (11, 12) which can travel along the said bridge girder and/or jib and are provided with hoist means for lifting and lowering the

Waste Isolation Pilot Plant TruDock crane system analysis

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Morris, B.C.; Carter, M.

1996-10-01

The WIPP TruDock crane system located in the Waste Handling Building was identified in the WIPP Safety Analysis Report (SAR), November 1995, as a potential accident concern due to failures which could result in a dropped load. The objective of this analysis is to evaluate the frequency of failure of the TruDock crane system resulting in a dropped load and subsequent loss of primary containment, i.e. drum failure. The frequency of dropped loads was estimated to be 9.81E-03/year or approximately one every 102 years (or, for the 25% contingency, 7.36E-03/year or approximately one every 136 years). The dominant accident contributor was the failure of the cable/hook assemblies, based on failure data obtained from NUREG-0612, as analyzed by PLG, Inc. The WIPP crane system undergoes a rigorous test and maintenance program, crane operation is discontinued following any abnormality, and the crane operator and load spotter are required to be trained in safe crane operation, therefore it is felt that the WIPP crane performance will exceed the data presented in NUREG-0612 and the estimated failure frequency is felt to be conservative

Travelling cranes for heavy reactor component handling

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Champeil, M.

1977-01-01

Structure and operating machinery of two travelling cranes (600 t and 450 t) used in the Framatome factory for handling heavy reactor components are described. When coupled, these cranes can lift loads up to 1000 t [fr

Optimum Tower Crane Selection and Supporting Design Management

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Hyo Won Sohn

2014-08-01

Full Text Available To optimize tower crane selection and supporting design, lifting requirements (as well as stability should be examined, followed by a review of economic feasibility. However, construction engineers establish plans based on data provided by equipment suppliers since there are no tools with which to thoroughly examine a support design's suitability for various crane types, and such plans lack the necessary supporting data. In such cases it is impossible to optimize a tower crane selection to satisfy lifting requirements in terms of cost, and to perform lateral support and foundation design. Thus, this study is intended to develop an optimum tower crane selection and supporting design management method based on stability. All cases that are capable of generating an optimization of approximately 3,000 ˜ 15,000 times are calculated to identify the candidate cranes with minimized cost, which are examined. The optimization method developed in the study is expected to support engineers in determining the optimum lifting equipment management.

305 Building 2 ton bridge crane and monorail assembly analysis

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Axup, M.D.

1995-12-01

The analyses in the appendix of this document evaluate the integrity of the existing bridge crane structure, as depicted on drawing H-3-34292, for a bridge crane and monorail assembly with a load rating of 2 tons. This bridge crane and monorail assembly is a modification of a 1 1/2 ton rated manipulator bridge crane which originally existed in the 305 building

33 CFR 150.555 - How must cranes be maintained?

Science.gov (United States)

2010-07-01

... 33 Navigation and Navigable Waters 2 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false How must cranes be maintained? 150.555 Section 150.555 Navigation and Navigable Waters COAST GUARD, DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY... Operations § 150.555 How must cranes be maintained? Cranes must be operated, maintained, and tested in...

Seismic behavior with sliding of overhead travelling crane

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Komori, Akio; Ueki, Takashi; Hirata, Masami; Hoshii, Tsutomu; Kashiwazaki, Akihiro.

1989-01-01

In this study, the seismic behavior of an overhead travelling crane with the sliding between travelling wheels and rails is examined. First, the dynamic characteristic test of the actual crane installed in a reactor building and the sliding test of the rigid-element model to observe the basic sliding characteristic were performed. Next, to examine the dynamic response with sliding, shaking tests using the scaled model of an actual crane were conducted. From these results, useful design information about seismic behavior of an overhead travelling crane was obtained. It was also observed that numerical predictions considering sliding behavior have good agreement with the experimental results and are applicable to seismic design. (author)

Clinical pathology results from cranes with experimental West Nile Virus infection

Science.gov (United States)

Olsen, Glenn H.

2011-01-01

Sandhill cranes (Grus canadensis) were vaccinated for and then challenged with West Nile virus. Resulting titers demonstrated protection in the vaccinated-challenged cranes as compared to the unvaccinated-challenged cranes. Clinical pathology results showed challenged cranes, whether vaccinated or not, had a decrease in their hematocrits and an elevation of 2.5-fold in their white blood cell counts as compared to unchallenged control sandhill cranes. No differences were apparent in the differential counts of heterophils and lymphocytes.

46 CFR 107.258 - Crane certification.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-10-01

... West 44th Street, New York, NY 10036, on the Internet at http://www.icgb.com. (b) Crane certification must be based upon— (1) A review of plans submitted under § 107.309; and (2) The continuing program of... be recorded in the unit's Crane Record Book required in § 109.437. [CGD 73-251, 43 FR 56802, Dec. 4...

Resolution and sensitivity of the eyes of the Asian honeybees Apis florea, Apis cerana and Apis dorsata.

Science.gov (United States)

Somanathan, Hema; Warrant, Eric J; Borges, Renee M; Wallén, Rita; Kelber, Almut

2009-08-01

Bees of the genus Apis are important foragers of nectar and pollen resources. Although the European honeybee, Apis mellifera, has been well studied with respect to its sensory abilities, learning behaviour and role as pollinators, much less is known about the other Apis species. We studied the anatomical spatial resolution and absolute sensitivity of the eyes of three sympatric species of Asian honeybees, Apis cerana, Apis florea and Apis dorsata and compared them with the eyes of A. mellifera. Of these four species, the giant honeybee A. dorsata (which forages during moonlit nights) has the lowest spatial resolution and the most sensitive eyes, followed by A. mellifera, A. cerana and the dwarf honeybee, A. florea (which has the smallest acceptance angles and the least sensitive eyes). Moreover, unlike the strictly diurnal A. cerana and A. florea, A. dorsata possess large ocelli, a feature that it shares with all dim-light bees. However, the eyes of the facultatively nocturnal A. dorsata are much less sensitive than those of known obligately nocturnal bees such as Megalopta genalis in Panama and Xylocopa tranquebarica in India. The differences in sensitivity between the eyes of A. dorsata and other strictly diurnal Apis species cannot alone explain why the former is able to fly, orient and forage at half-moon light levels. We assume that additional neuronal adaptations, as has been proposed for A. mellifera, M. genalis and X. tranquebarica, might exist in A. dorsata.

46 CFR 107.260 - Rated load test for cranes.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-10-01

... 46 Shipping 4 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 false Rated load test for cranes. 107.260 Section 107.260... INSPECTION AND CERTIFICATION Inspection and Certification § 107.260 Rated load test for cranes. (a) To meet the requirements in § 107.231(l), each crane must meet the following rated load test at both the...

ST-HM not only cranes

CERN Document Server

Bertone, C

2002-01-01

This period of LEP dismantling and LHC installation is a real challenge for the ST-HM group. The group is now following several projects to cope with the diversity of requests. Although crane design and procurement still constitutes the majority of the workload, more and more of our time is nowadays dedicated to providing alternative handling solutions. In 2001/2002, our main studies concern cranes for LHC, industrial and shielded motorised doors, the upgrade/replacement of 32 lifts and mobile cranes. The years 2002/2003 will concern mainly the study of LHC handling systems such as trailers and heavy-duty tractors, specifically tailored containers and tools. In parallel, the monorail will be extended in the injection tunnel and CNGS tunnels and a new monorail system for TOF will be installed. Since the tunnel monorail infrastructure will be used for power feed and guidance purposes only, this requires that other transport systems be studied, such as forklift trucks, industrial and telescopic hoists.

29 CFR 1919.71 - Unit proof test and examination of cranes.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-07-01

... 29 Labor 7 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Unit proof test and examination of cranes. 1919.71 Section... § 1919.71 Unit proof test and examination of cranes. (a) Unit proof tests of cranes shall be carried out at the following times: (1) In the cases of new cranes, before initial use and every 4 years...

A fuzzy-logic antiswing controller for three-dimensional overhead cranes.

Science.gov (United States)

Cho, Sung-Kun; Lee, Ho-Hoon

2002-04-01

In this paper, a new fuzzy antiswing control scheme is proposed for a three-dimensional overhead crane. The proposed control consists of a position servo control and a fuzzy-logic control. The position servo control is used to control crane position and rope length, and the fuzzy-logic control is used to suppress load swing. The proposed control guarantees not only prompt suppression of load swing but also accurate control of crane position and rope length for simultaneous travel, traverse, and hoisting motions of the crane. Furthermore, the proposed control provides practical gain tuning criteria for easy application. The effectiveness of the proposed control is shown by experiments with a three-dimensional prototype overhead crane.

DIRAC RESTful API

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Casajus Ramo, A; Graciani Diaz, R; Tsaregorodtsev, A

2012-01-01

The DIRAC framework for distributed computing has been designed as a flexible and modular solution that can be adapted to the requirements of any community. Users interact with DIRAC via command line, using the web portal or accessing resources via the DIRAC python API. The current DIRAC API requires users to use a python version valid for DIRAC. Some communities have developed their own software solutions for handling their specific workload, and would like to use DIRAC as their back-end to access distributed computing resources easily. Many of these solutions are not coded in python or depend on a specific python version. To solve this gap DIRAC provides a new language agnostic API that any software solution can use. This new API has been designed following the RESTful principles. Any language with libraries to issue standard HTTP queries may use it. GSI proxies can still be used to authenticate against the API services. However GSI proxies are not a widely adopted standard. The new DIRAC API also allows clients to use OAuth for delegating the user credentials to a third party solution. These delegated credentials allow the third party software to query to DIRAC on behalf of the users. This new API will further expand the possibilities communities have to integrate DIRAC into their distributed computing models.

Autumn crane migration and climate change in the Carpathian Basin

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Végvári Zsolt

2015-12-01

Full Text Available Weekly counts of roosting cranes were conducted between 2006–2014 in all significant stopover sites of Common Cranes (Grus grus in Hungary, as an extension of the survey programme performed in Hortobágy National Park since 1994. As a result, I detected consistently asymmetrical migration phenologies in Hortobágy, indicating a superposition of several migration waves. Cranes used nearly 60 roost sites in Hortobágy with the largest ones situated in extensive fishponds. In contrast, cranes migrating in Körös-Maros National Park started to overwinter regularly, increasingly roosting in dry wetlands. In Kiskunság cranes tended to stage for shorter periods than in Körös-Maros, with the largest flocks to be observed in Lake Fehér of Szeged fishponds and additionally in a number of alkali lakes. Cranes observed in the Borsodi Mezőség region are considered satellite flocks staging in Hortobágy, as shown by irregular fluctuations.

Whooping crane recovery plan

Science.gov (United States)

Olsen, David L.; Blankenship, David R.; Irby, Harold D.; Erickson, Ray C.; Lock, Ross; Drewien, Roderick C.; Smith, Lawrence S.; Derrickson, Scott R.

1980-01-01

This plan has been prepared under the authority of the Endangered Species Act of 1973 and subsequent amendments. The Plan is designed to provide decision makers with an orderly set of events which, if carried out to a successful completion, will result in changing the status of the species from the endangered to the threatened level. It must be recognized that this Plan has been prepared 40 years after attempts to preserve the species began. As such, it covers events that have taken place, that are taking place, and that need to take place. The Plan, therefore, not only compiles in one place all whooping crane management and research efforts which are underway, but also proposes additional efforts needed for the recovery of the whooping crane. The Plan also establishes funding evels, time schedules, and priorities for each management and research effort.The Plan is organized into three parts. the first part includes an account of the whooping crane's history, biology, present status, and the factors believed to have resulted in its endangered status. Also included in this part is a synopsis of research and management activities that have taken place through 1978.The second part is a step-down pan wherein all existing and needed research and management efforts are organized into an orderly set of events. The prime objective is to move the whooping crane to non-endangered status. Minimum requirements for the attainment of this objective are the increase of the historical Wood Buffalo-Aransas population to at least 40 nesting pairs and the establishment of at least two additional, separate, and self-sustaining populations consisting of at least 20 nesting pairs each.the third part identifies the responsibility, time schedule, and cost for each element of the step-down plan.

Gantry cranes

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Luttekes, E.; Rijsenbrij, J.C.

2003-01-01

Portal crane (1) for loading and/or unloading a ship having a multiplicity of bays for containers (10) comprising a gantry (2) with travelling gear (5) for supporting the gantry on a quay (13), a boom supported by the gantry made up of a horizontal beam (6) and a jib (7) that during loading and/or

The Speed Control of Constant Tension Motor of Marine Crane

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Chen Xinyang

2016-01-01

Full Text Available This article describes the working principle of the marine beacon crane hanging disc mechanical anti-sway device, and establish mathematical model on the rope controlling hanging disc of mechanical anti-sway device; Through matlab simulation analysis, this article obtains the relation curve between the velocity of traction rope of hanging disc and output frequency of the crane motor, combining rotary crane scaled model, this article carries out anti-sway experiment for the rotary crane to examine the crane’s anti-sway effects.

The Crane Robust Control

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Marek Hicar

2004-01-01

Full Text Available The article is about a control design for complete structure of the crane: crab, bridge and crane uplift.The most important unknown parameters for simulations are burden weight and length of hanging rope. We will use robustcontrol for crab and bridge control to ensure adaptivity for burden weight and rope length. Robust control will be designed for current control of the crab and bridge, necessary is to know the range of unknown parameters. Whole robust will be splitto subintervals and after correct identification of unknown parameters the most suitable robust controllers will be chosen.The most important condition at the crab and bridge motion is avoiding from burden swinging in the final position. Crab and bridge drive is designed by asynchronous motor fed from frequency converter. We will use crane uplift with burden weightobserver in combination for uplift, crab and bridge drive with cooperation of their parameters: burden weight, rope length and crab and bridge position. Controllers are designed by state control method. We will use preferably a disturbance observerwhich will identify burden weight as a disturbance. The system will be working in both modes at empty hook as well asat maximum load: burden uplifting and dropping down.

Golden Eagle predation on experimental Sandhill and Whooping Cranes

Science.gov (United States)

Ellis, D.H.; Clegg, K.R.; Lewis, J.C.; Spaulding, E.

1999-01-01

There are very few published records of Golden Eagles preying upon cranes, especially in North America. During our experiments to lead cranes on migration behind motorized craft in the western United States, we experienced 15 attacks (four fatal) and believe many more attacks would have occurred (and more would have been fatal) without human intervention. We recognize eagle predation as an important risk to cranes especially during migration.

Android quick APIs reference

CERN Document Server

Cinar, Onur

2015-01-01

The Android Quick APIs Reference is a condensed code and APIs reference for the new Google Android 5.0 SDK. It presents the essential Android APIs in a well-organized format that can be used as a handy reference. You won't find any technical jargon, bloated samples, drawn out history lessons, or witty stories in this book. What you will find is a software development kit and APIs reference that is concise, to the point and highly accessible. The book is packed with useful information and is a must-have for any mobile or Android app developer or programmer. In the Android Quick APIs Refe

Seismic response analysis for hinged-leg type port crane

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kashiwazaki, A.; Kanayama, T.; Arai, K. [Ishikawajima-Harima Heavy Industries Co. Ltd., Tokyo (Japan)

2000-04-01

Container cranes and unloaders in Kobe Pont were severely damaged during the Southern Hyogo Prefecture Earthquake in 1995. Notably, some of the hinged-leg type of cranes with hinges at the end of sea-or land-side of legs were overturned. These damages were derived from the uplifting of their legs. To explain the uplifting and overturning behavior, we carried out nonlinear analyses and shaking table tests using a 1/8-scale model of the container crane. The results of nonlinear response analyses of hinged-leg type of crane, which are in an agreement with the state of damages in the Southern Hyogo Prefecture Earthquake and the result of shaking table tests, are described. (author)

Closed-circuit television and remote crane control for vitrification facilities

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bennett, P.R.; Morrison, J.E.

1986-01-01

The Defense Waste Processing Facility is currently under construction at the Savannah River Plant. Within the main process cell (MPC), a 117-ton capacity bridge crane is to be installed to facilitate remote handling and processing operations. E. I. du Pont de Nemours and Company defined and PRC designed and built an operational prototype closed-circuit television (CCTV) and remote control system. Phase I of the program developed the CCTV system to prove the feasibility of a remote viewing system. The phase II program added full crane functional remote control and installed it on an existing hot canyon crane. This prototype system established the criteria for the development of the MPC crane and future crane systems. Parameters were: (a) failsafe assurance, (b) high liability, (c) ease of maintenance for dressed-out personnel, (d) rapid malfunction diagnosis, (e) ergonomics, (f) known picture orientation, and (g) audio system to monitor operational sounds. The complete system has undergone a total demonstration of its operational capabilities using simulator circuits for crane functions and is now being integrated with the crane for a full operational demonstration. The system will then be mothballed pending installation by construction personnel ready for cold startup of the plant in 1988

Analysis of Production Funds Efficiency in the Country’s Crane Sector

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Edita Valėnaitė

2012-07-01

Full Text Available The article deals with methodological aspects of the production funds analysis. In this work the study of literature which examines the basic and transferable funds is presented. Much attention is paid to the analysis of basic production funds in the crane sector. Analysis of the basic production funds in the country’s crane sector is presented. Special attention is paid to the structure of the cranes park and crane utilization efficiency. In the analysis of basic production funds, the factors that impede the efficiency of production funds were established as follows: the greatest negative impact on basic production funds efficiency of businesses was in small tower crane fleet; a small range of tower cranes in the park is reducing the technical possibilities of the lease. Basing on the analysis and observation of tower cranes installation and dismantling, the poor supply of the parts for the work place, lack of competence and motivation of the support staff have been ascertained. After elimination of these factors it is possible to raise the efficiency of the main production funds.Article in Lithuanian

The Motion Planning of Overhead Crane Based on Suppressing Payload Residual Swing

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Liu Hua-sen

2016-01-01

Full Text Available Since the overhead crane system is subject to under actuation system due to that overhead crane and payload are connected by flexibility wire rope. The payload generates residual swing when the overhead crane is accelerating/ decelerating the motions. This may cause trouble for the payload precise positioning and motion planning. Hence, an optimization input shaping control method is presented to reduce the under actuated overhead crane’s payload swing caused via the inertia force. The dynamic model of the overhead crane is proposed according to the physics structure of the crane. The input shaper based on the motion planning of the crane is used as the feed forward input to suppress payload residual swing. Simulation and experiment results indicate that the ZV input shaper and ZVD input shaper can reduce the payload swing of the overhead crane.

29 CFR 1918.55 - Cranes (See also § 1918.11).

Science.gov (United States)

2010-07-01

... 29 Labor 7 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Cranes (See also § 1918.11). 1918.55 Section 1918.55 Labor... (CONTINUED) SAFETY AND HEALTH REGULATIONS FOR LONGSHORING Vessel's Cargo Handling Gear § 1918.55 Cranes (See also § 1918.11). The following requirements shall apply to the use of cranes forming part of a vessel's...

CALCULATION ALGORITHM TRUSS UNDER CRANE BEAMS

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

N. K. Akaev1

2016-01-01

Full Text Available Aim.The task of reducing the deflection and increase the rigidity of single-span beams are made. In the article the calculation algorithm for truss crane girders is determined.Methods. To identify the internal effort required for the selection of cross section elements the design uses the Green's function.Results. It was found that the simplest truss system reduces deflection and increases the strength of design. The upper crossbar is subjected not only to bending and shear and compression work due to tightening tension. Preliminary determination of the geometrical characteristics of the crane farms elements are offered to make a comparison with previous similar configuration of his farms, using a simple approximate calculation methods.Conclusion.The method of sequential movements (incrementally the two bridge cranes along the length of the upper crossbar truss beams is suggested. We give the corresponding formulas and conditions of safety.

Advanced API security securing APIs with OAuth 2.0, OpenID Connect, JWS, and JWE

CERN Document Server

Siriwardena, Prabath

2014-01-01

Advanced API Security is a complete reference to the next wave of challenges in enterprise security--securing public and private APIs. API adoption in both consumer and enterprises has gone beyond predictions. It has become the 'coolest' way of exposing business functionalities to the outside world. Both your public and private APIs, need to be protected, monitored and managed. Security is not an afterthought, but API security has evolved a lot in last five years. The growth of standards, out there, has been exponential. That's where AdvancedAPI Security comes in--to wade through the weeds

[Genetic passportization and identification of Siberian cranes (Grus leucogeranus Pallas) in captivity].

Science.gov (United States)

Mudrik, E A; Kashentseva, T A; Gamburg, E A; Politov, D V

2014-01-01

The genetic diversity of the founders of an artificial population of the Siberian crane Grus leucogeranus Pallas (rare species of cranes) was characterized using 10 microsatellite loci. It was established that the allelic diversity (on average, 5.9 alleles per locus) and genic (H(o) = 0.739) diversity of the Siberian crane is rather high and comparable with the estimations for natural populations of different crane species. Genetic passportization of the birds (119 individuals) from the register of the Siberian crane International Studbook was carried out at the initial stage. The efficiency of genetic passportization for individual identification, identification of the origin, paternity analysis, and exclusion of inbreeding was demonstrated in Siberian cranes under natural mating and artificial insemination. Cases of natural reproduction in pairs of Siberian cranes imprinted to the human and continuous storage of spermatozoa in the female reproductive ducts were registered.

Observation of sandhill cranes' (Grus canadensis) flight behavior in heavy fog

Science.gov (United States)

Kirsch, Eileen M.; Wellik, Mike J.; Suarez, Manuel J.; Diehl, Robert H.; Lutes, Jim; Woyczik, Wendy; Krapfl, Jon; Sojda, Richard S.

2015-01-01

The behaviors of birds flying in low visibility conditions remain poorly understood. We had the opportunity to monitor Sandhill Cranes (Grus canadensis) flying in heavy fog with very low visibility during a comprehensive landscape use study of refuging cranes in the Horicon Marsh in southeastern Wisconsin. As part of the study, we recorded flight patterns of cranes with a portable marine radar at various locations and times of day, and visually counted cranes as they departed the roost in the morning. We compared flight patterns during a fog event with those recorded during clear conditions. In good visibility, cranes usually departed the night roost shortly after sunrise and flew in relatively straight paths toward foraging areas. In fog, cranes departed the roost later in the day, did not venture far from the roost, engaged in significantly more circling flight, and returned to the roost site rather than proceeding to foraging areas. We also noted that compared to mornings with good visibility, cranes flying in fog called more frequently than usual. The only time in this 2-year study that observers heard young of the year calling was during the fog event. The observed behavior of cranes circling and lingering in an area while flying in poor visibility conditions suggests that such situations may increase chances of colliding with natural or anthropogenic obstacles in the vicinity.

The design of in-cell crane handling systems for nuclear plants

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hansford, S.M.; Scott, R.

1992-01-01

The reprocessing and waste management facilities at (BNFL's) British Nuclear Fuels Limited's Sellafield site make extensive use of crane handling systems. These range from conventional mechanical handling operations as used generally in industry to high integrity applications through to remote robotic handling operations in radiation environments. This paper describes the design methodologies developed for the design of crane systems for remote handling operations - in-cell crane systems. In most applications the in-cell crane systems are an integral part of the plant process equipment and reliable and safe operations are a key design parameter. Outlined are the techniques developed to achieve high levels of crane system availability for operations in hazardous radiation environments. These techniques are now well established and proven through many years of successful plant operation. A recent application of in-cell crane handling systems design for process duty application is described. The benefits of a systematic design approach and a functionally-based engineering organization are also highlighted. (author)

The influence of diet composition upon growth and development of sandhill cranes

Science.gov (United States)

Serafin, J.A.

1982-01-01

Experiments were conducted to evaluate the effect of protein, metabolizable energy, and sulfur amino acid content of five diets upon growth and development of captive Florida Sandhill Crane (Grus canadensis pratensis) and Greater Sandhill Crane (G. c. tabida) chicks raised under controlled conditions. A high protein (32%) diet resulted in faster growth than that obtained when a lower protein (24%) ration was supplied. Florida Sandhill Crane chicks fed a diet containing 2,160 kcal/kg grew significantly slower than chicks fed a ration containing 2,830 kcal/kg. Reducing the sulfur amino acid content of a ration containing 24% protein from 0.88% to 0.73% significantly slowed the growth of young cranes. A 17% incidence of leg disorders and a 25% incidence of wing abnormalities occurred between 7 and 28 days of age among Greater Sandhill Cranes fed a high protein diet. Florida Sandhill Cranes grew slower than Greater Sandhill Cranes irrespective of the type of ration they were provided and did not develop leg or wing abnormalities. Abnormalities invariably developed only in the most rapidly growing Greater Sandhill Cranes. Diets that promoted slower growth reduced the incidence of abnormalities. A ration formulated to contain a low (0.73%) sulfur amino acid level appeared to be the most suitable for slowing growth rates of captive-reared Sandhill Cranes and reducing the risk of abnormaiwing or leg development.

Development of sensorless easy-to-use overhead crane system via simulation based control

Science.gov (United States)

Tagawa, Yasutaka; Mori, Yoshihito; Wada, Masaomi; Kawajiri, Eisaku; Nouzuka, Kazuma

2016-09-01

This paper describes the newly developed overhead crane which has a sensorless vibration control system. Generally, loads which are carried by the overhead cranes are easy to vibrate and only skilled people can operate the cranes. Therefore, a lot of studies have been done to solve this problem by using feedback control with vibration sensors. However vibration sensors often break down in severe industrial environment and more reliable control systems are required. For this reason, we have been developing sensorless control system for overhead cranes. In this paper, we firstly introduce basic idea of simulation based control which is called IDCS, then overview and modeling of the overhead crane is presented. Next, the control system design of the overhead crane is discussed, and experimental results are shown for real overhead crane with 2 axes.

29 CFR 1919.72 - Annual examination of cranes.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-07-01

... 29 Labor 7 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Annual examination of cranes. 1919.72 Section 1919.72 Labor Regulations Relating to Labor (Continued) OCCUPATIONAL SAFETY AND HEALTH ADMINISTRATION, DEPARTMENT OF LABOR... examination of cranes. (a) In any year in which no quadrennial unit proof test is required, an examination...

Crane Scheduling for a Plate Storage

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Hansen, Jesper; Clausen, Jens

2002-01-01

Odense Steel Shipyard produces the worlds largest container ships. The first process of producing the steel ships is handling arrival and storage of steel plates until they are needed in production. This paper considers the problem of scheduling two cranes that carry out the movements of plates...... into, around and out of the storage. The system is required to create a daily schedule for the cranes, but also handle possible disruptions during the execution of the plan. The problem is solved with a Simulated Annealing algorithm....

Web API Fragility : How Robust is Your Web API Client

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Espinha, T.; Zaidman, A.; Gross, H.G.

2014-01-01

Web APIs provide a systematic and extensible approach for application-to-application interaction. A large number of mobile applications makes use of web APIs to integrate services into apps. Each Web API’s evolution pace is determined by their respective developer and mobile application developers

Healthcare Finder API

Data.gov (United States)

U.S. Department of Health & Human Services — All of the data used on the Finder.HealthCare.gov web application is available through this API. There are multiple collections of data available through the API. 1....

Suspected fusariomycotoxicosis in sandhill cranes (Grus canadensis): clinical and pathological findings.

Science.gov (United States)

Roffe, Thomas J.; Stroud, Richard K.; Windingstad, Ronald M.

1989-01-01

In 1985 and 1986, large-scale natural die-offs of sandhill cranes in Texas were attributed to fusariomycotoxicosis. These birds demonstrated a progressive loss of motor control to the neck, wings, and legs. Based on necropsy and/or histopathology of 31 cranes, the most common lesions involved skeletal muscle and included hemorrhages, granulomatous myositis, thrombosis, and vascular degeneration. Serum chemistry results revealed that levels of creatinine kinase, aspartate aminotransferase, and alanine aminotransferase were above published normals. However, only alanine aminotransferase was higher in clinically affected cranes than in normal cranes collected from the same area.

Sandhill crane roost selection, human disturbance, and forage resources

Science.gov (United States)

Pearse, Aaron T.; Krapu, Gary; Brandt, David

2017-01-01

Sites used for roosting represent a key habitat requirement for many species of birds because availability and quality of roost sites can influence individual fitness. Birds select roost sites based on numerous factors, requirements, and motivations, and selection of roosts can be dynamic in time and space because of various ecological and environmental influences. For sandhill cranes (Antigone canadensis) at their main spring-staging area along the Platte River in south-central Nebraska, USA, past investigations of roosting cranes focused on physical channel characteristics related to perceived security as motivating roost distribution. We used 6,310 roost sites selected by 313 sandhill cranes over 5 spring migration seasons (2003–2007) to quantify resource selection functions of roost sites on the central Platte River using a discrete choice analysis. Sandhill cranes generally showed stronger selection for wider channels with shorter bank vegetation situated farther from potential human disturbance features such as roads, bridges, and dwellings. Furthermore, selection for roost sites with preferable physical characteristics (wide channels with short bank vegetation) was more resilient to nearby disturbance features than more narrow channels with taller bank vegetation. The amount of cornfields surrounding sandhill crane roost sites positively influenced relative probability of use but only for more narrow channels resource features that sandhill cranes selected at river channels along the Platte River, and after incorporating spatial variation due to human disturbance, our understanding of roost site selection was more robust, providing insights on how disturbance may interact with physical habitat features. Managers can use information on roost-site selection when developing plans to increase probability of crane use at existing roost sites and to identify new areas for potential use if existing sites become limited.

Sandhill crane roost selection, human disturbance, and forage resources

Science.gov (United States)

Pearse, Aaron T.; Krapu, Gary; Brandt, David

2017-01-01

Sites used for roosting represent a key habitat requirement for many species of birds because availability and quality of roost sites can influence individual fitness. Birds select roost sites based on numerous factors, requirements, and motivations, and selection of roosts can be dynamic in time and space because of various ecological and environmental influences. For sandhill cranes (Antigone canadensis) at their main spring-staging area along the Platte River in south-central Nebraska, USA, past investigations of roosting cranes focused on physical channel characteristics related to perceived security as motivating roost distribution. We used 6,310 roost sites selected by 313 sandhill cranes over 5 spring migration seasons (2003–2007) to quantify resource selection functions of roost sites on the central Platte River using a discrete choice analysis. Sandhill cranes generally showed stronger selection for wider channels with shorter bank vegetation situated farther from potential human disturbance features such as roads, bridges, and dwellings. Furthermore, selection for roost sites with preferable physical characteristics (wide channels with short bank vegetation) was more resilient to nearby disturbance features than more narrow channels with taller bank vegetation. The amount of cornfields surrounding sandhill crane roost sites positively influenced relative probability of use but only for more narrow channels < 100 m and those with shorter bank vegetation. We confirmed key resource features that sandhill cranes selected at river channels along the Platte River, and after incorporating spatial variation due to human disturbance, our understanding of roost site selection was more robust, providing insights on how disturbance may interact with physical habitat features. Managers can use information on roost-site selection when developing plans to increase probability of crane use at existing roost sites and to identify new areas for potential use if

Mannesmann Demag crawler cranes give plants a big lift

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Anon.

1987-01-01

Preassembly of large reactor components reduces construction costs, but creates the need for cranes with larger lifting capacities. A German company is extending its range with a new crawler crane which will lift up to 1600t. (author)

135 tf climbing crane for the construction of large scale plants

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1981-01-01

Development of a larger capacity, wider working radius and higher lift climbing crane was in demand since the large block construction method become common in plant construction. At first, scaling up of the conventional climbing crane was planned. But, it turned out that the deflection at the top of the jib would cause the load to drift at takeoff in crane operation. Therefore, the crane was newly designed to solve the problem. Some of its advantage are as follows. (1) This crane can be used as either a climbing or a nonclimbing type depending on installation locations and objective plants. (2) Accurate and easy operation is achieved because of little deflection at the top of the jib. (3) Efficient crane operation is possible through high speed hoisting and slewing motions in frequent auxiliary hoisting operations. (4) The construction time can be shortened by adopting pin joints between the blocks and by reducing the number of assembling parts at the site. A nonclimbing type crane is now in operation at the nuclear power plant in Kashiwazaki and a climbing type will be in operation at the nuclear power plant in Fukushima this year. The report presents an outline of the specifications, structures and advantages. (author)

75 FR 42598 - Modification of Restricted Area R-3404; Crane, IN

Science.gov (United States)

2010-07-22

...-28632; Airspace Docket No. 07-ASW-3] RIN 2120-AA66 Modification of Restricted Area R-3404; Crane, IN... Restricted Area R-3404 at Crane, IN, in support of U.S. Navy ordnance demolition activities. The FAA is...) Crane's Demolition Range. DATES: Effective date 0901 UTC, September 23, 2010. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION...

Pendulation control system and method for rotary boom cranes

Science.gov (United States)

Robinett, III, Rush D.; Groom, Kenneth N.; Feddema, John T.; Parker, Gordon G.

2002-01-01

A command shaping control system and method for rotary boom cranes provides a way to reduce payload pendulation caused by real-time input signals, from either operator command or automated crane maneuvers. The method can take input commands and can apply a command shaping filter to reduce contributors to payload pendulation due to rotation, elevation, and hoisting movements in order to control crane response and reduce tangential and radial payload pendulation. A filter can be applied to a pendulation excitation frequency to reduce residual radial pendulation and tangential pendulation amplitudes.

Analytical Calculation And FEM Analysis Main Girder Double Girder Bridge Crane

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Muamer Delić

2017-02-01

Full Text Available The cranes are now not replaceable mode of transport of materials and finished products both in production halls and in the open space. This paper made the whole analytical calculation of double girder bridge cranes to be used in laboratories exclusively for testing, determined by the maximum bending stress and deflection of the main girder. After calculating the dimensions, we created a model cranes in software CATIA V5. The same model was subjected to FEM analysis of the same name software. At the end of the paper comparison has been done. The objective of the calculation and analysis of the model was to develop a model crane and to serve for the next tests. Dimensions of the crane are given according to the laboratory where it will be located.

Control Strategy for Automatic Gantry Crane Systems: A Practical and Intelligent Approach

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Wahyudi

2007-12-01

Full Text Available The use of gantry crane systems for transporting payload is very common in building constructions. However, moving the payload using the crane is not an easy task especially when strict specifications on the swing angle and on the transfer time need to be satisfied. Various attempts in controlling gantry cranes system based on open- loop and closed-loop control systems were proposed. However, most of the proposed controllers were designed based on the model and parameter of the crane system. In general, modeling and parameter identifications are troublesome and time consuming task. To overcome this problem, in this paper, a practical and intelligent control method for automatic gantry crane is introduced and evaluated experimentally. The results show that the proposed method is not only effective for controlling the crane but also robust to parameter variation.

Control Strategy for Automatic Gantry Crane Systems: A Practical and Intelligent Approach

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Wahyudi

2008-11-01

Full Text Available The use of gantry crane systems for transporting payload is very common in building constructions. However, moving the payload using the crane is not an easy task especially when strict specifications on the swing angle and on the transfer time need to be satisfied. Various attempts in controlling gantry cranes system based on open- loop and closed-loop control systems were proposed. However, most of the proposed controllers were designed based on the model and parameter of the crane system. In general, modeling and parameter identifications are troublesome and time consuming task. To overcome this problem, in this paper, a practical and intelligent control method for automatic gantry crane is introduced and evaluated experimentally. The results show that the proposed method is not only effective for controlling the crane but also robust to parameter variation.

Fuzzy Controllers for a Gantry Crane System with Experimental Verifications

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Naif B. Almutairi

2016-01-01

Full Text Available The control problem of gantry cranes has attracted the attention of many researchers because of the various applications of these cranes in the industry. In this paper we propose two fuzzy controllers to control the position of the cart of a gantry crane while suppressing the swing angle of the payload. Firstly, we propose a dual PD fuzzy controller where the parameters of each PD controller change as the cart moves toward its desired position, while maintaining a small swing angle of the payload. This controller uses two fuzzy subsystems. Then, we propose a fuzzy controller which is based on heuristics. The rules of this controller are obtained taking into account the knowledge of an experienced crane operator. This controller is unique in that it uses only one fuzzy system to achieve the control objective. The validity of the designed controllers is tested through extensive MATLAB simulations as well as experimental results on a laboratory gantry crane apparatus. The simulation results as well as the experimental results indicate that the proposed fuzzy controllers work well. Moreover, the simulation and the experimental results demonstrate the robustness of the proposed control schemes against output disturbances as well as against uncertainty in some of the parameters of the crane.

Population structure, behavior, and current threats to the sarus crane (Grus antigone antigone in Nepal

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Kamal Raj Gosai

2016-09-01

Full Text Available The sarus crane (Grus antigone antigone is listed as “vulnerable” in the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Sarus cranes are distributed in the lowlands, but most live outside protected areas, especially in agricultural areas and wetlands of Nepal. The continuous expansion of agricultural land and the reduction of wetland habitats pose the greatest threats to the conservation of the species. We studied the sarus crane in the Rupandehi District of Nepal to understand their population structure, behavior, and current threats. We used the line (i.e., road transect method from August 2013 to February 2014. The study area contained 147 sarus cranes. Agricultural land and wetland areas contained the highest number of sarus cranes. Our analysis showed that the population of sarus crane in the area has declined since 2007. Most sarus cranes lived in pairs. A single flock contained 13 cranes at maximum. Sarus crane behavior was not significantly different before and after the breeding seasons. Human–sarus crane conflict began when cranes started utilizing agricultural areas. The main threats to the hatching success and survival of sarus cranes in the Rupendehi District are egg theft and the hunting of cranes for meat. The findings of this study establish baseline information on the overall conservation status, habitat availability, and ecological behavior of sarus cranes in the district. We propose regular surveys to monitor sarus crane population levels in the face of multiple anthropogenic threats to their survival.

30 CFR 56.16015 - Work or travel on overhead crane bridges.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-07-01

... 30 Mineral Resources 1 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Work or travel on overhead crane bridges. 56... Materials Storage and Handling § 56.16015 Work or travel on overhead crane bridges. No person shall work from or travel on the bridge of an overhead crane unless the bridge is provided with substantial...

30 CFR 57.16015 - Work or travel on overhead crane bridges.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-07-01

... 30 Mineral Resources 1 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Work or travel on overhead crane bridges. 57... MINES Materials Storage and Handling § 57.16015 Work or travel on overhead crane bridges. No person shall work from or travel on the bridge of an overhead crane unless the bridge is provided with...

Comparative assessment of anti-sway control strategy for tower crane system

Science.gov (United States)

Samin, Reza Ezuan; Mohamed, Zaharuddin

2017-09-01

Tower crane is also known as rotary crane and widely used in constructions due to limited human capability to carry the various types of load at the construction site. In general crane is used for the purpose of loading and unloading heavy material from one place to another. However, in order to transfer the material in minimum time from one location to another, swaying of the payload will occur. Hence, this research presents the investigation of tower crane system which mainly focusing on the swaying angle of the payload by implementing conventional and intelligent controllers. Its mathematical modeling is developed using the Newton's Second Law and simulation is done within the MATLAB/Simulink environment. Simulation results are presented in cart trajectory capability and payload sway angle reduction. A comparative assessment between conventional controller and intelligent controller for the tower crane system are presented and discussed. Furthermore, the effect of various rope length and payload mass of the tower crane system to the performance of trajectory capability and sway angle reduction are also presented and discussed.

Cold Vacuum Drying facility crane and hoist system design description

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

PITKOFF, C.C.

1999-01-01

This document describes the Cold Vacuum Drying Facility (CVDF) crane and hoist system. The overhead crane and hoist system is located in the process bays of the CVDF. It supports the processes required to drain the water and dry the spent nuclear fuel contained in the multi-canister overpacks after they have been removed from the K-Basins. The cranes will also be used to assist maintenance activities within the bays, as required

Pathology and pathogenesis of disseminated visceral coccidiosis in cranes.

Science.gov (United States)

Novilla, Meliton N; Carpenter, James W

2004-06-01

Disseminated visceral coccidiosis (DVC) caused by Eimeria spp. was recognized as a disease entity in captive sandhill cranes (Grus canadensis) and whooping cranes (Grus americana) in the late 1970s. While most avian species of Eimeria inhabit the intestinal tract of its host, the crane eimerians, Eimeria reichenowi and Eimeria gruis, invade and multiply systemically and complete their development in both digestive and respiratory tracts. In DVC, cranes, especially chicks, may succumb to acute infections resulting in hepatitis, bronchopneumonia, myocarditis, splenitis, and enteritis. Cranes may also develop chronic, subclinical infections characterized by granulomatous nodules in various organs and tissues. This paper reviews the pathology and pathogenicity of natural and experimental DVC in sandhill and whooping cranes. Naturally infected birds appeared clinically normal, but progressive weakness, emaciation, greenish diarrhea, and recumbency before death were observed in birds administered doses > or = 10 x 10(3) sporulated oocysts per os. At necropsy, naturally infected birds had nodules in the mucosa of the oral cavity and the esophagus, and in thoracic and abdominal viscera. Experimentally infected birds necropsied less than 7 days after infection (a.i.) had no gross lesions. Birds examined later had hepatosplenomegaly, liver mottling, lung congestion and consolidation with frothy fluid in airways, and turgid intestinal tracts with hyperemic mucosa. From 28 days a.i., grossly visible granulomatous nodules were seen in the esophagus, heart, liver, cloaca, and eyelids. By light microscopy, the basic host response was a granulomatous inflammation with non-suppurative vasculitis affecting many organs and tissues. With time, multifocal aggregates of mononuclear cells, many laden with asexual coccidial stages, increased in size and number. Widespread merogony resulted in morbidity and death, particularly in birds administered 20 x 10(3) sporulated oocysts

Annual survival rate estimate of satellite transmitter–marked eastern population greater sandhill cranes

Science.gov (United States)

Fronczak, David L.; Andersen, David E.; Hanna, Everett E.; Cooper, Thomas R.

2015-01-01

Several surveys have documented the increasing population size and geographic distribution of Eastern Population greater sandhill cranes Grus canadensis tabida since the 1960s. Sport hunting of this population of sandhill cranes started in 2012 following the provisions of the Eastern Population Sandhill Crane Management Plan. However, there are currently no published estimates of Eastern Population sandhill crane survival rate that can be used to inform harvest management. As part of two studies of Eastern Population sandhill crane migration, we deployed solar-powered global positioning system platform transmitting terminals on Eastern Population sandhill cranes (n  =  42) at key concentration areas from 2009 to 2012. We estimated an annual survival rate for Eastern Population sandhill cranes from data resulting from monitoring these cranes by using the known-fates model in the MARK program. Estimated annual survival rate for adult Eastern Population sandhill cranes was 0.950 (95% confidence interval  =  0.885–0.979) during December 2009–August 2014. All fatalities (n  =  5) occurred after spring migration in late spring and early summer. We were unable to determine cause of death for crane fatalities in our study. Our survival rate estimate will be useful when combined with other population parameters such as the population index derived from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service fall survey, harvest, and recruitment rates to assess the effects of harvest on population size and trend and evaluate the effectiveness of management strategies.

Transcriptome differences in the hypopharyngeal gland between Western Honeybees (Apis mellifera) and Eastern Honeybees (Apis cerana).

Science.gov (United States)

Liu, Hao; Wang, Zi-Long; Tian, Liu-Qing; Qin, Qiu-Hong; Wu, Xiao-Bo; Yan, Wei-Yu; Zeng, Zhi-Jiang

2014-08-30

Apis mellifera and Apis cerana are two sibling species of Apidae. Apis cerana is adept at collecting sporadic nectar in mountain and forest region and exhibits stiffer hardiness and acarid resistance as a result of natural selection, whereas Apis mellifera has the advantage of producing royal jelly. To identify differentially expressed genes (DEGs) that affect the development of hypopharyngeal gland (HG) and/or the secretion of royal jelly between these two honeybee species, we performed a digital gene expression (DGE) analysis of the HGs of these two species at three developmental stages (newly emerged worker, nurse and forager). Twelve DGE-tag libraries were constructed and sequenced using the total RNA extracted from the HGs of newly emerged workers, nurses, and foragers of Apis mellifera and Apis cerana. Finally, a total of 1482 genes in Apis mellifera and 1313 in Apis cerana were found to exhibit an expression difference among the three developmental stages. A total of 1417 DEGs were identified between these two species. Of these, 623, 1072, and 462 genes showed an expression difference at the newly emerged worker, nurse, and forager stages, respectively. The nurse stage exhibited the highest number of DEGs between these two species and most of these were found to be up-regulated in Apis mellifera. These results suggest that the higher yield of royal jelly in Apis mellifera may be due to the higher expression level of these DEGs. In this study, we investigated the DEGs between the HGs of two sibling honeybee species (Apis mellifera and Apis cerana). Our results indicated that the gene expression difference was associated with the difference in the royal jelly yield between these two species. These results provide an important clue for clarifying the mechanisms underlying hypopharyngeal gland development and the production of royal jelly.

Habitat preferences and conservation threats to Black-necked Cranes wintering in Bhutan.

Science.gov (United States)

Namgay, Rinchen; Wangchuk, Sangay

2016-01-01

Black-necked Crane (Grus nigricollis) is a vulnerable Red list species whose populations are declining. However, little is known about Black-necked Cranes' habitat requirements or the causes of their population decline. We identified Black-necked Cranes' winter roost and foraging preferences of Black-necked Cranes in Bhutan during the winter of 2013-2014. Black-necked Cranes' roosts were recorded using Garmin GPSmap 60CSx, while foraging preferences and threats to the birds were identified based on a survey of household heads (n = 107) residing within a 3 km radius of roost sites. We grouped the threats identified by the communities into four major categories, viz. biological, social, political and natural threats based on the relevance. Of the four major threats, communities residing within the roosting and foraging habitat of the Black-necked Crane reported biological threat as major. Biological threats as reported by communities include loss of habitat, food shortage and competition from other animals. We recommend the present roosting areas be designated as part of the conservation areas for Black-necked Crane wintering in Bumthang district. In addition to preserving these areas, government should also encourage farming in foraging habitats of Black-necked Crane, because they mainly feed on barley, wheat, paddy, potatoes and buckwheat, besides roots, tubers and insects in the wetlands.

Impact of Nosema ceranae and Nosema apis on individual worker bees of the two host species (Apis cerana and Apis mellifera) and regulation of host immune response.

Science.gov (United States)

Sinpoo, Chainarong; Paxton, Robert J; Disayathanoowat, Terd; Krongdang, Sasiprapa; Chantawannakul, Panuwan

Nosema apis and Nosema ceranae are obligate intracellular microsporidian parasites infecting midgut epithelial cells of host adult honey bees, originally Apis mellifera and Apis cerana respectively. Each microsporidia cross-infects the other host and both microsporidia nowadays have a worldwide distribution. In this study, cross-infection experiments using both N. apis and N. ceranae in both A. mellifera and A. cerana were carried out to compare pathogen proliferation and impact on hosts, including host immune response. Infection by N. ceranae led to higher spore loads than by N. apis in both host species, and there was greater proliferation of microsporidia in A. mellifera compared to A. cerana. Both N. apis and N. ceranae were pathogenic in both host Apis species. N. ceranae induced subtly, though not significantly, higher mortality than N. apis in both host species, yet survival of A. cerana was no different to that of A. mellifera in response to N. apis or N. ceranae. Infections of both host species with N. apis and N. ceranae caused significant up-regulation of AMP genes and cellular mediated immune genes but did not greatly alter apoptosis-related gene expression. In this study, A. cerana enlisted a higher immune response and displayed lower loads of N. apis and N. ceranae spores than A. mellifera, suggesting it may be better able to defend itself against microsporidia infection. We caution against over-interpretation of our results, though, because differences between host and parasite species in survival were insignificant and because size differences between microsporidia species and between host Apis species may alternatively explain the differential proliferation of N. ceranae in A. mellifera. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Analysis of frame structure of medium and small truck crane

Science.gov (United States)

Cao, Fuyi; Li, Jinlong; Cui, Mengkai

2018-03-01

Truck crane is an important part of hoisting machinery. Frame, as the support component of the quality of truck crane, determines the safety of crane jib load and the rationality of structural design. In this paper, the truck crane frame is a box structure, the three-dimensional model is established in CATIA software, and imported into Hyperworks software for finite element analysis. On the base of doing constraints and loads for the finite element model of the frame, the finite element static analysis is carried out. And the static stress test verifies whether the finite element model and the frame structure design are reasonable; then the free modal analysis of the frame and the analysis of the first 8 - order modal vibration deformation are carried out. The analysis results show that the maximum stress value of the frame is greater than the yield limit value of the material, and the low-order modal value is close to the excitation frequency value, which needs to be improved to provide theoretical reference for the structural design of the truck crane frame.

Comparison of API & IEC Standards for Offshore Wind Turbine Applications in the U.S. Atlantic Ocean: Phase II; March 9, 2009 - September 9, 2009

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Jha, A.; Dolan, D.; Gur, T.; Soyoz, S.; Alpdogan, C.

2013-01-01

This report compares two design guidelines for offshore wind turbines: Recommended Practice for Planning, Designing, and Constructing Fixed Offshore Platform Structures and the International Electrotechnical Commission 61400-3 Design Requirements for Offshore Wind Turbines.

Fatal injuries in the United States construction industry involving cranes 1984-1994.

Science.gov (United States)

Suruda, A; Liu, D; Egger, M; Lillquist, D

1999-12-01

There is little published information concerning the epidemiology of injuries in the construction industry involving cranes other than for electrical injury from power line contact. For the 11-year period of 1984 through 1994, the US Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) investigated 502 deaths in 479 incidents involving cranes in the construction industry. Electrocution was the largest category, with 198 deaths (39%) reported. Other major categories were assembly/dismantling (58 deaths, 12%), boom buckling (41 deaths, 8%), crane upset/overturn (37 deaths, 7%), and rigging failure (36 deaths, 7%). The majority of the deaths during assembly/dismantling involved removal of the boom pins from lattice boom cranes. Only 34% of the construction firms employing the fatally injured workers had ever been inspected by OSHA. OSHA cited the employer for safety violations in 436 deaths (83%). Additional worker training, increased OSHA inspections, and crane inspection programs could prevent many crane-related deaths.

Sandhill cranes browse for food near VAB

Science.gov (United States)

2000-01-01

A family of sandhill cranes searches for food on the grounds near the Vehicle Assembly Building. The cranes have been a constant sight in the Launch Complex 39 area during the month of May. Sandhill cranes range from Siberia, Alaska and Arctic islands to Michigan, Minnesota and California; from Florida to Texas. They prefer large freshwater marshes, prairie ponds and marshy tundra. KSC shares a boundary with the Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge, which encompasses 92,000 acres that are a habitat for more than 331 species of birds, 31 mammals, 117 fishes, and 65 amphibians and reptiles. The marshes and open water of the refuge provide wintering areas for 23 species of migratory waterfowl, as well as a year-round home for great blue herons, great egrets, wood storks, cormorants, brown pelicans and other species of marsh and shore birds, as well as a variety of insects.

Characterization of gizzards and grits of wild cranes found dead at Izumi Plain in Japan.

Science.gov (United States)

Uegomori, Mima; Haraguchi, Yuko; Obi, Takeshi; Takase, Kozo

2018-04-18

We analyzed the gizzards, and grits retained in the gizzards of 41 cranes that migrated to the Izumi Plain during the winter of 2015/2016 and died there, either due to accident or disease. These included 31 Hooded Cranes (Grus monacha) and 10 White-naped Cranes (G. vipio). We determined body weight, gizzard weight, total grit weight and number per gizzard, and size, shape, and surface roundness of the grits. Average gizzard weights were 92.4 g for Hooded Cranes and 97.1 g for White-naped Cranes, and gizzard weight positively correlated with body weight in both species. Average total grit weights per gizzard were 19.7 g in Hooded Cranes and 25.7 g in White-naped Cranes, and were significantly higher in the latter. Average percentages of body weight to grit weight were 0.8% in Hooded Cranes and 0.5% in White-naped Cranes. Average grit number per gizzard was 693.5 in Hooded Cranes and 924.2 in White-naped Cranes, and were significantly higher in the latter. The average grit size was 2.8 mm in both species. No differences were found in the shape and surface roundness of grits between the two species. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study on the grits retained in the gizzards of Hooded and White-naped Cranes.

Solid Modeling and Finite Element Analysis of an Overhead Crane Bridge

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

C. Alkin

2005-01-01

Full Text Available The design of an overhead crane bridge with a double box girder has been investigated and a case study of a crane with 35 ton capacity and 13 m span length has been conducted. In the initial phase of the case study, conventional design calculations proposed by F. E. M. Rules and DIN standards were performed to verify the stress and deflection levels. The crane design was modeled using both solids and surfaces. Finite element meshes with 4-node tetrahedral and 4-node quadrilateral shell elements were generated from the solid and shell models, respectively. After a comparison of the finite element analyses, the conventional calculations and performance of the existing crane, the analysis with quadratic shell elements was found to give the most realistic results. As a result of this study, a design optimization method for an overhead crane is proposed. 

Industrializing Offshore Wind Power with Serial Assembly and Lower-cost Deployment - Final Report

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kempton, Willett [Univ. of Delaware, Newark, DE (United States)

2017-12-11

. That design is, in brief: a conventional turbine and tubular tower is mounted on a tripod jacket, in turn atop three suction buckets. Blades are mounted on the tower, not on the hub. The entire structure is built in port, from the bottom up, then assembled structures are queued in the port for deployment. During weather windows, the fully-assembled structures are lifted off the quay, lashed to the vessel, and transported to the deployment site. The vessel analyzed is a shear leg crane vessel with dynamic positioning like the existing Gulliver, or it could be a US-built crane barge. On site, the entire structure is lowered to the bottom by the crane vessel, then pumping of the suction buckets is managed by smaller service vessels. Blades are lifted into place by small winches operated by workers in the nacelle without lift vessel support. Advantages of the selected design include: cost and time at sea of the expensive lift vessel are significantly reduced; no jack up vessel is required; the weather window required for each installation is shorter; turbine structure construction is continuous with a queue feeding the weather-dependent installation process; pre-installation geotechnical work is faster and less expensive; there are no sound impacts on marine mammals, thus minimal spotting and no work stoppage Industrializing Offshore Wind Power 6 of 96 9 for mammal passage; the entire structure can be removed for decommissioning or major repairs; the method has been validated for current turbines up to 10 MW, and a calculation using simple scaling shows it usable up to 20 MW turbines.

Fusarium spp. recovered from waste peanuts associated with sandhill crane mortality

Science.gov (United States)

Nelson, P.E.; Cole, R.J.; Tousson, T.A.; Dorner, J.W.; Windingstad, R.M.

1990-01-01

Approximately 5000 sandhill cranes (Grus canadensis ) died from undetermined causes in Gains County, Texas, 1985, and an additional 200 died in 1986. Prominent clinical signs were the inability of many sick cranes to hold their necks horizontal and the neck, head, and legs sometimes drooped perpendicularly during flight. Approximately 95% of the dead cranes' gizzards contained peanuts. Culturing of peanuts, shells, soil and soil debris from fields in which sandhill cranes died showed that Fusarium species were the fungi most frequently isolated and eight species were recovered from these substrates. Fusarium compactum, F. solani , and F. equiseti were the only species recovered from all substrates cultured from both fields.

50 CFR 20.106 - Seasons, limits, and shooting hours for sandhill cranes.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-10-01

... sandhill cranes. 20.106 Section 20.106 Wildlife and Fisheries UNITED STATES FISH AND WILDLIFE SERVICE..., and Shooting Hours Schedules § 20.106 Seasons, limits, and shooting hours for sandhill cranes. This section provides for the annual hunting of sandhill cranes in designated portions of the 48 contiguous...

29 CFR 1910.180 - Crawler locomotive and truck cranes.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-07-01

... the shaft or spindle with which or about which a wheel rotates. On truck- and wheel-mounted cranes it... and ropes. Cranes designed for railway and automobile wreck clearances are excepted. The requirements..., 1971, shall meet the design specifications of the American National Standard Safety Code for Crawler...

Comprehensive and Highly Accurate Measurements of Crane Runways, Profiles and Fastenings.

Science.gov (United States)

Dennig, Dirk; Bureick, Johannes; Link, Johannes; Diener, Dmitri; Hesse, Christian; Neumann, Ingo

2017-05-13

The process of surveying crane runways has been continually refined due to the competitive situation, modern surveying instruments, additional sensors, accessories and evaluation procedures. Guidelines, such as the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) 12488-1, define target values that must be determined by survey. For a crane runway these are for example the span, the position and height of the rails. The process has to be objective and reproducible. However, common processes of surveying crane runways do not meet these requirements sufficiently. The evaluation of the protocols, ideally by an expert, requires many years of experience. Additionally, the recording of crucial parameters, e.g., the wear of the rail, or the condition of the rail fastening and rail joints, is not regulated and for that reason are often not considered during the measurement. To solve this deficit the Advanced Rail Track Inspection System (ARTIS) was developed. ARTIS is used to measure the 3D position of crane rails, the cross-section of the crane rails, joints and, for the first time, the (crane-rail) fastenings. The system consists of a monitoring vehicle and an external tracking sensor. It makes kinematic observations with the tracking sensor from outside the rail run, e.g., the floor of an overhead crane runway, possible. In this paper we present stages of the development process of ARTIS, new target values, calibration of sensors and results of a test measurement.

Cost-effectiveness analysis of sandhill crane habitat management

Science.gov (United States)

Kessler, Andrew C.; Merchant, James W.; Shultz, Steven D.; Allen, Craig R.

2013-01-01

Invasive species often threaten native wildlife populations and strain the budgets of agencies charged with wildlife management. We demonstrate the potential of cost-effectiveness analysis to improve the efficiency and value of efforts to enhance sandhill crane (Grus canadensis) roosting habitat. We focus on the central Platte River in Nebraska (USA), a region of international ecological importance for migrating avian species including sandhill cranes. Cost-effectiveness analysis is a valuation process designed to compare alternative actions based on the cost of achieving a pre-determined objective. We estimated costs for removal of invasive vegetation using geographic information system simulations and calculated benefits as the increase in area of sandhill crane roosting habitat. We generated cost effectiveness values for removing invasive vegetation on 7 land parcels and for the entire central Platte River to compare the cost-effectiveness of management at specific sites and for the central Platte River landscape. Median cost effectiveness values for the 7 land parcels evaluated suggest that costs for creating 1 additional hectare of sandhill crane roosting habitat totaled US $1,595. By contrast, we found that creating an additional hectare of sandhill crane roosting habitat could cost as much as US $12,010 for some areas in the central Platte River, indicating substantial cost savings can be achieved by using a cost effectiveness analysis to target specific land parcels for management. Cost-effectiveness analysis, used in conjunction with geographic information systems, can provide decision-makers with a new tool for identifying the most economically efficient allocation of resources to achieve habitat management goals.

29 CFR 1919.28 - Unit proof tests-cranes and gear accessory thereto.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-07-01

... 29 Labor 7 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Unit proof tests-cranes and gear accessory thereto. 1919.28... Loads; Heat Treatment; Competent Persons § 1919.28 Unit proof tests—cranes and gear accessory thereto. (a) Except as noted in paragraph (e) of this section, cranes and other hoisting machines, together...

Crane Safety Assessment Method Based on Entropy and Cumulative Prospect Theory

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Aihua Li

2017-01-01

Full Text Available Assessing the safety status of cranes is an important problem. To overcome the inaccuracies and misjudgments in such assessments, this work describes a safety assessment method for cranes that combines entropy and cumulative prospect theory. Firstly, the proposed method transforms the set of evaluation indices into an evaluation vector. Secondly, a decision matrix is then constructed from the evaluation vectors and evaluation standards, and an entropy-based technique is applied to calculate the index weights. Thirdly, positive and negative prospect value matrices are established from reference points based on the positive and negative ideal solutions. Thus, this enables the crane safety grade to be determined according to the ranked comprehensive prospect values. Finally, the safety status of four general overhead traveling crane samples is evaluated to verify the rationality and feasibility of the proposed method. The results demonstrate that the method described in this paper can precisely and reasonably reflect the safety status of a crane.

An influence of technological contraflexure of crane bridges on its durability

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Artur BLUM

2010-01-01

Full Text Available Standard requirements till 1996 year during bridge crane manufacturing demanded a positive technological contraflexure. As a result of this process were implemented technological compressive stress into tensile zone from inertial and operational loads and tensile stress into compressive zone. This way there were redistributed resultant stress which have increased fatigue strength of exploited crane bridges. Actually valid standard PN-ISO 7363 has removed this obligatory requirement. Its use depends of crane buyer demands. Reduction of initial positive deflection can be seen after few years of crane operations. It is a case of girders permanent deflections increment. Article presents method of technological prestressing of bridge girders with its practical application to obtain positive contrafexure.

Changes of mercury contamination in red-crowned cranes, Grus japonensis, in East Hokkaido, Japan.

Science.gov (United States)

Teraoka, Hiroki; Tagami, Yukari; Kudo, Moe; Miura, Yoshiaki; Okamoto, Erika; Matsumoto, Fumio; Koga, Kimiya; Uebayashi, Akiko; Shimura, Ryoji; Inoue, Masako; Momose, Kunikazu; Masatomi, Hiroyuki; Kitazawa, Takio; Hiraga, Takeo; Subramanian, Annamalai

2012-07-01

Red-crowned cranes (Grus japonensis) are native to eastern Hokkaido (island population), in contrast to the mainland, which migrates between the Amur River basin and eastern China-Korea peninsula. During the 1990s we found that Red-crowned cranes in Hokkaido were highly contaminated with mercury: however, the source was unknown. We investigated the time trend of mercury contamination in Red-crowned cranes. Total mercury levels in the livers and kidneys from cranes dead in the 2000s were lower than those dead in the 1990s. Feather is a major pathway of mercury excretion for many bird species and is used as an indicator of blood mercury level during feather growth. As internal organs from the specimens collected before 1988 were not available, we analyzed the flight feather shavings from stuffed Red-crowned cranes dead in 1959-1987 and found that the mercury level of feathers from cranes dead in the 1960s and 1970s was not more than those from the cranes dead in the 2000s. These results suggest that mercury contamination in Red-crowned cranes in Hokkaido decreased temporally during the 1990s-2000s. This indicates the possible occurrence of some mercury pollution in Red-crowned cranes' habitat in this region in the 1990s or before.

Habitat-dependent changes in vigilance behaviour of Red-crowned Crane influenced by wildlife tourism.

Science.gov (United States)

Li, Donglai; Liu, Yu; Sun, Xinghai; Lloyd, Huw; Zhu, Shuyu; Zhang, Shuyan; Wan, Dongmei; Zhang, Zhengwang

2017-11-30

The Endangered Red-crowned Crane (Grus japonensis) is one of the most culturally iconic and sought-after species by wildlife tourists. Here we investigate how the presence of tourists influence the vigilance behaviour of cranes foraging in Suaeda salsa salt marshes and S. salsa/Phragmites australis mosaic habitat in the Yellow River Delta, China. We found that both the frequency and duration of crane vigilance significantly increased in the presence of wildlife tourists. Increased frequency in crane vigilance only occurred in the much taller S. salsa/P. australis mosaic vegetation whereas the duration of vigilance showed no significant difference between the two habitats. Crane vigilance declined with increasing distance from wildlife tourists in the two habitats, with a minimum distance of disturbance triggering a high degree of vigilance by cranes identified at 300 m. The presence of wildlife tourists may represent a form of disturbance to foraging cranes but is habitat dependent. Taller P. australis vegetation serves primarily as a visual obstruction for cranes, causing them to increase the frequency of vigilance behaviour. Our findings have important implications for the conservation of the migratory red-crowned crane population that winters in the Yellow River Delta and can help inform visitor management.

An Agent-Based Solution Framework for Inter-Block Yard Crane Scheduling Problems

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Omor Sharif

2012-06-01

Full Text Available The efficiency of yard operations is critical to the overall productivity of a container terminal because the yard serves as the interface between the landside and waterside operations. Most container terminals use yard cranes to transfer containers between the yard and trucks (both external and internal. To facilitate vessel operations, an efficient work schedule for the yard cranes is necessary given varying work volumes among yard blocks with different planning periods. This paper investigated an agent-based approach to assign and relocate yard cranes among yard blocks based on the forecasted work volumes. The goal of our study is to reduce the work volume that remains incomplete at the end of a planning period. We offered several preference functions for yard cranes and blocks which are modeled as agents. These preference functions are designed to find effective schedules for yard cranes. In addition, we examined various rules for the initial assignment of yard cranes to blocks. Our analysis demonstrated that our model can effectively and efficiently reduce the percentage of incomplete work volume for any real-world sized problem.

Rope NDT as means to raise safety of crane and elevator use

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kotelnikov, V. [Gosgortechnadzor, Moscow (Russian Federation); Sukhorukov, V. [Intron Plus, Ltd., Moscow (Russian Federation)

2006-03-15

Steel rope NDT by magnetic flaw detectors is usual for mine hoist inspection through the world. But it is no ordinary by crane and especially by elevator inspection. However, magnetic NDT statistic data of 60 crane and 227 elevator ropes in use shows that about 23% of crane and 9% of elevator ropes should be discarded in accordance with actual discarding criterion in Russia. Russian State Rules for crane safe exploitation require the magnetic NDT while periodically inspection. But not all the inspecting companies meet it in Russia, contenting themselves by visual inspection only. This is not objective and does not provide rope inner faults detection. That is a reason of rope break rather high percentage in general statistics of crane accidents and damages. Investigation of accidents with crane ropes in Moscow region in 2001 shows that they would de prevented by the magnetic NDT fulfilled timely. The elevator rope NDT problem is not so sharp but attention should de attracted to it to raise safety of elevators. (author)

Rope NDT as means to raise safety of crane and elevator use

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kotelnikov, V.; Sukhorukov, V.

2006-01-01

Steel rope NDT by magnetic flaw detectors is usual for mine hoist inspection through the world. But it is no ordinary by crane and especially by elevator inspection. However, magnetic NDT statistic data of 60 crane and 227 elevator ropes in use shows that about 23% of crane and 9% of elevator ropes should be discarded in accordance with actual discarding criterion in Russia. Russian State Rules for crane safe exploitation require the magnetic NDT while periodically inspection. But not all the inspecting companies meet it in Russia, contenting themselves by visual inspection only. This is not objective and does not provide rope inner faults detection. That is a reason of rope break rather high percentage in general statistics of crane accidents and damages. Investigation of accidents with crane ropes in Moscow region in 2001 shows that they would de prevented by the magnetic NDT fulfilled timely. The elevator rope NDT problem is not so sharp but attention should de attracted to it to raise safety of elevators. (author)

Modelling and Simulation of Mobile Hydraulic Crane with Telescopic Arm

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Nielsen, Brian; Pedersen, Henrik Clemmensen; Andersen, Torben Ole

2005-01-01

For loader crane applications resolved motion control is assumed to be one of the areas for development in the future. To develop and evaluate different control strategies for a resolved motion control system, information about the dynamic behaviour of these cranes is necessary. In the current...... paper a model of a loader crane with a flexible telescopic arm is presented, which may be used for evaluating control strategies. The telescopic arm is operated by four actuators connected hydraulically by a parallel circuit. The operating sequences of the individual actuators is therefore...

Wattled Crane ( Grus carunculatus ) research and monitoring in the ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

This shows that the Okavango Delta holds the largest single population of Wattled Cranes in the world, containing over 16% of the global population estimate of <7 700 individuals. The main distribution of Wattled Cranes was the Jao/Boro, Nqoga and Khwai/Muanachira River systems, coinciding with the wettest and most ...

The putative serine protease inhibitor Api m 6 from Apis mellifera venom: recombinant and structural evaluation.

Science.gov (United States)

Michel, Y; McIntyre, M; Ginglinger, H; Ollert, M; Cifuentes, L; Blank, S; Spillner, E

2012-01-01

Immunoglobulin (Ig) E-mediated reactions to honeybee venom can cause severe anaphylaxis, sometimes with fatal consequences. Detailed knowledge of the allergic potential of all venom components is necessary to ensure proper diagnosis and treatment of allergy and to gain a better understanding of the allergological mechanisms of insect venoms. Our objective was to undertake an immunochemical and structural evaluation of the putative low-molecular-weight serine protease inhibitor Api m 6, a component of honeybee venom. We recombinantly produced Api m 6 as a soluble protein in Escherichia coli and in Spodoptera frugiperda (Sf9) insect cells.We also assessed specific IgE reactivity of venom-sensitized patients with 2 prokaryotically produced Api m 6 variants using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Moreover, we built a structural model ofApi m 6 and compared it with other protease inhibitor structures to gain insights into the function of Api m 6. In a population of 31 honeybee venom-allergic patients, 26% showed specific IgE reactivity with prokaryotically produced Api m 6, showing it to be a minor but relevant allergen. Molecular modeling of Api m 6 revealed a typical fold of canonical protease inhibitors, supporting the putative function of this venom allergen. Although Api m 6 has a highly variant surface charge, its epitope distribution appears to be similar to that of related proteins. Api m 6 is a honeybee venom component with IgE-sensitizing potential in a fraction of venom-allergic patients. Recombinant Api m 6 can help elucidate individual component-resolved reactivity profiles and increase our understanding of immune responses to low-molecular-weight allergens

Interchangeable grabs for mobile cranes

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Arnold, A

1985-02-07

Not only the large variety of material to be handled, but also the enormous amounts of material to be loaded and unloaded have been a constant source of danger for the operators of mobile or portal cranes with cable pull, or of fork lifters. Bad accident statistics and materials handling problems have thus been the reason leading to the purchase of mobile cranes with stable load handling and, in the following, to the development of various graps suitable for the different types of material to be handled. Rigid graps with hydraulic drive and designed for mechanical replacement have been developed and tested. The following equipment has so far been tested and developed to maturity: Rapid replacement automatism, tipping and magnetic slewing mechanism, safety equipment for magnetic operation, vacuum lifter and stacker fork.

Data.gov CKAN API

Data.gov (United States)

General Services Administration — The data.gov catalog is powered by CKAN, a powerful open source data platform that includes a robust API. Please be aware that data.gov and the data.gov CKAN API...

Comparative virulence and competition between Nosema apis and Nosema ceranae in honey bees (Apis mellifera).

Science.gov (United States)

Milbrath, Meghan O; van Tran, Toan; Huang, Wei-Fong; Solter, Leellen F; Tarpy, David R; Lawrence, Frank; Huang, Zachary Y

2015-02-01

Honey bees (Apis mellifera) are infected by two species of microsporidia: Nosema apis and Nosemaceranae. Epidemiological evidence indicates that N. ceranae may be replacing N. apis globally in A. mellifera populations, suggesting a potential competitive advantage of N. ceranae. Mixed infections of the two species occur, and little is known about the interactions among the host and the two pathogens that have allowed N. ceranae to become dominant in most geographical areas. We demonstrated that mixed Nosema species infections negatively affected honey bee survival (median survival=15-17days) more than single species infections (median survival=21days and 20days for N. apis and N. ceranae, respectively), with median survival of control bees of 27days. We found similar rates of infection (percentage of bees with active infections after inoculation) for both species in mixed infections, with N. apis having a slightly higher rate (91% compared to 86% for N. ceranae). We observed slightly higher spore counts in bees infected with N. ceranae than in bees infected with N. apis in single microsporidia infections, especially at the midpoint of infection (day 10). Bees with mixed infections of both species had higher spore counts than bees with single infections, but spore counts in mixed infections were highly variable. We did not see a competitive advantage for N. ceranae in mixed infections; N. apis spore counts were either higher or counts were similar for both species and more N. apis spores were produced in 62% of bees inoculated with equal dosages of the two microsporidian species. N. ceranae does not, therefore, appear to have a strong within-host advantage for either infectivity or spore growth, suggesting that direct competition in these worker bee mid-guts is not responsible for its apparent replacement of N. apis. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Sway control method and system for rotary cranes

Science.gov (United States)

Robinett, Rush D.; Parker, Gordon G.; Feddema, John T.; Dohrmann, Clark R.; Petterson, Ben J.

1999-01-01

Methods and apparatuses for reducing the oscillatory motion of rotary crane payloads during operator-commanded or computer-controlled maneuvers. An Input-shaping filter receives input signals from multiple operator input devices and converts them into output signals readable by the crane controller to dampen the payload tangential and radial sway associated with rotation of the jib. The input signals are characterized by a hub rotation trajectory .gamma.(t), which includes a jib angular acceleration .gamma., a trolley acceleration x, and a load-line length velocity L. The system state variables are characterized by a tangential rotation angle .theta.(t) and a radial rotation angle .phi.(t) of the load-line. The coupled equations of motion governing the filter are non-linear and configuration-dependent. In one embodiment, a filter is provided between the operator and the crane for filtering undesired frequencies from the angular .gamma. and trolley x velocities to suppress payload oscillation. In another embodiment, crane commands are computer generated and controlled to suppress vibration of the payload using a postulated asymmetrical shape for the acceleration profiles of the jib, which profiles are uniquely determined by a set of parameters (including the acceleration pulse amplitude and the duration and coast time between pulses), or a dynamic programming approach.

Comparison of Serum Protein Electrophoresis Values in Wild and Captive Whooping Cranes ( Grus americana ).

Science.gov (United States)

Hausmann, Jennifer C; Cray, Carolyn; Hartup, Barry K

2015-09-01

Protein electrophoresis of serum samples from endangered, wild whooping cranes ( Grus americana ) was performed to help assess the health of the only self-sustaining, migratory population in North America. Serum samples from wild adult cranes (n = 22) were taken at Aransas National Wildlife Refuge, Texas, USA during winter. Wild juvenile cranes (n = 26) were sampled at Wood Buffalo National Park, Northwest Territories, Canada, in midsummer. All captive crane samples were acquired from the International Crane Foundation, Baraboo, WI, USA. Captive adult cranes (n = 30) were sampled during annual examinations, and archived serum samples from captive juvenile cranes (n = 19) were selected to match the estimated age of wild juveniles. Wild juveniles had significantly lower concentrations of all protein fractions than wild adults, except for prealbumin and γ globulins. All protein fraction concentrations for wild juveniles were significantly lower compared with captive juveniles, except for prealbumin and γ globulins, which were higher. Wild adults had significantly greater γ globulin concentrations than captive adults. Captive juveniles had significantly lower prealbumin and albumin concentrations and albumin : globulin ratios than captive adults. The higher γ globulin concentrations in wild versus captive cranes are likely because of increased antigenic exposure and immune stimulation. Protein fraction concentrations vary significantly with age and natural history in this species. Reference intervals for serum protein electrophoresis results from captive adult whooping cranes are provided in this study.

Preventive maintenance and load testing of fixed position cranes in support of major operations

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Detrick, C.K.

1980-01-01

This paper will address load testing and preventive maintenance of fixed in-place cranes in general, and maintenance and load testing of the 200 ton Polar Gantry Crane at the FFTF in particular. This paper also covers the installation of a 100-ton bridge crane in the FFTF's Reactor Service Building, as well as use of these cranes in making important lifts of FFTF equipment

Pathogenicity of West Nile virus and response to vaccination in sandhill cranes (Grus canadensis) using a killed vaccine.

Science.gov (United States)

Olsen, Glenn H; Miller, Kimberli J; Docherty, Douglas E; Bochsler, Valerie S; Sileo, Louis

2009-06-01

West Nile virus was introduced into the United States in the vicinity of New York, New York, USA in 1999. The virus has since killed large numbers of birds nationwide, especially, but not limited to, crows (Corvus brachyrhinchos). One sandhill crane (Grus canadensis) at the Bridgeport Zoo (Bridgeport, Connecticut, USA) reportedly died from West Nile virus, so sandhill cranes and endangered whooping cranes (Grus americana), both in the wild and in captive breeding colonies at United States Geological Service (USGS) Patuxent Wildlife Research Center (Laurel, Maryland, USA) were considered at risk. A killed vaccine in sandhill cranes was evaluated by vaccinating and then challenging these cranes with live West Nile virus. No sandhill cranes inoculated with the killed vaccine developed significant titers when compared with unvaccinated controls. No sandhill cranes inoculated with the vaccine and challenged with the virus died from West Nile virus infection. In addition, no unvaccinated challenged sandhill cranes died. However, 2 days postchallenge, vaccinated cranes had significantly less viremia (P cranes. Seven days postchallenge vaccinated cranes had significantly less cloacal shedding of the virus (P cranes and significantly less weight loss (P cranes. Vaccinated sandhill cranes developed significantly higher titers 14 days postchallenge and were viremic for shorter periods of time after challenge than unvaccinated individuals. Unvaccinated challenged cranes had glial cell aggregates in both the brain and brain stem areas, and this was not observed in vaccinated challenged cranes or in vaccinated unchallenged cranes.

Serum corticosterone response to adrenocorticotropic hormone stimulation in Florida sandhill cranes.

Science.gov (United States)

Ludders, J W; Langenberg, J A; Czekala, N M; Erb, H N; McCormick, H

1998-10-01

Florida sandhill cranes (Grus canadensis pratensis) were conditioned to confinement in an enclosure for 7 days, 6 hr a day. On day 8, cranes were catheterized and then confined in an enclosure. Venous blood (2 ml) was collected through the catheter and an attached IV line immediately before (-60 min) and 60 min after (0 min) confinement. Using a randomization table and a restricted cross-over experimental design, cranes were injected intravenously with either saline (control) or adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH; cosyntropin, Cortrosyn; 0.25 mg). At 30, 60, 120, 180, 240 and 300 min after injection, blood samples were collected and assayed for corticosterone. The cranes receiving ACTH increased their serum corticosterone concentrations as much as fivefold above baseline concentrations. Serum corticosterone concentrations remained significantly elevated for approximately 60 min after ACTH stimulation. Physical restraint and catheterization caused an increase in serum corticosterone almost comparable to that induced by ACTH stimulation. In cranes injected with saline, serum corticosterone decreased within 1 hr after physical restraint and catheterization, and remained at lower levels throughout the remaining 5 hr of confinement.

Wintering Sandhill Crane exposure to wind energy development in the central and southern Great Plains, USA

Science.gov (United States)

Pearse, Aaron T.; Brandt, David; Krapu, Gary

2016-01-01

Numerous wind energy projects have been constructed in the central and southern Great Plains, USA, the main wintering area for midcontinental Sandhill Cranes (Grus canadensis). In an initial assessment of the potential risks of wind towers to cranes, we estimated spatial overlap, investigated potential avoidance behavior, and determined the habitat associations of cranes. We used data from cranes marked with platform transmitting terminals (PTTs) with and without global positioning system (GPS) capabilities. We estimated the wintering distributions of PTT-marked cranes prior to the construction of wind towers, which we compared with current tower locations. Based on this analysis, we found 7% spatial overlap between the distributions of cranes and towers. When we looked at individually marked cranes, we found that 52% would have occurred within 10 km of a tower at some point during winter. Using data from cranes marked after tower construction, we found a potential indication of avoidance behavior, whereby GPS-marked cranes generally used areas slightly more distant from existing wind towers than would be expected by chance. Results from a habitat selection model suggested that distances between crane locations and towers may have been driven more by habitat selection than by avoidance, as most wind towers were constructed in locations not often selected by wintering cranes. Our findings of modest regional overlap and that few towers have been placed in preferred crane habitat suggest that the current distribution of wind towers may be of low risk to the continued persistence of wintering midcontinental Sandhill Cranes in the central and southern Great Plains.

COMPUTED TOMOGRAPHIC ANATOMY AND CHARACTERISTICS OF RESPIRATORY ASPERGILLOSIS IN JUVENILE WHOOPING CRANES.

Science.gov (United States)

Schwarz, Tobias; Kelley, Cristin; Pinkerton, Marie E; Hartup, Barry K

2016-01-01

Respiratory diseases are a leading cause of morbidity and mortality in captivity reared, endangered whooping cranes (Grus americana). Objectives of this retrospective, case series, cross-sectional study were to describe computed tomography (CT) respiratory anatomy in a juvenile whooping crane without respiratory disease, compare CT characteristics with gross pathologic characteristics in a group of juvenile whooping cranes with respiratory aspergillosis, and test associations between the number of CT tracheal bends and bird sex and age. A total of 10 juvenile whooping cranes (one control, nine affected) were included. Seven affected cranes had CT characteristics of unilateral extrapulmonary bronchial occlusion or wall thickening, and seven cranes had luminal occlusion of the intrapulmonary primary or secondary bronchi. Air sac membrane thickening was observed in three cranes in the cranial and caudal thoracic air sacs, and air sac diverticulum opacification was observed in four cranes. Necropsy lesions consisted of severe, subacute to chronic, focally extensive granulomatous pathology of the trachea, primary bronchi, lungs, or air sacs. No false positive CT scan results were documented. Seven instances of false negative CT scan results occurred; six of these consisted of subtle, mild air sacculitis including membrane opacification or thickening, or the presence of small plaques found at necropsy. The number of CT tracheal bends was associated with bird age but not sex. Findings supported the use of CT as a diagnostic test for avian species with respiratory disease and tracheal coiling or elongated tracheae where endoscopic evaluation is impractical. © 2015 The Authors. Veterinary Radiology & Ultrasound published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. on behalf of American College of Veterinary Radiology.

75 FR 68429 - Cranes and Derricks in Construction; Approval of Information Collection Requirements

Science.gov (United States)

2010-11-08

.... OSHA-2007-0066] RIN 1218-AC01 Cranes and Derricks in Construction; Approval of Information Collection... requirements. SUMMARY: On August 9, 2010, OSHA published a final rule revising the Cranes and Derricks Standard... necessary to protect employees during the use of cranes and derricks in construction. That final standard...

Migration patterns and movements of sandhill cranes wintering in central and southwestern Louisiana

Science.gov (United States)

King, Sammy L.; Pierce, Aaron R.; Hersey, Kent R.; Winstead, Nicholas; Hartup, Barry K.

2010-01-01

In this study we trapped wintering sandhill cranes (Grus canadensis) in Louisiana and fitted them with satellite transmitters to determine their migration routes. Four of the 6 sandhill cranes with validated locations and a terminus point used the Central Flyway for spring migration; 2 of these 4 (the only 2 for which we have data) also used the Central Flyway for fall migration. Two of the 6 birds used the Mississippi Flyway for spring migration. The results of this study suggest that reintroduced whooping cranes (G. americana) that intermix and migrate with sandhill cranes that winter in Louisiana may enter the Central Flyway. In addition, the Mississippi Flyway is a viable option to use as a migration route for whooping cranes if they are reintroduced in Louisiana.

Minimising life cycle costs of automated valves in offshore platforms

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Yli-Petays, Juha [Metso Automation do Brasil Ltda., Rio de Janeiro, RJ (Brazil); Niemela, Ismo [Metso Automation, Imatra (Finland)

2012-07-01

Automated process valves play an essential role in offshore platforms operation. If you are able to optimize their operation and maintenance activities you can receive extensive operational savings with minimal investment. Valves used in offshore platforms doesn't differentiate that much from the valves used in downstream but there are certain specialties, which makes the operations more challenging in offshore: Process valves are more difficult to access and maintain because of space limitations. Also spare part inventories and deliveries are challenging because of offshore platform's remote location. To overcome these challenges usage of digital positioners with diagnostic features has become more common because predictive maintenance capabilities enable possibilities to plan the maintenance activities and this way optimise the spare part orders regarding to valves. There are intelligent controllers available for control valves, automated on/off valves as well as ESD-valves and whole network of automated valves on platforms can be controlled by intelligent valve controllers. This creates many new opportunities in regards of optimized process performance or predictive maintenance point-of-view. By means of intelligent valve controllers and predictive diagnostics, condition monitoring and maintenance planning can also be performed remotely from an onshore location. Thus, intelligent valve controllers provide good way to minimize spending related to total cost of ownership of automated process valves. When purchase value of control valve represent 20% of TCO, intelligent positioner and predictive maintenance methods can enable as high as 30% savings over the life cycle of asset so basically it benefit savings higher than whole investment of monitored asset over its life cycle. This is mainly achieved through the optimized maintenance activities since real life examples has shown that with time based maintenance (preventive maintenance) approach 70% of

Decision analysis for conservation breeding: Maximizing production for reintroduction of whooping cranes

Science.gov (United States)

Smith, Des H.V.; Converse, Sarah J.; Gibson, Keith; Moehrenschlager, Axel; Link, William A.; Olsen, Glenn H.; Maguire, Kelly

2011-01-01

Captive breeding is key to management of severely endangered species, but maximizing captive production can be challenging because of poor knowledge of species breeding biology and the complexity of evaluating different management options. In the face of uncertainty and complexity, decision-analytic approaches can be used to identify optimal management options for maximizing captive production. Building decision-analytic models requires iterations of model conception, data analysis, model building and evaluation, identification of remaining uncertainty, further research and monitoring to reduce uncertainty, and integration of new data into the model. We initiated such a process to maximize captive production of the whooping crane (Grus americana), the world's most endangered crane, which is managed through captive breeding and reintroduction. We collected 15 years of captive breeding data from 3 institutions and used Bayesian analysis and model selection to identify predictors of whooping crane hatching success. The strongest predictor, and that with clear management relevance, was incubation environment. The incubation period of whooping crane eggs is split across two environments: crane nests and artificial incubators. Although artificial incubators are useful for allowing breeding pairs to produce multiple clutches, our results indicate that crane incubation is most effective at promoting hatching success. Hatching probability increased the longer an egg spent in a crane nest, from 40% hatching probability for eggs receiving 1 day of crane incubation to 95% for those receiving 30 days (time incubated in each environment varied independently of total incubation period). Because birds will lay fewer eggs when they are incubating longer, a tradeoff exists between the number of clutches produced and egg hatching probability. We developed a decision-analytic model that estimated 16 to be the optimal number of days of crane incubation needed to maximize the number of

Multipurpose layout drawing of metalware of bridge crane load trolley

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Goncharov K.A.

2017-03-01

Full Text Available Multipurpose layout drawing of metalware of bridge crane load trolley is proposed. The numerical analysis of proposed layout drawing is conducted using the example of bridge crane load trolley with capacity of 20 t. This analysis is carried out using the finite element method.

Multi-Motor Drives for Crane Application

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

MITROVIC, N.

2009-10-01

Full Text Available This paper focuses on the application of adjustable speed induction motor drives for gantry cranes. Modern solution considers application of frequency converters for all drives. Multi-motor drives are standard solutions in crane application and requirements of load sharing are present. Presented algorithm provides load sharing proportional to the rated motor power on the simple and practically applicable method on the basis of estimated torques by frequency converters, and controller realized in PLC. Special attention is devoted to wide span gantry drive and algorithm for skew elimination. Solutions for load distribution in multi-motor drive, as well as mode of gantry drive skew elimination, are described. Suggested solution concept is confirmed by the experimental results.

Asbestos fiber release from the brake pads of overhead industrial cranes.

Science.gov (United States)

Spencer, J W; Plisko, M J; Balzer, J L

1999-06-01

The purpose of this evaluation was to determine the actual contribution of airborne asbestos fibers to the work environment from the operation of overhead cranes and hoists that use asbestos composition brake pads. The evaluation was conducted in a working manufacturing facility. Other potential sources of asbestos were accounted for by visual inspection and background air monitoring. An overhead crane assembly comprised of a trolley and two hoists was employed for this study. The crane was operated for two consecutive eight-hour shifts representative of a heavy-duty cycle. Forty-four personal and area air samples were collected during the assessment. Asbestos fibers were analyzed for by phase contrast (NIOSH 7400), and transmission electron (NIOSH 7402) microscopy methods. Eight-hour time-weighted average (TWA) asbestos fiber concentrations ranged from cranes.

Conflicts between sandhill cranes and farmers in the western United States: evolving issues and solutions

Science.gov (United States)

Austin, Jane E.

2012-01-01

The main conflicts between Sandhill Cranes (Grus canadensis) and farmers in western United States occur in the Rocky Mountain region during migration and wintering periods. Most crop damage by cranes occurs in mature wheat (Triticum aestivum) and barley (Hordeum vulgare), young shoots of alfalfa (Medicago sativa) and cereal grains, chilies (Capsicum annuum), and silage corn (Zea mays). Damage is related to proximity of crop fields to roost sites and timing of crane concentrations relative to crop maturity or vulnerability. The evolution of conflicts between farmers and cranes and current solutions are described for two areas of the Rocky Mountains used by staging, migrating, or wintering cranes: Grays Lake, Idaho, and the Middle Rio Grande Valley, New Mexico. In both areas, conflicts with growing crane populations were aggravated by losses of wetlands and cropland, proximity of crops to roosts and other wetland areas, changing crop types and practices, and increasing urbanization. At Grays Lake, fall-staging cranes damaged barley fields near an important breeding refuge as well as fields 15-50 km away. In the Middle Rio Grande Valley, migrating and wintering cranes damaged young alfalfa fields, chilies, and silage corn. Solutions in both areas have been addressed through cooperative efforts among federal and state agencies, that manage wetlands and croplands to increase food availability and carrying capacity on public lands, provide hazing programs for private landowners, and strategically target crane hunting to problem areas. Sustaining the success of these programs will be challenging. Areas important to Sandhill Cranes in the western United Sates experience continued loss of habitat and food resources due to urbanization, changes in agricultural crops and practices, and water-use conflicts, which threaten the abilities of both public and private landowners to manage wetlands and croplands for cranes. Conservation of habitats and water resources are important

Gantry Crane Scheduling with Interference Constraints in Railway Container Terminals

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Peng Guo

2013-04-01

Full Text Available Railway container terminals, where gantry cranes are responsible for loading and unloading containers between freight trains and yards, are important hubs of hinterland logistics transportation. Terminal managers confront the challenge in improving the efficiency of their service. As the most expensive equipment in a terminal, the operational performance of gantry cranes is a crucial factor. In this paper, the gantry crane scheduling problem of railway container terminals is investigated. A mixed integer programming model which considers the effect of dwelling position dependent processing times is formulated. In addition, the safety distances, the travel times and the non-crossing requirement of cranes are incorporated in the mathematical model. A novel discrete artificial bee colony algorithm is presented to solve the intractable scheduling problem. Computational experiments are conducted to evaluate the proposed algorithm on some randomly constructed instances based on typical terminal operational data. Experimental results show that the proposed approach can obtain near optimal solutions for the investigated problem in a reasonable computational time.

Gregory Crane e i cittadini della repubblica delle lettere

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Maria Chiara Pievatolo

2012-05-01

Full Text Available Chi studia l’antichità conosce Gregory Crane anche quando non ne rammenta il nome, non per quello che ha scritto ma per quello che ha reso possibile scrivere. Crane è il direttore del Perseus Project, una biblioteca digitale che libera gli studiosi dal microcosmo chiuso e inaccessibile della monografia accademica, permettendo loro di lavorare sui classici [...

Changes in agriculture and abundance of snow geese affect carrying capacity of sandhill cranes in Nebraska

Science.gov (United States)

Pearse, A.T.; Krapu, G.L.; Brandt, D.A.; Kinzel, P.J.

2010-01-01

The central Platte River valley (CPRV) in Nebraska, USA, is a key spring-staging area for approximately 80 of the midcontinent population of sandhill cranes (Grus canadensis; hereafter cranes). Evidence that staging cranes acquired less lipid reserves during the 1990s compared to the late 1970s and increases in use of the CPRV by snow geese (Chen caerulescens) prompted us to investigate availability of waste corn and quantify spatial and temporal patterns of crane and waterfowl use of the region. We developed a predictive model to assess impacts of changes in availability of corn and snow goose abundance under past, present, and potential future conditions. Over a hypothetical 60-day staging period, predicted energy demand of cranes and waterfowl increased 87 between the late 1970s and 19982007, primarily because peak abundances of snow geese increased by 650,000 and cranes by 110,000. Compared to spring 1979, corn available when cranes arrived was 20 less in 1998 and 68 less in 1999; consequently, the area of cornfields required to meet crane needs increased from 14,464 ha in 1979 to 32,751 ha in 1998 and 90,559 ha in 1999. Using a pooled estimate of 88 kg/ha from springs 19981999 and 20052007, the area of cornfields needed to supply food requirements of cranes and waterfowl increased to 65,587 ha and was greatest in the eastern region of the CPRV, where an estimated 54 of cranes, 47 of Canada geese (Branta canadensis), 45 of greater white-fronted geese (Anser albifrons), and 46 of snow geese occurred during ground surveys. We estimated that a future reduction of 25 in available corn or cornfields would increase daily foraging flight distances of cranes by 2738. Crane use and ability of cranes to store lipid reserves in the CPRV could be reduced substantially if flight distance required to locate adequate corn exceeded a physiological maximum distance cranes could fly in search of food. Options to increase carrying capacity for cranes include increasing

Dynamic loads during failure risk assessment of bridge crane structures

Science.gov (United States)

Gorynin, A. D.; Antsev, V. Yu; Shaforost, A. N.

2018-03-01

The paper presents the method of failure risk assessment associated with a bridge crane metal structure at the design stage. It also justifies the necessity of taking into account dynamic loads with regard to the operational cycle of a bridge crane during failure risk assessment of its metal structure.

Automatic Supervisory System Synthesis for Port Cranes Collision Prevention by Using Petri Net

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Danko Kezić

2006-05-01

Full Text Available The article deals with the system of port cranes comprisingtwo independently controlled cranes which are simultaneouslyengaged in the transhipment of cargo between a vessel and arailway wagon assembly alongside. The crane operator's errorcan lead to tlie collision of cranes. Therefore, it is necessary toinstall the supervisor in an automatic control system with thefunctions of continuous supervision of the process of cranemovement, and blocking of commands that can lead to collision.The article shows the method of crane system modellingas a discrete event system by using PIT and P-timed Petri nets.There is a proposal of a formal mathematic method for calculationof the state supervisor by P-invariant method. The supervisorcalculated in this way is maximally permissive supervisor.The efficiency of the supervisor is verified by a computer simulation.

Seismic response of a sliding polar crane for a nuclear power plant

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rieck, P.; Schlund, H.

1981-01-01

In the analysis, the bridge crane design is mathematically modeled in the vertical and lateral directions. The bridge crane system is postulated to vibrate in a linear-elastic fashion, until the dynamic reactions occurring at the crane wheel/support interface exceed the available resisting friction, at which time sliding is initiated. Sliding is postulated to continue until the relative velocity of the crane and supporting structure is zero, at which time a linear-elastic vibration mode is again developed. The analysis considers the variation in static and dynamic coefficients of friction and the variation of available friction resistance due to the crane vertical response. The initiation of sliding is modeled as an instantaneous event requiring a redescription of the crane system physical properties and coordinate system. Transfer from the vibrating system to the sliding system is governed by maintaining conservation of energy. Seismic excitation is defined using design floor response spectra appropriate for the crane system location. The design spectra are decomposed into a spectrum of acceleration time history harmonic motions which, when applied to a spectrum of single degree-of-freedom damped spring-mass oscillators, redevelops the original design spectra. The spectrum of acceleration times histories is used as base excitation to the mathematical model. Analytical results include sliding displacements and velocities, number of time sliding occurs, cumulative sliding displacements, and system kinetic and potential energy. A description of the crane system configuration and the development of the effective mass and stiffness values used in the analysis of the vibrating and sliding systems is presented. The equations of motions coupling the horizontal and vertical responses during the vibrating and sliding phases are presented. A discussion evaluating the applicability of the results, and how the results can be used for design, is also presented. (orig.)

Load reduction test method of similarity theory and BP neural networks of large cranes

Science.gov (United States)

Yang, Ruigang; Duan, Zhibin; Lu, Yi; Wang, Lei; Xu, Gening

2016-01-01

Static load tests are an important means of supervising and detecting a crane's lift capacity. Due to space restrictions, however, there are difficulties and potential danger when testing large bridge cranes. To solve the loading problems of large-tonnage cranes during testing, an equivalency test is proposed based on the similarity theory and BP neural networks. The maximum stress and displacement of a large bridge crane is tested in small loads, combined with the training neural network of a similar structure crane through stress and displacement data which is collected by a physics simulation progressively loaded to a static load test load within the material scope of work. The maximum stress and displacement of a crane under a static load test load can be predicted through the relationship of stress, displacement, and load. By measuring the stress and displacement of small tonnage weights, the stress and displacement of large loads can be predicted, such as the maximum load capacity, which is 1.25 times the rated capacity. Experimental study shows that the load reduction test method can reflect the lift capacity of large bridge cranes. The load shedding predictive analysis for Sanxia 1200 t bridge crane test data indicates that when the load is 1.25 times the rated lifting capacity, the predicted displacement and actual displacement error is zero. The method solves the problem that lifting capacities are difficult to obtain and testing accidents are easily possible when 1.25 times related weight loads are tested for large tonnage cranes.

CRAnE: A JAS-based Data Acquisition System for Cosmic Rays

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Langeveld, Willy G.J.

2003-08-25

Cosmic Ray Analysis Environment (CRAnE) is a software tool designed to collect and plot data from a cosmic ray telescope (CRT) connected to a computer serial port. As a plug-in to Java Analysis Studio (JAS), CRAnE provides visual displays of incoming cosmic ray rates as they are detected. In an effort to make the program user-friendly, it operates through a graphical user interface. This paper describes the features of CRAnE and includes installation and operation instructions in the appended user's manual.

Geographic distribution of the mid-continent population of sandhill cranes and related management applications

Science.gov (United States)

Krapu, Gary L.; Brandt, David A.; Jones, Kenneth L.; Johnson, Douglas H.

2011-01-01

The Mid-continent Population (MCP) of sandhill cranes (Grus canadensis) is widely hunted in North America and is separated into the Gulf Coast Subpopulation and Western Subpopulation for management purposes. Effective harvest management of the MCP requires detailed knowledge of breeding distribution of subspecies and subpopulations, chronology of their use of fall staging areas and wintering grounds, and exposure to and harvest from hunting. To address these information needs, we tagged 153 sandhill cranes with Platform Transmitting Terminals (PTTs) during 22 February–12 April 1998–2003 in the Central and North Platte River valleys of south-central Nebraska. We monitored PTT-tagged sandhill cranes, hereafter tagged cranes, from their arrival to departure from breeding grounds, during their fall migration, and throughout winter using the Argos satellite tracking system. The tracking effort yielded 74,041 useable locations over 49,350 tag days; median duration of tracking of individual cranes was 352 days and 73 cranes were tracked >12 months. Genetic sequencing of mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) from blood samples taken from each of our random sample of tagged cranes indicated 64% were G. c. canadensis and 34% were Grus canadensis tabida. Tagged cranes during the breeding season settled in northern temperate, subarctic, and arctic North America (U.S. [23%, n = 35], Canada [57%, n = 87]) and arctic regions of northeast Asia (Russia [20%, n = 31]). Distribution of tagged cranes by breeding affiliation was as follows: Western Alaska–Siberia (WA–S, 42 ± 4% [SE]), northern Canada–Nunavut (NC–N, 21 ± 4%), west-central Canada–Alaska (WC–A, 23 ± 4%) and East-central Canada–Minnesota (EC–M, 14 ± 3%). All tagged cranes returned to the same breeding affiliation used during the previous year with a median distance of 1.60 km (range: 0.08–7.7 km, n = 53) separating sites used in year 1 and year 2. Fall staging occurred

Radiographic analysis of the development of the pelvic limb of captive-reared cranes (Grus spp.)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Curro, T.G.; Langenberg, J.A.; Deakin, L.

1996-01-01

For captive-reared cranes, pelvic limb abnormalities in chicks have been identified as significant morbidity/mortality factors. An important component of the diagnosis of limb abnormalities is the understanding of the normal limb. This study was undertaken to describe the normal, radiographic development of the femur, tibiotarsus, tarsometatarsus, and fibula of the whooping crane (Grus americana), Florida sandhill crane (Grus canadensis pratensis), and Siberian crane (Grus leucogeranus). Crane chicks were anesthetized and their pelvic limb bone development evaluated radiographically on a weekly to bimonthly basis from one to fourteen weeks of age. Body weight, bone length, diaphyseal width, and physeal development and closure were evaluated. Based on the radiographic analysis, the gross development of the long bones of the pelvic limb of whooping, Florida sandhill, and Siberian cranes was found to be similar among the three species, and not dissimilar from other avian species which have been studied. Repeated handling, anesthesia, and radiographic exposure did not produce any behavioral, developmental, or physical abnormalities in the studied cranes when compared to cranes of the same species raised using the same methods. This is the first work to describe pelvic limb bone development in these species

A heuristics-based solution to the continuous berth allocation and crane assignment problem

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mohammad Hamdy Elwany

2013-12-01

Full Text Available Effective utilization plans for various resources at a container terminal are essential to reducing the turnaround time of cargo vessels. Among the scarcest resources are the berth and its associated cranes. Thus, two important optimization problems arise, which are the berth allocation and quay crane assignment problems. The berth allocation problem deals with the generation of a berth plan, which determines where and when a ship has to berth alongside the quay. The quay crane assignment problem addresses the problem of determining how many and which quay crane(s will serve each vessel. In this paper, an integrated heuristics-based solution methodology is proposed that tackles both problems simultaneously. The preliminary experimental results show that the proposed approach yields high quality solutions to such an NP-hard problem in a reasonable computational time suggesting its suitability for practical use.

Investigating transportation system in container terminals and developing a yard crane scheduling model

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Hassan Javanshir

2012-01-01

Full Text Available The world trade has tremendous growth in marine transportation. This paper studies yard crane scheduling problem between different blocks in container terminal. Its purpose is to minimize total travel time of cranes between blocks and total delayed workload in blocks at different periods. In this way the problem is formulated as a mixed integer programming (MIP model. The block pairs between which yard cranes will be transferred, during the various periods, is determined by this model. Afterwards the model is coded in LINGO software, which benefits from branch and bound algorithm to solve. Computational results determine the yard cranes movement sequence among blocks to achieve minimum total travel time for cranes and minimum total delayed workload in blocks at different planning periods. Also the results show capability and adequacy of the developed model.

Features and perspectives of automatized construction crane-manipulators

Science.gov (United States)

Stepanov, Mikhail A.; Ilukhin, Peter A.

2018-03-01

Modern construction industry still has a high percentage of manual labor, and the greatest prospects of improving the construction process are lying in the field of automatization. In this article automatized construction manipulator-cranes are being studied in order to achieve the most rational design scheme. This is done through formulating a list of general conditions necessary for such cranes and a set of specialized kinematical conditions. A variety of kinematical schemes is evaluated via these conditions, and some are taken for further dynamical analisys. The comparative dynamical analisys of taken schemes was made and the most rational scheme was defined. Therefore a basis for a more complex and practical research of manipulator-cranes design is given and ways to implement them on practical level can now be calculated properly. Also, the perspectives of implementation of automated control systems and informational networks on construction sites in order to boost the quality of construction works, safety of labour and ecological safety are shown.

Design of an overhead crane for the ITER NB cell remote handling maintenance operations

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Taubmann, Gonzalo; Brochet, Laurent [IBERTEF A.I.E., Iberica de Tecnologia de Fusion, C/Magallanes 3, 28015 Madrid (Spain); Liniers, Macarena [Asociacion EURATOM-CIEMAT para la Fusion, Av. Complutense 22, 28040 Madrid (Spain)], E-mail: macarena.liniers@ciemat.es; Medrano, Mercedes; Sarasola, Xabier; Botija, Jose; Alonso, Javier [Asociacion EURATOM-CIEMAT para la Fusion, Av. Complutense 22, 28040 Madrid (Spain); Damiani, Carlo [FUSION FOR ENERGY, Josep Pla 2, Torres Diagonal Litoral Ed B3, 08019 Barcelona (Spain)

2009-06-15

In the neutral beam cell of ITER all the maintenance operations on the neutral beam components (BLC's) must be performed by an overhead crane of large payload capability (30-50 tonnes). A crane system is presented consisting of a monorail, a carriage, and a lifting mechanism. The monorail must give access to the BLC's in the beam line vessel, the front components connecting the NB vessel with the Tokamak, and a storage area at the north end of the NB cell. Rail switching points are required at the intersections between radial and toroidal branches. A translational switching mechanism is proposed. The crane carriage consists of two independent sub-carriages, each composed of four wheels. A set of four secondary wheels attached to the main carriage prevents the crane tilting due to the CoG misalignment of some loads. The elevation system proposed consists of an electromechanical crane of four independent drums and 50 tonnes payload. In parallel with the crane design, a logistics and space availability study has been carried out, leading to the detection of clearance or transport problems that could be taken into account in the final crane design.

Design of an overhead crane for the ITER NB cell remote handling maintenance operations

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Taubmann, Gonzalo; Brochet, Laurent; Liniers, Macarena; Medrano, Mercedes; Sarasola, Xabier; Botija, Jose; Alonso, Javier; Damiani, Carlo

2009-01-01

In the neutral beam cell of ITER all the maintenance operations on the neutral beam components (BLC's) must be performed by an overhead crane of large payload capability (30-50 tonnes). A crane system is presented consisting of a monorail, a carriage, and a lifting mechanism. The monorail must give access to the BLC's in the beam line vessel, the front components connecting the NB vessel with the Tokamak, and a storage area at the north end of the NB cell. Rail switching points are required at the intersections between radial and toroidal branches. A translational switching mechanism is proposed. The crane carriage consists of two independent sub-carriages, each composed of four wheels. A set of four secondary wheels attached to the main carriage prevents the crane tilting due to the CoG misalignment of some loads. The elevation system proposed consists of an electromechanical crane of four independent drums and 50 tonnes payload. In parallel with the crane design, a logistics and space availability study has been carried out, leading to the detection of clearance or transport problems that could be taken into account in the final crane design.

Accessing offshoring advantages

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Mykhaylenko, Alona; Motika, Agnes; Wæhrens, Brian Vejrum

2015-01-01

. Assuming that different levels of synergy may exist between particular offshoring strategic decisions (choosing offshore outsourcing or captive offshoring and the type of function) and different offshoring advantages, this work advocates that the actual fact of realization of certain offshoring advantages...

HEURISTIC EVALUATION FOR MOBILE APPLICATION (STUDI KASUS: APLIKASI DEPO AUTO 2000 TANJUNG API API PALEMBANG

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Usman Ependi

2017-11-01

Full Text Available Heuristic evaluation merupakan salah satu bentuk usability testing perangkat lunak yang dinilai oleh pengguna (evaluator. Dalam melakukan heuristic evaluation instrumen penilaian terdiri dari sepuluh (10 pernyataan dengan lima pilihan jawaban dalam skala severity ratings. Dalam penelitian ini heuristic evaluation terhadap aplikasi Depo Auto 2000 Tanjung Api-Api Palembang yang dilakukan oleh 4 evaluator.  Hasil dari heuristic evaluation dikelompokkan kedalam  masing-masing instrumen yaitu visibility of system status dengan nilai 0,75, match between system and the real world dengan nilai 0,25, user control and freedom dengan nilai 0,25, consistency and standards dengan nilai 0,75, error prevention dengan nilai 1, recognition rather than recall dengan nilai 1,25, flexibility and efficiency of use dengan nilai 0,25, Aesthetic and minimalist design dengan nilai 0,25, help users recognize, diagnose, and recover from errors dengan nilai 1 dan Help and documentation dengan nilai 0. Dari hasil heuristic evaluation yang dilakukan menunjukkan bahwa evaluator memberikan nilai 0 dan 1 aplikasi Depo Atuo 2000 Tanjung Api-Api Palembang. Hasil penilaian tersebut menunjukkan bahwa aplikasi yang buat tidak ada masalah usability dan hanya memiliki cosmetic problem sehingga aplikasi Depo Auto 2000 Tanjung Api Api Palembang  dapat dinyatakan layak untuk didistribusikan kepada pengguna akhir (end user.

HEMATOLOGY AND BIOCHEMISTRY IN CAPTIVE WHITE-NAPED CRANES (GRUS VIPIO).

Science.gov (United States)

Rayhel, Laura; Aitken-Palmer, Copper; Joyner, Priscilla; Cray, Carolyn; Lizárraga, César Andrés; Ackerman, Betty; Crowe, Chris

2015-12-01

In this retrospective study, 36 hematologic and biochemistry samples from white-naped crane (Grus vipio) were analyzed. All birds were housed at a single institution, and samples were obtained between 1990 and 2013. All cranes were healthy at the time of sample collection, and ages ranged from 1 mo to 33 yr old. Cranes below 18 mo old were considered juveniles. Comparisons were made between means for juveniles and adults and for males and females. Significant increases in adults (P cranes were also compared; calcium levels were higher in females (4.68 mg/dl, P < 0.05). Plasma electrophoresis and radioimmunoassay for bile acids were performed on 25 banked serum or plasma samples; results from juvenile and adult samples were also compared. Significant increases in adult birds were found in total protein (1.2 g/dl, P < 0.05) and in all absolute values for all protein types; however, no difference was found when protein fractions were compared. Bile acids were found to decrease in adults (19.9 μM/L, P < 0.05).

Invariant-Based Inverse Engineering of Crane Control Parameters

Science.gov (United States)

González-Resines, S.; Guéry-Odelin, D.; Tobalina, A.; Lizuain, I.; Torrontegui, E.; Muga, J. G.

2017-11-01

By applying invariant-based inverse engineering in the small-oscillation regime, we design the time dependence of the control parameters of an overhead crane (trolley displacement and rope length) to transport a load between two positions at different heights with minimal final-energy excitation for a microcanonical ensemble of initial conditions. The analogy between ion transport in multisegmented traps or neutral-atom transport in moving optical lattices and load manipulation by cranes opens a route for a useful transfer of techniques among very different fields.

Design of bridge crane girder strain acquisition system based on virtual instrument

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Wenxue LIU

Full Text Available Girder is an important part of the bridge crane, which is also the main force element. In order to prevent accidents, it is necessary to collect the bridge crane girder stress data to analyse the fatigue life. This paper constructs a bridge crane girder strain acquisition system. The hardware system consists of sensors, connectors, data acquisition cards, wireless data transmission groups, POE power and host computer. The software system consists of NI MAX to interface with the computer's NI hardware and software resources,and LabVIEW programming to display and storage the girder strain data. Through this system, positions and working days strain data acquisition for the 50/10 t bridge crane girder gets the key positions strain data. The results show that the girder strain data acquisition system runs stably, channel signals of acquisition task transmit accurately, and the terminal data stores competely, meeting the detection requirements, which provides an important data support for the subsequent fatigue analysis and accurate remaining service life prediction of the crane girder.

The effect of restraints type on the generated stresses in gantry crane beam

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Sowa Leszek

2018-01-01

Full Text Available This paper includes an analysis of the mechanical phenomena in the gantry crane beam, because the cranes are currently one of the most common devices for the transporting loads. Designing modern mechanical structures is a complex task that requires the use of appropriate tools. Such a modern tool is the numerical simulation, which uses different numerical methods. One of the best known methods is the finite element method, also used here. Simulations are limited to analysis of the strength of the gantry crane beam that was the loaded of the force load movement along its length. The numerical analysis was made to the gantry crane beam which cross-section was an I-beam and ends were fixed in different ways. As the result of numerical calculations, the stresses and displacements of the structure of gantry were obtained. The influence of the restraints type and changing the loading force position on generate the Huber-Misses stress in the gantry crane beam was estimated. The aim was to ensure that the maximum equivalent stress generated in the gantry crane beam was less than the strength of material, because then the construction is safe.

Reintroduction medicine: whooping cranes in Wisconsin.

Science.gov (United States)

Keller, Dominique L; Hartup, Barry K

2013-01-01

This paper presents veterinary management strategies and diagnostic findings in the reintroduction of the endangered whooping crane (Grus americana). Between 2005 and 2010, 63 (27 male, 36 female) hatchling whooping cranes were assigned to a reintroduction project involving autumn release of costume-reared chicks in Wisconsin. Veterinary care included preventive measures and comprehensive pre-release evaluations to improve fitness and reduce translocation of potential disease agents to native habitats. A total of 44 clinically normal birds were released (70% of assigned individuals). Cases of morbidity were classified according to primary body system affected. Musculoskeletal disorders were described in 57 birds (90%); five birds were removed from the project prior to release (8%), all for abnormalities that prevented normal function. Fourteen birds died or were euthanized prior to release (22%); pre-release mortality was attributed to developmental abnormality, predation, trauma or infectious disease. Chronic respiratory aspergillosis, diagnosed in seven birds (11%), was the most common infectious disease of concern. Predation and trauma were primary causes of post-release mortality; no evidence of infectious disease of captive origin was detected in the study population by the end of 2010. The assessment of data accumulated by this project helped to outline successful health management strategies, as well as identify and mitigate ongoing risks to captive whooping cranes that impede reintroduction efforts and achieving management goals for species recovery. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Development of heavy oil fields onshore and offshore: resemblances and challenges; Desenvolvimento de campos de oleos pesados em terra e em mar: semelhancas e desafios

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Branco, Celso Cesar Moreira; Moczydlower, Priscila [PETROBRAS S.A., Rio de Janeiro, RJ (Brazil). Centro de Pesquisas (CENPES)

2008-07-01

The so called offshore heavy oils (API gravity lower than 19) and extra heavy oils (API lower than 10) are receiving increasing importance due to the light oil production decline and also to exploration difficulties. In countries like Canada, Venezuela, China and the US (California) there are immense onshore heavy oil resources sometimes classified as non conventional. Differently in Brazil, onshore heavy oil volumes are modest being important those located in offshore fields (although non comparable to the Canadian and Venezuelan ones). The issue raised in this paper is: the field location, whether onshore or offshore, is always the main constraint in the development process? Well, the question has both a 'yes' and 'no' as an answer. There are important differences but some similarities in the technologies that can be applied. In this text the authors intend to explore this point while at the same time depicting some of the main related aspects under research for proper exploitation of heavy and extra heavy oil assets. The most relevant difference between onshore and offshore heavy oil fields is the application of thermal methods for improved recovery: while worldwide spread and commercially applied to onshore fields, steam injection is not yet viable for offshore operations. The only option for improving recovery in offshore fields is water injection, which has the drawback of producing large volumes of water during the field life. Another aspect is the cost of the production wells: much cheaper onshore they allow well spacing in the order of 100 m or even 50 m whereas in offshore well spacing are in the 1000 m range. From the flow assurance point of view, inland installations can take use of solvents for heavy oil dilution, such as diesel or naphtha. Offshore this option is complicated by the long distances from the wellheads to the producing facilities in the platform, in the case of wet completions. There are also differences regarding the

78 FR 8985 - Cranes and Derricks in Construction: Revising the Exemption for Digger Derricks

Science.gov (United States)

2013-02-07

.... OSHA-2012-0025] RIN 1218-AC75 Cranes and Derricks in Construction: Revising the Exemption for Digger... November 9, 2012, to broaden the exemption for digger derricks in its construction standard for cranes and... broaden the exemption for digger derricks in its construction standard for cranes and derricks. In those...

76 FR 75450 - Safety Zone; Container Crane Relocation, Cooper and Wando Rivers, Charleston, SC

Science.gov (United States)

2011-12-02

...-AA00 Safety Zone; Container Crane Relocation, Cooper and Wando Rivers, Charleston, SC AGENCY: Coast... moving safety zone around a barge transporting two container cranes on the Cooper and Wando Rivers during... barge will transit the Cooper and Wando Rivers. Because of the size of the two container cranes and the...

Risk assessment during operating self-propelled lifting jib cranes in conditions of insufficient information

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Lagerev A.V.

2017-06-01

Full Text Available Presents the results of statistical analyses identified by the expert diagnostics of defects of the self-propelled lifting jib cranes, spent a normative term of exploitation. The greatest number of defects associated with the destruction and dete-rioration of structural elements, the occurrence of fatigue cracks and a violation of the conditions of operation of the equipment. The greatest number of defects occurs in the hydraulic system of cranes, the rope-block system, and rarely in steel structures. To conduct risk analysis of self-propelled jib cranes in case of insufficient information, proposed the method of expert estimations. It allows to assess the impact of potential defects on self-propelled jib cranes on the value of the economic damage of the crane and moving cargo and the value of the traumatic exposure on men. The proposed list of possible defects self-propelled lifting jib cranes and a checklist of questions about the degree of influence of these defects. Proposed calculated dependences to the approximate calculation of the magnitude of technical risk in the opera-tion of self-propelled jib cranes. The results of statistical analysis of expert estimations for each possible defect and per-formed their ranking in terms of impact on the magnitude of the economic damage of the crane and moving loads, the value of the traumatic exposure. Was calculated the value of technical risk for the surveyed taps.

Seismic evaluation of K basin bridge cranes (HOI-320 ampersand HOI-418) and supporting structure

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Winkel, B.V.; Kanjilad, S.K.

1996-03-01

The Safety Class 1 100-K fuel storage basins are vulnerable to impact damage if a bridge crane were to fall during a seismic event. The pupose of this report is to address the adequacy of the K Basin bridge cranes to resist a seismic-induced fall. The approach used to demonstrate adequacy against falling, was to evaluate the crane structural components relative to requirements specified in ASME NOG-1, Rules for Construction of Overhead and Gantry Cranes. Additionally, wheel lift-off and the adequacy of the crane supporting structure, are addressed. Seismic adequacy of the mechanical hoist equipment is not addressed in this report

78 FR 71666 - Agency Information Collection Activities; Submission for OMB Review; Comment Request; Cranes and...

Science.gov (United States)

2013-11-29

... for OMB Review; Comment Request; Cranes and Derricks in Construction Standard ACTION: Notice. SUMMARY... Administration (OSHA) sponsored information collection request (ICR) revision titled, ``Cranes and Derricks in... seeks PRA authorization for the current information collection requirements contained in the Cranes and...

Mars Atmospheric Aggregation System API

Data.gov (United States)

National Aeronautics and Space Administration — The {MAAS} API is an open source REST API built to help make it easier and more efficient to build interactive applications that want to utilize the wealth of...

Beebread from Apis mellifera and Apis dorsata. Comparative Chemical Composition and Bioactivity

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Otilia BOBIS

2017-05-01

Full Text Available Beebread is a valuable bee product, both for bee nutrition and for humans. The high nutritional and bioactive properties of beebread were evaluated by chemical composition analysis of beebread from Apis mellifera and Apis dorsata. Bee bread harvested from Romania and India, coming from Apis mellifera and Apis dorsata bees, were evaluated for their chemical composition. Analyses were made in APHIS Laboratory from USAMV Cluj, using validated methods for bee products. Lipids were determined by the Soxhlet extraction method, total protein content was determined by Kjehldahl method, sugar spectrum was determined by high performance liquid chromatography with refractive index detection (HPLC-IR. Water content of beebread samples were situated between 11.45 and 16.46%, total protein content between 16.84 and 19.19% and total lipids between 6.36 and 13.47%.  Beebread has high bioactive properties which can be expressed as antioxidant and/or antibacterial activity. Chemical composition and bioactive properties of beebread is influenced by floral origin of the pollen which the bees collect and place in combs for fermentation. Also the climatic conditions have an important role in developing different fermentation compounds, that may act as antioxidants or antibacterial agents.

Design of a WSN-Based Monitoring System for Avoiding Collision of Tower Cranes

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jiannong Wang

2014-07-01

Full Text Available Tower cranes in large construction projects are likely to collide with other cranes close to them during the operation, which is a severe hazard to the security of the staff. Thus, a WSN- based monitoring system for avoiding collision of tower cranes is proposed. The 3D data positioning technology is used to install angle and position sensors at intervals in the cranes in order to collect position data in real time. After the data are sent to the upper computer, the computer calculates the distance using the 3D positioning technique and sets a proper threshold for alarm. When the measured distance is smaller than the threshold, the alarm is set off to prevent collision. In the experiment, three pairs of cranes 15-22 m in height that are located separately are tested in terms of errors in data collection and in alarms. The experimental results show that the proposed system has an alarm accuracy of 99.3 %, and thus, is highly applicable.

A Cable-Passive Damper System for Sway and Skew Motion Control of a Crane Spreader

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

La Duc Viet

2015-01-01

Full Text Available While the crane control problem is often approached by applying a certain active control command to some parts of the crane, this paper proposes a cable-passive damper system to reduce the vibration of a four-cable suspended crane spreader. The residual sway and skew motions of a crane spreader always produce the angle deflections between the crane cables and the crane spreader. The idea in this paper is to convert those deflections into energy dissipated by the viscous dampers, which connect the cables and the spreader. The proposed damper system is effective in reducing spreader sway and skew motions. Moreover, the optimal damping coefficient can be found analytically by minimizing the time integral of system energy. The numerical simulations show that the proposed passive system can assist the input shaping control of the trolley motion in reducing both sway and skew responses.

Updated API document 6A will close API-ISO 9000 gap. [Oil and gas wellhead standards

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Bell, S.

1993-10-01

The 17th edition of the American Petroleum Institute's (API) document 6A, covering wellheads and their components, is due early next year. As the API vs. International Standards Organization (ISO) 9000 struggle continues, this edition of 6A eliminates some unnecessary specifications, clarifies others, and includes metric specifications accepted by the ISO. The 17th edition will clarify some of the interpretations from earlier editions and further advise users how to acquire the API monogram. The goal of this edition is to make 6A acceptable to ISO as an international document so API can maintain control over petroleum equipment specifications and provide input and guidance in future regulations.

78 FR 42800 - Certain Crawler Cranes and Components Thereof; Institution of Investigation Pursuant to United...

Science.gov (United States)

2013-07-17

... INTERNATIONAL TRADE COMMISSION [Investigation No. 337-TA-887] Certain Crawler Cranes and... amended, 19 U.S.C. 1337, on behalf of Manitowoc Cranes, LLC of Manitowoc, Wisconsin. The complaint alleges... the sale within the United States after importation of certain crawler cranes and components thereof...

Intro to the Zotero API

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Amanda Morton

2013-04-01

Full Text Available In this lesson, you’ll learn how to use python with the Zotero API to interact with your Zotero library. The Zotero API is a powerful interface that would allow you to build a complete Zotero client from scratch if you so desired. But like most APIs, it works in small, discrete steps, so we have to build our way up to the complicated requests we might want to use to access our Zotero libraries. But this incremental building gives us plenty of time to learn as we go along.

Bluetooth API Implementation into Android

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Konev Sergey

2017-01-01

Full Text Available Bluetooth is a popular method of communication between devices. Many smartphones today have the capability to communicate using Bluetooth. Android developers sometimes need to use Bluetooth in their projects. Android OS provides a powerful API for Bluetooth that allows to simplify scanning the environment for devices, pairing and connecting, data transfer between devices and more. However, utilizing the Bluetooth API can be difficult for first-time users. The objective of this article is to demonstrate the key points of implementing Bluetooth API in the Android application.

STRESS-DEFORMED STATE OF A STRUT-FRAMED CRANE GIRDER

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Kh. M. Muselemov

2017-01-01

Full Text Available Objectives. The aim of the present work is to study the influence of design parameters on the stress-deformed state of a sprengel crane girder; to compile the tables and corresponding graphs illustrating changes in internal force factors in the characteristic cross-sections of the system elements under consideration. The article describes the study of the stress-deformed state (SDS of a metal strut-framed crane girder.Methods. Numerical methods of analysis based on the use of the Green's function are used during solving this problem. A dimensionless parameter is introduced, depending on which the tables and graphs are constructed. According to the known algorithm, the calculations of internal force factors in the sections of the considered construction are performed.Results. Depending on the dimensionless parameter characterising the geometry and physical features of the system, tables of bending moments and transverse forces are compiled. According to these tables, the appropriate graphs are plotted in order to choose easily the optimal design parameters.Conclusion. The dependence of the moments and transverse forces on the dimensionless parameter k was found, the corresponding graphs were plotted and the metal costs for the girders were calculated. The minimum values of the moments and transverse forces are established to take place when the dimensionless parameter k values are close to zero. The most economical was a strut-framed crane girder having k = 0.0001. The most uneconomical had k = 0.05 and k =∞. Eventually, the sprengel girders were found to be more profitable as compared to conventional crane girders. In the examples considered in the article, the metal savings amounted up to 14%. The presented methodology allows the calculation and designing of strut-framed crane girders with two racks to be carried out. 

[Effects of habitat fragmentation on nesting site selection of red-crowned crane].

Science.gov (United States)

Wan, Dongmei; Gao, Wei; Wang, Qiuyu; Wang, Haitao; Liu, Mingyu

2002-05-01

During April and May of 1985, 1995 and 1998, red-crowned crane's nesting and variation of breeding population quantities in Shuangtaihekou National Natural Reserve in Liaoning, and also the habitat fragmentation there were investigated. Associated with previous data of the reserve, red-crowned crane's nesting habitat had been seriously fragmentated into 91 patches from one integrated reed wetland. The area of the smallest patch was 0.37 km2, and the minimum distance of two nests was 304 m. Compared with records of previous data, the minimum area of nesting habitat reduced by 0.72 km2. However, the breeding population quantities of red-crowned crane had maintained at about 30 pairs for a long period. The red-crowned crane adapted to the changed environment by the ecological adaptation strategy of reducing area of nesting habitat.

Restful API Architecture Based on Laravel Framework

Science.gov (United States)

Chen, Xianjun; Ji, Zhoupeng; Fan, Yu; Zhan, Yongsong

2017-10-01

Web service has been an industry standard tech for message communication and integration between heterogeneous systems. RESTFUL API has become mainstream web service development paradigm after SOAP, how to effectively construct RESTFUL API remains a research hotspots. This paper presents a development model of RESTFUL API construction based on PHP language and LARAVEL framework. The key technical problems that need to be solved during the construction of RESTFUL API are discussed, and implementation details based on LARAVEL are given.

Seismic effects on the reliability of polar cranes for nuclear power plants

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kaiser, W.; Friedrich, H.; Knoefel, L.

1985-01-01

In order to meet the requirements of nuclear safety reactor components have to be designed aseismically. A model for studying simulated seismic effects on the reliability of containment equipment polar cranes is presented. Based on this model vertical and horizontal motions of the crane are investigated. Emphasis is laid on non-linearities caused by malfunctions such as lift of the crane from the runaway, lift of the trolley from the beams, slackening of the ropes as well as sliding of blocked track wheels. Seismic excitations are simulated by computer produced accelerograms

Application and API for Real-time Visualization of Ground-motions and Tsunami

Science.gov (United States)

Aoi, S.; Kunugi, T.; Suzuki, W.; Kubo, T.; Nakamura, H.; Azuma, H.; Fujiwara, H.

2015-12-01

limited and it is not practical to regularly visualize all the data. The application has automatic starting (pop-up) function triggered by EEW. Similar WebAPI and application for tsunami are being prepared using the pressure data recorded by dense offshore observation network (S-net), which is under construction along the Japan Trench.

Climate change, cranes, and temperate floodplain ecosystems

Science.gov (United States)

King, Sammy L.

2010-01-01

Floodplain ecosystems provide important habitat to cranes globally. Lateral, longitudinal, vertical, and temporal hydrologic connectivity in rivers is essential to maintaining the functions and values of these systems. Agricultural development, flood control, water diversions, dams, and other anthropogenic activities have greatly affected hydrologic connectivity of river systems worldwide and altered the functional capacity of these systems. Although the specific effects of climate change in any given area are unknown, increased intensity and frequency of flooding and droughts and increased air and water temperatures are among many potential effects that can act synergistically with existing human modifications in these systems to create even greater challenges in maintaining ecosystem productivity. In this paper, I review basic hydrologic and geomorphic processes of river systems and use three North American rivers (Guadalupe, Platte, and Rio Grande) that are important to cranes as case studies to illustrate the challenges facing managers tasked with balancing the needs of cranes and people in the face of an uncertain climatic future. Each river system has unique natural and anthropogenic characteristics that will affect conservation strategies. Mitigating the effects of climate change on river systems necessitates an understanding of river/floodplain/landscape linkages, which include people and their laws as well as existing floodplain ecosystem conditions.

Integration of Wave and Offshore Wind Energy in a European Offshore Grid

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Chozas, Julia Fernandez; Sørensen, H. C.; Korpås, M.

2010-01-01

of offshore renewable energy sources. According to this, the paper covers i) public and private initiatives for offshore transmission networks, ii) the synergies between the wave and the offshore wind energy sector within an offshore grid, iii) power transmission options for offshore generation and iv...

Seasonal movements and multiscale habitat selection of Whooping Crane (Grus americana) in natural and agricultural wetlands

Science.gov (United States)

Pickens, Bradley A.; King, Sammy L.; Vasseur, Phillip L.; Zimorski, Sara E.; Selman, Will

2017-01-01

Eleven of 15 species of cranes (family: Gruidae) are considered vulnerable or endangered, and the increase of agriculture and aquaculture at the expense of natural wetlands and grasslands is a threat to Gruidae worldwide. A reintroduced population of Whooping Crane (Grus americana) was studied in coastal and agricultural wetlands of Louisiana and Texas, USA. The objectives were to compare Whooping Crane movements across seasons, quantify multiscale habitat selection, and identify seasonal shifts in selection. Whooping Cranes (n = 53) were tracked with satellite transmitters to estimate seasonal core-use areas (50% home range contours) via Brownian bridge movement models and assess habitat selection. Whooping Crane core-use areas (n = 283) ranged from 4.7 to 438.0 km2, and habitat selection changed seasonally as shallow water availability varied. Whooping Crane core-use areas were composed of more fresh marsh in spring/summer, but shifted towards rice and crawfish (Procambarus spp.) aquaculture in the fall/winter. Within core-use areas, aquaculture was most strongly selected, particularly in fall when fresh marsh became unsuitable. Overall, the shifting of Whooping Crane habitat selection over seasons is likely to require large, heterogeneous areas. Whooping Crane use of agricultural and natural wetlands may depend on spatio-temporal dynamics of water depth.

Analysis of Electrical Power Consumption in Container Crane of Container Terminal Surabaya

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

A.A. Masroeri

2017-12-01

Full Text Available Container crane electrification is a re-powering process of container cranes from diesel to electricity. In electrification process, it is required an analysis of electrical power consumption that is needed in the operational of container crane. It aims to determine whether the amount of electrical power that is supplied by PLN can be optimally used in the operational of container crane to do loading and unloading activities. To perform the analysis of electrical power consumption, it is required various data and calculations. The required data are container crane specifications and other electrical equipment specifications, the amount of electrical power that is supplied by PLN, also the single line diagram from the electrical system at the port. While, the calculations that is needed to be performed are the calculation of electrical power load in motors and other electrical equipments, the calculation of nominal current and start current, the selection of cable and busbar, and the calculation of wiring diagram junction power. From the calculations that has been done, then the next step is to do the load flow analysis simulation by using software simulation, so an accurate and effective load flow analysis can be obtained to optimize loading and unloading activities at the port. The result of this research, it can be seen that container crane electrification will give advantages in both technical and economical for the company and for the ship, such as accelerate the loading and unloading time of containers and reduce idle time, especially in the operational of diesel generator.

Further Research on an Anti-Swing Control System for Overhead Cranes

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

B. Spruogis

2018-02-01

Full Text Available A method of reducing load oscillations that occur when overhead crane reaches destination position is presented in the article. The use of control drive scheme of crane bridge and trolley that ensures a smooth phase trajectory transition of the load to the optimum trajectory in accordance with Pontryagin's maximum principle is proposed. Mentioned control system changes the magnitude or direction of the traction force at the moment when the load is located above the destination. It is found that the degree of change of the traction force depends on the hoisting rope deviation angle from vertical. This study was conducted in order to provide more accurate and fast handling of loads by overhead crane.

Identification, inheritance, and linkage of B-G-like and MHC class I genes in cranes

Science.gov (United States)

Jarvi, S.I.; Goto, R.M.; Gee, G.F.; Briles, W.E.; Miller, M.M.

1999-01-01

We identified B-G-like genes in the whooping and Florida sandhill cranes and linked them to the major histocompatibility complex (MHC). We evaluated the inheritance of B-G-like genes in families of whooping and Florida sandhill cranes using restriction fragment patterns (RFPs). Two B-G-like genes, designated wcbgl and wcbg2, were located within 8 kb of one another. The fully sequenced wcbg2 gene encodes a B-G IgV-like domain, an additional Ig-like domain, a transmembrane domain, and a single heptad domain typical of '-helical coiled coils. Patterns of restriction fragments in DNA from the whooping crane and from a number of other species indicate that the B-G-like gene families of cranes are large with diverse sequences. Segregation of RFPs in families of Florida sandhill cranes provide evidence for genetic polymorphism in the B-G-like genes. The restriction fragments generally segregated in concert with MHC haplotypes assigned by serological typing and by single stranded conformational polymorphism (SSCP) assays based in the second exon of the crane MHC class I genes. This study supports the concept of a long-term association of polymorphic B-G-like genes with the MHC. It also establishes SSCP as a means for evaluating MHC genetic variability in cranes.

Identification, inheritance, and linkage of B-G-like and MHC class I genes in cranes.

Science.gov (United States)

Jarvi, S I; Goto, R M; Gee, G F; Briles, W E; Miller, M M

1999-01-01

We identified B-G-like genes in the whooping and Florida sandhill cranes and linked them to the major histocompatibility complex (MHC). We evaluated the inheritance of B-G-like genes in families of whooping and Florida sandhill cranes using restriction fragment patterns (RFPs). Two B-G-like genes, designated wcbg1 and wcbg2, were located within 8 kb of one another. The fully sequenced wcbg2 gene encodes a B-G IgV-like domain, an additional Ig-like domain, a transmembrane domain, and a single heptad domain typical of alpha-helical coiled coils. Patterns of restriction fragments in DNA from the whooping crane and from a number of other species indicate that the B-G-like gene families of cranes are large with diverse sequences. Segregation of RFPs in families of Florida sandhill cranes provide evidence for genetic polymorphism in the B-G-like genes. The restriction fragments generally segregated in concert with MHC haplotypes assigned by serological typing and by single stranded conformational polymorphism (SSCP) assays based in the second exon of the crane MHC class I genes. This study supports the concept of a long-term association of polymorphic B-G-like genes with the MHC. It also establishes SSCP as a means for evaluating MHC genetic variability in cranes.

Crane system with remote actuation mechanism for use in argon compartment in ACPF hot cell

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Lee, Jong Kwang, E-mail: leejk@kaeri.re.kr; Park, Byung-Suk; Yu, Seung-Nam; Kim, Kiho; Cho, Il-je

2016-10-15

Highlights: • Novel crane system with a remote actuation mechanism for feasible maintenance under limited space conditions is proposed. • Linear drive systems are implemented for accurate positioning. • Modular design concepts for easy maintenance are introduced. • The motion controller and the off-the-shelf camera controller are integrated to provide more efficient operation. - Abstract: The Advanced spent fuel Conditioning Process Facility (ACPF) at the Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute (KAERI) has recently been successfully renovated. One of the highlights of this renovation project was the installation of a small argon compartment within the atmospheric hot cell of the facility. Even though a crane system was considered necessary for the remote handling of the processing equipment inside the argon compartment, no suitable commercial cranes were available. This was because a limited amount of space had been reserved for the installation of the crane. Moreover, a master-slave manipulator (MSM), the only available means of maintenance of the crane, was unable to reach it in the limited workspace. To address the difficulties in the design of this crane, in this study, a remote actuation mechanism is devised where the mechanical and electrical parts of the crane system are separated, positioned far away from each other, and connected through power transmission shafts. This approach has two main advantages. First, the electrical parts can be placed inside the workspace of the MSM, hence allowing for remote maintenance. Second, the space occupied by the electrical parts and their cables, which are separate from the crane in the proposed design, can be considered and exploited in designing the mechanical parts of the crane. This enables the construction of a short, special crane in order to maximize the workspace. Furthermore, the mechanical parts for the MSM located outside the workspace are designed to possess a high safety margin to ensure durability

Location and agricultural practices influence spring use of harvested cornfields by cranes and geese in Nebraska

Science.gov (United States)

Anteau, Michael J.; Sherfy, Mark H.; Bishop, Andrew A.

2011-01-01

Millions of ducks, geese, and sandhill cranes (Grus canadensis; hereafter cranes) stop in the Central Platte River Valley (CPRV) of Nebraska to store nutrients for migration and reproduction by consuming corn remaining in fields after harvest. We examined factors that influence use of cornfields by cranes and geese (all mid-continent species combined; e.g., Anser, Chen, and Branta spp.) because it is a key step to efficient conservation planning aimed at ensuring that adequate food resources are available to migratory birds stopping in the CPRV. Distance to night-time roost site, segment of the CPRV (west to east), and agricultural practices (post-harvest treatment of cornfields: idle, grazed, mulched, mulched and grazed, and tilled) were the most important and influential variables in our models for geese and cranes. Probability of cornfield use by geese and cranes decreased with increasing distance from the closest potential roosting site. The use of cornfields by geese increased with the density of corn present there during the early migration period, but field use by cranes appeared not to be influenced by early migration corn density. However, probability of cornfield use by cranes did increase with the amount of wet grassland habitat within 4.8 km of the field. Geese were most likely to use fields that were tilled and least likely to use fields that were mulched and grazed. Cranes were most likely to use fields that were mulched and least likely to use fields that were tilled, but grazing appeared not to influence the likelihood of field use by cranes. Geese were more likely to use cornfields in western segments of the CPRV, but cranes were more likely to use cornfields in eastern segments. Our data suggest that managers could favor crane use of fields and reduce direct competition with geese by reducing fall and spring tilling and increasing mulching. Moreover, crane conservation efforts would be most beneficial if they were focused in the eastern portions

78 FR 36572 - Certain Crawler Cranes and Components Thereof Notice of Receipt of Complaint; Solicitation of...

Science.gov (United States)

2013-06-18

... INTERNATIONAL TRADE COMMISSION [Docket No. 2960] Certain Crawler Cranes and Components Thereof... Trade Commission has received a complaint entitled Certain Crawler Cranes and Components Thereof, DN...) of the Commission's Rules of Practice and Procedure filed on behalf of Manitowoc Cranes, LLC on June...

Isolation and characterization of major histocompatibility complex class II B genes in cranes.

Science.gov (United States)

Kohyama, Tetsuo I; Akiyama, Takuya; Nishida, Chizuko; Takami, Kazutoshi; Onuma, Manabu; Momose, Kunikazu; Masuda, Ryuichi

2015-11-01

In this study, we isolated and characterized the major histocompatibility complex (MHC) class II B genes in cranes. Genomic sequences spanning exons 1 to 4 were amplified and determined in 13 crane species and three other species closely related to cranes. In all, 55 unique sequences were identified, and at least two polymorphic MHC class II B loci were found in most species. An analysis of sequence polymorphisms showed the signature of positive selection and recombination. A phylogenetic reconstruction based on exon 2 sequences indicated that trans-species polymorphism has persisted for at least 10 million years, whereas phylogenetic analyses of the sequences flanking exon 2 revealed a pattern of concerted evolution. These results suggest that both balancing selection and recombination play important roles in the crane MHC evolution.

Disgruntled employees challenge GPU on TMI-2 polar crane safety, say load test needed

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Smock, R.

1983-01-01

Workers at the Three Mile Island No. 2 unit have gone public with their complaint that General Public Utilities (GPU) Corp. is ignoring safety at the cleanup site. With the exception of a specific concern over an overhead crane inside the containment building, however, the charges are vague. The polar crane will be used to lift the 170 to 180-ton reactor vessel head later this year, but a plant engineer faults the planned test procedure because it calls for lifting 40-ton missile shields from above the reactor before the crane is tested for strength. If the crane fails when lifting the missile shields, the engineer contends, there could be another loss of coolant. GPU rejected a 50-ton test of the crane because it is not required and because the risk is virtually zero. The utility also argues that additional testing will only increase exposure for the workers. 1 figure

Sandhill cranes hunting food at KSC

Science.gov (United States)

2000-01-01

A pair of Sandhill Cranes searches for food with their still- fluffy fledgling close by. The trio have been seen wandering the grassy areas in the KSC Launch Complex 39 area. Sandhill cranes range from Siberia, Alaska and Arctic islands to Michigan, Minnesota and California; from Florida to Texas. They prefer large freshwater marshes, prairie ponds and marshy tundra. KSC shares a boundary with the Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge, which encompasses 92,000 acres that are a habitat for more than 331 species of birds, 31 mammals, 117 fishes, and 65 amphibians and reptiles. The marshes and open water of the refuge provide wintering areas for 23 species of migratory waterfowl, as well as a year-round home for great blue herons, great egrets, wood storks, cormorants, brown pelicans and other species of marsh and shore birds, as well as a variety of insects.

Improved Visual Hook Capturing and Tracking for Precision Hoisting of Tower Crane

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Yanming Li

2013-01-01

Full Text Available To maintain safe operation of the tower crane, it is important to monitor the activities of the hook system. Visual monitoring and image recognition are the optimum methods for crane hook tracking and precision hoisting. High real-time performance and low computation requirements are required for tower crane hook capturing and tracking system which is implemented on the embedded Advanced RISC Machines (ARM processor or Microcontrol Unit (MCU. Using the lift rope of a tower crane as the target object, a new high-performance hook tracking method suitble for ARM processor or MCU applications is presented. The features of the lifting process are analyzed, and an improved progressive probabilistic Hough transform (IPPHT algorithm is proposed which canreduce capturing time by up to 80%. Combining color histogram with a binary search algorithm, an adaptive zooming method for precise hoisting is presented. Using this method the optimum zoom scale can be achieved within a few iterations.

Infra-Population and -Community Dynamics of the Parasites Nosema apis and Nosema ceranae, and Consequences for Honey Bee (Apis mellifera) Hosts

Science.gov (United States)

Williams, Geoffrey R.; Shutler, Dave; Burgher-MacLellan, Karen L.; Rogers, Richard E. L.

2014-01-01

Nosema spp. fungal gut parasites are among myriad possible explanations for contemporary increased mortality of western honey bees (Apis mellifera, hereafter honey bee) in many regions of the world. Invasive Nosema ceranae is particularly worrisome because some evidence suggests it has greater virulence than its congener N. apis. N. ceranae appears to have recently switched hosts from Asian honey bees (Apis cerana) and now has a nearly global distribution in honey bees, apparently displacing N. apis. We examined parasite reproduction and effects of N. apis, N. ceranae, and mixed Nosema infections on honey bee hosts in laboratory experiments. Both infection intensity and honey bee mortality were significantly greater for N. ceranae than for N. apis or mixed infections; mixed infection resulted in mortality similar to N. apis parasitism and reduced spore intensity, possibly due to inter-specific competition. This is the first long-term laboratory study to demonstrate lethal consequences of N. apis and N. ceranae and mixed Nosema parasitism in honey bees, and suggests that differences in reproduction and intra-host competition may explain apparent heterogeneous exclusion of the historic parasite by the invasive species. PMID:24987989

Infra-population and -community dynamics of the parasites Nosema apis and Nosema ceranae, and consequences for honey bee (Apis mellifera) hosts.

Science.gov (United States)

Williams, Geoffrey R; Shutler, Dave; Burgher-MacLellan, Karen L; Rogers, Richard E L

2014-01-01

Nosema spp. fungal gut parasites are among myriad possible explanations for contemporary increased mortality of western honey bees (Apis mellifera, hereafter honey bee) in many regions of the world. Invasive Nosema ceranae is particularly worrisome because some evidence suggests it has greater virulence than its congener N. apis. N. ceranae appears to have recently switched hosts from Asian honey bees (Apis cerana) and now has a nearly global distribution in honey bees, apparently displacing N. apis. We examined parasite reproduction and effects of N. apis, N. ceranae, and mixed Nosema infections on honey bee hosts in laboratory experiments. Both infection intensity and honey bee mortality were significantly greater for N. ceranae than for N. apis or mixed infections; mixed infection resulted in mortality similar to N. apis parasitism and reduced spore intensity, possibly due to inter-specific competition. This is the first long-term laboratory study to demonstrate lethal consequences of N. apis and N. ceranae and mixed Nosema parasitism in honey bees, and suggests that differences in reproduction and intra-host competition may explain apparent heterogeneous exclusion of the historic parasite by the invasive species.

Coccidian Parasites and Conservation Implications for the Endangered Whooping Crane (Grus americana.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Miranda R Bertram

Full Text Available While the population of endangered whooping cranes (Grus americana has grown from 15 individuals in 1941 to an estimated 304 birds today, the population growth is not sufficient to support a down-listing of the species to threatened status. The degree to which disease may be limiting the population growth of whooping cranes is unknown. One disease of potential concern is caused by two crane-associated Eimeria species: Eimeria gruis and E. reichenowi. Unlike most species of Eimeria, which are localized to the intestinal tract, these crane-associated species may multiply systemically and cause a potentially fatal disease. Using a non-invasive sampling approach, we assessed the prevalence and phenology of Eimeria oocysts in whooping crane fecal samples collected across two winter seasons (November 2012-April 2014 at the Aransas National Wildlife Refuge along the Texas Gulf coast. We also compared the ability of microscopy and PCR to detect Eimeria in fecal samples. Across both years, 26.5% (n = 328 of fecal samples were positive for Eimeria based on microscopy. Although the sensitivity of PCR for detecting Eimeria infections seemed to be less than that of microscopy in the first year of the study (8.9% vs. 29.3%, respectively, an improved DNA extraction protocol resulted in increased sensitivity of PCR relative to microscopy in the second year of the study (27.6% and 20.8%, respectively. The proportion of positive samples did not vary significantly between years or among sampling sites. The proportion of Eimeria positive fecal samples varied with date of collection, but there was no consistent pattern of parasite shedding between the two years. We demonstrate that non-invasive fecal collections combined with PCR and DNA sequencing techniques provides a useful tool for monitoring Eimeria infection in cranes. Understanding the epidemiology of coccidiosis is important for management efforts to increase population growth of the endangered whooping

Population Genetics of Nosema apis and Nosema ceranae: One Host (Apis mellifera) and Two Different Histories

Science.gov (United States)

Maside, Xulio; Gómez-Moracho, Tamara; Jara, Laura; Martín-Hernández, Raquel; De la Rúa, Pilar; Higes, Mariano; Bartolomé, Carolina

2015-01-01

Two microsporidians are known to infect honey bees: Nosema apis and Nosema ceranae. Whereas population genetics data for the latter have been released in the last few years, such information is still missing for N. apis. Here we analyze the patterns of nucleotide polymorphism at three single-copy loci (PTP2, PTP3 and RPB1) in a collection of Apis mellifera isolates from all over the world, naturally infected either with N. apis (N = 22) or N. ceranae (N = 23), to provide new insights into the genetic diversity, demography and evolution of N. apis, as well as to compare them with evidence from N. ceranae. Neutral variation in N. apis and N. ceranae is of the order of 1%. This amount of diversity suggests that there is no substantial differentiation between the genetic content of the two nuclei present in these parasites, and evidence for genetic recombination provides a putative mechanism for the flow of genetic information between chromosomes. The analysis of the frequency spectrum of neutral variants reveals a significant surplus of low frequency variants, particularly in N. ceranae, and suggests that the populations of the two pathogens are not in mutation-drift equilibrium and that they have experienced a population expansion. Most of the variation in both species occurs within honey bee colonies (between 62%-90% of the total genetic variance), although in N. apis there is evidence for differentiation between parasites isolated from distinct A. mellifera lineages (20%-34% of the total variance), specifically between those collected from lineages A and C (or M). This scenario is consistent with a long-term host-parasite relationship and contrasts with the lack of differentiation observed among host-lineages in N. ceranae (mellifera worldwide population is a recent event. PMID:26720131

Web API Growing Pains : Loosely Coupled yet Strongly Tied

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Espinha, T.; Zaidman, A.; Gross, H.G.

2014-01-01

Web APIs provide a systematic and extensible approach for application-toapplication interaction. Developers using web APIs are forced to accompany the API providers in their software evolution tasks. In order to understand the distress caused by this imposition on web API client developers we

76 FR 16764 - Crane & Company; Notice of Application Tendered for Filing With the Commission and Soliciting...

Science.gov (United States)

2011-03-25

... DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY Federal Energy Regulatory Commission [Project No. 13583-001] Crane & Company... c. Date filed: March 9, 2011 d. Applicant: Crane & Company e. Name of Project: Byron Weston... connected to the Crane & Company mill complex. The proposed project is estimated to generate an average of...

Jobs API

Data.gov (United States)

General Services Administration — This Jobs API returns job openings across the federal government and includes all current openings posted on USAJobs.gov that are open to the public and located in...

SURVEY OF GROSS AND HISTOPATHOLOGIC FINDINGS IN TWO WINTERING SUBPOPULATIONS OF SANDHILL CRANES ( ANTIGONE CANADENSIS).

Science.gov (United States)

Hensel, Martha; Bertram, Miranda; Rech, Raquel; Hamer, Gabriel L; Hamer, Sarah A

2018-01-01

:  Sandhill Cranes ( Antigone canadensis) of the midcontinent population (MCP) and Rocky Mountain population (RMP) are migratory game birds with stable populations that travel between Canada and the southern US and Mexico. In the winters of 2012-14, we performed gross and histologic examinations of 43 hunter-harvested Sandhill Cranes in Texas (MCP) and New Mexico (RMP) to assess the impact of disease on populations. Lesions were significantly more common in the MCP relative to the RMP, likely reflecting differential environmental exposure to pathogens and parasites. Grossly, liver nodules and esophageal granulomas were present in 8-39% of birds. In feces from over half of birds, we found coccidian oocysts with mitochondrial gene sequences identical to those of Eimeria gruis and Eimeria reichenowi previously obtained from sympatric Whooping Cranes ( Grus americana). Over one-quarter of birds had liver and cardiac lesions suggestive of disseminated visceral coccidiosis. We documented proliferative colitis due to Cryptosporidium in a wild Sandhill Crane. Additionally, several endoparasites were found in histologic sections from several cranes, including a bird with respiratory trematodiasis and two birds with Tetrameres sp. in the proventriculus associated with ductal ectasia. In addition to describing lesions and parasites that impact Sandhill Crane health, these pathology data may also be relevant for the conservation of endangered Whooping Cranes using a surrogate species approach.

Dynamic Optimization Design of Cranes Based on Human–Crane–Rail System Dynamics and Annoyance Rate

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Yunsheng Xin

2017-01-01

Full Text Available The operators of overhead traveling cranes experience discomfort as a result of the vibrations of crane structures. These vibrations are produced by defects in the rails on which the cranes move. To improve the comfort of operators, a nine-degree-of-freedom (nine-DOF mathematical model of a “human–crane–rail” system was constructed. Based on the theoretical guidance provided in ISO 2631-1, an annoyance rate model was established, and quantization results were determined. A dynamic optimization design method for overhead traveling cranes is proposed. A particle swarm optimization (PSO algorithm was used to optimize the crane structural design, with the structure parameters as the basic variables, the annoyance rate model as the objective function, and the acceleration amplitude and displacement amplitude of the crane as the constraint conditions. The proposed model and method were used to optimize the design of a double-girder 100 t–28.5 m casting crane, and the optimal parameters are obtained. The results show that optimization decreases the human annoyance rate from 28.3% to 9.8% and the root mean square of the weighted acceleration of human vibration from 0.59 m/s2 to 0.38 m/s2. These results demonstrate the effectiveness and practical applicability of the models and method proposed in this paper.

Distribution, densities, and ecology of Siberian cranes in the Khroma River region of northern Yakutia in northeastern Russia

Science.gov (United States)

Bysykatova, Inga P.; Krapu, Gary L.; Germogenov, Nicolai I.; Buhl, Deborah A.; Aborn, David

2014-01-01

The Siberian crane (Grus leucogeranus) is the third rarest crane species in the world with a breeding range now centered on 3 core areas and a buffer zone in the arctic of northern Yakutia in northeastern Russia. During 16 July-2 August 2009, we undertook ground surveys within the Khroma River core breeding area, surrounding buffer zone, and lands lying to the west of the known rbeeding range to estimate densities and determine habitat use and social status of Siberian cranes. A total of 142 Siberian cranes were sighted (including 55 pairs) at 54 locations with 32 cranes (including 13 pairs) sighted outside the currently known breeding range in the lower drainages of the Syalakh and Syuryuktyakh Rivers. After adjusting for a probability of detection of 0.484 (95% CI = 0.281-0.833), Siberian crane densities in the Khroma core area and the buffer zone averaged 0.0921 cranes/km2 and 0.0363 cranes/km2, respectively. A majority of cranes (n = 93 [65%]) occurred in complexes of large basin wetlands, with use centered in those having extensive beds of pendant grass (Arctophila fulva). Of the 142 cranes seen, 110 (77%) were paired, 21 (15%) were singles, and 11 (8%) were in groups of 3-5. The Khroma core supports 1 of 2 large concentrations of breeding Siberian cranes remaining in the wild; therefore, we recommend that consideration be given to designating a nature reserve that would encompass the Khroma core, adjacent buffer zone, and lands to the west (including coastal tundra areas along the lower drainages of the Syalah and Syuryuktyah Rivers). Further research is needed to gain additional insight into Siberian crane distribution and numbers on lands beyond the currently delineated western boundary of the Siberian crane breeding range in the Ust-Yana District of northern Yakutia. Important gaps remain in information needed to effectively guide conservation efforts for the Eastern Population, and recent advances in remote tracking technology offer potential

Recalls API

Data.gov (United States)

General Services Administration — This Recalls API allows you to tap into a list of (1) drug and food safety recalls from the Food and Drug Administration, Food Safety and Inspection Service, and...

Applying remote handling attributes to the ITER neutral beam cell monorail crane

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Crofts, O., E-mail: Oliver.Crofts@CCFE.ac.uk [CCFE, Culham Science Centre, Abingdon OX14 3DB (United Kingdom); Allan, P.; Raimbach, J. [CCFE, Culham Science Centre, Abingdon OX14 3DB (United Kingdom); Tesini, A.; Choi, C.-H. [ITER Organisation, CS90 046, 13067 St. Paul les Durance Cedex (France); Damiani, C.; Van Uffelen, M. [Fusion for Energy, C/Josep Pla 2, Torres Diagonal Litoral-B3, E-08019 Barcelona (Spain)

2013-10-15

The maintenance requirements for the equipment in the ITER neutral beam cell require components to be lifted and transported within the cell by remote means. To meet this requirement, the provision of an overhead crane with remote handling capabilities has been initiated. The layout of the cell has driven the design to consist of a monorail crane that travels on a branched monorail track attached to the cell ceiling. This paper describes the principle design constraints and how the remote handling attributes were applied to the concept design of the monorail crane, concentrating on areas where novel design solutions have been required and on the remote recovery requirements and solutions.

Applying remote handling attributes to the ITER neutral beam cell monorail crane

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Crofts, O.; Allan, P.; Raimbach, J.; Tesini, A.; Choi, C.-H.; Damiani, C.; Van Uffelen, M.

2013-01-01

The maintenance requirements for the equipment in the ITER neutral beam cell require components to be lifted and transported within the cell by remote means. To meet this requirement, the provision of an overhead crane with remote handling capabilities has been initiated. The layout of the cell has driven the design to consist of a monorail crane that travels on a branched monorail track attached to the cell ceiling. This paper describes the principle design constraints and how the remote handling attributes were applied to the concept design of the monorail crane, concentrating on areas where novel design solutions have been required and on the remote recovery requirements and solutions

Operation and maintenance techniques of cranes and Hoist in IMEF

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Soong, Woong Sup; Oh, Yon Woo; Ahn, Sang Bock; Park, Dae Gue; Whang, Ryoung Wha

1999-07-01

Crane and hoist of 11 sets are installed int the Irradiated Material Examination Facility (IMEF). IMEF is divided into two parts such as hot cell area and service area. 30/5-ton overhead crane is installed in service area for transfer of irradiated material transportation cask and other several kinds of heavy equipment. This report describes maintenance techniques, repair procedure, daily and special checking list, which will ensure safety in routine operation and even in abnormality. (author). 8 refs.

Operation and maintenance techniques of cranes and Hoist in IMEF

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Soong, Woong Sup; Oh, Yon Woo; Ahn, Sang Bock; Park, Dae Gue; Whang, Ryoung Wha

1999-07-01

Crane and hoist of 11 sets are installed int the Irradiated Material Examination Facility (IMEF). IMEF is divided into two parts such as hot cell area and service area. 30/5-ton overhead crane is installed in service area for transfer of irradiated material transportation cask and other several kinds of heavy equipment. This report describes maintenance techniques, repair procedure, daily and special checking list, which will ensure safety in routine operation and even in abnormality. (author). 8 refs

Analysis of the D0 Crane Rail as a Support for a Horizontal Lifeline

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Cease, H.

2000-01-01

The D-Zero crane rail is analyzed for use as an anchor support for a one person Horizon(trademark) Horizontal Lifeline system that will span the pit area at D-Zero assembly hall. The lifeline will span 75 ft across the pit area, will be located out of the travel of the crane and above the concrete lentil wall. The crane rail is a suitable anchor for a one person Horizon TM Horizontal Lifeline system. The expected stress on the rail is 1,995 psi which has a factor of safety of 5.5 on the allowable stress. The anchor position is located 18 feet away from the concrete lentil wall and out of the travel of the overhead crane.

New summer areas and mixing of two greater sandhill crane populations in the Intermountain West

Science.gov (United States)

Collins, Daniel P.; Grisham, Blake A.; Conring, Courtenay M.; Knetter, Jeffrey M.; Conway, Warren C.; Carleton, Scott A.; Boggie, Matthew A.

2016-01-01

Population delineation throughout the annual life cycle for migratory birds is needed to formulate regional and national management and conservation strategies. Despite being well studied continentally, connectivity of sandhill crane Grus canadensis populations throughout the western portion of their North American range remains poorly described. Our objectives were to 1) use global positioning system satellite transmitter terminals to identify summer distributions for the Lower Colorado River Valley Population of greater sandhill cranes Grus canadensis tabida and 2) determine whether intermingling occurs among any of the western greater sandhill crane populations: Rocky Mountain Population, Lower Colorado River Valley Population, and Central Valley Population. Capture and marking occurred during winter and summer on private lands in California and Idaho as well as on two National Wildlife Refuges: Cibola and Sonny Bono Salton Sea National Wildlife Refuges. A majority of marked greater sandhill cranes summered in what is established Lower Colorado River Valley Population breeding areas in northeastern Nevada and southwestern Idaho. A handful of greater sandhill cranes summered outside of traditional breeding areas in west-central Idaho around Cascade Reservoir near Donnelly and Cascade, Idaho. For example, a greater sandhill crane colt captured near Donnelly in July 2014 survived to winter migration and moved south to areas associated with the Rocky Mountain Population. The integration of the greater sandhill crane colt captured near Donnelly provides the first evidence of potential intermingling between the Lower Colorado River Population and Rocky Mountain Population. We suggest continued marking and banding efforts of all three western populations of greater sandhill cranes will accurately delineate population boundaries and connectivity and inform management decisions for the three populations.

30 CFR 250.108 - What requirements must I follow for cranes and other material-handling equipment?

Science.gov (United States)

2010-07-01

... 30 Mineral Resources 2 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false What requirements must I follow for cranes and... Performance Standards § 250.108 What requirements must I follow for cranes and other material-handling equipment? (a) All cranes installed on fixed platforms must be operated in accordance with American...

29 CFR 1926.550 - Cranes and derricks.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-07-01

... design or worksite conditions. (3) Cranes and derricks—(i) Operational criteria. (A) Hoisting of the... platform; and (D) The hoisting system shall be inspected if the load rope is slack to ensure all ropes are...

Stability Assessment as a Criterion of Stabilization of the Movement Trajectory of Mobile Crane Working Elements

Science.gov (United States)

Kacalak, W.; Budniak, Z.; Majewski, M.

2018-02-01

The article presents a stability assessment method of the mobile crane handling system based on the safety indicator values that were accepted as the trajectory optimization criterion. With the use of the mathematical model built and the model built in the integrated CAD/CAE environment, analyses were conducted of the displacements of the mass centre of the crane system, reactions of the outrigger system, stabilizing and overturning torques that act on the crane as well as the safety indicator values for the given movement trajectories of the crane working elements.

Improving the API dissolution rate during pharmaceutical hot-melt extrusion I: Effect of the API particle size, and the co-rotating, twin-screw extruder screw configuration on the API dissolution rate.

Science.gov (United States)

Li, Meng; Gogos, Costas G; Ioannidis, Nicolas

2015-01-15

The dissolution rate of the active pharmaceutical ingredients in pharmaceutical hot-melt extrusion is the most critical elementary step during the extrusion of amorphous solid solutions - total dissolution has to be achieved within the short residence time in the extruder. Dissolution and dissolution rates are affected by process, material and equipment variables. In this work, we examine the effect of one of the material variables and one of the equipment variables, namely, the API particle size and extruder screw configuration on the API dissolution rate, in a co-rotating, twin-screw extruder. By rapidly removing the extruder screws from the barrel after achieving a steady state, we collected samples along the length of the extruder screws that were characterized by polarized optical microscopy (POM) and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) to determine the amount of undissolved API. Analyses of samples indicate that reduction of particle size of the API and appropriate selection of screw design can markedly improve the dissolution rate of the API during extrusion. In addition, angle of repose measurements and light microscopy images show that the reduction of particle size of the API can improve the flowability of the physical mixture feed and the adhesiveness between its components, respectively, through dry coating of the polymer particles by the API particles. Copyright © 2014. Published by Elsevier B.V.

fine-GRAPE : Fine-grained APi usage extractor – an approach and dataset to investigate API usage

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Sawant, A.A.; Bacchelli, A.

An Application Programming Interface (API) provides a set of functionalities to a developer with the aim of enabling reuse. APIs have been investigated from different angles such as popularity usage and evolution to get a better understanding of their various characteristics. For such studies,

Effects of Nosema apis, N. ceranae, and coinfections on honey bee (Apis mellifera) learning and memory.

Science.gov (United States)

Charbonneau, Lise R; Hillier, Neil Kirk; Rogers, Richard E L; Williams, Geoffrey R; Shutler, Dave

2016-03-10

Western honey bees (Apis mellifera) face an increasing number of challenges that in recent years have led to significant economic effects on apiculture, with attendant consequences for agriculture. Nosemosis is a fungal infection of honey bees caused by either Nosema apis or N. ceranae. The putative greater virulence of N. ceranae has spurred interest in understanding how it differs from N. apis. Little is known of effects of N. apis or N. ceranae on honey bee learning and memory. Following a Pavlovian model that relies on the proboscis extension reflex, we compared acquisition learning and long-term memory recall of uninfected (control) honey bees versus those inoculated with N. apis, N. ceranae, or both. We also tested whether spore intensity was associated with variation in learning and memory. Neither learning nor memory differed among treatments. There was no evidence of a relationship between spore intensity and learning, and only limited evidence of a negative effect on memory; this occurred only in the co-inoculation treatment. Our results suggest that if Nosema spp. are contributing to unusually high colony losses in recent years, the mechanism by which they may affect honey bees is probably not related to effects on learning or memory, at least as assessed by the proboscis extension reflex.

Occupational health offshore

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Crosbie, A.; Davies, F.

2002-07-01

The proceedings contain the 29 papers presented at the conference plus the opening address from the chair of the Health and Safety Commission. The papers in the first session were concerned with policy, strategy and leadership and included a perspective from the offshore industry advisory committee, details of a health planning tool for occupational health assurance and lessons from occupational health management in the offshore sector. The two sessions on the second day dealt with occupational health in the offshore design process and case studies involving physical, chemical and biological agents. Topics included the need to consider occupational health when designing offshore installations, the development of a human factors engineering strategy in petrochemical engineering projects, measuring occupational exposure to hazardous chemicals, implementation of the noise at work regulations, hand arm vibration syndrome and issues with potable water maintenance. The two sessions on the third day were concerned with human factors and psychological health, and well-being and fitness for duty. Topics covered included circadian adaption to shift change in offshore shift workers, managing stress in the offshore environment, the role of employee assistance programmes in organisational stress management, health care and first aid (the revised ACOP), well-being at work, the medical and physical fitness of offshore emergency response rescue team members, the impact of health surveillance and promotion of offshore accident rates, and the implication of safety and heath of the aging of the workforce ion the Norwegian offshore industry.

Remote crane control techniques and closed-circuit television for the U.S. Department of Energy, Defense Waste Processing Facility

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

DaSilva, D.A.

1988-01-01

The Defense Waste Processing Facility (DWPF) located at the Savannah River Plant (SRP), South Carolina is a nuclear waste facility being built to vitrify and containerize high level radioactive waste products. DWPF has a unique requirement for an unmanned crane system to install and replace equipment in the high humidity, high radiation and harsh chemical environment of permanently inaccessible processing cells. A radio control system is provided to control a 117 ton capacity bridge crane that is equipped with various power tools for remote handling of crane replaceable and maintained equipment. High resolution black and white closed circuit television (CTV) assemblies mounted on the crane and on the walls of the various processing cells are provided for viewing the equipment during normal operations and maintenance. The main process cell (MPC) crane is designed as the vehicle to be the eyes, ears and hands for remote in-cell operations and maintenance. The crane runs on elevated rails above the process cells. A trailer-like-electrical equipment compartment (EEC) containing control and radio communications equipment for the crane; is dragged along on rails in a heavily shielded corridor by a drag bar mounted to the crane. A two way RF system is the communications link for all control and video signals between the crane and two stationary crane control consoles

Offshoring Process

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Slepniov, Dmitrij; Sørensen, Brian Vejrum; Katayama, Hiroshi

2011-01-01

The purpose of this chapter is to contribute to the knowledge on how production offshoring and international operations management vary across cultural contexts. The chapter attempts to shed light on how companies approach the process of offshoring in different cultural contexts. In order...... of globalisation. Yet there are clear differences in how offshoring is conducted in Denmark and Japan. The main differences are outlined in a framework and explained employing cultural variables. The findings lead to a number of propositions suggesting that the process of offshoring is not simply a uniform...... technical-rational calculation of the most efficient organisation of activities across national borders, but it is rather specific to the parent companies’ national contexts....

Design and Analysis of Cooperative Cable Parallel Manipulators for Multiple Mobile Cranes

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Bin Zi

2012-11-01

Full Text Available The design, dynamic modelling, and workspace are presented in this paper concerning cooperative cable parallel manipulators for multiple mobile cranes (CPMMCs. The CPMMCs can handle complex tasks that are more difficult or even impossible for a single mobile crane. Kinematics and dynamics of the CPMMCs are studied on the basis of geometric methodology and d'Alembert's principle, and a mathematical model of the CPMMCs is developed and presented with dynamic simulation. The constant orientation workspace analysis of the CPMMCs is carried out additionally. As an example, a cooperative cable parallel manipulator for triple mobile cranes with 6 Degrees of Freedom is investigated on the basis of the above design objectives.

76 FR 55893 - Crane & Company; Notice of Application Accepted for Filing With the Commission, Intent To Waive...

Science.gov (United States)

2011-09-09

... DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY Federal Energy Regulatory Commission [Project No. 13583-001] Crane & Company.... Date filed: March 9, 2011. d. Applicant: Crane & Company. e. Name of Project: Byron Weston... new 100-foot-long, 600-volt transmission line connected to the Crane & Company mill complex. The...

Decontamination of Savannah River Plant H-Area hot-canyon crane

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rankin, W.N.; Sims, J.R.

1985-01-01

Decontamination techniques applicable to the remotely operated bridge cranes in canyon buildings at the Savannah River Plant (SRP) were identified and were evaluated in laboratory-scale tests. High pressure Freon blasting was found to be the most attractive process available for this application. Strippable coatings were selected as an alternative technique in selected applications. The ability of high pressure Freon blasting plus two strippable coatings (Quadcoat 100 and Alara 1146) to remove the type of contamination expected on SRP cranes was demonstrated in laboratory-scale tests. Quadrex HPS was given a contract to decontaminate the H-Area hot canyon crane. Decontamination operations were successfully carried out within the specified time-frame window. The radiation level goals specified by SRP were met and decontamination was accomplished with 85% less personnel exposure than estimated by SRP before the job started. This reduction is attributed to the increased efficiency of the new decontamination techniques used. 6 refs., 1 tab

Offshore wind transport and installation vessel

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

2001-07-01

The initial objective of the project was to complete a feasibility study to determine the viability of an innovative transportation vessel to be deployed in the installation of offshore wind farms. This included the feasibility of providing a stable-working platform that can be used in harsh offshore environments. A study of current installation contractors and their installation equipment was used to provide a preliminary specification for the installation vessel. A typical barge was selected and a number of hydrodynamic analyses were carried out in order to establish it's on course and operational stability. The analysis proved the stability of the vessel during operation was critical and that in order to utilise the crane's full potential a stabilisation system must be employed. The main aim of the work to date was to establish whether it was feasible to use a stabilisation system on the installation vessel. The spud leg FEED study established that it was feasible to use spud legs to stabilise the vessel. In order to achieve the degree of stability required it is necessary to lift the vessel completely out of the water. This was not the original aim of the study but due to the external loads on the hull it was the only viable option. Lifting the vessel out of the water results in the legs and leg casings becoming very large. This has a number of consequences for the final design. Due to large loads on the legs spud cans must be used to avoid bottom penetration, the spud cans increase the draft of the vessel by 2m. The large loads require larger winches and more reeving to be used, this results in larger pumps and motors, all of which have to be housed. The stabilisation system has been proved to be feasible for a large installation vessel, the cost and physical size are however more excessive than first anticipated. (Author)

Slew Cranes in Shipyards: A Study

Science.gov (United States)

1985-01-01

yard in Germany and one in Malaysia , carried out the corrosion preventive shot blasting and repainting recommended by the manufacturers. The general...the guidance of Osha (USA) or VBG-9 (W. Germany) — it is up to. the operator, however, to use the crane safely. In ensuring operator safety, an owner

78 FR 33860 - Crawler, Locomotive, and Truck Cranes Standard; Extension of the Office of Management and Budget...

Science.gov (United States)

2013-06-05

...] Crawler, Locomotive, and Truck Cranes Standard; Extension of the Office of Management and Budget's (OMB... collection requirements contained in the General Industry Standard on Crawler, Locomotive, and Truck cranes... workers from using unsafe cranes and ropes, thereby reducing their risk of death or serious injury caused...

75 FR 20005 - Crawler, Locomotive, and Truck Cranes Standard; Extension of the Office of Management and Budget...

Science.gov (United States)

2010-04-16

...] Crawler, Locomotive, and Truck Cranes Standard; Extension of the Office of Management and Budget's (OMB... Crawler, Locomotive, and Truck Cranes Standard (29 CFR 1910.180). DATES: Comments must be submitted... of each of these requirements is to prevent workers from using unsafe cranes and ropes, thereby...

Diseases of whooping cranes seen during annual migration of the Rocky Mountain flock

Science.gov (United States)

Snyder, S. Bret; Richard, Michael J.; Drewien, Roderick C.; Thomas, Nancy J.; Thilsted, John P.; Junge, Randall E.

1991-01-01

Diagnosis and treatment of ill whooping cranes of the Rocky Mountain flock was provided by a zoological facility. Cases of avian cholera, lead poisoning and avian tuberculosis were encountered. The zoo efforts were an adjunct to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Whooping Crane Recovery Plan.

A reliability analysis framework with Monte Carlo simulation for weld structure of crane's beam

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Kefei; Xu, Hongwei; Qu, Fuzheng; Wang, Xin; Shi, Yanjun

2018-04-01

The reliability of the crane product in engineering is the core competitiveness of the product. This paper used Monte Carlo method analyzed the reliability of the weld metal structure of the bridge crane whose limit state function is mathematical expression. Then we obtained the minimum reliable welding feet height value for the welds between cover plate and web plate on main beam in different coefficients of variation. This paper provides a new idea and reference for the growth of the inherent reliability of crane.

Dynamic Analysis of Jacket Substructure for Offshore Wind Turbine Generators under Extreme Environmental Conditions

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Wen-Jeng Lai

2016-10-01

Full Text Available In order to develop dynamic analysis technologies regarding the design of offshore wind turbine generators (OWTGs, a special project called Offshore Code Comparison Collaboration Continuation (OC4 was conducted by IEA (International Energy Agency in 2010. A similar project named INER-OC4 has been performed by the Institute of Nuclear Energy Research (INER to develop the OWTG technologies of Taiwan. Since the jacket substructure will be applied to Taiwan OWTGs before 2020, the INER-OC4 project has been devoted to the design and analysis of jacket support structure. In this work, the preliminary result of INER-OC4 is presented. A simplified analysis procedure for jacket support structure has been proposed. Both of the NREL (National Renewable Energy Laboratory 5 MW OWTG FAST model and OC4 jacket substructure model have been built and analyzed under severe design load cases (DLCs of IEC (International Electrotechnical commission 61400-3. Simulation results of six severe DLCs are performed in this work and the results are in agreement with the requirements of API (American Petroleum Institute and NORSOK (Norwegian Petroleum Industry standards.

Offshore Investment Funds

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Shang-Jin Wei

1999-12-01

Full Text Available Offshore investment funds are alleged to have engaged in trading behavior that is different from their onshore counterparts because they may be subject to less supervision and regulation. In particular, they may trade more intensely. They could also pursue more aggressively certain trading strategies such as positive feedback trading or herding that could contribute to a greater volatility in the market. Using a unique data set, this chapter compares the trading behavior in the Korean stock market between offshore investment funds with their onshore counterparts registered in the US and UK. There are a number of interesting findings. First, there is indeed evidence suggesting that the offshore funds trade more intensely than their onshore counterparts. Second, however, there is no evidence that the offshore funds engage in positive feedback trading. In contrast, there is strong evidence that the funds from the U.S. and U.K. do. Third, while offshore funds do herd, they do so far less than onshore funds in the U.S. or UK. Fourth, offshore funds hold less glamour stocks (e.g. stocks with high P/E in their portfolio than funds in the U.S. or U.K. do. Moreover, flight to glamour stocks during the in-crisis period is less evident in the case of offshore funds. In sum, offshore funds are no especially worrisome monsters.

Multi-scale analysis to uncover habitat use of red-crowned cranes: Implications for conservation

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Chunyue LIU, Hongxing JIANG, Shuqing ZHANG, Chunrong LI,Yunqiu HOU, Fawen QIAN

2013-10-01

Full Text Available A multi-scale approach is essential to assess the factors that limit avian habitat use. Numerous studies have examined habitat use by the red-crowned crane, but integrated multi-scale habitat use information is lacking. We evaluated the effects of several habitat variables quantified across many spatial scales on crane use and abundance in two periods (2000 and 2009 at Yancheng National Nature Reserve, China. The natural wetlands decreased in area by 30,601 ha (-6.9% from 2000 to 2009, predominantly as a result of conversion to aquaculture ponds and farmland, and the remaining was under degradation due to expansion of the exotic smooth cordgrass. The cranes are focusing in on either larger patches or those that are in close proximity to each other in both years, but occupied patches had smaller size, less proximity and more regular boundaries in 2009. At landscape scales, the area percentage of common seepweed, reed ponds and paddy fields had a greater positive impact on crane presence than the area percentage of aquaculture ponds. The cranes were more abundant in patches that had a greater percent area of common seepweed and reed ponds, while the percent area of paddy fields was inversely related to crane abundance in 2009 due to changing agricultural practices. In 2009, cranes tended to use less fragmented plots in natural wetlands and more fragmented plots in anthropogenic paddy fields, which were largely associated with the huge loss and degradation of natural habitats between the two years. Management should focus on restoration of large patches of natural wetlands, and formation of a relatively stable area of large paddy field and reed pond to mitigate the loss of natural wetlands [Current Zoology 59 (5: 604–617, 2013].

DySectAPI: Scalable Prescriptive Debugging

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Jensen, Nicklas Bo; Karlsson, Sven; Quarfot Nielsen, Niklas

We present the DySectAPI, a tool that allow users to construct probe trees for automatic, event-driven debugging at scale. The traditional, interactive debugging model, whereby users manually step through and inspect their application, does not scale well even for current supercomputers. While...... lightweight debugging models scale well, they can currently only debug a subset of bug classes. DySectAPI fills the gap between these two approaches with a novel user-guided approach. Using both experimental results and analytical modeling we show how DySectAPI scales and can run with a low overhead...

APIs and Researchers: The Emperor's New Clothes?

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jennifer Edmond

2015-02-01

Full Text Available As part of the Europeana Cloud (eCloud project, Trinity College Dublin investigated best practice in the use of web services, such as APIs, for accessing large data sets from cultural heritage collections. This research looked into the provision and use of APIs, and moreover, whether or not more customised programmatic access to datasets is what researchers want or need. In order to understand whether current patterns of API usage reflect a skills gap on the part of researchers or a mismatch of tool to purpose, we looked not only at the creators and developer/users of APIs, but also at humanists already re-using big data; approaches in cultural heritage institutions and other research infrastructures to bring API use to non-technical audiences; and the kinds of training and other support services available or emerging within the data-intensive humanities research lifecycle. We conducted both desk research and a series of 11 interviews with figures working as researchers, developers or data providers, including figures from both the API development and the data usage communities. This research, conducted under the eCloud project and supported by the European Commission’s ICT Policy and Support Programme (Grant number 325091, was begun in March 2014 and is now in its concluding validation stage. The results of the research are not yet finalised, but the contribution is already emerging of this work to the debate about APIs being either the way forward for digital cultural heritage collections, or the Emperor’s New Clothes (or maybe a bit of both.

USAJOBS Job Opportunity Announcements (JOA) REST API

Data.gov (United States)

Office of Personnel Management — This REST-based API is designed to support lightweight Federal Job Opportunity Announcement (JOA) content consumption by consumers. It is anticipated that this API...

The design of steel string crane with lifting capacity 10 tons

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Syamsurrijal Ramdja

2007-01-01

The steel string (sling) used for lift Crane of type of Overhead Travelling Crane, with capacities lifting 10 ton are designed. If compared to other string type, string of steel have some excellence. At this design, election of type of string become primary and the factor of safety become prima facie matter with pursuant to up to date standard. From made of design, is hence got by specification and age of steel string. (author)

Are whooping cranes destined for extinction? Climate change imperils recruitment and population growth.

Science.gov (United States)

Butler, Matthew J; Metzger, Kristine L; Harris, Grant M

2017-04-01

Identifying climatic drivers of an animal population's vital rates and locating where they operate steers conservation efforts to optimize species recovery. The population growth of endangered whooping cranes ( Grus americana ) hinges on juvenile recruitment. Therefore, we identify climatic drivers (solar activity [sunspots] and weather) of whooping crane recruitment throughout the species' life cycle (breeding, migration, wintering). Our method uses a repeated cross-validated absolute shrinkage and selection operator approach to identify drivers of recruitment. We model effects of climate change on those drivers to predict whooping crane population growth given alternative scenarios of climate change and solar activity. Years with fewer sunspots indicated greater recruitment. Increased precipitation during autumn migration signified less recruitment. On the breeding grounds, fewer days below freezing during winter and more precipitation during breeding suggested less recruitment. We predicted whooping crane recruitment and population growth may fall below long-term averages during all solar cycles when atmospheric CO 2 concentration increases, as expected, to 500 ppm by 2050. Species recovery during a typical solar cycle with 500 ppm may require eight times longer than conditions without climate change and the chance of population decline increases to 31%. Although this whooping crane population is growing and may appear secure, long-term threats imposed by climate change and increased solar activity may jeopardize its persistence. Weather on the breeding grounds likely affects recruitment through hydrological processes and predation risk, whereas precipitation during autumn migration may influence juvenile mortality. Mitigating threats or abating climate change should occur within ≈30 years or this wild population of whooping cranes may begin declining.

Customized overhead cranes for installation of India's largest 3.6m optical telescope at Devasthal, Nainital, India

Science.gov (United States)

Bangia, Tarun; Yadava, Shobhit; Kumar, Brijesh; Ghanti, A. S.; Hardikar, P. M.

2016-07-01

India's largest 3.6 m aperture optical telescope facility has been recently established at Devasthal site by Aryabhatta Research Institute of Observation Sciences (ARIES), an autonomous Institute under Department of Science and Technology, Government of India. The telescope is equipped with active optics and it is designed to be used for seeinglimited observations at visible and near-infrared wavelengths. A steel building with rotating cylindrical steel Dome was erected to house 3.6m telescope and its accessories at hilltop of Devasthal site. Customized cranes were essentially required inside the building as there were space constraints around the telescope building for operating big external heavy duty cranes from outside, transportation constraints in route for bringing heavy weight cranes, altitude of observatory, and sharp bends etc. to site. To meet the challenge of telescope installation from inside the telescope building by lifting components through its hatch, two Single Girder cranes and two Under Slung cranes of 10 MT capacity each were specifically designed and developed. All the four overhead cranes were custom built to achieve the goal of handling telescope mirror and its various components during installation and assembly. Overhead cranes were installed in limited available space inside the building and tested as per IS 3177. Cranes were equipped with many features like VVVFD compatibility, provision for tandem operation, digital load display, anti-collision mechanism, electrical interlocks, radio remote, low hook height and compact carriage etc. for telescope integration at site.

Conditions of using floating cranes for lifting sunken objects on inland waterways

OpenAIRE

Slobodan M. Radojević

2012-01-01

This paper presents the conditions for using floating cranes for lifting sunken vessels and other objects on inland waterways. Basic technical data are given together with technical details for the usage of floa ting cranes for lifting sunken objects. The paper points to the importance of lifting sunken objects and their removal from inland waterways in the Republic of Serbia.

Conditions of using floating cranes for lifting sunken objects on inland waterways

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Slobodan M. Radojević

2012-04-01

Full Text Available This paper presents the conditions for using floating cranes for lifting sunken vessels and other objects on inland waterways. Basic technical data are given together with technical details for the usage of floa ting cranes for lifting sunken objects. The paper points to the importance of lifting sunken objects and their removal from inland waterways in the Republic of Serbia.

Whooping crane stopover site use intensity within the Great Plains

Science.gov (United States)

Pearse, Aaron T.; Brandt, David A.; Harrell, Wade C.; Metzger, Kristine L.; Baasch, David M.; Hefley, Trevor J.

2015-09-23

Whooping cranes (Grus americana) of the Aransas-Wood Buffalo population migrate twice each year through the Great Plains in North America. Recovery activities for this endangered species include providing adequate places to stop and rest during migration, which are generally referred to as stopover sites. To assist in recovery efforts, initial estimates of stopover site use intensity are presented, which provide opportunity to identify areas across the migration range used more intensively by whooping cranes. We used location data acquired from 58 unique individuals fitted with platform transmitting terminals that collected global position system locations. Radio-tagged birds provided 2,158 stopover sites over 10 migrations and 5 years (2010–14). Using a grid-based approach, we identified 1,095 20-square-kilometer grid cells that contained stopover sites. We categorized occupied grid cells based on density of stopover sites and the amount of time cranes spent in the area. This assessment resulted in four categories of stopover site use: unoccupied, low intensity, core intensity, and extended-use core intensity. Although provisional, this evaluation of stopover site use intensity offers the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and partners a tool to identify landscapes that may be of greater conservation significance to migrating whooping cranes. Initially, the tool will be used by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and other interested parties in evaluating the Great Plains Wind Energy Habitat Conservation Plan.

The relationship of blue crab abundance to winter mortality of Whooping Cranes

Science.gov (United States)

Pugesek, Bruce H.; Baldwin, Michael J.; Stehn, Thomas

2013-01-01

We sampled blue crab (Callinectes sapidus) numbers in marshes on the Aransas National Wildlife Refuge, Texas from 1998-2006, while simultaneously censusing the wintering population of Whooping Cranes (Grus americana) on the refuge and surrounding habitats. This was done to determine whether mortality of wintering Whooping Cranes was related to the availability of this food source. Yearly variation in crab numbers was high, ranging from a low of 0.1 crabs to a high of 3.4 crabs per 100-m transect section. Significant non-linear increases in both juvenile and adult mortality in relation to decreasing crab abundance was observed. Results suggest that some threshold of crab abundance exists in which Whooping Cranes have higher survival on their wintering grounds.

47 CFR 61.46 - Adjustments to the API.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-10-01

... 47 Telecommunication 3 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 false Adjustments to the API. 61.46 Section 61.46... Rules for Dominant Carriers § 61.46 Adjustments to the API. (a) Except as provided in paragraphs (d) and... carrier must calculate an API for each affected basket pursuant to the following methodology: APIt = APIt...

Remembering Dick Crane

Science.gov (United States)

Jossem, E. Leonard

2007-09-01

Physicist, polymath, educator, leader, Horace Richard Crane died on April 19, 2007, a few months short of his 100th birthday. Those of us who were fortunate enough to have had him as a friend mourn his loss, but for all of us he leaves a rich and varied legacy of published works that invite reading and rereading. Dick's work as a physicist was recognized in 1966 by his election to the National Academy of Sciences and in 1986 by the award of the President's National Medal of Science: "For the first measurement of the magnetic moment and spin of free electrons and positrons."

Whether and What to Offshore?

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Jensen, Peter Ørberg; Pedersen, Torben

In this article, we explore the idea that offshoring of services and technical work should be regarded as a dynamic process that evolves over time. Firms gradually move from offshoring of simple, standardized activities towards offshoring of advanced activities when they accumulate experience...... with offshoring, and this type of offshoring comes with an entirely different set of characteristics compared to traditional, cost-seeking offshoring. Based on a unique survey among the total population of firms in the eastern region of Denmark, we analyze some of the dynamics of this process through a model...... that incorporates two different aspects of the process of offshoring. First, we approach the question of whether to offshore and establish a baseline that investigates the determinants of firms’ participation—or lack thereof—in offshoring. Secondly, we approach the question of what to offshore and the subsequent...

The "Crane Problem" in Journalism Historiography.

Science.gov (United States)

Marmarelli, Ron

Attempting to correct and amplify the portrayal of Stephen Crane in journalism history, this paper provides an analysis of relevant works in journalism and other disciplines in order to point out the weaknesses in the journalism historiography and to show how they apparently came about. Evidence is presented from the literature of journalism,…

Design of a spreader bar crane-mounted gamma-ray radiation detection system

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Grypp, Matthew D., E-mail: iglowgreen@neo.tamu.edu; Marianno, Craig M., E-mail: marianno@tamu.edu; Poston, John W., E-mail: j-poston@tamu.edu; Hearn, Gentry C., E-mail: ghearn@riacc.com

2014-04-11

Over 95% of imports entering the United States from outside North America arrive by sea at 329 ports of entry. These imports are packaged in more than 11 million cargo containers. Radiation portals monitors routinely scan cargo containers leaving port on specially-designed trucks. To accelerate the process, some commercial entities have placed detection systems on the spreader-bar cranes (SBCs) used to offload. Little is known about the radiation background profiles of systems operating on these cranes. To better understand the operational characteristics of these radiation detection systems; a research team from Texas A and M University (TAMU) mounted three thallium-doped sodium iodide [NaI(Tl)] detectors on an SBC at the Domestic Nuclear Detection Office's (DNDO) test track facility at the Port of Tacoma (PoT). These detectors were used to monitor background radiation levels and continuously recorded data during crane operations using a custom-built software package. Count rates and spectral data were recorded for various crane heights over both land and water. The results of this research created a background profile in which count rate was heavily dependent on position demonstrating how detector readings changed in the operational environment.

Opportunistically collected data reveal habitat selection by migrating Whooping Cranes in the U.S. Northern Plains

Science.gov (United States)

Niemuth, Neil D.; Ryba, Adam J.; Pearse, Aaron T.; Kvas, Susan M.; Brandt, David; Wangler, Brian; Austin, Jane; Carlisle, Martha J.

2018-01-01

The Whooping Crane (Grus americana) is a federally endangered species in the United States and Canada that relies on wetland, grassland, and cropland habitat during its long migration between wintering grounds in coastal Texas, USA, and breeding sites in Alberta and Northwest Territories, Canada. We combined opportunistic Whooping Crane sightings with landscape data to identify correlates of Whooping Crane occurrence along the migration corridor in North Dakota and South Dakota, USA. Whooping Cranes selected landscapes characterized by diverse wetland communities and upland foraging opportunities. Model performance substantially improved when variables related to detection were included, emphasizing the importance of accounting for biases associated with detection and reporting of birds in opportunistic datasets. We created a predictive map showing relative probability of occurrence across the study region by applying our model to GIS data layers; validation using independent, unbiased locations from birds equipped with platform transmitting terminals indicated that our final model adequately predicted habitat use by migrant Whooping Cranes. The probability map demonstrated that existing conservation efforts have protected much top-tier Whooping Crane habitat, especially in the portions of North Dakota and South Dakota that lie east of the Missouri River. Our results can support species recovery by informing prioritization for acquisition and restoration of landscapes that provide safe roosting and foraging habitats. Our results can also guide the siting of structures such as wind towers and electrical transmission and distribution lines, which pose a strike and mortality risk to migrating Whooping Cranes.

Causes of Fatal Accidents Involving Cranes in the Australian Construction Industry

OpenAIRE

Gharaie, Ehsan; Lingard, Helen; Cooke, Tracy

2015-01-01

In ten years from 2004 to 2013, 359 workers died in the Australian construction industry because of work related causes. This paper investigates crane-related fatalities in order to find the upstream causation of such accidents. The National Coroners’ Information System (NCIS) database was searched to identify fatal accidents in the construction industry involving the use of a crane.  The narrative description of the cases provided in the coroners’ findings and associated documents were conte...

Disseminated visceral coccidiosis in Eurasian cranes (Grus grus) in the UK.

Science.gov (United States)

O'Brien, M F; Brown, M J; Stidworthy, M F; Peirce, M A; Marshall, R N; Honma, H; Nakai, Y

2011-02-26

Clinical disease and mortalities due to disseminated visceral coccidiosis were identified for the first time in a group of captive juvenile Eurasian cranes (Grus grus) in the UK during 2008. Presumptive diagnosis was made from the finding of granulomatous nodules in the liver, spleen and other organs at gross postmortem examination, and confirmed histologically by the presence of intracellular coccidial stages within lesions. The species of coccidian was determined to be Eimeria reichenowi on the basis of faecal oocyst morphology and sequencing of 18S rDNA by PCR. A further outbreak of clinical disease occurred in the same enclosure in 2009, affecting a new group of juvenile Eurasian cranes and demoiselle cranes (Anthropoides virgo) and indicating the persistence of infective oocysts in the environment. Clinical sampling of birds during both years demonstrated positive results from examination of both faecal samples and peripheral blood smears.

Integrated Yard Space Allocation and Yard Crane Deployment Problem in Resource-Limited Container Terminals

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Caimao Tan

2016-01-01

Full Text Available Yard storage space and yard crane equipment are the core resources in the container terminal yard area. This paper studies the integrated yard space allocation (outbound container space and yard crane deployment problem in resource-limited container terminals where yard space and yard cranes are extremely scarce. Two corresponding counterstrategies are introduced, respectively, and the integrated problem is solved as mixed integer programming. The model this paper formulated considers the container volume fluctuation of the service line, and the objective is a trade-off between yard sharing space and terminal operation cost. In numerical experiments, this paper tries to reveal the management meaning in practical operation of container terminal and provides decision support for terminal managers; therefore a series of scenarios are presented to analyze the relations among the yard sharing space, the number of yard cranes, the size of yard subblock, and the cost of terminal operation.

Testing a ground-based canopy model using the wind river canopy crane

Science.gov (United States)

Robert Van Pelt; Malcolm P. North

1999-01-01

A ground-based canopy model that estimates the volume of occupied space in forest canopies was tested using the Wind River Canopy Crane. A total of 126 trees in a 0.25 ha area were measured from the ground and directly from a gondola suspended from the crane. The trees were located in a low elevation, old-growth forest in the southern Washington Cascades. The ground-...

Recent advances in the API quality program

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gollhofer, F.R.

1991-01-01

The API now has more than 3 years' operating experience in licensing manufacturers under the API Quality Program. The API evaluation procedures, described in this paper, provide consistency in evaluation and should allow full participation of petroleum equipment suppliers in the worldwide market during the 1990's and into the 21st century. The program's flexibility will allow it to cope with significant changes resulting from the planned European Common Market's Global Approach to Certification and Testing scheduled to occur in 1992

Offshore windfarm proposal to reduce costs of foundations and installations.

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

2007-09-04

The principle aim of this project is to develop innovative pile insertion, installation vessel pile handling and pile transfer systems that reduce the installed cost per kW of offshore wind turbine foundation installation. The project was to accomplish this by first developing a novel method of handling foundation piles without the use of craneage thereby allowing long piles of 5-6m diameter to be lifted safely in shallow water. This would extend the operating envelope by allowing work to continue without the weather constraints associated with lifting heavy loads by crane. The method would eventually reduce the size of the pile installation barge resulting in reduced installation costs. This part of the project has been satisfactorily completed, resulting in an innovative pile handling technique. Secondly a nonpercussive pile insertion method would be developed suitable for large diameter piles. The targeted aims of this method are as follows: To reduce or negate the need to handle and dispose of large amounts of spoil. To eliminate the need for piling hammers large enough to drive 6m diameter piles. These would be too heavy for the present generation of offshore cranes to lift, and the rental costs exorbitant. The advantages of these aims are: A reduction in the noise pollution produced by all percussive methods of pile driving and in particular large hammers. These noise levels are unacceptable to present and future environmental constraints. Because of the reduced drill spoil being handled compared to an industry standard full face drill, the energy consumption and therefore cost, is also reduced. Owing to the high cost and risk associated with mobilising and operating the equipment necessary for field trials in a marine environment (the cost for mobilising and operating a construction jack-up barge, all backup marine support craft, pile driving hammers and test piles can be several times the available grant funding), it was decided and agreed at an early stage

USAJOBS Job Opportunity Announcements (JOA) SOAP API

Data.gov (United States)

Office of Personnel Management — The purpose of the SOAP based API is to provide the full Federal Job Opportunity Announcement (JOA) content to the consumer. It is anticipated that this API will be...

Technical Report: Optimizing the Slab Yard Planning and Crane Scheduling Problem using a Two-Stage Approach

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Hansen, Anders Dohn; Clausen, Jens

2008-01-01

In this paper, we present The Slab Yard Planning and Crane Scheduling Problem. The problem has its origin in steel production facilities with a large throughput. A slab yard is used as a buffer for slabs that are needed in the upcoming production. Slabs are transported by cranes and the problem...... considered here, is concerned with the generation of schedules for these. The problem is decomposed and modeled in two parts, namely a planning problem and a scheduling problem. In the planning problem a set of crane operations is created to take the yard from its current state to a desired goal state...... schedule for the cranes is generated, where each operation is assigned to a crane and is given a specific time of initiation. For both models, a thorough description of the modeling details is given along with a specification of objective criteria. Variants of the models are presented as well. Preliminary...

An energy-optimal solution for transportation control of cranes with double pendulum dynamics: Design and experiments

Science.gov (United States)

Sun, Ning; Wu, Yiming; Chen, He; Fang, Yongchun

2018-03-01

Underactuated cranes play an important role in modern industry. Specifically, in most situations of practical applications, crane systems exhibit significant double pendulum characteristics, which makes the control problem quite challenging. Moreover, most existing planners/controllers obtained with standard methods/techniques for double pendulum cranes cannot minimize the energy consumption when fulfilling the transportation tasks. Therefore, from a practical perspective, this paper proposes an energy-optimal solution for transportation control of double pendulum cranes. By applying the presented approach, the transportation objective, including fast trolley positioning and swing elimination, is achieved with minimized energy consumption, and the residual oscillations are suppressed effectively with all the state constrains being satisfied during the entire transportation process. As far as we know, this is the first energy-optimal solution for transportation control of underactuated double pendulum cranes with various state and control constraints. Hardware experimental results are included to verify the effectiveness of the proposed approach, whose superior performance is reflected by being experimentally compared with some comparative controllers.

Peace Crane Project: An Interdisciplinary Approach.

Science.gov (United States)

LeBert, Linda L.; Calais, Jerry; Cuevas, Phyllis; Fruge', Hugh; Gardiner, Judy Carter; Larmon, Marilyn; Rees, Jocelyn

To model collaboration and to "practice what we teach," a group of faculty members at McNeese State University in Louisiana developed a college-wide theme based on the book, "Sadako and the Thousand Paper Cranes." This book was selected because of the importance of seeking and achieving peace in a world that is struggling and,…

Industrial opportunities - offshore

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gerrits, D.J.

1998-01-01

Industrial opportunities available in the Canadian offshore petroleum industry are discussed. Oil has been produced offshore from Nova Scotia since 1992, and offshore from Newfoundland since 1997. Special needs that must be addressed in offshore operations in eastern Canada such as the cold North Atlantic environment, isolation, logistics, safety, and quality assurance, are examined. The most obvious opportunities lie with the designing, building and installing the facilities needed to extract oil and gas from beneath the sea floor and transport it to market. However, there are also opportunities in designing and fabricating clothing, customized food containers and other equipment for offshore needs. Short term opportunities also exist in the decommissioning of depleted production fields and their facilities. One of the greatest obstacles facing new entrants into the offshore oil and gas industry is the lack of a track record. To meet this challenge, the ability to seek out partners to pursue local and international opportunities through joint ventures, strategic alliances and technology sharing partnering arrangements is of great importance. It may be the difference between success and failure. 6 figs

Sadako and the Thousand Paper Cranes: The Dialogic Narrative in the Educational Act

Science.gov (United States)

Al-Jafar, Ali A.

2016-01-01

This study used the story of "Sadako and the thousand paper cranes" by Coerr (1977) to discover similarities between the events of August 1945 in Hiroshima and the events of August 1990 in Kuwait. The participants in a children's literature class at Kuwait University folded paper cranes and wrote in their journals to answer two…

From Offshoring to Backshoring

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Slepniov, Dmitrij; Madsen, Erik Skov

2015-01-01

The purpose of this paper is to examine the evolution of offshoring over time. The paper employs qualitative methodology and on the basis of two case studies of Danish companies, it develops a framework conceptualizing the stages of offshoring and highlights the factors driving the transition...... between these stages. The framework challenges the linear nature of offshoring and proposes the existence of ‘the pendulum effect’. The pendulum effect suggests that the modes of offshoring (i.e. captive and non-captive) and geographies of offshoring (i.e. home and abroad) are not static; rather...

Spherical Pendulum Small Oscillations for Slewing Crane Motion

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Alexander V. Perig

2014-01-01

Full Text Available The present paper focuses on the Lagrange mechanics-based description of small oscillations of a spherical pendulum with a uniformly rotating suspension center. The analytical solution of the natural frequencies’ problem has been derived for the case of uniform rotation of a crane boom. The payload paths have been found in the inertial reference frame fixed on earth and in the noninertial reference frame, which is connected with the rotating crane boom. The numerical amplitude-frequency characteristics of the relative payload motion have been found. The mechanical interpretation of the terms in Lagrange equations has been outlined. The analytical expression and numerical estimation for cable tension force have been proposed. The numerical computational results, which correlate very accurately with the experimental observations, have been shown.

75 FR 44288 - Overhead and Gantry Cranes; Extension of the Office of Management and Budget's (OMB) Approval of...

Science.gov (United States)

2010-07-28

...] Overhead and Gantry Cranes; Extension of the Office of Management and Budget's (OMB) Approval of... requirements specified in the Standard on Overhead and Gantry Cranes (29 CFR 1910.179). DATES: Comments must be... requirements for: Marking the rated load of cranes; preparing certification records to verify the inspection of...

Too much or too little of R&D offshoring : The impact of captive offshoring and contract offshoring on innovation performance

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Steinberg, Philip; Procher, Vivien D.; Urbig, Diemo

2017-01-01

Innovating firms may acquire foreign knowledge and improve their innovation performance by offshoring their R&D activities to their own foreign affiliates (captive offshoring) as well as by contracting out their R&D to external foreign parties (contract offshoring). This study examines the impact of

Safety in offshore engineering an academic course covering safety in offshore wind

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Cerda Salzmann, D.J.

2011-01-01

Offshore projects are known for their challenging conditions, generally leading to high risks. Therefore no offshore project can go without a continuous and extensive assessment on safety issues. The Delft University of Technology is currently developing a course "Safety in Offshore Engineering"

Lead poisoning in a Mississippi sandhill crane

Science.gov (United States)

Franson, J. Christian; Hereford, Scott G.

1994-01-01

Lead poisoning from the ingestion of spent lead shot is well documented in waterfowl (Sanderson and Bellrose 1986) and has been reported in other wetland (Locke et al. 1991, Windingstad et al. 1984) and upland (Hunter and Rosen 1965, Locke and Bagley 1967) avian species. Ingested fishing weights have been implicated in lead poisoning of Trumpeter Swans (Cygnus buccinator) (Blus et al. 1989), Common Loons (Gavia immer) (Locke et al. 1982, Franson and Cliplef 1992, Pokras and Chafe1 1992), Mute Swans (Cygnus olor) (Birkhead 1982), and Sandhill Cranes (Grus canadensis) (Windingstad et al. 1984). The significance of lead poisoning as a mortality factor in avian species other than waterfowl is probably underestimated (Locke and Friend 1992), and any cause of mortality becomes particularly important in species with small population sizes. We report here the first known case of lead poisoning in a Mississippi Sandhill Crane (Grus canadensis pulla), a critically endangered subspecies.

[Book review] Return of the Whooping Crane

Science.gov (United States)

Ellis, D.H.; Smith, D.G.

1990-01-01

Fewer than 40 years ago, Life magazine ran an article decrying the plight of Whooping Cranes (Grus americana) on their wintering grounds at Aransas National Wildlife Refuge (Aransas) along the Gulf Coast. The small flock of approximately 20 birds that summered at Wood Buffalo National Park (Wood Buffalo) in Canada and wintered on the Texas coast at Aransas comprised the entire wild population of the species-a population that at the time seemed to be drifting inexorably to- ward extinction. Today, the Aransas/Wood Buffalo flock numbers more than 140 birds, there are more than 30 birds in captivity at the Patuxent Wildlife Research Center (Patuxent), and another 20-plus birds at the International Crane Foundation in Baraboo, Wisconsin. There are also a dozen wild birds in an experimental flock (termed the Rocky Mountain flock by Doughty) that winters at Bosque Del Apache National Wildlife Refuge (NWR) in New Mexico and summers in the mountain valleys centered on Grays Lake NWR in Idaho.

The Barrett–Crane model: asymptotic measure factor

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kamiński, Wojciech; Steinhaus, Sebastian

2014-01-01

The original spin foam model construction for 4D gravity by Barrett and Crane suffers from a few troubling issues. In the simple examples of the vertex amplitude they can be summarized as the existence of contributions to the asymptotics from non-geometric configurations. Even restricted to geometric contributions the amplitude is not completely worked out. While the phase is known to be the Regge action, the so-called measure factor has remained mysterious for a decade. In the toy model case of the 6j symbol this measure factor has a nice geometric interpretation of V −1/2 leading to speculations that a similar interpretation should be possible also in the 4D case. In this paper we provide the first geometric interpretation of the geometric part of the asymptotic for the spin foam consisting of two glued 4-simplices (decomposition of the 4-sphere) in the Barrett–Crane model in the large internal spin regime. (paper)

The Barrett-Crane model: asymptotic measure factor

Science.gov (United States)

Kamiński, Wojciech; Steinhaus, Sebastian

2014-04-01

The original spin foam model construction for 4D gravity by Barrett and Crane suffers from a few troubling issues. In the simple examples of the vertex amplitude they can be summarized as the existence of contributions to the asymptotics from non-geometric configurations. Even restricted to geometric contributions the amplitude is not completely worked out. While the phase is known to be the Regge action, the so-called measure factor has remained mysterious for a decade. In the toy model case of the 6j symbol this measure factor has a nice geometric interpretation of V-1/2 leading to speculations that a similar interpretation should be possible also in the 4D case. In this paper we provide the first geometric interpretation of the geometric part of the asymptotic for the spin foam consisting of two glued 4-simplices (decomposition of the 4-sphere) in the Barrett-Crane model in the large internal spin regime.

Dynamic analysis of the gantry crane used for transporting BOP

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Stanisław WOJCIECH

2008-01-01

Full Text Available In the paper the dynamic analysis of a gantry crane used for transporting of BOP (BlowOut Preventer is presented. The crane is placed on a drilling platform. Sea waves cause motion of the platform and the load. Description of such systems can be used in the design process of control systems which allows us to compensate waving. Homogenous transformations and joint coordinates are used to describe behavior of the system. Equations of motion are derived using the Lagrange equations of the second order. In the paper the results of numerical calculations are presented as well.

78 FR 68477 - Overhead and Gantry Cranes; Extension of the Office of Management and Budget's (OMB) Approval of...

Science.gov (United States)

2013-11-14

...] Overhead and Gantry Cranes; Extension of the Office of Management and Budget's (OMB) Approval of... requirements specified in the Standard on Overhead and Gantry Cranes (29 CFR 1910.179). DATES: Comments must be... information (29 U.S.C. 657). The paperwork provisions of the Standard on Overhead and Gantry Cranes specify...

Fuzzy crane control with sensorless payload deflection feedback for vibration reduction

Science.gov (United States)

Smoczek, Jaroslaw

2014-05-01

Different types of cranes are widely used for shifting cargoes in building sites, shipping yards, container terminals and many manufacturing segments where the problem of fast and precise transferring a payload suspended on the ropes with oscillations reduction is frequently important to enhance the productivity, efficiency and safety. The paper presents the fuzzy logic-based robust feedback anti-sway control system which can be applicable either with or without a sensor of sway angle of a payload. The discrete-time control approach is based on the fuzzy interpolation of the controllers and crane dynamic model's parameters with respect to the varying rope length and mass of a payload. The iterative procedure combining a pole placement method and interval analysis of closed-loop characteristic polynomial coefficients is proposed to design the robust control scheme. The sensorless anti-sway control application developed with using PAC system with RX3i controller was verified on the laboratory scaled overhead crane.

Offshore in depth

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Ebdon, J F

1968-08-01

The world-wide scope of offshore areas is discussed. Offshore areas of the U.S. and the world are where one of the ''hottest'' hydrocarbon booms--drilling, production, and pipelining--are in action today. Most of the current activity in offshore exploration and drilling is crude oil directed. However, big non-associated natural gas finds have been made. Additionally, for every barrel of crude oil produced, either or both associated natural gas and dissolved natural gas are produced in some varying ratio as casinghead gas. Thus, with worldwide production of some 2.5-million bbl of crude oil per day from offshore areas of Free-World countries, there are vast volumes of casinghead natural gas produced, over and above that produced from non-associated natural gas wells to the seaward of land masses. If offshore gas of any classification is produced in commercial volumes close to onshore population centers, then the possibility of marketing is fairly good. If remote from population centers, it is usually flared or shut-in. The development of gas liquefaction and cryogenic tankers has started, but international ocean traffic in LNG is still in its infancy. Current offshore gas pipelines are described.

Liebherr lifts off with east coast projects

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Anon

2004-11-01

Liebherr is one of the world's leading manufacturers of construction machinery, and is the supplier of technically-innovative user-oriented products and services not only to the oil industry but also to other industries using heavy lifting equipment. The Newfoundland and Labrador offshore oil and gas sector has been a special springboard of success for the company; they have seven offshore cranes working on three installations, and as the White Rose floating production vessel sails to the Grand Banks in 2005, the number will increase to nine. The other cranes are on the Hibernia platform, the Terra Nova FPSO, and the Henry Goodrich drilling rig. Two of the cranes on the Terra Nova FPSO have a lift capacity of 40 tons, while a third crane mounted at the rear of the vessel has a 20 ton capacity. They are capable of performing loading operations in seas as high as three metres. These cranes are powerful, compact and maneuverable, and feature ultra-modern mobile crane technology that satisfies combined road and off-road operating requirements on construction sites of all kinds. 2 photos.

Double Girder Bridge Crane with Double Cycling: Scheduling Strategy and Performance Evaluation

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Dandan Wang

2014-01-01

Full Text Available This paper introduces a novel quay crane design, double girder bridge crane (DGBC. DGBC is capable of handling containers of two adjacent bays simultaneously, avoiding crane collisions, saving travelling and reposition cost, and eventually improving terminal efficiency. This problem is formulated as a resource-constrained project scheduling with objective to minimize the maximum completion time. A two-stage heuristic algorithm is proposed in which an operating sequences on each bay is obtained by double cycling, and the integrated timetable for both bays is constructed by solving resource conflicts using the proposed minimum cost strategy. We examine effectiveness and performance of applying DGBC with double cycling. A case study is presented to illustrate how DGBC works with the two-stage method. Three extreme cases with respective conflict types are investigated to develop the performance bounds of DGBC with double cycling. The results show that DGBC can significantly improve terminal productivity, and outperforms single girder crane in both makespan and the lift operation percentage. The highest DGBC efficiency does not require maximum double cycles in two bay schedules; rather the integrated timetable for two bays is the main contribution to the DGBC performance as it yields better cooperation between two spreaders and the driver.

The study of dynamics and strength of hydraulic crane-manipulating installations on a movable chassis

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Lagerev A.V.

2015-10-01

Full Text Available The modified version of previously reviewed technique for dynamics and stress analysis of fixed-base manipulators (articulating cranes is suggested. The idea is to insert a fictitious six-degrees-of-freedom joint between a fixed support and manipulator’s base thus eliminating fixed base motion constraints. The technique has been implemented in the software package KBCrane and used for dynamics and stress analysis of an articulating crane mounted on a ship rocking in waves. Based on the results of simulation the distribution and level of stress in the crane is estimated.

Safe "cloudification" of large images through picker APIs.

Science.gov (United States)

Bremer, Erich; Kurc, Tahsin; Gao, Yi; Saltz, Joel; Almeida, Jonas S

2016-01-01

The "Box model" allows users with no particular training in informatics, or access to specialized infrastructure, operate generic cloud computing resources through a temporary URI dereferencing mechanism known as "drop-file-picker API" ("picker API" for sort). This application programming interface (API) was popularized in the web app development community by DropBox, and is now a consumer-facing feature of all major cloud computing platforms such as Box.com, Google Drive and Amazon S3. This reports describes a prototype web service application that uses picker APIs to expose a new, "cloudified", API tailored for image analysis, without compromising the private governance of the data exposed. In order to better understand this cross-platform cloud computing landscape, we first measured the time for both transfer and traversing of large image files generated by whole slide imaging (WSI) in Digital Pathology. The verification that there is extensive interconnectivity between cloud resources let to the development of a prototype software application that exposes an image-traversing REST API to image files stored in any of the consumer-facing "boxes". In summary, an image file can be upload/synchronized into a any cloud resource with a file picker API and the prototype service described here will expose an HTTP REST API that remains within the safety of the user's own governance. The open source prototype is publicly available at sbu-bmi.github.io/imagebox. Availability The accompanying prototype application is made publicly available, fully functional, with open source, at http://sbu-bmi.github.io/imagebox://sbu-bmi.github.io/imagebox. An illustrative webcasted use of this Web App is included with the project codebase at https://github.com/SBU-BMI/imageboxs://github.com/SBU-BMI/imagebox.

BEE VENOM TRAP DESIGN OF APIS MELLIFERA L. AND APIS CERANA F. HONEY BEES

OpenAIRE

Budiaman

2015-01-01

The nectar and pollen of flowers which are abundance have not been taken into account for any purpose in forest, agriculture and plantation area. Honey bees such as Apis mellifera L. and Apis cerana F. had known as biological pollinators which could converted the flower components to be high economy products in the forms of honey, royal jelly, propolis, bee wax and bee venom. Among the products, bee venom has the best selling value, but the method of it???s optimal production has not been ext...

Stacker’s Crane Position Fixing Based on Real Time Image Processing and Analysis

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Kmeid Saad

2015-06-01

Full Text Available This study illustrates the usage of stacker cranes and image processing in automated warehouse systems. The aim is to use real time image processing and analysis for a stacker’s crane position fixing in order to use it as a pick-up and delivery system (P/D, to be controlled by a programmable logic controller unit (PLC.

Optimising the Slab Yard Planning and Crane Scheduling Problem using a two-stage heuristic

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Hansen, Anders Dohn; Clausen, Jens

2010-01-01

In this paper, we present the Slab Yard Planning and Crane Scheduling Problem. The problem has its origin in steel production facilities with a large throughput. A slab yard is used as a buffer for slabs that are needed in the upcoming production. Slabs are transported by cranes and the problem...

Offshore risk assessment

CERN Document Server

Vinnem, Jan-Erik

2014-01-01

  Offshore Risk Assessment was the first book to deal with quantified risk assessment (QRA) as applied specifically to offshore installations and operations. Risk assessment techniques have been used for more than three decades in the offshore oil and gas industry, and their use is set to expand increasingly as the industry moves into new areas and faces new challenges in older regions.   This updated and expanded third edition has been informed by a major R&D program on offshore risk assessment in Norway and summarizes research from 2006 to the present day. Rooted with a thorough discussion of risk metrics and risk analysis methodology,  subsequent chapters are devoted to analytical approaches to escalation, escape, evacuation and rescue analysis of safety and emergency systems.   Separate chapters analyze the main hazards of offshore structures: fire, explosion, collision, and falling objects as well as structural and marine hazards. Risk mitigation and control are discussed, as well as an illustrat...

Automated Ply Inspection (API) for AFP, Phase I

Data.gov (United States)

National Aeronautics and Space Administration — The Automated Ply Inspection (API) system autonomously inspects layups created by high speed automated fiber placement (AFP) machines. API comprises a high accuracy...

Varying Land-Use Has an Influence on Wattled and Grey Crowned Cranes' Abundance and Distribution in Driefontein Grasslands Important Bird Area, Zimbabwe.

Science.gov (United States)

Fakarayi, Togarasei; Mashapa, Clayton; Gandiwa, Edson; Kativu, Shakkie

2016-01-01

Three species of cranes are distributed widely throughout southern Africa, but little is known about how they respond to the changes in land-use that have occurred in this region. This study assessed habitat preference of the two crane species across land-use categories of the self contained small scale commercial farms of 30 to 40 ha per household (A1), large scale commercial agriculture farms of > 50 ha per household (A2) and Old Resettlement, farms of crane species abundance. Crane bird counts and data on influencing environmental variables were collected between June and August 2012. Our results show that varying land-use categories had an influence on the abundance and distribution of the Wattled Crane (Bugeranus carunculatus) and the Grey Crowned Crane (Belearica regulorum) across Driefontein Grasslands IBA. The Wattled Crane was widely distributed in the relatively undisturbed A2 farms while the Grey Crowned Crane was associated with the more disturbed land of A1 farms, Old Resettlement and its communal grazing land. Cyperus esculentus and percent (%) bare ground were strong environmental variables best explaining the observed patterns in Wattled Crane abundance across land-use categories. The pattern in Grey Crowned Crane abundance was best explained by soil penetrability, moisture and grass height variables. A holistic sustainable land-use management that takes into account conservation of essential habitats in Driefontein Grasslands IBA is desirable for crane populations and other wetland dependent species that include water birds.

Offshore wind energy developments

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Stolpe, Mathias; Buhl, Thomas; Sumer, B. Mutlu

2014-01-01

This chapter will give a brief overview of a few of the activities within offshore wind energy research, specifically 1) Support structure optimization, 2) Blade coatings for wind turbines; 3) Scour protection of foundations, 4) Offshore HVDC and 5) Offshore wind services....

Origin of three Red-crowned Cranes Grus japonensis found in northeast Honshu and west Hokkaido, Japan, from 2008 to 2012.

Science.gov (United States)

Miura, Yoshiaki; Shiraishi, Junya; Shiomi, Akira; Kitazawa, Takio; Hiraga, Takeo; Matsumoto, Fumio; Teraoka, Hiroki; Masatomi, Hiroyuki

2013-01-01

The Red-crowned Crane Grus japonensis is an endangered species that has two separate breeding populations, one in the Amur River basin and the other in north and east Hokkaido, Japan. So far, only two (Gj1 and Gj2) and seven (Gj3-Gj9) haplotypes in D-loop of mtDNA were identified in Japan and in the continent, respectively. We obtained feathers from three cranes found in northeast Honshu. The crane in Akita in 2008, which also arrived at west Hokkaido, had a novel haplotype (Gj10). Another crane in Akita in 2009 showed a heteroplasmy (Gj7 and a novel type, Gj12). The third crane in Miyagi in 2010 also showed another type, Gj11. These results suggest that three Red-crowned Cranes appeared in Honshu and west Hokkaido were from the continent.

Analysing PKCS#11 Key Management APIs with Unbounded Fresh Data

Science.gov (United States)

Fröschle, Sibylle; Steel, Graham

We extend Delaune, Kremer and Steel’s framework for analysis of PKCS#11-based APIs from bounded to unbounded fresh data. We achieve this by: formally defining the notion of an attribute policy; showing that a well-designed API should have a certain class of policy we call complete; showing that APIs with complete policies may be safely abstracted to APIs where the attributes are fixed; and proving that these static APIs can be analysed in a small bounded model such that security properties will hold for the unbounded case. We automate analysis in our framework using the SAT-based security protocol model checker SATMC. We show that a symmetric key management subset of the Eracom PKCS#11 API, used in their ProtectServer product, preserves the secrecy of sensitive keys for unbounded numbers of fresh keys and handles, i.e. pointers to keys. We also show that this API is not robust: if an encryption key is lost to the intruder, SATMC finds an attack whereby all the keys may be compromised.

Compositional mining of multiple object API protocols through state abstraction.

Science.gov (United States)

Dai, Ziying; Mao, Xiaoguang; Lei, Yan; Qi, Yuhua; Wang, Rui; Gu, Bin

2013-01-01

API protocols specify correct sequences of method invocations. Despite their usefulness, API protocols are often unavailable in practice because writing them is cumbersome and error prone. Multiple object API protocols are more expressive than single object API protocols. However, the huge number of objects of typical object-oriented programs poses a major challenge to the automatic mining of multiple object API protocols: besides maintaining scalability, it is important to capture various object interactions. Current approaches utilize various heuristics to focus on small sets of methods. In this paper, we present a general, scalable, multiple object API protocols mining approach that can capture all object interactions. Our approach uses abstract field values to label object states during the mining process. We first mine single object typestates as finite state automata whose transitions are annotated with states of interacting objects before and after the execution of the corresponding method and then construct multiple object API protocols by composing these annotated single object typestates. We implement our approach for Java and evaluate it through a series of experiments.

METHOD OF THE DRIVE POWER DETERMINATION OF THE MECHANISMS OF THE BRIDGE CRANE MOVEMENT CONSIDERING THE ROLLING FRICTION

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

V. M. Bohomaz

2015-08-01

Full Text Available Purpose. The value of drive resistance to its movement is the main parameter at calculating the drive power of bridge crane. The value of the wheel rolling friction on the rails is one of the important parts of the resistance to movement. It is necessary to determine the dependence of static (dynamic quantities of resistance to the bridge crane movement on a straight section of the track from the position of the bogie in the span, and explore the influence of the wheel flanges resistance for wear. Methodology. Using the analytical dependences for determining the rolling friction coefficient, that depends on the size of the half-width of the contact between the wheel and rail, the improved method for calculating the required drive power of the crane was proposed. Findings. With the proposed method of power calculation the characteristic curve of the crane wheel loads, the coefficient of rolling friction of the wheels and the crane resistance to movement from the position of the bogie on span were built. In the result of graphs analysis it was found that the engine power, obtained by the proposed method is higher than the recommended by the existing standards. The more precise formula for determining the total coefficient of sliding friction that takes into account the friction of wheel flanges on the rail is given. The characteristic curves of such coefficient of friction and the total resistance to movement of the position of the crane bogie were built. Originality. The scientists proposed an improved method of determining the required engine power of bridge crane, which takes into account the effect of rolling friction of the wheels on the rails and the bogie in the span. The improved formula for determining the coefficient of friction that takes into account the friction wheel flanges of the rail was given. The characteristic curve of this coefficient of friction and the total resistance movement of crane from the position of the crane bogie

Comparison of API 510 pressure vessels inspection planning with API 581 risk-based inspection planning approaches

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Shishesaz, Mohammad Reza; Nazarnezhad Bajestani, Mohammad; Hashemi, Seyed Javad; Shekari, Elahe

2013-01-01

To ensure mechanical integrity, all pressure vessels shall be inspected at the intervals provided in inspection codes or based on a risk-based inspection (RBI) assessment. The RBI assessment may allow previously established inspection intervals to be extended. This paper describes the methodology, analysis and results of two RBI studies conducted on 293 pressure vessel components in two crude oil distillation units. Based on API RBI methodology in API 581 (2008), risk target concept was used for determining inspection dates. It was shown that when thinning is the major active damage, the RBI recommended intervals are as long as twice the API 510 intervals. This paper summarizes that, as a fundamental step in the risk calculation, RBI has a more defined methodology for evaluating equipment for multiple damage mechanisms and a more defined approach to specify the use of other inspection technologies beyond the traditional visual, ultrasonic, and radiography tests. -- Highlights: • RBI calculated inspection intervals are as long as twice of API 510 inspection code. • Two case studies verified the advantage of RBI in inspection planning. • RBI is a more reliable methodology when evaluating multiple damage mechanisms. • Damage factor calculations can be used for determining RSFa value in FFS assessments

Thermodynamic phase behavior of API/polymer solid dispersions.

Science.gov (United States)

Prudic, Anke; Ji, Yuanhui; Sadowski, Gabriele

2014-07-07

To improve the bioavailability of poorly soluble active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs), these materials are often integrated into a polymer matrix that acts as a carrier. The resulting mixture is called a solid dispersion. In this work, the phase behaviors of solid dispersions were investigated as a function of the API as well as of the type and molecular weight of the carrier polymer. Specifically, the solubility of artemisinin and indomethacin was measured in different poly(ethylene glycol)s (PEG 400, PEG 6000, and PEG 35000). The measured solubility data and the solubility of sulfonamides in poly(vinylpyrrolidone) (PVP) K10 and PEG 35000 were modeled using the perturbed-chain statistical associating fluid theory (PC-SAFT). The results show that PC-SAFT predictions are in a good accordance with the experimental data, and PC-SAFT can be used to predict the whole phase diagram of an API/polymer solid dispersion as a function of the kind of API and polymer and of the polymer's molecular weight. This remarkably simplifies the screening process for suitable API/polymer combinations.

A knowledge discovery object model API for Java

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jones Steven JM

2003-10-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Biological data resources have become heterogeneous and derive from multiple sources. This introduces challenges in the management and utilization of this data in software development. Although efforts are underway to create a standard format for the transmission and storage of biological data, this objective has yet to be fully realized. Results This work describes an application programming interface (API that provides a framework for developing an effective biological knowledge ontology for Java-based software projects. The API provides a robust framework for the data acquisition and management needs of an ontology implementation. In addition, the API contains classes to assist in creating GUIs to represent this data visually. Conclusions The Knowledge Discovery Object Model (KDOM API is particularly useful for medium to large applications, or for a number of smaller software projects with common characteristics or objectives. KDOM can be coupled effectively with other biologically relevant APIs and classes. Source code, libraries, documentation and examples are available at http://www.bcgsc.ca/bioinfo/software.

Validation of the Parlay API through prototyping

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Hellenthal, J.W.; Planken, F.J.M.; Wegdam, M.

2001-01-01

The desire within the telecommunications world for new and faster business growth has been a major drive towards the development of open network API. Over the past 7 years several (semi) standardization groups have announced work on network API, including TINA-C, JAIN, IEEE P1520, INforum, 3GPP,

A Ruby API to query the Ensembl database for genomic features.

Science.gov (United States)

Strozzi, Francesco; Aerts, Jan

2011-04-01

The Ensembl database makes genomic features available via its Genome Browser. It is also possible to access the underlying data through a Perl API for advanced querying. We have developed a full-featured Ruby API to the Ensembl databases, providing the same functionality as the Perl interface with additional features. A single Ruby API is used to access different releases of the Ensembl databases and is also able to query multi-species databases. Most functionality of the API is provided using the ActiveRecord pattern. The library depends on introspection to make it release independent. The API is available through the Rubygem system and can be installed with the command gem install ruby-ensembl-api.

A framework for API solubility modelling

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Conte, Elisa; Gani, Rafiqul; Crafts, Peter

. In addition, most of the models are not predictive and requires experimental data for the calculation of the needed parameters. This work aims at developing an efficient framework for the solubility modelling of Active Pharmaceutical Ingredients (API) in water and organic solvents. With this framework......-SAFT) are used for solubility calculations when the needed interaction parameters or experimental data are available. The CI-UNIFAC is instead used when the previous models lack interaction parameters or when solubility data are not available. A new GC+ model for APIs solvent selection based...... on the hydrophobicity, hydrophilicity and polarity information of the API and solvent is also developed, for performing fast solvent selection and screening. Eventually, all the previous developments are integrated in a framework for their efficient and integrated use. Two case studies are presented: the first...

Infections with the Sexually Transmitted Pathogen Nosema apis Trigger an Immune Response in the Seminal Fluid of Honey Bees (Apis mellifera).

Science.gov (United States)

Grassl, Julia; Peng, Yan; Baer-Imhoof, Barbara; Welch, Mat; Millar, A Harvey; Baer, Boris

2017-01-06

Honey bee (Apis mellifera) males are highly susceptible to infections with the sexually transmitted fungal pathogen Nosema apis. However, they are able to suppress this parasite in the ejaculate using immune molecules in the seminal fluid. We predicted that males respond to infections by altering the seminal fluid proteome to minimize the risk to sexually transmit the parasite to the queen and her colony. We used iTRAQ isotopic labeling to compare seminal fluid proteins from infected and noninfected males and found that N. apis infections resulted in significant abundance changes in 111 of the 260 seminal fluid proteins quantitated. The largest group of proteins with significantly changed abundances consisted of 15 proteins with well-known immune-related functions, which included two significantly more abundant chitinases in the seminal fluid of infected males. Chitinases were previously hypothesized to be involved in honey bee antifungal activity against N. apis. Here we show that infection with N. apis triggers a highly specific immune response in the seminal fluid of honey bee males.

Unified Medical Language System Terminology Services (UTS) API

Data.gov (United States)

U.S. Department of Health & Human Services — The UTS API is intended for application developers to perform Web service calls and retrieve UMLS data within their own applications. The UTS API provides the...

CALIBRATION, OPTIMIZATION, AND SENSITIVITY AND UNCERTAINTY ALGORITHMS APPLICATION PROGRAMMING INTERFACE (COSU-API)

Science.gov (United States)

The Application Programming Interface (API) for Uncertainty Analysis, Sensitivity Analysis, and Parameter Estimation (UA/SA/PE API) tool development, here fore referred to as the Calibration, Optimization, and Sensitivity and Uncertainty Algorithms API (COSU-API), was initially d...

Cold Vacuum Drying Facility Crane and Hoist System Design Description. System 14

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

TRAN, Y.S.

2000-01-01

This system design description (SDD) is for the Cold Vacuum Drying (CVD) Facility overhead crane and hoist system. The overhead crane and hoist system is a general service system. It is located in the process bays of the CVD Facility, supports the processes required to drain the water and dry the spent nuclear fuel (SNF) contained in the multi-canister overpacks (MCOs) after they have been removed from the K-Basins. The location of the system in the process bay is shown

Load test with the mobile telescopic crane (160 T) for handling LHC magnets

CERN Multimedia

Patrice Loïez

2002-01-01

CERN has taken delivery of a new telescopic mobile crane. The new crane will be required to load LHC dipole magnets made in Building SM18 onto a trailer that will take them to the Prévessin site, where they will be put in storage until they can be lowered into the tunnel. It has passed its first operating tests, which consisted of lifting a 37-tonne concrete block.

The JANA calibrations and conditions database API

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lawrence, David

2010-01-01

Calibrations and conditions databases can be accessed from within the JANA Event Processing framework through the API defined in its JCalibration base class. The API is designed to support everything from databases, to web services to flat files for the backend. A Web Service backend using the gSOAP toolkit has been implemented which is particularly interesting since it addresses many modern cybersecurity issues including support for SSL. The API allows constants to be retrieved through a single line of C++ code with most of the context, including the transport mechanism, being implied by the run currently being analyzed and the environment relieving developers from implementing such details.

The JANA calibrations and conditions database API

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Lawrence, David, E-mail: davidl@jlab.or [12000 Jefferson Ave., Suite 8, Newport News, VA 23601 (United States)

2010-04-01

Calibrations and conditions databases can be accessed from within the JANA Event Processing framework through the API defined in its JCalibration base class. The API is designed to support everything from databases, to web services to flat files for the backend. A Web Service backend using the gSOAP toolkit has been implemented which is particularly interesting since it addresses many modern cybersecurity issues including support for SSL. The API allows constants to be retrieved through a single line of C++ code with most of the context, including the transport mechanism, being implied by the run currently being analyzed and the environment relieving developers from implementing such details.

Associated particle imaging (API)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1998-05-01

Associated Particle Imaging (API) is an active neutron probe technique that provides a 3-D image with elemental composition of the material under interrogation, and so occupies a unique niche in the interrogation of unknown objects. The highly penetrating nature of neutrons enables API to provide detailed information about targets of interest that are hidden from view. Due to the isotropic nature of the induced reactions, radiation detectors can be set on the same side of the object as the neutron source, so that the object can be interrogated from a single side. At the heat of the system is a small generator that produces a continuous, monoenergetic flux of neutrons. By measuring the trajectory of coincident alpha particles that are produced as part of the process, the trajectory of the neutron can be inferred. Interactions between a neutron and the material in its path often produce a gamma ray whose energy is characteristic of that material. When the gamma ray is detected, its energy is measured and combined with the trajectory information to produce a 3-D image of the composition of the object being interrogated. During the course of API development, a number of improvements have been made. A new, more rugged sealed Tube Neutron Generator (STNG) has been designed and fabricated that is less susceptible to radiation damage and better able to withstand the rigors of fielding than earlier designs. A specialized high-voltage power supply for the STNG has also been designed and built. A complete package of software has been written for the tasks of system calibration, diagnostics and data acquisition and analysis. A portable system has been built and field tested, proving that API can be taken out of the lab and into real-world situations, and that its performance in the field is equal to that in the lab

Uncovering the immune responses of Apis mellifera ligustica larval gut to Ascosphaera apis infection utilizing transcriptome sequencing.

Science.gov (United States)

Chen, Dafu; Guo, Rui; Xu, Xijian; Xiong, Cuiling; Liang, Qin; Zheng, Yanzhen; Luo, Qun; Zhang, Zhaonan; Huang, Zhijian; Kumar, Dhiraj; Xi, Weijun; Zou, Xuan; Liu, Min

2017-07-20

Honeybees are susceptible to a variety of diseases, including chalkbrood, which is capable of causing huge losses of both the number of bees and colony productivity. This research is designed to characterize the transcriptome profiles of Ascosphaera apis-treated and un-treated larval guts of Apis mellifera ligustica in an attempt to unravel the molecular mechanism underlying the immune responses of western honeybee larval guts to mycosis. In this study, 24, 296 and 2157 genes were observed to be differentially expressed in A. apis-treated Apis mellifera (4-, 5- and 6-day-old) compared with un-treated larval guts. Moreover, the expression patterns of differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were examined via trend analysis, and subsequently, gene ontology analysis and KEGG pathway enrichment analysis were conducted for DEGs involved in up- and down-regulated profiles. Immunity-related pathways were selected for further analysis, and our results demonstrated that a total of 13 and 50 DEGs were annotated in the humoral immune-related and cellular immune-related pathways, respectively. Additionally, we observed that many DEGs up-regulated in treated guts were part of cellular immune pathways, such as the lysosome, ubiquitin mediated proteolysis, and insect hormone biosynthesis pathways and were induced by A. apis invasion. However, more down-regulated DEGs were restrained. Surprisingly, a majority of DEGs within the Toll-like receptor signaling pathway, and the MAPK signaling pathway were up-regulated in treated guts, while all but two genes involved in the NF-κB signaling pathway were down-regulated, which suggested that most genes involved in humoral immune-related pathways were activated in response to the invasive fungal pathogen. This study's findings provide valuable information regarding the investigation of the molecular mechanism of immunity defenses of A. m. ligustica larval guts to infection with A. apis. Furthermore, these studies lay the groundwork for

Domestic R&D and Offshoring

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Junge, Martin; Sørensen, Anders

2017-01-01

survey and register data. No evidence is found for a lower probability of own R&D after offshoring takes place compared to before. Moreover, offshoring does not lead to lower R&D intensity in general. However, firms that offshore R&D activity have larger R&D intensity after offshoring has taken place...

Current trends in offshore technology

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Korsgaard, J.

1994-01-01

Although this is a technical symposium concerning advances in the technology of producing oil and gas offshore, a keynote address would not be complete without mentioning non-technical factors which are extremely important for the business of producing oil and gas offshore. These are political factors and economic factors. Offshore operations are an easy target for political forces that are opposed to marine operations involving the production and transfer of hydrocarbons. For example, the oil pollution act of 1990 was a reaction to the Exxon Valdez grounding in Alaska and this act has added significantly to the risk and cost of operating offshore. Another example of this is that it is becoming more and more difficult to dispose of produced water offshore. Producing oil and gas offshore is a business that competes with other energy sources such as coal and oil and gas from wells on land. The offshore oil can only compete with these other resources by providing the same product at a competitive price. Since offshore operations are inherently more costly than land operations, the offshore oil field or gas field must be significantly larger than a land field in order to be produced. Also the offshore oil field or gas field is more susceptible to environmental risks from weather. On a more positive note, there are technical developments which are taking place and have continuously taken place to make offshore oil and gas both more economic and safer to produce. These developments are briefly discussed

GIANT API: an application programming interface for functional genomics.

Science.gov (United States)

Roberts, Andrew M; Wong, Aaron K; Fisk, Ian; Troyanskaya, Olga G

2016-07-08

GIANT API provides biomedical researchers programmatic access to tissue-specific and global networks in humans and model organisms, and associated tools, which includes functional re-prioritization of existing genome-wide association study (GWAS) data. Using tissue-specific interaction networks, researchers are able to predict relationships between genes specific to a tissue or cell lineage, identify the changing roles of genes across tissues and uncover disease-gene associations. Additionally, GIANT API enables computational tools like NetWAS, which leverages tissue-specific networks for re-prioritization of GWAS results. The web services covered by the API include 144 tissue-specific functional gene networks in human, global functional networks for human and six common model organisms and the NetWAS method. GIANT API conforms to the REST architecture, which makes it stateless, cacheable and highly scalable. It can be used by a diverse range of clients including web browsers, command terminals, programming languages and standalone apps for data analysis and visualization. The API is freely available for use at http://giant-api.princeton.edu. © The Author(s) 2016. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of Nucleic Acids Research.

Offshoring and International Competitiveness

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Ørberg Jensen, Peter D.; Pedersen, Torben

2012-01-01

During the past decade, offshoring has become an established business practice. Yet it is still more common to offshore less advanced tasks compared with offshoring more advanced tasks, i.e., tasks closer to the core activities of the firm. The latter is a new phenomenon which raises many new iss...

Building API manufacturing in South Africa

CSIR Research Space (South Africa)

Loots, Glaudina

2017-10-01

Full Text Available projects) Challenges • Lack of relevant skills – process chemistry, process engineering (cGMP standards), project engineering, project management, process operations, maintenance and process quality control and assurance. – platform for skills... development - to enable a sustained pipeline of multidisciplinary skills for the envisaged API industry expansion. – entrepreneurial thinking – attract young talent in establishing niche businesses within the API manufacturing sector. • Small local...

The API petroassist network

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Boortz, M.J.; Jardim, G.M.; Horn, S.A.; Disbennett, D.B.

1993-01-01

Past spill responses, such as those in the Exxon Valdez and American Trader incidents, demonstrated the value of companies volunteering their in-house experts and local knowledge to help other companies in spill response. The American Petroleum Institute (API) formed the PetroAssist Network to provide a means for oil companies to readily gain access to the expertise and communications equipment of other oil companies when needed for spill responses. An API work group developed the PetroAssist Network legal agreement and management and activation procedures. To minimize red tape and reduce the burden on members, existing systems were used whenever possible. The network became operational on January 1, 1992, with more than 40 members

Persistent organic pollutants in red-crowned cranes (Grus japonensis) from Hokkaido, Japan.

Science.gov (United States)

Kakimoto, Kensaku; Akutsu, Kazuhiko; Nagayoshi, Haruna; Konishi, Yoshimasa; Kajimura, Keiji; Tsukue, Naomi; Yoshino, Tomoo; Matsumoto, Fumio; Nakano, Takeshi; Tang, Ning; Hayakawa, Kazuichi; Toriba, Akira

2018-01-01

The red-crowned crane (Grus japonensis) from eastern Hokkaido is classified as a Special Natural Monument in Japan. In this study, we determined the concentrations of persistent organic pollutants (POPs) in red-crowned crane muscle tissues (n = 47). Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) had the highest median concentration (240ng/g lipid weight), followed by dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane and its metabolites (DDTs) (150ng/g lipid weight), chlordane-related compounds (CHLs) (36ng/g lipid weight), hexachlorobenzene (HCB) (16ng/g lipid weight), hexachlorocyclohexanes (HCHs) (4.4ng/g lipid weight), polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) (1.8ng/g lipid weight), and finally, Mirex (1.5ng/g lipid weight). Additionally, a positive correlation was found among POP concentrations. No sex differences beyond body parameters were observed. Additionally, red-crowned cranes exhibited a high enantiomeric excess of (+)-alpha-HCH, with enantiomer fractions varying from 0.51 to 0.87 (average: 0.69). Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Offshore Transmission Technology

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

2012-10-15

The purpose of this document is to give an overview of offshore electricity transmission technologies. In particular this document is concerned with the use of High Voltage Direct Current (HVDC) systems and more specifically with the development of Voltage Source Converter (VSC) technology. This report outlines the current state of the main technology groups required for offshore HVDC transmission as well as giving examples of offshore projects (both current and future). Finally some indications of likely unit costs for HV assets are given.

Sandhill crane abundance and nesting ecology at Grays Lake, Idaho

Science.gov (United States)

Austin, J.E.; Henry, A.R.; Ball, I.J.

2007-01-01

We examined population size and factors influencing nest survival of greater sandhill cranes (Grus canadensis tabida) at Grays Lake National Wildlife Refuge, Idaho, USA, during 1997-2000. Average local population of cranes from late April to early May, 1998-2000, was 735 cranes, 34% higher than that reported for May 1970-1971. We estimated 228 (SE = 30) nests in the basin core (excluding renests), 14% higher than a 1971 estimate. Apparent nest success in our study (x?? = 60%, n = 519 nests) was lower than reported for Grays Lake 30-50 years earlier. Daily survival rates (DSRs) of all nests averaged 0.9707 (41.2%). The best model explaining nest survival included year and water depth and their interaction. Nest survival was highest (DSR = 0.9827) in 1998 compared with other years (0.9698-0.9707). Nest survival changed little relative to water depth in 1998, when flooding was extensive and alternative prey (microtines) irrupted, but declined markedly with lower water levels in 2000, the driest year studied. Hypotheses relating nest survival to vegetation height, land use (idle, summer grazing, fall grazing), and date were not supported. In a before-after-control-impact design using 12 experimental fields, nest survival differed among years but not among management treatments (idle, fall graze, fall burn, and summer-graze-idle rotation), nor was there an interaction between year and treatments. However, DSRs in fall-burn fields declined from 0.9781 in 1997-1998 to 0.9503 in 1999-2000 (posttreatment). Changes in the predator community have likely contributed to declines in nest success since the 1950s and 1970s. Our results did not support earlier concerns about effects of habitat management practices on crane productivity. Nest survival could best be enhanced by managing spring water levels. Managers should continue censuses during late April to evaluate long-term relationships to habitat conditions and management.

HARDENING OF CRANE RAILS BY PLASMA DISCRETE-TIME SURFACE TREATMENT

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

S. S. Samotugin

2017-01-01

Full Text Available Crane wheels and rails are subjected to intensive wear in the process of operation. Therefore, improvement of these components’ performance can be considered a task of high importance. A promising direction in this regard is surface treatment by highly concentrated energy flows such as laser beams or plasma jets. This thesis suggests that the use of gradient plasma surface treatment can improve the performance of crane rails. A research was conducted, according to which hardened zones were deposited on crane rails under different treatment modes. Microhardness was measured both at the surface and in depth using custom-made microsections. The article includes the results of study of plasma surface hardening effects on wear resistance of crane rails. Change of plasma surface treatment parameters (current, plasma torch movement speed, argon gas flow rate allows for desired steel hardness and structure, while the choice of optimal location for hardened zones makes it possible to significantly improve wear resistance and crack resistance. As a result of plasma surface hardening, the fine-grained martensite structure is obtained with mainly lamellar morphology and higher hardness rate compared toinduction hardening or overlaying. Wear test of carbon steels revealed that plasma surfacing reduces abrasive wear rate compared to the irinitial state by 2 to 3 times. Enough sharp boundary between hardened and non-hardened portions has a positive effect on the performance of parts under dynamic loads, contributing to the inhibition of cracks during the transition from solid to a soft metal. For carbon and low alloy rail steels, the properties achieved by plasma surface hardening can effectively replace induction hardening or overlaying.The mode range for plasma surface treatment that allow sobtaining a surface layer with certain operating properties has been determined.

Outsourcing software development offshore making IT work

CERN Document Server

Gold, Tandy

2004-01-01

THE OFFSHORE IMPERATIVECrunching the Offshore Numbers: What the Financials PortendWelcome to the Definitive Guide on Offshore OutsourcingSetting the Stage: The Compelling Offshore StoryOffshore Outsourcing versus Traditional IT OutsourcingChallenges of Offshore OutsourcingChapter SummaryGetting Started in OffshoreExecutive Support and Communications: The Key to SuccessA Look at an Example of Enlightened Leadership: Handling Employee Impact at a Northeast Utilities CompanyWell-Planned and Executed Communications: A Critical Success Factor for Offshore Program InitiationEstablishing the Offshore

Stress Analysis of Boom of Special Mobile Crane for Plain Region in Transmission Line

Science.gov (United States)

Qin, Jian; Shao, Tao; Chen, Jun; Wan, Jiancheng; Li, Zhonghuan; Jiang, Ming

2017-10-01

Basis of the boom force analysis of special mobile crane for plain region in transmission line, the load type of boom design is confirmed. According to the different combinations of boom sections, the composite pattern of the different boom length is obtained to suit the actual conditions of boom overlapping. The large deformation model is employed with FEM to simulate the stress distribution of boom, and the calculation results are checked. The performance curves of rated load with different arm length and different working range are obtained, which ensures the lifting capacity of special mobile crane meeting the requirement of tower erection of transmission line. The proposed FEM of boom of mobile crane would provide certain guiding and reference to the boom design.

Offshore wind energy prospects

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gaudiosi, Gaetano

1999-01-01

In last two years offshore wind energy is becoming a focal point of national and non national organisations particularly after the limitations of fossil fuel consumption, adopted by many developed countries after Kyoto conference at the end of 1997 on global climate change. North Europe is particularly interested in offshore for the limited land areas still available, due to the intensive use of its territory and its today high wind capacity. Really the total wind capacity in Europe could increase from the 1997 value of 4450 MW up to 40 000 MW within 2010, according the White Paper 1997 of the European Commission; a significant percentage (25%) could be sited offshore up to 10 000 MW, because of close saturation of the land sites at that time. World wind capacity could increase from the 1997 value of 7200 MW up to 60 000 MW within 2010 with a good percentage (20%) offshore 12 000 MW. In last seven years wind capacity in shallow water of coastal areas has reached 34 MW. Five wind farms are functioning in the internal seas of Netherlands, Denmark, Sweden; however such siting is mostly to be considered as semi-offshore condition. Wind farms in real offshore sites, open seas with waves and water depth over 10 m, are now proposed in North Sea at 10-20 km off the coasts of Netherlands, Denmark using large size wind turbine (1-2 MW). In 1997 an offshore proposal was supported in Netherlands by Greenpeace after the OWEMES '97 seminar, held in Italy on offshore wind in the spring 1997. A review is presented in the paper of European offshore wind programs with trends in technology, economics and siting effects. (Author)

Technical analysis of magneto-inductive crane cables in nuclear power plants. Application crane Cofrentes Nuclear Power Plant

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gavilan Moreno, C. J.

2010-01-01

In 2009, the Cofrentes Nuclear Power Plant made a study about crane inspection techniques available on the market and other industries. The result was the location of the magneto-inductive technique inspection. Its use provides an objective assessment of the resistant section and; through these data; it could be made calculations as the maximum voltage allowed. Therefore, the technique is proven and available to all nuclear power plants.

The Ruby UCSC API: accessing the UCSC genome database using Ruby.

Science.gov (United States)

Mishima, Hiroyuki; Aerts, Jan; Katayama, Toshiaki; Bonnal, Raoul J P; Yoshiura, Koh-ichiro

2012-09-21

The University of California, Santa Cruz (UCSC) genome database is among the most used sources of genomic annotation in human and other organisms. The database offers an excellent web-based graphical user interface (the UCSC genome browser) and several means for programmatic queries. A simple application programming interface (API) in a scripting language aimed at the biologist was however not yet available. Here, we present the Ruby UCSC API, a library to access the UCSC genome database using Ruby. The API is designed as a BioRuby plug-in and built on the ActiveRecord 3 framework for the object-relational mapping, making writing SQL statements unnecessary. The current version of the API supports databases of all organisms in the UCSC genome database including human, mammals, vertebrates, deuterostomes, insects, nematodes, and yeast.The API uses the bin index-if available-when querying for genomic intervals. The API also supports genomic sequence queries using locally downloaded *.2bit files that are not stored in the official MySQL database. The API is implemented in pure Ruby and is therefore available in different environments and with different Ruby interpreters (including JRuby). Assisted by the straightforward object-oriented design of Ruby and ActiveRecord, the Ruby UCSC API will facilitate biologists to query the UCSC genome database programmatically. The API is available through the RubyGem system. Source code and documentation are available at https://github.com/misshie/bioruby-ucsc-api/ under the Ruby license. Feedback and help is provided via the website at http://rubyucscapi.userecho.com/.

The Ruby UCSC API: accessing the UCSC genome database using Ruby

Science.gov (United States)

2012-01-01

Background The University of California, Santa Cruz (UCSC) genome database is among the most used sources of genomic annotation in human and other organisms. The database offers an excellent web-based graphical user interface (the UCSC genome browser) and several means for programmatic queries. A simple application programming interface (API) in a scripting language aimed at the biologist was however not yet available. Here, we present the Ruby UCSC API, a library to access the UCSC genome database using Ruby. Results The API is designed as a BioRuby plug-in and built on the ActiveRecord 3 framework for the object-relational mapping, making writing SQL statements unnecessary. The current version of the API supports databases of all organisms in the UCSC genome database including human, mammals, vertebrates, deuterostomes, insects, nematodes, and yeast. The API uses the bin index—if available—when querying for genomic intervals. The API also supports genomic sequence queries using locally downloaded *.2bit files that are not stored in the official MySQL database. The API is implemented in pure Ruby and is therefore available in different environments and with different Ruby interpreters (including JRuby). Conclusions Assisted by the straightforward object-oriented design of Ruby and ActiveRecord, the Ruby UCSC API will facilitate biologists to query the UCSC genome database programmatically. The API is available through the RubyGem system. Source code and documentation are available at https://github.com/misshie/bioruby-ucsc-api/ under the Ruby license. Feedback and help is provided via the website at http://rubyucscapi.userecho.com/. PMID:22994508

The Ruby UCSC API: accessing the UCSC genome database using Ruby

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mishima Hiroyuki

2012-09-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background The University of California, Santa Cruz (UCSC genome database is among the most used sources of genomic annotation in human and other organisms. The database offers an excellent web-based graphical user interface (the UCSC genome browser and several means for programmatic queries. A simple application programming interface (API in a scripting language aimed at the biologist was however not yet available. Here, we present the Ruby UCSC API, a library to access the UCSC genome database using Ruby. Results The API is designed as a BioRuby plug-in and built on the ActiveRecord 3 framework for the object-relational mapping, making writing SQL statements unnecessary. The current version of the API supports databases of all organisms in the UCSC genome database including human, mammals, vertebrates, deuterostomes, insects, nematodes, and yeast. The API uses the bin index—if available—when querying for genomic intervals. The API also supports genomic sequence queries using locally downloaded *.2bit files that are not stored in the official MySQL database. The API is implemented in pure Ruby and is therefore available in different environments and with different Ruby interpreters (including JRuby. Conclusions Assisted by the straightforward object-oriented design of Ruby and ActiveRecord, the Ruby UCSC API will facilitate biologists to query the UCSC genome database programmatically. The API is available through the RubyGem system. Source code and documentation are available at https://github.com/misshie/bioruby-ucsc-api/ under the Ruby license. Feedback and help is provided via the website at http://rubyucscapi.userecho.com/.

Development of Measurement Device of Working Radius of Crane Based on Single CCD Camera and Laser Range Finder

Science.gov (United States)

Nara, Shunsuke; Takahashi, Satoru

In this paper, what we want to do is to develop an observation device to measure the working radius of a crane truck. The device has a single CCD camera, a laser range finder and two AC servo motors. First, in order to measure the working radius, we need to consider algorithm of a crane hook recognition. Then, we attach the cross mark on the crane hook. Namely, instead of the crane hook, we try to recognize the cross mark. Further, for the observation device, we construct PI control system with an extended Kalman filter to track the moving cross mark. Through experiments, we show the usefulness of our device including new control system of mark tracking.

GIBS API for Developers

Data.gov (United States)

National Aeronautics and Space Administration — API using Global Imagery Browse Services (GIBS) designed to deliver global, full-resolution satellite imagery to users in a highly responsive manner, enabling...

Single-failure-proof cranes for nuclear power plants

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Porse, L.

1979-05-01

NRC has licensed reactors on the basis that the safe handling of critical loads can be accomplished by adding safety features to the handling equipment, by adding special features to the structures and areas over which the critical load is carried, or by a combination of the two. When reliance for the safe handling of critical loads is placed on the crane system itself, the system should be designed so that a single failure will not result in the loss of the capability of the system to safely retain the load. Features of the design, fabrication, installation, inspection, testing, and operation of single-failure-proof overhead crane handling systems that are used for handling critical loads are identified. These features are limited to the hoisting system and to braking systems for trolley and bridge. Other load-bearing items such as girders should be conservatively designed but need not be considered single failure proof

Windows API funkcijų sekų perėmimo bibliotekų tyrimas Windows API Hooking Libraries Research

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Lukas Radvilavičius

2011-08-01

Full Text Available

Nagrinėjamos bibliotekos, skirtos Windows API funkcijų sekų perėmimui. Sekų perėmimas gali būti panaudojamas įvairiose srityse: siekiant išsiaiškinti operacinės sistemos veikimo principus, norint atlikti programos derinimą arba pridėti papildomą funkcionalumą prie jau esamo. Straipsnyje apžvelgiamos Windows API ir pateikiamos trečiųjų šalių priemonės funkcijų sekoms  perimti. Aptariamos jų teikiamos galimybės, panaudojimo specifika. Taip pat atlikti testai, siekiant išsiaiškinti, kuri biblioteka su užduotimis susitvarko greičiausiai. Tyrimui pasirinkti du nemokami gaminiai: Microsoft Detours ir EasyHook bibliotekos.

Straipsnis lietuvių kalba

The paper describes methods how to apply Windows API hooking with third party libraries and solutions. In this research were used Windows API function SetWindowsHookEx, Detours and EasyHook libraries. Libraries methods, features and advantages were discussed in this paper. The practical part contains libraries tests. In analysis we tested target program start with hooking library and injected function call.

Article in Lithuanian

Authorization Basis Safety Classification of Transfer Bay Bridge Crane at the 105-K Basins

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

CHAFFEE, G.A.

2000-01-01

This supporting document provides the bases for the safety classification for the K Basin transfer bay bridge crane and the bases for the Structures, Systems, and Components (SSC) safety classification. A table is presented that delineates the safety significant components. This safety classification is based on a review of the Authorization Basis (AB). This Authorization Basis review was performed regarding AB and design baseline issues. The primary issues are: (1) What is the AB for the safety classification of the transfer bay bridge crane? (2) What does the SSC safety classification ''Safety Significant'' or ''Safety Significant for Design Only'' mean for design requirements and quality requirements for procurement, installation and maintenance (including replacement of parts) activities for the crane during its expected life time? The AB information on the crane was identified based on review of Department of Energy--Richland Office (RL) and Spent Nuclear Fuel (SNF) Project correspondence, K Basin Safety Analysis Report (SAR) and RL Safety Evaluation Reports (SERs) of SNF Project SAR submittals. The relevant correspondence, actions and activities taken and substantive directions or conclusions of these documents are provided in Appendix A

Decontamination of a canyon crane at the Savannah River Plant

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Stevenson, D.A.; Moore, D.B.; Bowers, J.W.; Brown, D.L.

1985-01-01

Decontamination of the crane is reviewed in terms of the health physics aspects, controls during decontamination efforts, and the resultant radiation exposure rates for decontamination efforts. 17 figs.,

Coming 5th Edition of the API Standard 618: major changes compared to the API 618, 4th edition

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Pyle, A.; Eijk, A.; Elferink, H.

2003-01-01

This paper will present the highlights of changes that will be found in the 5th Edition of API 618, which is expected to be published in late 2003 or early 2004. Approximately every 5 years the API Standards are revised in such a way that the latest field experiences and proven designs are included

Assessing offshore wind potential

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Adelaja, Adesoji; McKeown, Charles; Calnin, Benjamin; Hailu, Yohannes

2012-01-01

Quantifying wind potential is a pivotal initial step in developing and articulating a state’s policies and strategies for offshore wind industry development. This is particularly important in the Great Lakes States where lessons from other offshore environments are not directly applicable. This paper presents the framework developed for conducting a preliminary assessment of offshore wind potential. Information on lake bathymetry and wind resources were combined in simulating alternative scenarios of technically feasible turbine construction depths and distance concerns by stakeholders. These yielded estimates of developable offshore wind areas and potential power generation. While concerns about the visibility of turbines from shore reduce the power that can be generated, engineering solutions that increase the depths at which turbines can be sited increase such potential power output. This paper discusses the costs associated with technical limitations on depth and the social costs related to public sentiments about distance from the shoreline, as well as the possible tradeoffs. The results point to a very large untapped energy resource in the Michigan’s Great Lakes, large enough to prompt policy action from the state government. - Highlights: ▶ We build a theoretical framework for modeling offshore wind power production. ▶ Illustration of the impact of technology and social limitations on offshore wind energy development. ▶ Geospatial modeling of the offshore wind potential of the Great Lakes.

Prevalence and genetic characterization of eimeriid coccidia from feces of black-necked cranes, Grus nigricollis.

Science.gov (United States)

Liang, Yu; Zhao, ZiJiao; Hu, JunJie; Esch, Gerald W; Peng, MingChun; Liu, Qiong; Chen, JinQing

2018-03-01

Disseminated visceral coccidiosis (DVC) is a widely distributed intestinal and extraintestinal disease of cranes caused by eimeriid coccidia and has lethal pathogenicity to several crane species. Here, feces of 164 black-necked cranes collected in Dashanbao Black-necked Crane National Nature Reserve, China, were examined to determine the prevalence of coccidial oocysts. Of the 164 fecal samples, 76 (46.3%) were positive for oocysts of Eimeria, including E. gruis in 59 (35.9%), E. reichenowi in 52 (31.7%), and E. bosquei in 47 (28.7%) by microscopic observation. Sixty-eight (89.5%) of these positive samples included two or more morphologically identifiable species of Eimeria. The nearly full length 18S rRNA gene (18S rRNA; about 1.8 kb) and partial mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase I gene (COX1; about 1.3 kb) from oocysts of each morphologically distinct species of Eimeria were amplified, sequenced, and analyzed. BLAST searches using these new 18S rRNA sequences for E. gruis, E. reichenowi, or E. bosquei showed the most similar sequences were those of E. gruis (98.7-99.7% identity), E. reichenowi (97.9-100% identity), or E. gruis (98.6-99.6% identity) isolated from different species of Grus. BLAST searches using the new COX1 sequences for the three species of Eimeria showed that no nucleotide sequences of Eimeria and Isospora coccidia in GenBank have more than 83.0% identity with these species. Identities among the new COX1 sequences were 91.8% for E. gruis and E. reichenowi, 94.5% for E. gruis and E. bosquei, and 91.3% for E. reichenowi and E. bosquei. Phylogenetic analysis based on 18S rRNA or COX1 sequences indicated that Eimeria spp. in black-necked cranes were clustered together with other previously identified Eimeria species from different cranes.

Wind energy in offshore grids

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Schröder, Sascha Thorsten

special characteristics of offshore grids. With an operational real options approach, it is furthermore illustrated how different support schemes and connections to additional countries affect the investment case of an offshore wind farm and the income of the transmission system operator. The investment...... and investment implications under different regulatory frameworks are a hitherto underrepresented research field. They are addressed by this thesis. Offshore grids between several countries combine the absorption of wind energy with international power trading. However, the inclusion into an offshore grid......This cumulative PhD thesis deals with wind integration in offshore grids from an economic point of view. It is composed of a generic part and eight papers. As the topic has mostly been analysed with a focus on topology and technical issues until now, market-operational questions in offshore grids...

The Hidden Costs of Offshoring

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Møller Larsen, Marcus; Manning, Stephan; Pedersen, Torben

2011-01-01

of offshoring. Specifically, we propose that hidden costs can be explained by the combination of increasing structural, operational and social complexity of offshoring activities. In addition, we suggest that firm orientation towards organizational design as part of an offshoring strategy and offshoring......This study seeks to explain hidden costs of offshoring, i.e. unexpected costs resulting from the relocation of business tasks and activities outside the home country. We develop a model that highlights the role of complexity, design orientation and experience in explaining hidden costs...... experience moderate the relationship between complexity and hidden costs negatively i.e. reduces the cost generating impact of complexity. We develop three hypotheses and test them on comprehensive data from the Offshoring Research Network (ORN). In general, we find support for our hypotheses. A key result...

Offshore Wind Energy Market Overview (Presentation)

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Baring-Gould, I.

2013-07-01

This presentation describes the current international market conditions regarding offshore wind, including the breakdown of installation costs, how to reduce costs, and the physical siting considerations considered when planning offshore wind construction. The presentation offers several examples of international existing and planned offshore wind farm sites and compares existing international offshore resources with U.S. resources. The presentation covers future offshore wind trends and cites some challenges that the United States must overcome before it will be able to fully develop offshore wind sites.

Spring migration ecology of the mid-continent sandhill crane population with an emphasis on use of the Central Platte River Valley, Nebraska

Science.gov (United States)

Krapu, Gary L.; Brandt, David A.; Kinzel, Paul J.; Pearse, Aaron T.

2014-01-01

We conducted a 10-year study (1998–2007) of the Mid-Continent Population (MCP) of sandhill cranes (Grus canadensis) to identify spring-migration corridors, locations of major stopovers, and migration chronology by crane breeding affiliation (western Alaska–Siberia [WA–S], northern Canada–Nunavut [NC–N], west-central Canada–Alaska [WC–A], and east-central Canada–Minnesota [EC–M]). In the Central Platte River Valley (CPRV) of Nebraska, we evaluated factors influencing staging chronology, food habits, fat storage, and habitat use of sandhill cranes. We compared our findings to results from the Platte River Ecology Study conducted during 1978–1980. We determined spring migration corridors used by the breeding affiliations (designated subpopulations for management purposes) by monitoring 169 cranes marked with platform transmitter terminals (PTTs). We also marked and monitored 456 cranes in the CPRV with very high frequency (VHF) transmitters to evaluate length and pattern of stay, habitat use, and movements. An estimated 42% and 58% of cranes staging in the CPRV were greater sandhill cranes (G. c. tabida) and lesser sandhill cranes (G. c. canadensis), and they stayed for an average of 20 and 25 days (2000–2007), respectively. Cranes from the WA–S, NC–N, WC–A, and EC–M affiliations spent an average of 72, 77, 52, and 53 days, respectively, in spring migration of which 28, 23, 24, and 18 days occurred in the CPRV. The majority of the WA–S subpopulation settled in the CPRV apparently because of inadequate habitat to support more birds upstream, although WA–S cranes accounted for >90% of birds staging in the North Platte River Valley. Crane staging duration in the CPRV was negatively correlated with arrival dates; 92% of cranes stayed >7 days. A program of annual mechanical removal of mature stands of woody growth and seedlings that began in the early 1980s primarily in the main channel of the Platte River has allowed distribution of crane

Offshore investments-cui prodis? Schrodinger's cat in offshore financing: Both alive and dead

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Stepuk Anna

2014-01-01

Full Text Available Trends of FDI in offshore tax havens were compared to efforts and efficiency of regulatory authorities to prevent money laundering. Based on available data it was stated that current position in offshore FDI stays alive and officially dead at the same time, keeping the balance of interests for the main stakeholders: corporations, authorities and financial institutes support further offshore investments. Analysis based on volumes of trade and financial transactions between offshore centers, developed and developing countries. As a result withdrawal of financial resources from the developing countries degrades social capital funding and supports corruption growth.

Application of the Dahl friction model in the dynamics analysis of grab cranes

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Urbaś A.

2016-01-01

Full Text Available The paper presents dynamics analysis of grab cranes. The cranes can be built out of any number of links, however, only selected links have their own drive that is considered in the flexible form. The cranes are mounted to the ground by means of any number of flexible supports. Joint coordinates and homogeneous transformation matrices are used to describe the cranes’ geometry. Equations of motion are derived using Lagrange equations. Friction phenomenon is taken into account in all joints. The joint forces and torques used to calculate friction torques in the revolute joints and friction forces in the prismatic joints are determined using the recursive Newton-Euler algorithm. Models of revolute and prismatic joints are worked out. Friction coefficients are defined using the Dahl friction model. The results of numerical calculations present the influence of friction on the driving torques, force and behaviour of the load.

Optimization of the box-girder of overhead crane with constrained ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

haroun

Keywords: Overhead crane - Box-girder - New bat algorithm - level of ... much more efficiency and robustness compared to the genetic algorithm (GA) and PSO ...... optimization: developments, applications and resources," in Evolutionary.

Overview of Crane Control Systems and the Related Problems: Analysis of Container Oscillation Using Different Types of Cargoes

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Tomas Eglynas

2016-04-01

Full Text Available Growing international trading increased cargo transportation in containers, therefore the port cranes have higher loads. Increased cargo flows can influence transportation safety. It is therefore necessary to review the crane systems and determine what factors might influence the volatility of the container and its cargo during transportation. The paper includes consideration and analysis of crane control systems and related problems. The authors consider the reasons of problems, probable damage and solution methods. The paper also provides the analysis of the relationship between different container cargoes and container oscillations occurring during handling operations using a container crane prototype. The analysis of the effect of different cargoes in containers on loading process and the results of occurring oscillations are presented.

Control system and method for payload control in mobile platform cranes

Science.gov (United States)

Robinett, III, Rush D.; Groom, Kenneth N.; Feddema, John T.; Parker, Gordon G.

2002-01-01

A crane control system and method provides a way to generate crane commands responsive to a desired payload motion to achieve substantially pendulation-free actual payload motion. The control system and method apply a motion compensator to maintain a payload in a defined payload configuration relative to an inertial coordinate frame. The control system and method can further comprise a pendulation damper controller to reduce an amount of pendulation between a sensed payload configuration and the defined payload configuration. The control system and method can further comprise a command shaping filter to filter out a residual payload pendulation frequency from the desired payload motion.

A Web API ecosystem through feature-based reuse

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Verborgh, Ruben; Dumontier, Michel

2016-01-01

The current Web API landscape does not scale well: every API requires its own hardcoded clients in an unusually short-lived, tightly coupled relationship of highly subjective quality. This directly leads to inflated development costs, and prevents the design of a more intelligent generation of

Multi-Objective Motion Control Optimization for the Bridge Crane System

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Renxin Xiao

2018-03-01

Full Text Available A novel control algorithm combining the linear quadratic regulator (LQR control and trajectory planning (TP is proposed for the control of an underactuated crane system, targeting position adjustment and swing suppression. The TP is employed to control the swing angle within certain constraints, and the LQR is applied to achieve anti-disturbance. In order to improve the accuracy of the position control, a differential-integral control loop is applied. The weighted LQR matrices representing priorities of the state variables for the bridge crane motion are searched by the multi-objective genetic algorithm (MOGA. The stability proof is provided in order to validate the effectiveness of the proposed algorithm. Numerous simulation and experimental validations justify the feasibility of the proposed method.

Practical Implementation of 10 Rules for Writing REST APIs

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jiri Hradil

2017-01-01

Full Text Available This paper shows a practical implementation of “10 Rules for Writing REST APIs introduced in the article” (Hradil, 2016. The application is done in Invoice Home (Wikilane, 2016, an invoicing web application for small business and entrepreneurs available world-wide. The API is implemented in JSON hypermedia format (ECMA International, 2016 and with Ruby on Rails framework (Hansson, 2016. The main purpose of the API is to allow connection of Invoice Home with external systems and offer Invoice Home data in simpler format compared to the current HTML format of the full-stack web application. The paper could be also used as a basic template or pattern for any other implementation of the JSON API in any web-based application.

Building Hypermedia APIs with HTML5 and Node

CERN Document Server

Amundsen, Mike

2011-01-01

With this concise book, you'll learn the art of building hypermedia APIs that don't simply run on the Web, but that actually exist in the Web. You'll start with the general principles and technologies behind this architectural approach, and then dive hands-on into three fully-functional API examples. Too many APIs rely on concepts rooted in desktop and local area network patterns that don't scale well-costly solutions that are difficult to maintain over time. This book shows system architects and web developers how to design and implement human- and machine-readable web services that remain

Pre-migratory congregations of Red-crowned (Grus japonensis, White-naped (G. vipio and Hooded (G. monacha cranes in the Muraviovka Park for Sustainable Land Use in 1992

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

P. I. Gorlov

2017-05-01

Full Text Available The autumn pre-migratory concentrations of Red-crowned, White-naped and Hooded Cranes were studied in the Muraviovka Park for Sustainable Land Use and Environmentla Education (Tambov District, Amur Region, Russian Federation during 23.08–29.09.1992. We counted 292 Hooded Cranes, 34 White-naped Cranes, and 17 Red-crowned Cranes during the study period. We also marked specific differences in the behaviour of the birds connected with their readiness for migration. The Hooded Cranes showed the greatest readiness for migration. We observed mutual flights, overnight stays, and feeding of adult birds and family groups in their flocks. This was not the same in the flocks of White-naped Cranes. However, the average number of birds in the flocks of White-naped Cranes had increased by the end of our observations due to new families joining the general flock. The family parties of the Red-crowned Crane and adult birds without young individuals stayed apart from each other and from other crane species during the whole observation period. We registered the autumn departure of Hooded Cranes in late September, the migratory departure of White-naped Cranes in the middle of October, and the Red-crowned Cranes left the area in the first half of November. The breeding period for all crane species starts at the same time: the third decade of April – the beginning of May. The young of the studied crane species differ significantly in the period of time before fledging: Hooded Cranes – 55–60 days, White-naped Cranes – 65–70 days, and Red-crowned Cranes – 70–75 days because of their specific differences in the ratio of size to weight (1 : 1.3 : 1.7. Thus, the time difference between the Hooded and Red-crowned Cranes is about 2–3 weeks. We suggest that this is the main reason that determines the differences between these species in the timing of the the start of autumn migration.

Simulation optimization based ant colony algorithm for the uncertain quay crane scheduling problem

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Naoufal Rouky

2019-01-01

Full Text Available This work is devoted to the study of the Uncertain Quay Crane Scheduling Problem (QCSP, where the loading /unloading times of containers and travel time of quay cranes are considered uncertain. The problem is solved with a Simulation Optimization approach which takes advantage of the great possibilities offered by the simulation to model the real details of the problem and the capacity of the optimization to find solutions with good quality. An Ant Colony Optimization (ACO meta-heuristic hybridized with a Variable Neighborhood Descent (VND local search is proposed to determine the assignments of tasks to quay cranes and the sequences of executions of tasks on each crane. Simulation is used inside the optimization algorithm to generate scenarios in agreement with the probabilities of the distributions of the uncertain parameters, thus, we carry out stochastic evaluations of the solutions found by each ant. The proposed optimization algorithm is tested first for the deterministic case on several well-known benchmark instances. Then, in the stochastic case, since no other work studied exactly the same problem with the same assumptions, the Simulation Optimization approach is compared with the deterministic version. The experimental results show that the optimization algorithm is competitive as compared to the existing methods and that the solutions found by the Simulation Optimization approach are more robust than those found by the optimization algorithm.

The geospatial data quality REST API for primary biodiversity data.

Science.gov (United States)

Otegui, Javier; Guralnick, Robert P

2016-06-01

We present a REST web service to assess the geospatial quality of primary biodiversity data. It enables access to basic and advanced functions to detect completeness and consistency issues as well as general errors in the provided record or set of records. The API uses JSON for data interchange and efficient parallelization techniques for fast assessments of large datasets. The Geospatial Data Quality API is part of the VertNet set of APIs. It can be accessed at http://api-geospatial.vertnet-portal.appspot.com/geospatial and is already implemented in the VertNet data portal for quality reporting. Source code is freely available under GPL license from http://www.github.com/vertnet/api-geospatial javier.otegui@gmail.com or rguralnick@flmnh.ufl.edu Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online. © The Author 2016. Published by Oxford University Press.

Offshoring research directions

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Velthuijsen, Hugo

2012-01-01

Outsourcing and offshoring provide companies with ways to achieve their business objectives better or more cost effectively or despite a shortage of specific resources. From a research point of view, outsourcing and offshoring have mostly been studied as something that large companies do, not small

First Identification of Nosema Ceranae (Microsporidia Infecting Apis Mellifera in Venezuela

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Porrini Leonardo P.

2017-06-01

Full Text Available Nosema ceranae is a pathogen of Apis mellifera, which seems to have jumped from its original host Asiatic honey bee Apis ceranae. Nosemosis which affects the honey bee Apis mellifera is caused by two parasitic fungi described as etiologic agents of the disease. Nosema apis was the only microsporidian infection identified in A. mellifera until N. ceranae in Taiwan and Europe. Nosema spp. positive samples of adult worker bees from the Venezuelean state of Lara were determined through light microscopy of spores. Samples were then tested to determine Nosema species (N.apis/N.ceranae using previously reported PCR primers for the 16S rRNA gene. A multiplex PCR assay was used to differentiate both N. apis and N. ceranae species. Only N. ceranae was found in the analyzed samples and the percentage of infected foragers fluctuated between 18% and 60%.

Development of remote crane system for use inside small argon hot-cell

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Lee, Jong Kwang; Park, Byung Suk; Yu, Seung-Nam; Kim, Kiho; Cho, Ilje [Nuclear Fuel Cycle Process Technology Development Division, Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute, Daejeon (Korea, Republic of)

2013-07-01

In this paper, we describe the design of a novel crane system for the use in a small argon hot-cell where only a pair of master-slave manipulators (MSM) is available for the remote maintenance of the crane. To increase the remote maintainability in the space-limited environment, we devised a remote actuation mechanism in which electrical parts consisting of a servo-motor, a position sensor, and two limit switches located inside the workspace of the MSM transmit power to the mechanical parts located in the ceiling. Even though the design concept does not provide thoroughly sufficient solution because the mechanical parts are placed out of the MSM's workspace, the durability of mechanical parts can be easily increased if they have a high safety margin. Therefore, the concept may be one of the best solutions for our special crane system. In addition, we developed a servo-control system based on absolute positioning technology; therefore, it is possible for us to perform the given tasks more safely through an automatic operation. (authors)

National Offshore Wind Energy Grid Interconnection Study

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Daniel, John P. [ABB Inc; Liu, Shu [ABB Inc; Ibanez, Eduardo [National Renewable Energy Laboratory; Pennock, Ken [AWS Truepower; Reed, Greg [University of Pittsburgh; Hanes, Spencer [Duke Energy

2014-07-30

The National Offshore Wind Energy Grid Interconnection Study (NOWEGIS) considers the availability and potential impacts of interconnecting large amounts of offshore wind energy into the transmission system of the lower 48 contiguous United States. A total of 54GW of offshore wind was assumed to be the target for the analyses conducted. A variety of issues are considered including: the anticipated staging of offshore wind; the offshore wind resource availability; offshore wind energy power production profiles; offshore wind variability; present and potential technologies for collection and delivery of offshore wind energy to the onshore grid; potential impacts to existing utility systems most likely to receive large amounts of offshore wind; and regulatory influences on offshore wind development. The technologies considered the reliability of various high-voltage ac (HVAC) and high-voltage dc (HVDC) technology options and configurations. The utility system impacts of GW-scale integration of offshore wind are considered from an operational steady-state perspective and from a regional and national production cost perspective.

NSLS-II High Level Application Infrastructure And Client API Design

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Shen, G.; Yang, L.; Shroff, K.

2011-01-01

The beam commissioning software framework of NSLS-II project adopts a client/server based architecture to replace the more traditional monolithic high level application approach. It is an open structure platform, and we try to provide a narrow API set for client application. With this narrow API, existing applications developed in different language under different architecture could be ported to our platform with small modification. This paper describes system infrastructure design, client API and system integration, and latest progress. As a new 3rd generation synchrotron light source with ultra low emittance, there are new requirements and challenges to control and manipulate the beam. A use case study and a theoretical analysis have been performed to clarify requirements and challenges to the high level applications (HLA) software environment. To satisfy those requirements and challenges, adequate system architecture of the software framework is critical for beam commissioning, study and operation. The existing traditional approaches are self-consistent, and monolithic. Some of them have adopted a concept of middle layer to separate low level hardware processing from numerical algorithm computing, physics modelling, data manipulating, plotting, and error handling. However, none of the existing approaches can satisfy the requirement. A new design has been proposed by introducing service oriented architecture technology. The HLA is combination of tools for accelerator physicists and operators, which is same as traditional approach. In NSLS-II, they include monitoring applications and control routines. Scripting environment is very important for the later part of HLA and both parts are designed based on a common set of APIs. Physicists and operators are users of these APIs, while control system engineers and a few accelerator physicists are the developers of these APIs. With our Client/Server mode based approach, we leave how to retrieve information to the

Accurate analysis of prevalence of coccidiosis in individually identified wild cranes in inhabiting and migrating populations in Japan.

Science.gov (United States)

Honma, Hajime; Suyama, Yoshihisa; Watanabe, Yuki; Matsumoto, Fumio; Nakai, Yutaka

2011-11-01

Eimeria gruis and E. reichenowi cause coccidiosis, a major parasitic disease of cranes. By non-invasive molecular approaches, we investigated the prevalence and genetic characterization of pathogens in two Japanese crane habitats; one is Hokkaido inhabited by the endangered red-crowned crane, and the other is Izumi in Kyushu where populations that consist mainly of vulnerable hooded and white-naped cranes migrate in winter. The non-invasively collected faecal samples from each wintering population were first subjected to host genomic DNA-targeted analyses to determine the sample origin and avoid sample redundancy. Extremely high prevalence was observed in the Izumi populations (> 90%) compared with the Hokkaido population (18-30%) by examining 470 specimens by microscopy and PCR-based capillary electrophoresis (PCR-CE), using genetic markers in the second internal transcribed spacer (ITS2). Correspondence analysis of PCR-CE data revealed differences in community composition of coccidia between hooded and white-naped cranes. 18S rRNA and ITS2 sequences were determined from single oocysts excreted by red-crowned and hooded cranes. Phylogenetic analysis of 18S rRNA suggested that E. reichenowi was polyphyletic while E. gruis was monophyletic. Together with PCR-CE data, these results indicate different host specificity among the E. reichenowi type. Our data suggest that E. reichenowi comprises multiple species. © 2011 Society for Applied Microbiology and Blackwell Publishing Ltd.

Offshore concrete structures; Estructuras Offshore (mar adentro) de Hormigon

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Lamas Pardo, M.; Carral Couce, L. M.

2011-07-01

In the offshore industry there are two possible materials for the construction of the hull of a structure; the steel and concrete, with the first one widely used until now, as in the rest of the shipbuilding industry of merchant ships, warships, etc. Materials such as aluminum, GRP or timber areused in small units with lengths lower than 100 m, and in less adverse conditions than in the offshore industry. Nevertheless, some ships/barges have been built of concrete in the past, but have been rather isolated cases which have not changed the practice in the industry. In the First and Second World War were built by the scarcity of materials, while the series of barges by Alfred A. Yee was a rare exception. Other units were also made in concrete, but almost anecdotal. Still, the behaviour of these concrete structures, especially in terms of maintenance, has been excellent. Therefore, the fact that the concrete has not had an adequate reception so far in shipbuilding, does not mean that in will not be the material best suited for the offshore industry in the future. The extra displacement and associated fuel costs in concrete ships have been found prohibitive in the past. But the loss of mobility of a concrete hull in relation to a steel hull can be perfectly offset by the advantages offered by the concrete, as the shipping and offshore industry have very different priorities. One of the main differences in these priorities is in terms of maintenance and resistance to fatigue, precisely where the concrete performs better. ships can easily be dry docked for maintenance and repair, while in the offshore platforms these works have to be done in situ so maintenance and fatigue are crucial to them. Besides these, the concrete has other advantages according to findings of several studies. And although they are interested in the conclusions that the makes as they came from people in the concrete industry, the fact that in recent years concrete offshore unit shave been built

Offshore investments: Denmark shows the way

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Anon.

1998-01-01

This article presents an overview of the use of wind power in Denmark and discusses the tremendous growth in the manufacture of wind turbines since 1981 with Denmark holding some 60% of the worlds' wind turbine market. The move to offshore wind farms is explained in terms of the shortage of land and the quality of the offshore wind, and details of the Tuno Knob pilot offshore wind farm are given. Offshore wind power in Europe, the challenges to offshore operations, the costs involved, environmental effects of the use of offshore wind, and the growing amount of wind power capacity are discussed

API and ISO standards can be combined

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Weightman, R.T.; Warnack, M.F.

1992-01-01

This paper reports that oil field equipment and product manufacturers can maintain a competitive advantage and minimize costs by integrating American Petroleum Institute (API) licensing programs with International Standards Organization (ISO) 9001 standards under one quality system. A combined quality system approach can position a company for quality system certification under ISO 9001 while maintaining API specifications. Furthermore, only one quality system manual is needed for API licensing and ISO certification, avoiding duplication of effort. The benefits of a documented quality program include the flowing: Job descriptions and personnel qualification requirements are documented; The improved documentation allows direct tracing of specific production activities; Laboratory test methods and calibration of test equipment follow accepted standards for more reliable and reproducible test data; Quality control becomes proactive, not reactive, through internal process controls previously not implemented; Employee attitudes improve through appreciation for the overall goals of the company; Ambiguous quality issues, such as documenting special customer requirements, are easily resolved; and The company image improves with customers, particularly for those that require API Specification Q1 or ISO 9001 compliance or those having their own quality performance standards

Global offshore pipeline markets

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Knight, R.; Parsons, B.

2001-01-01

In this article, two experts forecast a recovery in the offshore pipeline market followed by accelerating growth. A number of clearly definable macro trends are affecting the world offshore oil and gas industry and will be of considerable significance to the offshore pipelines industry. The authors' view is of markets that show every chance of enjoying long-term growth prospects driven by the fundamentals of a continuing increase in demand for offshore oil and gas. The offshore industry however has a highly cyclical nature, due to the impact of variations in oil and gas prices and the differing state of maturity of individual regions. Therefore those companies that are able to offer the widest range of pipe types and diameters and methods of installation across the greatest range of geographic markets are likely to prosper most. Thus, this continues to be a market best suited to those able to operate on a global scale and make a corporate commitment measured in decades

Panorama 2012 - Offshore hydrocarbons

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Serbutoviez, Sylvain

2011-12-01

Technological progress is enabling production from offshore oil and gas fields at increasingly ambitious depths (3, 000 metres). Investment in offshore production is running at around $100 billion per year, accounting for one-fifth of all investment in oil exploration and development worldwide. However, the global economic crisis that broke at the end of 2008 and the accident involving the Macondo well temporarily disrupted the race to deep offshore technology. (author)

Optimizing the Steel Plate Storage Yard Crane Scheduling Problem Using a Two Stage Planning/Scheduling Approach

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Hansen, Anders Dohn; Clausen, Jens

This paper presents the Steel Plate Storage Yard Crane Scheduling Problem. The task is to generate a schedule for two gantry cranes sharing tracks. The schedule must comply with a number of constraints and at the same time be cost efficient. We propose some ideas for a two stage planning...

Opportunities for peak shaving the energy demand of ship-to-shore quay cranes at container terminals

NARCIS (Netherlands)

H. Geerlings; Robert Heij; dr. J.H.R. van Duin

2018-01-01

This paper presents the results of both a qualitative and a quantitative study on the possibilities for peak shaving the energy demand of ship-to-shore (STS) cranes at container terminals. The objective is to present an energy consumption model that visualizes the energy demand of STS cranes and to

Opportunities for peak shaving the energy demand of ship-to-shore quay cranes at container terminals

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Geerlings, Harry; van Duin, Ron

2018-01-01

This paper presents the results of both a qualitative and a quantitative study on
the possibilities for peak shaving the energy demand of ship-to-shore (STS) cranes at container terminals. The objective is to present an energy consumption model that visualizes the energy demand of STS cranes and

Anti-Swing Control of Suspended Loads on Shipboard Robotic Cranes

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jackrit Suthakorn

2005-02-01

Full Text Available Currently, the speed at which materials can be transferred between ships at sea is limited by sea conditions. Rough sea conditions cause the payload to swing making load transfer difficult and time-consuming. The objective of this research is to develop a real-time, command compensating control for reducing sea state induced payload swing for shipboard robotic cranes. The future use of this control strategy will be to facilitate faster "ship-to-ship" payload transfer in rough sea conditions. In this study, only the sea-induced rotational motion of the ship is considered, since it is assumed that a station-keeping control maintains a constant position of the ship. This rotational motion is modelled using pitch-yaw-roll Euler angles. The shipboard robotic crane is modelled as a spherical pendulum attached to a three-degree-of-freedom manipulator. The three degrees-of-freedom are azimuth (rotation about an axis normal to the ship's deck, elevation (rotation about an axis parallel with the ship's deck, also referred to as luffing, and lift-line length. An inverse kinematics based approach and a sliding mode control strategy are explored. Both approaches use the azimuth and the elevation capability of the crane manipulator to maintain a horizontal position of the suspended load to reduce sea-induced payload sway.

Mortality factors and diseases in free-ranging Eurasian cranes (Grus grus) in Germany.

Science.gov (United States)

Fanke, Jane; Wibbelt, Gudrun; Krone, Oliver

2011-07-01

Detailed postmortem examinations were performed on 167 free-ranging Eurasian Cranes (Grus grus) from Germany, collected between September 1998 and December 2008 to evaluate causes of death and diseases. The most common causes of mortality were traumatic injuries (n=105, 62.9%) from collisions with power lines (n=39, 23.4%) and wire fences (n=12, 7.2%). A group of 28 Eurasian Cranes (16.8%) died from organophosphate intoxication. Predation by White-tailed Sea Eagles (Haliaeetus albicilla) and red foxes (Vulpes vulpes) occurred in four cases (2.4%). Pathologic changes due to infectious diseases were associated with Aspergillus spp. (n=7, 4.2%), endoparasites (n=7, 4.2%), avian poxvirus (n=6, 3.6%), Mycobacterium spp. (n=2, 1.2%), and adenovirus infection (n=1, 0.6%). A severe Strigea spp. infection (n=1, 0.6%) and a leiomyosarcoma (n=1, 0.6%) were newly recognized diseases in Eurasian Cranes in this study.

The Web as an API.

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Roman, J. H. (Jorge H.)

2001-01-01

As programmers we have worked with many Application Development Interface API development kits. They are well suited for interaction with a particular system. A vast source of information can be made accessible by using the http protocol through the web as an API. This setup has many advantages including the vast knowledge available on setting web servers and services. Also, these tools are available on most hardware and operating system combinations. In this paper I will cover the various types of systems that can be developed this way, their advantages and some drawbacks of this approach. Index Terms--Application Programmer Interface, Distributed applications, Hyper Text Transfer Protocol, Web.

Cross-linking BioThings APIs through JSON-LD to facilitate knowledge exploration.

Science.gov (United States)

Xin, Jiwen; Afrasiabi, Cyrus; Lelong, Sebastien; Adesara, Julee; Tsueng, Ginger; Su, Andrew I; Wu, Chunlei

2018-02-01

Application Programming Interfaces (APIs) are now widely used to distribute biological data. And many popular biological APIs developed by many different research teams have adopted Javascript Object Notation (JSON) as their primary data format. While usage of a common data format offers significant advantages, that alone is not sufficient for rich integrative queries across APIs. Here, we have implemented JSON for Linking Data (JSON-LD) technology on the BioThings APIs that we have developed, MyGene.info , MyVariant.info and MyChem.info . JSON-LD provides a standard way to add semantic context to the existing JSON data structure, for the purpose of enhancing the interoperability between APIs. We demonstrated several use cases that were facilitated by semantic annotations using JSON-LD, including simpler and more precise query capabilities as well as API cross-linking. We believe that this pattern offers a generalizable solution for interoperability of APIs in the life sciences.

Experimental implementation of a robust damped-oscillation control algorithm on a full-sized, two-degree-of-freedom, AC induction motor-driven crane

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kress, R.L.; Jansen, J.F.; Noakes, M.W.

1994-01-01

When suspended payloads are moved with an overhead crane, pendulum like oscillations are naturally introduced. This presents a problem any time a crane is used, especially when expensive and/or delicate objects are moved, when moving in a cluttered an or hazardous environment, and when objects are to be placed in tight locations. Damped-oscillation control algorithms have been demonstrated over the past several years for laboratory-scale robotic systems on dc motor-driven overhead cranes. Most overhead cranes presently in use in industry are driven by ac induction motors; consequently, Oak Ridge National Laboratory has implemented damped-oscillation crane control on one of its existing facility ac induction motor-driven overhead cranes. The purpose of this test was to determine feasibility, to work out control and interfacing specifications, and to establish the capability of newly available ac motor control hardware with respect to use in damped-oscillation-controlled systems. Flux vector inverter drives are used to investigate their acceptability for damped-oscillation crane control. The purpose of this paper is to describe the experimental implementation of a control algorithm on a full-sized, two-degree-of-freedom, industrial crane; describe the experimental evaluation of the controller including robustness to payload length changes; explain the results of experiments designed to determine the hardware required for implementation of the control algorithms; and to provide a theoretical description of the controller

Privacy Issues of the W3C Geolocation API

OpenAIRE

Doty, Nick; Mulligan, Deirdre K.; Wilde, Erik

2010-01-01

The W3C's Geolocation API may rapidly standardize the transmission of location information on the Web, but, in dealing with such sensitive information, it also raises serious privacy concerns. We analyze the manner and extent to which the current W3C Geolocation API provides mechanisms to support privacy. We propose a privacy framework for the consideration of location information and use it to evaluate the W3C Geolocation API, both the specification and its use in the wild, and recommend s...

Size and mass of grit in gizzards of sandhill cranes, tundra swans, and mute swans

Science.gov (United States)

Franson, J. Christian; Hansen, Scott P.; Duerr, Adam E.; DeStefano, Stephen

2001-01-01

Because it has been suggested that waterbirds may ingest lost or discarded lead fishing weights as grit, we examined grit in the gizzards of Sandhill Cranes (Grus canadensis), Tundra Swans (Cygnus columbianus), and Mute Swans (Cygnus olor), three species where individuals have been poisoned by the ingestion of lead fishing weights. The greatest proportion (by mass) of grit in gizzards of Sandhill Cranes consisted of particles with a minimum dimension of 2.36-4.75 mm. Grit particles in swans were much smaller, with the most prevalent (by mass) being 0.6-1.18 mm. The greatest dimension of the largest grit particle found in cranes and swans was 17.4 mm and 14.0 mm, respectively. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has proposed a ban on lead fishing weights of ≤25.4 mm in any dimension. Based on the size of grit particles that we found in gizzards of Sandhill Cranes, Mute Swans, and Tundra Swans, we believe it is unlikely that individuals of those species would ingest, as grit, lead fishing weights larger than 25.4 mm in any dimension.

Design for a Crane Metallic Structure Based on Imperialist Competitive Algorithm and Inverse Reliability Strategy

Science.gov (United States)

Fan, Xiao-Ning; Zhi, Bo

2017-07-01

Uncertainties in parameters such as materials, loading, and geometry are inevitable in designing metallic structures for cranes. When considering these uncertainty factors, reliability-based design optimization (RBDO) offers a more reasonable design approach. However, existing RBDO methods for crane metallic structures are prone to low convergence speed and high computational cost. A unilevel RBDO method, combining a discrete imperialist competitive algorithm with an inverse reliability strategy based on the performance measure approach, is developed. Application of the imperialist competitive algorithm at the optimization level significantly improves the convergence speed of this RBDO method. At the reliability analysis level, the inverse reliability strategy is used to determine the feasibility of each probabilistic constraint at each design point by calculating its α-percentile performance, thereby avoiding convergence failure, calculation error, and disproportionate computational effort encountered using conventional moment and simulation methods. Application of the RBDO method to an actual crane structure shows that the developed RBDO realizes a design with the best tradeoff between economy and safety together with about one-third of the convergence speed and the computational cost of the existing method. This paper provides a scientific and effective design approach for the design of metallic structures of cranes.

a five year review of api20e bacteria identification system's

African Journals Online (AJOL)

The API20E system (API; bioMérieux, France) is a plastic strip with microtubes containing dehydrated substrates, originally designed for the identification of Enterobacteriaceae so that identification of fermenters with the system would be straightforward. The API20E system was extended to include non- fermenters by the ...

Influence of humidity on the phase behavior of API/polymer formulations.

Science.gov (United States)

Prudic, Anke; Ji, Yuanhui; Luebbert, Christian; Sadowski, Gabriele

2015-08-01

Amorphous formulations of APIs in polymers tend to absorb water from the atmosphere. This absorption of water can induce API recrystallization, leading to reduced long-term stability during storage. In this work, the phase behavior of different formulations was investigated as a function of relative humidity. Indomethacin and naproxen were chosen as model APIs and poly(vinyl pyrrolidone) (PVP) and poly(vinyl pyrrolidone-co-vinyl acetate) (PVPVA64) as excipients. The formulations were prepared by spray drying. The water sorption in pure polymers and in formulations was measured at 25°C and at different values of relative humidity (RH=25%, 50% and 75%). Most water was absorbed in PVP-containing systems, and water sorption was decreasing with increasing API content. These trends could also be predicted in good agreement with the experimental data using the thermodynamic model PC-SAFT. Furthermore, the effect of absorbed water on API solubility in the polymer and on the glass-transition temperature of the formulations was predicted with PC-SAFT and the Gordon-Taylor equation, respectively. The absorbed water was found to significantly decrease the API solubility in the polymer as well as the glass-transition temperature of the formulation. Based on a quantitative modeling of the API/polymer phase diagrams as a function of relative humidity, appropriate API/polymer compositions can now be selected to ensure long-term stable amorphous formulations at given storage conditions. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

3,000 Paper Cranes: Children's Literature for Remedial Readers.

Science.gov (United States)

Shumaker, Marjorie P.; Shumaker, Ronald C.

1988-01-01

Describes how the educational experience of sixth grade remedial readers was revitalized and enriched through a project that grew out of reading "Sadako and the Thousand Paper Cranes." Suggests using "real" books (literature) to liberate remedial students from skill drills and reading games. (NH)

Offshore industry: medical emergency response in the offshore oil and gas industry.

Science.gov (United States)

Ponsonby, Will; Mika, Frano; Irons, Greg

2009-08-01

The hunt for oil and gas has taken workers into new more distant locations including those offshore. The remoteness of the offshore platforms and vessels coupled with the potential risk of being cut off by bad weather presents particular challenges for medical emergency response (MER). Firstly to define the challenges for MER in terms of locations, population and epidemiology of injuries and illnesses in the offshore environment. Secondly to give examples of legal requirements and industry standards to manage MER. Thirdly to look at existing and emerging practice to manage these challenges. A review of published literature was supplemented with a summary of current practice in the industry. Medical professionals (medics) working offshore on installations and vessels are primarily responsible for the medical care of the workers. The medics have clinics with suitable medical equipment for managing emergencies as well as providing limited primary care. Some countries have legislation that stipulate minimum requirements. Where there is no national legislation, industry and company guidance is used to define the MER standards. Supervision of the offshore medics is often provided by doctors on shore via radio and phone links. These methods of communication are now being augmented with more sophisticated telemedicine solutions such as the Internet and live video links. These newer solutions allow for prompt high-quality care and provide the scope for a variety of new treatment options to be available for the offshore workforce.

Identification of Staphylococcus species with the API STAPH-IDENT system.

Science.gov (United States)

Kloos, W E; Wolfshohl, J F

1982-01-01

The API STAPH-IDENT system was compared with conventional methods for the identification of 14 Staphylococcus species. Conventional methods included the Kloos and Schleifer simplified scheme and DNA-DNA hybridization. The API STAPH-IDENT strip utilizes a battery of 10 miniaturized biochemical tests, including alkaline phosphatase, urease, beta-glucosidase, beta-glucuronidase, and beta-galactosidase activity, aerobic acid formation from D-(+)-mannose, D-mannitol, D-(+)-trehalose, and salicin, and utilization of arginine. Reactions of cultures were determined after 5 h of incubation at 35 degrees C. Results indicated a high degree of congruence (greater than 90%) between the expedient API system and conventional methods for most species. The addition of a test for novobiocin susceptibility to the API system increased the accuracy of identification of S. saprophyticus, S. cohnii, and S. hominis, significantly. Several strains of S. hominis, S. haemolyticus, and S. warneri which were difficult to separate with the Kloos and Schleifer simplified scheme were accurately resolved by the API system. PMID:6752190

Operational Investigation of Overhead Crane with Fuzzy Logic Anti-Swing Controller Using 3-D Simulation

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Y. N. Petrenko

2011-01-01

Full Text Available The purpose of a crane control system is to provide load transfer with minimum swinging. The paper presents a developed three-dimensional simulation model of a bridge crane with fuzzy logic controller designed with application of genetic algorithms. Comparative indices of oscillation while load transferring are given in the paper. The indices have been obtained at various parameters of the fuzzy logic controller. 

Causes of Fatal Accidents Involving Cranes in the Australian Construction Industry

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ehsan Gharaie

2015-05-01

Full Text Available In ten years from 2004 to 2013, 359 workers died in the Australian construction industry because of work related causes. This paper investigates crane-related fatalities in order to find the upstream causation of such accidents. The National Coroners’ Information System (NCIS database was searched to identify fatal accidents in the construction industry involving the use of a crane.  The narrative description of the cases provided in the coroners’ findings and associated documents were content analysed to identify the contributing causal factors within the context of each case. The findings show that the most frequent crane-related accident types were those that were struck by load, and electrocution. The most prevalent immediate circumstance causes were layout of the site and restricted space. The two most commonly identified shaping factors were physical site constraints and design of construction process. Inadequate risk management system was identified as the main originating influence on the accidents. This paper demonstrates that a systemic causation model can provide considerable insight into how originating influences, shaping factors, and immediate circumstances combine to produce accidents. This information is extremely useful in informing the development of prevention strategies, particularly in the case of commonly occurring accident types.

Uncovering the Hidden Costs of Offshoring

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Larsen, Marcus M.; Manning, Stephan; Pedersen, Torben

2013-01-01

This study investigates estimation errors due to hidden costs—the costs of implementation that are neglected in strategic decision-making processes—in the context of services offshoring. Based on data from the Offshoring Research Network, we find that decision makers are more likely to make cost......-estimation errors given increasing configuration and task complexity in captive offshoring and offshore outsourcing, respectively. Moreover, we show that experience and a strong orientation toward organizational design in the offshoring strategy reduce the cost-estimation errors that follow from complexity. Our...

Microbial water quality during the northern migration of Sandhill Cranes (Grus canadensis) at the central Platte River, Nebraska

Science.gov (United States)

Moser, Matthew T.

2014-01-01

The central Platte River is an important resource in Nebraska. Its water flows among multiple channels and supports numerous beneficial uses such as drinking water, irrigation for agriculture, groundwater recharge, and recreational activities. The central Platte River valley is an important stopover for migratory waterfowl and cranes, such as the Whooping (Grus americana) and Sandhill Cranes (Grus canadensis), in their annual northward traversal of the Central Flyway. Waterfowl, cranes, and other migratory birds moving across international and intercontinental borders may provide long-range transportation for any microbial pathogen they harbor, particularly through the spread of feces. Samples were collected weekly in the study reach from three sites (upstream, middle, and downstream from the roosting locations) during the spring of 2009 and 2010. The samples were analyzed for avian influenza, Escherichia coli, Cryptosporidium, Giardia, Campylobacter, and Legionella. Analysis indicates that several types of fecal indicator bacteria and a range of viral, protozoan, and bacterial pathogens were present in Sandhill Crane excreta. These bacteria and pathogens were present at a significantly higher frequency and densities in water and sediments when the Sandhill Cranes were present, particularly during evening roosts within the Platte River environment.

Three-Dimensional Crane Modelling and Control Using Euler-Lagrange State-Space Approach and Anti-Swing Fuzzy Logic

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Aksjonov Andrei

2015-12-01

Full Text Available The mathematical model of the three-dimensional crane using the Euler-Lagrange approach is derived. A state-space representation of the derived model is proposed and explored in the Simulink® environment and on the laboratory stand. The obtained control design was simulated, analyzed and compared with existing encoder-based system provided by the three-dimensional (3D Crane manufacturer Inteco®. As well, an anti-swing fuzzy logic control has been developed, simulated, and analyzed. Obtained control algorithm is compared with the existing anti-swing proportional-integral controller designed by the 3D crane manufacturer Inteco®. 5-degree of freedom (5DOF control schemes are designed, examined and compared with the various load masses. The topicality of the problem is due to the wide usage of gantry cranes in industry. The solution is proposed for the future research in sensorless and intelligent control of complex motor driven application.

Tidal influence on offshore wind fields and resource predictions[Efficient Development of Offshore Windfarms

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Khan, D. [Entec UK Ltd., Doherty Innovation Centre, Penicuik (United Kingdom); Infield, D. [Loughborough Univ., Centre for Renewable Energy Systems Tecnology, Loughborough (United Kingdom)

2002-03-01

The rise and fall of the sea surface due to tides effectively moves an offshore wind turbine hub through the wind shear profile. This effect is quantified using measured data from 3 offshore UK sites. Statistical evidence of the influence of tide on mean wind speed and turbulence is presented. The implications of this effect for predicting offshore wind resource are outlined. (au)

The effect of joystick handle size and gain at two levels of required precision on performance and physical load on crane operators

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Huysmans, M.A.; Looze, M.P. de; Hoozemans, M.J.M.; Beek, A.J. van der; Dieën, J.H. van

2006-01-01

The study was designed to determine the effect of joystick handle size and (display-control) gain at two levels of required task precision on performance and physical load on crane operators. Eight experienced crane operators performed a simulated crane operation task on a computer by use of a

RISK ASSESSMENT DURING OPERATING SELF-PROPELLED LIFTING JIB CRANES IN CONDITIONS OF INSUFFICIENT INFORMATION

OpenAIRE

Lagerev A.V.; Konchits S.V.; Bleyshmidt L.I.

2018-01-01

Presents the results of statistical analyses identified by the expert diagnostics of defects of the self-propelled lifting jib cranes, spent a normative term of exploitation. The greatest number of defects associated with the destruction and dete-rioration of structural elements, the occurrence of fatigue cracks and a violation of the conditions of operation of the equipment. The greatest number of defects occurs in the hydraulic system of cranes, the rope-block system, and rarely in steel st...

EKSPLORASI AKTINOMISET SEBAGAI PENGHASIL ANTIBIOTIKA DARI TANAH MANGROVE Sonneratia caseolaris DI TANJUNG API API

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Awalul Fatiqin

2015-08-01

Full Text Available Actinomycetes are soil organisms that have traits that are common to bacteria and fungi but also have quite different characteristics that limit into one group which is distinctly different. Study aimed to explore the mangrove actinomycetes from soil and tested the antibacterial potency. Soil samples taken from the mangrove land at Tanjung Api-api mangrove species Sonneratia caseolaris. Activity test antibacterial using a method modified disk a test bacterium Escherichia coli. Identification isolates of actinomycetes by observing the character of macroscopic colonies, microscopic conidia. The results showed that the obtained three different actinomycetes isolates, 1 isolate has the most potential ability to inhibit bacterial growth test with an average value of 1:13 cm in inhibiting the bacteria Escherichia coli.

Healthy offshore workforce? A qualitative study on offshore wind employees' occupational strain, health, and coping.

Science.gov (United States)

Mette, Janika; Velasco Garrido, Marcial; Harth, Volker; Preisser, Alexandra M; Mache, Stefanie

2018-01-23

Offshore work has been described as demanding and stressful. Despite this, evidence regarding the occupational strain, health, and coping behaviors of workers in the growing offshore wind industry in Germany is still limited. The purpose of our study was to explore offshore wind employees' perceptions of occupational strain and health, and to investigate their strategies for dealing with the demands of offshore work. We conducted 21 semi-structured telephone interviews with employees in the German offshore wind industry. The interviews were transcribed and analyzed in a deductive-inductive approach following Mayring's qualitative content analysis. Workers generally reported good mental and physical health. However, they also stated perceptions of stress at work, fatigue, difficulties detaching from work, and sleeping problems, all to varying extents. In addition, physical health impairment in relation to offshore work, e.g. musculoskeletal and gastrointestinal complaints, was documented. Employees described different strategies for coping with their job demands. The strategies comprised of both problem and emotion-focused approaches, and were classified as either work-related, health-related, or related to seeking social support. Our study is the first to investigate the occupational strain, health, and coping of workers in the expanding German offshore wind industry. The results offer new insights that can be utilized for future research in this field. In terms of practical implications, the findings suggest that measures should be carried out aimed at reducing occupational strain and health impairment among offshore wind workers. In addition, interventions should be initiated that foster offshore wind workers' health and empower them to further expand on effective coping strategies at their workplace.

A note on a model for quay crane scheduling with non-crossing constraints

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Santini, Alberto; Friberg, Henrik Alsing; Røpke, Stefan

2015-01-01

This article studies the quay crane scheduling problem with non-crossing constraints, which is an operational problem that arises in container terminals. An enhancement to a mixed integer programming model for the problem is proposed and a new class of valid inequalities is introduced. Computatio......This article studies the quay crane scheduling problem with non-crossing constraints, which is an operational problem that arises in container terminals. An enhancement to a mixed integer programming model for the problem is proposed and a new class of valid inequalities is introduced...

A Monte Carlo modeling alternative for the API Gamma Ray Calibration Facility

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Galford, J.E.

2017-01-01

The gamma ray pit at the API Calibration Facility, located on the University of Houston campus, defines the API unit for natural gamma ray logs used throughout the petroleum logging industry. Future use of the facility is uncertain. An alternative method is proposed to preserve the gamma ray API unit definition as an industry standard by using Monte Carlo modeling to obtain accurate counting rate-to-API unit conversion factors for gross-counting and spectral gamma ray tool designs. - Highlights: • A Monte Carlo alternative is proposed to replace empirical calibration procedures. • The proposed Monte Carlo alternative preserves the original API unit definition. • MCNP source and materials descriptions are provided for the API gamma ray pit. • Simulated results are presented for several wireline logging tool designs. • The proposed method can be adapted for use with logging-while-drilling tools.

Co-sourcing in software development offshoring

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Schlichter, Bjarne Rerup; Persson, John Stouby

2013-01-01

Software development projects are increasingly geographical distributed with offshoring, which introduce complex risks that can lead to project failure. Co-sourcing is a highly integrative and cohesive approach, seen successful, to software development offshoring. However, research of how co......-sourcing shapes the perception and alleviation of common offshoring risks is limited. We present a case study of how a certified CMMI-level 5 Danish software supplier approaches these risks in offshore co-sourcing. The paper explains how common offshoring risks are perceived and alleviated when adopting the co...

Survey for antibodies to infectious bursal disease virus serotype 2 in wild turkeys and Sandhill Cranes of Florida, USA.

Science.gov (United States)

Candelora, Kristen L; Spalding, Marilyn G; Sellers, Holly S

2010-07-01

Captive-reared Whooping Cranes (Grus americana) released into Florida for the resident reintroduction project experienced unusually high mortality and morbidity during the 1997-98 and 2001-02 release seasons. Exposure to infectious bursal disease virus (IBDV) serotype 2 as evidenced by seroconversion was suspected to be the factor that precipitated these mortality events. Very little is known about the incidence of IBD in wild bird populations. Before this study, natural exposure had not been documented in wild birds of North America having no contact with captive-reared cranes, and the prevalence and transmission mechanisms of the virus in wild birds were unknown. Sentinel chickens (Gallus gallus) monitored on two Whooping Crane release sites in central Florida, USA, during the 2003-04 and 2004-05 release seasons seroconverted, demonstrating natural exposure to IBDV serotype 2. Blood samples collected from Wild Turkeys (Meleagris gallopavo) and Sandhill Cranes (Grus canadensis) in eight of 21 counties in Florida, USA, and one of two counties in southern Georgia, USA, were antibody-positive for IBDV serotype 2, indicating that exposure from wild birds sharing habitat with Whooping Cranes is possible. The presence of this virus in wild birds in these areas is a concern for the resident flock of Whooping Cranes because they nest and raise their chicks in Florida, USA. However, passively transferred antibodies may protect them at this otherwise vulnerable period in their lives.

Design off-shore wind climate

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Larsen, G C; Joergensen, H E [Risoe National Lab., Wind Energy and Atmospheric Physics Dept., Roskilde (Denmark)

1999-03-01

Specific recommendations of off-shore turbulence intensities, applicable for design purposes, are lacking in the present IEC-code. The present off-shore wind climate analysis presents the distribution of the turbulence standard deviation around the mean turbulence standard deviation, conditioned on the mean wind speed. Measured distributions, based on a huge amount of measuring data from two shallow water off-shore sites, are parameterized by fitting to a three parameter Weibull distribution. Combining a simple heuristic load model with the parameterized probability density functions of the turbulence standard deviations, an empirical off-shore design turbulence intensity is evaluated that in average yields the same fatigue damage as the distributed turbulence intensity. The proposed off-shore design turbulence intensity is, within the IEC code framework, applicable for extreme as well as for fatigue load determination. (au)

OFFSHORING FOR SUSTAINABLE VALUE MANAGEMENT

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Thaddeus Oforegbunam Ebiringa

2014-05-01

Full Text Available This paper evaluates offshoring as a strategic value management initiative using Cadbury Nigeria Plc as a case study. Through offshoring risks associated with inventory holding are hedged. A comparative analysis of in-house and offshored cost profiles as well as critical risk factors that affect firm value are evaluated. The result shows that offshoring led to immediate costs saving, freeing of funds previously held in inventory for other working capital investments as well as profitability for vendors. However, aside financial benefits to partners, it leads to increased stakeholders awareness, shared values, partnerships, teamwork and risk mitigation. It therefore follows that for sustainability of financial benefits of offshoring, concerted effort must be made by partners to ensure that critical drivers of value management are not compromised.

Analysis of load monitoring system in hydraulic mobile cranes

Science.gov (United States)

Kalairassan, G.; Boopathi, M.; Mohan, Rijo Mathew

2017-11-01

Load moment limiters or safe load control systems or are very important in crane safety. The system detects the moment of lifting load and compares this actual moment with the rated moment. The system uses multiple sensors such as boom angle sensor, boom length sensor for telescopic booms, pressure transducers for measuring the load, anti-two block switch and roller switches. The system works both on rubber and on outriggers. The sensors measure the boom extension, boom angle and load to give as inputs to the central processing, which calculate the safe working load range for that particular configuration of the crane and compare it with the predetermined safe load. If the load exceeds the safe load, actions will be taken which will reduce the load moment, which is boom telescopic retraction and boom lifting. Anti-two block switch is used to prevent the two blocking condition. The system is calibrated and load tested for at most precision.

Model-Based Development of Control Systems for Forestry Cranes

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Pedro La Hera

2015-01-01

Full Text Available Model-based methods are used in industry for prototyping concepts based on mathematical models. With our forest industry partners, we have established a model-based workflow for rapid development of motion control systems for forestry cranes. Applying this working method, we can verify control algorithms, both theoretically and practically. This paper is an example of this workflow and presents four topics related to the application of nonlinear control theory. The first topic presents the system of differential equations describing the motion dynamics. The second topic presents nonlinear control laws formulated according to sliding mode control theory. The third topic presents a procedure for model calibration and control tuning that are a prerequisite to realize experimental tests. The fourth topic presents the results of tests performed on an experimental crane specifically equipped for these tasks. Results of these studies show the advantages and disadvantages of these control algorithms, and they highlight their performance in terms of robustness and smoothness.

Circumferential welding of API X80 steel pipes; Soldagem circunferencial em tubos de aco da classe API X80

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Castello Branco, J.F.; Bott, Ivani de S. [Pontificia Univ. Catolica do Rio de Janeiro, RJ (Brazil). Dept. de Ciencia dos Materiais e Metalurgia]. E-mails: joaofcb@uol.com.br; bott@dcmm.puc-rio.br; Fedele, R.A. [Boehler Thyssen Welding, Sao Paulo, SP (Brazil)]. E-mail: engenharia@btwbr.com.br; Souza, Luis Felipe G. de [Centro Federal de Educacao Tecnologica Celso Suckow da Fonseca (CEFET-RJ), Rio de Janeiro, RJ (Brazil). Dept. de Engenharia Industrial Mecanica]. E-mail: lfelipe@cefet-rj.br

2003-07-01

The present work is a part of an extensive program for the development of API 5L Gr.X80 grade steel , produced by the well-known UOE production process, for pipeline fabrication. The current stage of this program involves the characterization and performance evaluation/qualification of girth welds produced by Shield Metal Arc Weld (SMAW) under simulated field conditions, with tubes fixed in the horizontal position. Three types of electrodes were utilized for the basic tasks; the root pass, the hot pass and fill and cap passes. The root pass was carried out with an E-6010 electrode to avoid incomplete joint penetration. The hot pass, applied over the root pass, was performed with an E-9010-G electrode. The fill and cap passes were executed with E-10018-G electrodes. The welded joints produced were evaluated according to the API 1104 specification, which requires: side bend, nick- break and tensile tests. Additionally, non-destructive tests, Charpy-V impact tests and metallographic characterization were undertaken. It was verified that this welding procedure, based on three types of electrodes, could produce welded joints in accordance to the API 1104 specification. These results ensure the applicability of the API 5L Gr. X80 steel developed in this research project for use in pipeline construction. (author)

The fatigue and corrosion fatigue behavior of welded Inconel 625 alloy employed in off-shore platforms; Avaliacao do comportamento a fadiga e a corrosao-fadiga de juntas soldadas da liga Inconel 625 testada para uso em plaaformas off-shore

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Pfingstag, M.E.; Schroeder, R.M.; Mueller, I.L. [Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul (LAPEC/UFRGS), Porto Alegre, RS (Brazil). Dept. de Metalurgia. Lab. de Pesquisa em Corrosao], e-mail: maiquel10@walla.com

2006-07-01

The fatigue and corrosion fatigue behavior of welded Inconel 625 employed live like risers in off-shore platforms was studied. These risers may be employed integrally of this alloy, or combined with API 52 X60 steel in the form of 'Clads'. One of the most susceptible points in .these structures is the circumferential weld that joint the pipes together. In these regions, stresses and defects are generated by the welding process, and these material remind in contact with aggressive species like, chlorides and Co{sub 2} . Polarization curves, slow strain rate fatigue and corrosion fatigue tests were used to characterize the Inconel alloy behavior. In the welded deposit condition, this alloy shows an excellent resistance corrosion and a good fatigue and corrosion-fatigue behavior.(author)

Resisting majesty: Apis cerana, has lower antennal sensitivity and decreased attraction to queen mandibular pheromone than Apis mellifera

OpenAIRE

Shihao Dong; Ping Wen; Qi Zhang; Xinyu Li; Ken Tan; James Nieh

2017-01-01

In highly social bees, queen mandibular pheromone (QMP) is vital for colony life. Both Apis cerana (Ac) and Apis mellifera (Am) share an evolutionarily conserved set of QMP compounds: (E)-9-oxodec-2-enoic acid (9-ODA), (E)-9-hydroxydec-2-enoic acid (9-HDA), (E)-10-hydroxy-dec-2-enoic acid (10-HDA), 10-hydroxy-decanoic acid (10-HDAA), and methyl p?hydroxybenzoate (HOB) found at similar levels. However, evidence suggests there may be species-specific sensitivity differences to QMP compounds bec...

Pb and Cd bioaccumulations in the habitat and preys of red-crowned cranes (Grus japonensis) in Zhalong Wetland, Northeastern China.

Science.gov (United States)

Luo, Jinming; Yin, Xiongrui; Ya, Yajie; Wang, Yongjie; Zang, Shuying; Zhou, Xia

2013-12-01

Pb and Cd concentrations in the habitat and preys of the red-crowned crane (i.e., reed rhizomes and three typical aquatic animal families (Perccottus glehni Dybowski, Carassius auratus Linnaeus, and Viviparidae)) were analyzed to examine the impact of these hazards on red-crowned cranes in northeastern China. Results indicated that Pb and Cd concentrations in the preys of the red-crowned cranes were elevated via food chain. Most of the detected Pb and Cd contents in the sediments were above the natural background level, ranging from 9.85 to 129.72 ppm and 1.23 to 10.63 ppm (dry weight), respectively. Cd geo-accumulation index at all sites were larger than 3, even reached 5.22, suggesting serious pollution in this region. Three common water animal families were detected to contain heavy metals, following the order of increasing concentrations: primary consumers (i.e., Viviparidae and Carassius auratus Linnaeus) cranes showed the highest toxic metal concentrations of Pb (2.09 to 5.81 ppm) and Cd (1.42 to 3.06 ppm) compared with the feces produced by cranes and residual eggshell left by water fowls. Exceptionally high Pb and Cd concentrations in the cranes and their preys were thought to be associated with their habitat.

Predominant Api m 10 sensitization as risk factor for treatment failure in honey bee venom immunotherapy

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Frick, Marcel; Fischer, Jörg; Helbing, Arthur

2016-01-01

BACKGROUND: Component resolution recently identified distinct sensitization profiles in honey bee venom (HBV) allergy, some of which were dominated by specific IgE to Api m 3 and/or Api m 10, which have been reported to be underrepresented in therapeutic HBV preparations. OBJECTIVE: We performed...... responders and nonresponders regarding levels of IgE sensitization to Api m 1, Api m 2, Api m 3, and Api m 5. In contrast, Api m 10 specific IgE was moderately but significantly increased in nonresponders. Predominant Api m 10 sensitization (>50% of specific IgE to HBV) was the best discriminator...... (specificity, 95%; sensitivity, 25%) with an odds ratio of 8.444 (2.127-33.53; P = .0013) for treatment failure. Some but not all therapeutic HBV preparations displayed a lack of Api m 10, whereas Api m 1 and Api m 3 immunoreactivity was comparable to that of crude HBV. In line with this, significant Api m 10...

Real-Time Dispatching of Rubber Tired Gantry Cranes in Container Terminals

National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

McNary, Bradley S

2008-01-01

... significant growth in container traffic. Efficiently managing of rubber tired gantry cranes and planning container placement within the terminal are two ways to increase the overall efficiency of a terminal...

Stress Analysis for the Critical Metal Structure of Bridge Crane

Science.gov (United States)

Ling, Zhangwei; Wang, Min; Xia, Junfang; Wang, Songhua; Guo, Xiaolian

2018-01-01

Based on the type of connection between the main girder and end beam of electrical single beam crane, the finite element analysis model of a full portal crane was established. The stress distribution of the critical structure under different loading conditions was analyzed. The results shown that the maximum Mises stress and deflection of the main girder were within the allowable range. And the connecting location between end beam web and main girder had higher stress than other region, especially at the lower edge and upper edge of the end beam web and the area near the bolt hole of upper wing panel. Therefore it is important to inspect the connection status, the stress condition and the crack situation nearing connection location during the regular inspection process to ensure the safety of the connection between the main girder and end beam.

Offshore oil and gas and offshore wind power - different in terms of safety.?; Offshore Oel and Gas und Offshore Wind - mit Sicherheit ''anders''.?

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Weise, F.; Tatulinski, M. [DNV GL - Oil and Gas Germany, Hamburg (Germany)

2014-07-01

Safety standards in the oil and gas industry have risen to a high level over the past decades, driven in part by momentous accidents. Furthermore, an expanded framework has recently been defined through the new EU Offshore Safety Directive, which in Germany is still in the process of its transposition into national law. The installation of offshore wind farms in the North and Baltic Sea has within the shortest of time brought forth an entirely new branch of industry, most of whose players have no significant experience with offshore operations. One of the greatest challenges is the working environment, which is being approached in different ways by those involved. The supervisory authorities responsible are only just beginning to develop the competence required for their tasks, with the effect that regulations pertaining to onshore operations are often simply adopted as they are. This is in some cases impacting on the oil and gas industry, as is discussed in the present lecture. [German] Die Oel und Gas Industrie hat in den vergangen Jahrzehnten einen hohen Sicherheitsstandard entwickelt, teilweise getrieben durch signifikante Unfallereignisse. Aktuell wurde zudem mit der neuen EU-Offshore Richtlinie ein erweiterter Rahmen definiert, der sich in Deutschland noch in der gesetzgeberischen Umsetzung befindet. Durch die Installation von Offshore-Windparks in der Nord- und Ostsee ist innerhalb kuerzester Zeit zusaetzlich ein neuer Industriebereich entstanden, dessen Marktteilnehmer mehrheitlich nicht ueber signifikante Offshore-Erfahrung verfuegen. Insbesondere das Arbeitsumfeld stellt dabei eine Herausforderung dar, die von den Beteiligten unterschiedlich geloest wird. Ferner beginnen auch die verantwortlichen Aufsichtsbehoerden erst mit dem Aufbau entsprechender Kompetenzen, so dass vielfach auch Regelungen aus dem Onshore-Bereich uebertragen werden. Dies fuehrt teilweise zu Auswirkungen auf die Oel- und Gasindustrie, die im Rahmen dieses Vortrages diskutiert werden.

Vigilance and activity time-budget adjustments of wintering hooded cranes, Grus monacha, in human-dominated foraging habitats.

Science.gov (United States)

Li, Chunlin; Zhou, Lizhi; Xu, Li; Zhao, Niannian; Beauchamp, Guy

2015-01-01

Due to loss and degradation of natural wetlands, waterbirds increasingly rely on surrounding human-dominated habitats to obtain food. Quantifying vigilance patterns, investigating the trade-off among various activities, and examining the underlying mechanisms will help us understand how waterbirds adapt to human-caused disturbances. During two successive winters (November-February of 2012-13 and 2013-14), we studied the hooded crane, Grus monacha, in the Shengjin Lake National Nature Reserve (NNR), China, to investigate how the species responds to human disturbances through vigilance and activity time-budget adjustments. Our results showed striking differences in the behavior of the cranes when foraging in the highly disturbed rice paddy fields found in the buffer zone compared with the degraded natural wetlands in the core area of the NNR. Time spent vigilant decreased with flock size and cranes spent more time vigilant in the human-dominated buffer zone. In the rice paddy fields, the birds were more vigilant but also fed more at the expense of locomotion and maintenance activities. Adult cranes spent more time vigilant and foraged less than juveniles. We recommend habitat recovery in natural wetlands and community co-management in the surrounding human-dominated landscape for conservation of the hooded crane and, generally, for the vast numbers of migratory waterbirds wintering in the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River floodplain.

Investigation into process-induced de-aggregation of cohesive micronised API particles.

Science.gov (United States)

Hoffmann, Magnus; Wray, Patrick S; Gamble, John F; Tobyn, Mike

2015-09-30

The aim of this study was to assess the impact of unit processes on the de-aggregation of a cohesive micronised API within a pharmaceutical formulation using near-infrared chemical imaging. The impact on the primary API particles was also investigated using an image-based particle characterization system with integrated Raman analysis. The blended material was shown to contain large, API rich domains which were distributed in-homogeneously across the sample, suggesting that the blending process was not aggressive enough to disperse aggregates of micronised drug particles. Cone milling, routinely used to improve the homogeneity of such cohesive formulations, was observed to substantially reduce the number and size of API rich domains; however, several smaller API domains survived the milling process. Conveyance of the cone milled formulation through the Alexanderwerk WP120 powder feed system completely dispersed all remaining aggregates. Importantly, powder feed transmission of the un-milled formulation was observed to produce an equally homogeneous API distribution. The size of the micronised primary drug particles remained unchanged during powder feed transmission. These findings provide further evidence that this powder feed system does induce shear, and is in fact better able to disperse aggregates of a cohesive micronised API within a blend than the blend-mill-blend step. Crown Copyright © 2015. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

The gut microbiome of hooded cranes (Grus monacha) wintering at Shengjin Lake, China.

Science.gov (United States)

Zhao, Guanghong; Zhou, Lizhi; Dong, Yuanqiu; Cheng, Yuanyuan; Song, Yunwei

2017-06-01

Gut microbes of animals play critical roles in processes such as digestion and immunity. Therefore, identifying gut microbes will shed light on understanding the annual life of animal species, particularly those that are threatened or endangered. In the present study, we conducted nucleotide sequence analyses of the 16S rRNA genes of gut microbiome of the hooded cranes (Grus monacha) wintering at Shengjin Lake, China, by Illumina high-throughput sequencing technology. We acquired 503,398 high-quality sequences and 785 operational taxonomic units (OTUs) from 15 fecal samples from different cranes, representing 22 phyla that were dominated by Firmicutes, Proteobacteria, and Actinobacteria. A total of 305 genera were identified that were dominated by Clostridium, Lysinibacillus, and Enterobacter. The core gut microbiome comprised 26 genera, including many probiotic species such as Clostridium, Bacillus, Cellulosilyticum, and Cellulomonas that could catabolize cellulose. The findings reported here contribute to our knowledge of the microbiology of hooded cranes and will likely advance efforts to protect waterbirds that inhabit Shengjin Lake Reserve during winter. © 2017 The Authors. MicrobiologyOpen published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Dutch offshore suppliers in confident mood

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Beudel, M.

1998-01-01

A series of linked articles discusses the current state of the Netherland's offshore industry. Reduced taxes, and availability of exploration licenses has meant that explorers and producers are drawn to the small size, but frequent yield explorations on Holland's continental shelf. The excellent operation record of Rotterdam's Verolme Botlek yard; for repair and maintenance of offshore platforms and associated plant, is explored as the facility plans to diversify into newbuilding. The construction of an offshore basin designed for the hydrodynamic testing of offshore plant intended for deepwater use is described. The Netherlands maritime research institute (Marin) aims to stay at the forefront of offshore research and development with this new facility. Other articles cover pipe tensioning, new large linear winches and innovations in offshore drilling and production. (UK)

Developing a Tool Point Control Scheme for a Hydraulic Crane Using Interactive Real-time Dynamic Simulation

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Pedersen, Mikkel Melters; Hansen, Michael Rygaard; Ballebye, Morten

2010-01-01

This paper describes the implementation of an interactive real-time dynamic simulation model of a hydraulic crane. The user input to the model is given continuously via joystick and output is presented continuously in a 3D animation. Using this simulation model, a tool point control scheme...... is developed for the specific crane, considering the saturation phenomena of the system and practical implementation....

Water‐Data Report 413723083123801 Crane Creek at Ottawa NWR-2009

Data.gov (United States)

Department of the Interior — Water levels and water quality parameters recorded on Crane Creek in 2009. LOCATION: Lat. 41°37'21.347"N, long 83°12'40.758"W, near Oak Harbor, OH. Ottawa County, OH...

Water‐Data Report 413723083123801 Crane Creek at Ottawa NWR-2010

Data.gov (United States)

Department of the Interior — Water levels and water quality parameters recorded on Crane Creek in 2010. LOCATION: Lat. 41°37'21.347"N, long 83°12'40.758"W, near Oak Harbor, OH. Ottawa County, OH...

Water‐Data Report 413723083123801 Crane Creek at Ottawa NWR-2011

Data.gov (United States)

Department of the Interior — Water levels and water quality parameters recorded on Crane Creek in 2011. LOCATION: Lat. 41°37'21.347"N, long 83°12'40.758"W, near Oak Harbor, OH. Ottawa County, OH...

Macelignan inhibits bee pathogenic fungi Ascophaera apis growth through HOG1 pathway

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Y.K. Shin

2016-01-01

Full Text Available Ascosphaera apis is a bee pathogen that causes bee larvae infection disease, to which treatment is not yet well investigated. The aim of this study was to investigate antifungal susceptibility in vitro against A. apis and to identify a new antifungal agent for this pathogen through minimal inhibitory concentration (MIC assay and western blot analysis. Macelignan had 1.56 and 3.125 μg/mL MIC against A. apis after 24 and 48 h, respectively, exhibiting the strongest growth inhibition against A. apis among the tested compounds (corosolic acid, dehydrocostus lactone, loganic acid, tracheloside, fangchinoline and emodin-8-O-β-D-glucopyranoside. Furthermore, macelignan showed a narrow-ranged spectrum against various fungal strains without any mammalian cell cytotoxicity. In spite of miconazole having powerful broad-ranged anti-fungal activity including A. apis, it demonstrated strong cytotoxicity. Therefore, even if macelignan alone was effective as an antifungal agent to treat A. apis, combined treatment with miconazole was more useful to overcome toxicity, drug resistance occurrence and cost effectiveness. Finally, HOG1 was revealed as a target molecule of macelignan in the anti-A. apis activity by inhibiting phosphorylation using S. cerevisiae as a model system. Based on our results, macelignan, a food-grade antimicrobial compound, would be an effective antifungal agent against A. apis infection in bees.

Summary : Cooperative whooping crane tracking project : Fall 1975 to spring 1989

Data.gov (United States)

Department of the Interior — Summary of the whooping crane tracking project for fall 1975 to spring 1989. The Project involves the following activities: (a) distribution of Pre­Migration Notices...

IgE recognition of chimeric isoforms of the honeybee (Apis mellifera) venom allergen Api m 10 evaluated by protein array technology.

Science.gov (United States)

Van Vaerenbergh, Matthias; De Smet, Lina; Rafei-Shamsabadi, David; Blank, Simon; Spillner, Edzard; Ebo, Didier G; Devreese, Bart; Jakob, Thilo; de Graaf, Dirk C

2015-02-01

Api m 10 has recently been established as novel major allergen that is recognized by more than 60% of honeybee venom (HBV) allergic patients. Previous studies suggest Api m 10 protein heterogeneity which may have implications for diagnosis and immunotherapy of HBV allergy. In the present study, RT-PCR revealed the expression of at least nine additional Api m 10 transcript isoforms by the venom glands. Two distinct mechanisms are responsible for the generation of these isoforms: while the previously known variant 2 is produced by an alternative splicing event, novel identified isoforms are intragenic chimeric transcripts. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report of the identification of chimeric transcripts generated by the honeybee. By a retrospective proteomic analysis we found evidence for the presence of several of these isoforms in the venom proteome. Additionally, we analyzed IgE reactivity to different isoforms by protein array technology using sera from HBV allergic patients, which revealed that IgE recognition of Api m 10 is both isoform- and patient-specific. While it was previously demonstrated that the majority of HBV allergic patients display IgE reactivity to variant 2, our study also shows that some patients lacking IgE antibodies for variant 2 display IgE reactivity to two of the novel identified Api m 10 variants, i.e. variants 3 and 4. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Why and How Java Developers Break APIs

OpenAIRE

Brito, Aline; Xavier, Laerte; Hora, Andre; Valente, Marco Tulio

2018-01-01

Modern software development depends on APIs to reuse code and increase productivity. As most software systems, these libraries and frameworks also evolve, which may break existing clients. However, the main reasons to introduce breaking changes in APIs are unclear. Therefore, in this paper, we report the results of an almost 4-month long field study with the developers of 400 popular Java libraries and frameworks. We configured an infrastructure to observe all changes in these libraries and t...

Pro REST API development with nodejs

CERN Document Server

Doglio, Fernando

2015-01-01

Pro REST API Development with Node.js is your guide to managing and understanding the full capabilities of successful REST development. API design is a hot topic in the programming world, but not many resources exist for developers to really understand how you can leverage the advantages. This book will provide a brief background on REST and the tools it provides (well known and not so well known). Understand how there is more to REST than just JSON and URLs. You will then cover and compare the maintained modules currently available in the npm community, including Express, Restify, Vatican,

Offshoring R&D

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Hansen, Zaza Nadja Lee; Rasmussen, Lauge Baungaard

2010-01-01

Companies are increasingly offshoring R&D activities. Many firms, however, experience difficulties related to virtual teamwork across cultures and time zones. The research question is: How does increasing R&D offshoring impact transparency of communication structures and knowledge sharing? Using...... case studies from Danish multinational corporations with R&D activities in China, India or Eastern Europe this paper analyses the impact observed in these companies in regard to communication structures and knowledge sharing in management of offshored R&D activities. The findings show that companies...... attempt to increase transparency through formalisation of knowledge and clear communication structures. However, the influence of tacit knowledge, horizontal communication and culture seem largely overlooked. Therefore the authors suggest a context based approach to transparency accustomed...

Offshore Wind Energy Resource Assessment for Alaska

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Doubrawa Moreira, Paula [National Renewable Energy Lab. (NREL), Golden, CO (United States); Scott, George N. [National Renewable Energy Lab. (NREL), Golden, CO (United States); Musial, Walter D. [National Renewable Energy Lab. (NREL), Golden, CO (United States); Kilcher, Levi F. [National Renewable Energy Lab. (NREL), Golden, CO (United States); Draxl, Caroline [National Renewable Energy Lab. (NREL), Golden, CO (United States); Lantz, Eric J. [National Renewable Energy Lab. (NREL), Golden, CO (United States)

2018-01-02

This report quantifies Alaska's offshore wind resource capacity while focusing on its unique nature. It is a supplement to the existing U.S. Offshore Wind Resource Assessment, which evaluated the offshore wind resource for all other U.S. states. Together, these reports provide the foundation for the nation's offshore wind value proposition. Both studies were developed by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory. The analysis presented herein represents the first quantitative evidence of the offshore wind energy potential of Alaska. The technical offshore wind resource area in Alaska is larger than the technical offshore resource area of all other coastal U.S. states combined. Despite the abundant wind resource available, significant challenges inhibit large-scale offshore wind deployment in Alaska, such as the remoteness of the resource, its distance from load centers, and the wealth of land available for onshore wind development. Throughout this report, the energy landscape of Alaska is reviewed and a resource assessment analysis is performed in terms of gross and technical offshore capacity and energy potential.

Observations of Whooping Cranes During Winter Aerial Surveys: 1950–2011

Data.gov (United States)

Department of the Interior — The Aransas-Wood Buffalo population of whooping cranes (Grus americana) declined to near extinction by the 1940s. Starting in winter 1950–1951, annual aerial surveys...

Proceedings of the ENDOW workshop 'Offshore wakes: Measurements and modelling[Efficient Development of Offshore Windfarms

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Barthelmie, R.J. (ed.)

2002-03-01

The papers presented in these Proceedings are the result of a workshop held at Risoe National Laboratory on March 7 and 8 2002 entitled 'Offshore Wakes: Measurements and Modelling'. The Workshop was arranged to showcase results of the European Community supported project 'Efficient Development of Offshore Windfarms (ENDOW)' and featured a series of eight presentations discussing modelling of wakes and boundary layers, existing and new measurements from offshore wind farms and how these will be linked in a new design tool and applied at planned offshore wind farms. In addition seven invited presentations covered a range of relevant topics from analytical approaches to fatigue and extreme loads in wind turbine clusters, current wake modelling in WAsP, optimising power production at Arklow Bank, Particle Image Velocimetry study of a wind turbine wake in a yaw, offshore wind measurements in Massachusetts, accuracy of SODAR measurements for wind energy and tidal influence of offshore wind speeds and turbulence. (au)

Organizational Adaptation in Offshoring

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Geisler Asmussen, Christian; Møller Larsen, Marcus; Pedersen, Torben

2016-01-01

Offshoring offers managers the promise of substantial economic benefits, but also comes with the risk of increased complexity and coordination challenges. We argue that offshoring firms must accumulate architectural knowledge to keep the cost of coordination of the geographically separated activi...

Offshore wind development research.

Science.gov (United States)

2014-04-01

Offshore wind (OSW) development is a new undertaking in the US. This project is a response to : New Jerseys 2011 Energy Master Plan that envisions procuring 22.5% of the states power : originating from renewable sources by 2021. The Offshore Wi...

Offshore Fish Community: Ecological Interactions | Science ...

Science.gov (United States)

The offshore (>80 m) fish community of Lake Superior is made up of predominately native species. The most prominent species are deepwater sculpin, kiyi, cisco, siscowet lake trout, burbot, and the exotic sea lamprey. Bloater and shortjaw cisco are also found in the offshore zone. Bloater is abundant in the offshore zone but appears restricted to depths shallower than 150 m (Selgeby and Hoff 1996; Stockwell et al. 2010), although it occuppied greater depths several decades ago (Dryer 1966; Peck 1977). Shortjaw is relatively rare in the offshore zone (Hoff and Todd 2004; Gorman and Hoff 2009; Gorman and Todd 2007). Lake whitefish is also known to frequent bathymetric depths >100 m (Yule et al. 2008b). In this chapter, we develop a conceptual model of the offshore food web based on data collected during 2001-2005 and on inferences from species interactions known for the nearshore fish community. We then develop a framework for examination of energy and nutrient movements within the pelagic and benthic habitats of the offshore zone and across the offshore and nearshore zones. To document research results.

Offshore Wind Power Planning in Korea

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Seo, Chul Soo; Cha, Seung-Tae; Park, Sang Ho

2012-01-01

this possible, Korea has announced the National offshore power roadmap and is now in pursuit. However, large scale offshore wind farms can incur many problems, such as power quality problems, when connecting to a power system.[1][2] Thus, KEPCO is on the process of a research study to evaluate the effects...... that connecting offshore wind power generation to a power system has on the power system. This paper looks over offshore wind power planning in Korea and describes the development of impact assessment technology of offshore wind farms.......Wind power generation is globally recognized as the most universal and reliable form of renewable energy. Korea is currently depending mostly on coal and petroleum to generate electrical power and is now trying to replace them with renewable energy such as offshore wind power generation. To make...

rApi m 3 and rApi m 10 improve detection of honey bee sensitization in Hymenoptera venom-allergic patients with double sensitization to honey bee and yellow jacket venom.