WorldWideScience

Sample records for periodic block design

  1. Designers Block 2002

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Dickson, Thomas

    2002-01-01

    Artiklen indleder med: ved siden aaf Londons etablerede designmesse '100% Design', er der vokset et undergrundsmiljø af designudstillinger op. Det dominerende og mest kendte initiativ er Designers Block, der i år udstillede to steder i byen. Designers Block er et mere uformelt udstillingsforum...

  2. Approximate design theory for a simple block design with random block effects

    OpenAIRE

    Christof, Karin

    1985-01-01

    Approximate design theory for a simple block design with random block effects / K. Christof ; F. Pukelsheim. - In: Linear statistical inference / ed. by T. Calinski ... - Berlin u. a. : Springer, 1985. - S. 20-28. - (Lecture notes in statistics ; 35)

  3. Hollow ceramic block: containment of water for thermal storage in passive solar design. Final technical report

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Winship, C.T.

    1983-12-27

    The project activity has been the development of designs, material compositions and production procedures to manufacture hollow ceramic blocks which contain water (or other heat absorptive liquids). The blocks are designed to serve, in plurality, a dual purpose: as an unobtrusive and efficient thermal storage element, and as a durable and aesthetically appealing surface for floors and walls of passive solar building interiors. Throughout the grant period, numerous ceramic formulas have been tested for their workabilty, thermal properties, maturing temperatures and color. Blocks have been designed to have structural integrity, and textured surfaces. Methods of slip-casting and extrusion have been developed for manufacturing of the blocks. The thermal storage capacity of the water-loaded block has been demonstrated to be 2.25 times greater than that of brick and 2.03 times greater than that of concrete (taking an average of commonly used materials). Although this represents a technical advance in thermal storage, the decorative effects provided by application of the blocks lend them a more significant advantage by reducing constraints on interior design in passive solar architecture.

  4. Space Launch Systems Block 1B Preliminary Navigation System Design

    Science.gov (United States)

    Oliver, T. Emerson; Park, Thomas; Anzalone, Evan; Smith, Austin; Strickland, Dennis; Patrick, Sean

    2018-01-01

    NASA is currently building the Space Launch Systems (SLS) Block 1 launch vehicle for the Exploration Mission 1 (EM-1) test flight. In parallel, NASA is also designing the Block 1B launch vehicle. The Block 1B vehicle is an evolution of the Block 1 vehicle and extends the capability of the NASA launch vehicle. This evolution replaces the Interim Cryogenic Propulsive Stage (ICPS) with the Exploration Upper Stage (EUS). As the vehicle evolves to provide greater lift capability, increased robustness for manned missions, and the capability to execute more demanding missions so must the SLS Integrated Navigation System evolved to support those missions. This paper describes the preliminary navigation systems design for the SLS Block 1B vehicle. The evolution of the navigation hard-ware and algorithms from an inertial-only navigation system for Block 1 ascent flight to a tightly coupled GPS-aided inertial navigation system for Block 1B is described. The Block 1 GN&C system has been designed to meet a LEO insertion target with a specified accuracy. The Block 1B vehicle navigation system is de-signed to support the Block 1 LEO target accuracy as well as trans-lunar or trans-planetary injection accuracy. Additionally, the Block 1B vehicle is designed to support human exploration and thus is designed to minimize the probability of Loss of Crew (LOC) through high-quality inertial instruments and robust algorithm design, including Fault Detection, Isolation, and Recovery (FDIR) logic.

  5. Computational Design of High-χ Block Oligomers for Accessing 1 nm Domains.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chen, Qile P; Barreda, Leonel; Oquendo, Luis E; Hillmyer, Marc A; Lodge, Timothy P; Siepmann, J Ilja

    2018-05-22

    Molecular dynamics simulations are used to design a series of high-χ block oligomers (HCBOs) that can self-assemble into a variety of mesophases with domain sizes as small as 1 nm. The exploration of these oligomers with various chain lengths, volume fractions, and chain architectures at multiple temperatures reveals the presence of ordered lamellae, perforated lamellae, and hexagonally packed cylinders. The achieved periods are as small as 3.0 and 2.1 nm for lamellae and cylinders, respectively, which correspond to polar domains of approximately 1 nm. Interestingly, the detailed phase behavior of these oligomers is distinct from that of either solvent-free surfactants or block polymers. The simulations reveal that the behavior of these HCBOs is a product of an interplay between both "surfactant factors" (headgroup interactions, chain flexibility, and interfacial curvature) and "block polymer factors" (χ, chain length N, and volume fraction f). This insight promotes the understanding of molecular features pivotal for mesophase formation at the sub-5 nm length scale, which facilitates the design of HCBOs tailored toward particular desired morphologies.

  6. SLS Block 1-B and Exploration Upper Stage Navigation System Design

    Science.gov (United States)

    Oliver, T. Emerson; Park, Thomas B.; Smith, Austin; Anzalone, Evan; Bernard, Bill; Strickland, Dennis; Geohagan, Kevin; Green, Melissa; Leggett, Jarred

    2018-01-01

    The SLS Block 1B vehicle is planned to extend NASA's heavy lift capability beyond the initial SLS Block 1 vehicle. The most noticeable change for this vehicle from SLS Block 1 is the swapping of the upper stage from the Interim Cryogenic Propulsion stage (ICPS), a modified Delta IV upper stage, to the more capable Exploration Upper Stage (EUS). As the vehicle evolves to provide greater lift capability and execute more demanding missions so must the SLS Integrated Navigation System to support those missions. The SLS Block 1 vehicle carries two independent navigation systems. The responsibility of the two systems is delineated between ascent and upper stage flight. The Block 1 navigation system is responsible for the phase of flight between the launch pad and insertion into Low-Earth Orbit (LEO). The upper stage system assumes the mission from LEO to payload separation. For the Block 1B vehicle, the two functions are combined into a single system intended to navigate from ground to payload insertion. Both are responsible for self-disposal once payload delivery is achieved. The evolution of the navigation hardware and algorithms from an inertial-only navigation system for Block 1 ascent flight to a tightly coupled GPS-aided inertial navigation system for Block 1-B is described. The Block 1 GN&C system has been designed to meet a LEO insertion target with a specified accuracy. The Block 1-B vehicle navigation system is designed to support the Block 1 LEO target accuracy as well as trans-lunar or trans-planetary injection accuracy. This is measured in terms of payload impact and stage disposal requirements. Additionally, the Block 1-B vehicle is designed to support human exploration and thus is designed to minimize the probability of Loss of Crew (LOC) through high-quality inertial instruments and Fault Detection, Isolation, and Recovery (FDIR) logic. The preliminary Block 1B integrated navigation system design is presented along with the challenges associated with

  7. Secure Block Ciphers - Cryptanalysis and Design

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Tiessen, Tyge

    be applied to the AES can be transferred to this block cipher, albeit with a higher attack complexity. The second publication introduces a new block cipher family which is targeted for new applications in fully homomorphic encryption and multi-party computation. We demonstrate the soundness of the design...... is encrypted using so-called symmetric ciphers. The security of our digital infrastructure thus rests at its very base on their security. The central topic of this thesis is the security of block ciphers – the most prominent form of symmetric ciphers. This thesis is separated in two parts. The first part...... is an introduction to block ciphers and their cryptanalysis, the second part contains publications written and published during the PhD studies. The first publication evaluates the security of a modification of the AES in which the choice of S-box is unknown to the attacker. We find that some of the attacks that can...

  8. Testing block subdivision algorithms on block designs

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wiseman, Natalie; Patterson, Zachary

    2016-01-01

    Integrated land use-transportation models predict future transportation demand taking into account how households and firms arrange themselves partly as a function of the transportation system. Recent integrated models require parcels as inputs and produce household and employment predictions at the parcel scale. Block subdivision algorithms automatically generate parcel patterns within blocks. Evaluating block subdivision algorithms is done by way of generating parcels and comparing them to those in a parcel database. Three block subdivision algorithms are evaluated on how closely they reproduce parcels of different block types found in a parcel database from Montreal, Canada. While the authors who developed each of the algorithms have evaluated them, they have used their own metrics and block types to evaluate their own algorithms. This makes it difficult to compare their strengths and weaknesses. The contribution of this paper is in resolving this difficulty with the aim of finding a better algorithm suited to subdividing each block type. The proposed hypothesis is that given the different approaches that block subdivision algorithms take, it's likely that different algorithms are better adapted to subdividing different block types. To test this, a standardized block type classification is used that consists of mutually exclusive and comprehensive categories. A statistical method is used for finding a better algorithm and the probability it will perform well for a given block type. Results suggest the oriented bounding box algorithm performs better for warped non-uniform sites, as well as gridiron and fragmented uniform sites. It also produces more similar parcel areas and widths. The Generalized Parcel Divider 1 algorithm performs better for gridiron non-uniform sites. The Straight Skeleton algorithm performs better for loop and lollipop networks as well as fragmented non-uniform and warped uniform sites. It also produces more similar parcel shapes and patterns.

  9. Online design of Matlab/Simulink block schemes

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Zoltán Janík

    2011-04-01

    Full Text Available The paper presents a new online tool that enables to build a Matlab/Simulink block scheme in the Internet environment. The block scheme can be designed in similar manner as it is offered by local installation of Simulink. The application was created by widely used technologies as XHTML, CSS, JavaScript, PHP together with AJAX approach. The created application can be used as a supporting tool in virtual and remote laboratories.

  10. Shutter designed to block high-energy particle beams

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Donnadille, B.

    1976-01-01

    A description is given of a shutter designed for temporarily closing off an opening formed in the wall of an irradiation room for the passage of a particle beam. A cylindrical metal block can rotate about its axis and occupy two stable positions which are 180 0 from one another. A cylindrical cage closed at its two ends by two circular plates is equipped respectively with eccentric holes for the passage of the particle beam. The block is provided with a longitudinal passage through which there can pass the particle beam and a blind hole or ''pit'' disposed symmetrically to the longitudinal passage and which can block the particle beam according to the positioning of the block by respect with the eccentric holes

  11. Design of Packet-Based Block Codes with Shift Operators

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ilow Jacek

    2010-01-01

    Full Text Available This paper introduces packet-oriented block codes for the recovery of lost packets and the correction of an erroneous single packet. Specifically, a family of systematic codes is proposed, based on a Vandermonde matrix applied to a group of information packets to construct redundant packets, where the elements of the Vandermonde matrix are bit-level right arithmetic shift operators. The code design is applicable to packets of any size, provided that the packets within a block of information packets are of uniform length. In order to decrease the overhead associated with packet padding using shift operators, non-Vandermonde matrices are also proposed for designing packet-oriented block codes. An efficient matrix inversion procedure for the off-line design of the decoding algorithm is presented to recover lost packets. The error correction capability of the design is investigated as well. The decoding algorithm, based on syndrome decoding, to correct a single erroneous packet in a group of received packets is presented. The paper is equipped with examples of codes using different parameters. The code designs and their performance are tested using Monte Carlo simulations; the results obtained exhibit good agreement with the corresponding theoretical results.

  12. The Use of Treatment Concurrences to Assess Robustness of Binary Block Designs Against the Loss of Whole Blocks

    OpenAIRE

    Godolphin, JD; Godolphin, EJ

    2015-01-01

    © 2015 Australian Statistical Publishing Association Inc. Criteria are proposed for assessing the robustness of a binary block design against the loss of whole blocks, based on summing entries of selected upper non-principal sections of the concurrence matrix. These criteria improve on the minimal concurrence concept that has been used previously and provide new conditions for measuring the robustness status of a design. The robustness properties of two-associate partially balanced designs ar...

  13. Hippocampal activation during face-name associative memory encoding: blocked versus permuted design

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    De Vogelaere, Frederick; Vingerhoets, Guy; Santens, Patrick; Boon, Paul; Achten, Erik

    2010-01-01

    The contribution of the hippocampal subregions to episodic memory through the formation of new associations between previously unrelated items such as faces and names is established but remains under discussion. Block design studies in this area of research generally tend to show posterior hippocampal activation during encoding of novel associational material while event-related studies emphasize anterior hippocampal involvement. We used functional magnetic resonance imaging to assess the involvement of anterior and posterior hippocampus in the encoding of novel associational material compared to the viewing of previously seen associational material. We used two different experimental designs, a block design and a permuted block design, and applied it to the same associative memory task to perform valid statistical comparisons. Our results indicate that the permuted design was able to capture more anterior hippocampal activation compared to the block design, which emphasized more posterior hippocampal involvement. These differences were further investigated and attributed to a combination of the polymodal stimuli we used and the experimental design. Activation patterns during encoding in both designs occurred along the entire longitudinal axis of the hippocampus, but with different centers of gravity. The maximal activated voxel in the block design was situated in the posterior half of the hippocampus while in the permuted design this was located in the anterior half. (orig.)

  14. Hippocampal activation during face-name associative memory encoding: blocked versus permuted design

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    De Vogelaere, Frederick; Vingerhoets, Guy [Ghent University, Laboratory for Neuropsychology, Department of Neurology, Ghent (Belgium); Santens, Patrick; Boon, Paul [Ghent University Hospital, Department of Neurology, Ghent (Belgium); Achten, Erik [Ghent University Hospital, Department of Radiology, Ghent (Belgium)

    2010-01-15

    The contribution of the hippocampal subregions to episodic memory through the formation of new associations between previously unrelated items such as faces and names is established but remains under discussion. Block design studies in this area of research generally tend to show posterior hippocampal activation during encoding of novel associational material while event-related studies emphasize anterior hippocampal involvement. We used functional magnetic resonance imaging to assess the involvement of anterior and posterior hippocampus in the encoding of novel associational material compared to the viewing of previously seen associational material. We used two different experimental designs, a block design and a permuted block design, and applied it to the same associative memory task to perform valid statistical comparisons. Our results indicate that the permuted design was able to capture more anterior hippocampal activation compared to the block design, which emphasized more posterior hippocampal involvement. These differences were further investigated and attributed to a combination of the polymodal stimuli we used and the experimental design. Activation patterns during encoding in both designs occurred along the entire longitudinal axis of the hippocampus, but with different centers of gravity. The maximal activated voxel in the block design was situated in the posterior half of the hippocampus while in the permuted design this was located in the anterior half. (orig.)

  15. Software package for analysis of completely randomized block design

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    This study is to design and develop statistical software (package), OYSP1.0 which conveniently accommodates and analyzes large mass of data emanating from experimental designs, in particular, completely Randomized Block design. Visual Basic programming is used in the design. The statistical package OYSP 1.0 ...

  16. Design of Packet-Based Block Codes with Shift Operators

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Jacek Ilow

    2010-01-01

    Full Text Available This paper introduces packet-oriented block codes for the recovery of lost packets and the correction of an erroneous single packet. Specifically, a family of systematic codes is proposed, based on a Vandermonde matrix applied to a group of k information packets to construct r redundant packets, where the elements of the Vandermonde matrix are bit-level right arithmetic shift operators. The code design is applicable to packets of any size, provided that the packets within a block of k information packets are of uniform length. In order to decrease the overhead associated with packet padding using shift operators, non-Vandermonde matrices are also proposed for designing packet-oriented block codes. An efficient matrix inversion procedure for the off-line design of the decoding algorithm is presented to recover lost packets. The error correction capability of the design is investigated as well. The decoding algorithm, based on syndrome decoding, to correct a single erroneous packet in a group of n=k+r received packets is presented. The paper is equipped with examples of codes using different parameters. The code designs and their performance are tested using Monte Carlo simulations; the results obtained exhibit good agreement with the corresponding theoretical results.

  17. Design of block-copolymer-based micelles for active and passive targeting

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Lebouille, Jérôme G J L; Leermakers, Frans A M; Cohen Stuart, Martien A.; Tuinier, Remco

    2016-01-01

    A self-consistent field study is presented on the design of active and passive targeting block-copolymeric micelles. These micelles form in water by self-assembly of triblock copolymers with a hydrophilic middle block and two hydrophobic outer blocks. A minority amount of diblock copolymers with the

  18. Design of block-copolymer-based micelles for active and passive targeting

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Lebouille, Jérôme G.J.L.; Leermakers, Frans A.M.; Cohen Stuart, Martien A.; Tuinier, Remco

    2016-01-01

    A self-consistent field study is presented on the design of active and passive targeting block-copolymeric micelles. These micelles form in water by self-assembly of triblock copolymers with a hydrophilic middle block and two hydrophobic outer blocks. A minority amount of diblock copolymers with

  19. Does erotic stimulus presentation design affect brain activation patterns? Event-related vs. blocked fMRI designs.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bühler, Mira; Vollstädt-Klein, Sabine; Klemen, Jane; Smolka, Michael N

    2008-07-22

    Existing brain imaging studies, investigating sexual arousal via the presentation of erotic pictures or film excerpts, have mainly used blocked designs with long stimulus presentation times. To clarify how experimental functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) design affects stimulus-induced brain activity, we compared brief event-related presentation of erotic vs. neutral stimuli with blocked presentation in 10 male volunteers. Brain activation differed depending on design type in only 10% of the voxels showing task related brain activity. Differences between blocked and event-related stimulus presentation were found in occipitotemporal and temporal regions (Brodmann Area (BA) 19, 37, 48), parietal areas (BA 7, 40) and areas in the frontal lobe (BA 6, 44). Our results suggest that event-related designs might be a potential alternative when the core interest is the detection of networks associated with immediate processing of erotic stimuli.Additionally, blocked, compared to event-related, stimulus presentation allows the emergence and detection of non-specific secondary processes, such as sustained attention, motor imagery and inhibition of sexual arousal.

  20. Does erotic stimulus presentation design affect brain activation patterns? Event-related vs. blocked fMRI designs

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Klemen Jane

    2008-07-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background Existing brain imaging studies, investigating sexual arousal via the presentation of erotic pictures or film excerpts, have mainly used blocked designs with long stimulus presentation times. Methods To clarify how experimental functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI design affects stimulus-induced brain activity, we compared brief event-related presentation of erotic vs. neutral stimuli with blocked presentation in 10 male volunteers. Results Brain activation differed depending on design type in only 10% of the voxels showing task related brain activity. Differences between blocked and event-related stimulus presentation were found in occipitotemporal and temporal regions (Brodmann Area (BA 19, 37, 48, parietal areas (BA 7, 40 and areas in the frontal lobe (BA 6, 44. Conclusion Our results suggest that event-related designs might be a potential alternative when the core interest is the detection of networks associated with immediate processing of erotic stimuli. Additionally, blocked, compared to event-related, stimulus presentation allows the emergence and detection of non-specific secondary processes, such as sustained attention, motor imagery and inhibition of sexual arousal.

  1. Die design and process optimization of die cast V6 engine blocks

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Henry Hu

    2005-02-01

    Full Text Available The use of aluminum, particularly for engine blocks, has grown considerably in the past ten years, and continues to rise in the automotive industry. In order to enhance the quality and engineering functionality of die cast engine blocks, die design and processes have to be optimized. In this study, a computer simulation software, MAGMAsoft, as an advanced tool for optimizing die design and casting process, was emplooyed to virtually visualize cavity filling and patterns of a V6 engine block. The original die design and process was simulated first to establish a baseline. A reality check was used to verify the predicted results. Then, the die modification with a different unner system was made by using a CAD software, Unigraphics (UG. The simulation on combinations of the modified die design and revised process was performed to examine the effect of die modification and process change on flow filling of V6 engine blocks. The simulated prediction indicateds that the enhancement of cavity filling due to the die and process modification minimizeds the occurrence of defects during casting, and consequently improves the quality of blocks. The results of mechanical testing show a significant increase in fatigue strengths, and a moderately improvement on tensile properties for the blocks die cast with the new die design and prpocess in comparison with those produced by the original ones.

  2. Design Review Report for Concrete Cover Block Replaced by Steel Plate

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    JAKA, O.M.

    2000-07-27

    The design for the steel cover plates to replace concrete cover blocks for U-109 was reviewed and approved in a design review meeting. The design for steel plates to replace concrete blocks were reviewed and approved by comparison and similarity with U-109 for the following additional pits: 241-U-105. 241-I-103, 241-Ax-101. 241-A-101, 241-SX-105, 241-S-A, 241-S-C, 241-SX-A.

  3. Method for Generating Pseudorandom Sequences with the Assured Period Based on R-blocks

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    M. A. Ivanov

    2011-03-01

    Full Text Available The article describes the characteristics of a new class of fast-acting pseudorandom number generators, based on the use of stochastic adders or R-blocks. A new method for generating pseudorandom sequences with the assured length of period is offered.

  4. BlockSci: Design and applications of a blockchain analysis platform

    OpenAIRE

    Kalodner, Harry; Goldfeder, Steven; Chator, Alishah; Möser, Malte; Narayanan, Arvind

    2017-01-01

    Analysis of blockchain data is useful for both scientific research and commercial applications. We present BlockSci, an open-source software platform for blockchain analysis. BlockSci is versatile in its support for different blockchains and analysis tasks. It incorporates an in-memory, analytical (rather than transactional) database, making it several hundred times faster than existing tools. We describe BlockSci's design and present four analyses that illustrate its capabilities. This is a ...

  5. ITER blanket module shield block design and analysis

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Mitin, D.; Khomyakov, S.; Razmerov, A.; Strebkov, Yu.

    2008-01-01

    This paper presents the alternative design of the shield block cooling path for a typical ITER blanket module with a predominantly sequential flow circuit. A number of serious disadvantages have been observed for the reference design, where the parallel flow circuit is used, which is inherent in the majority of blanket modules. The paper discusses these disadvantages and demonstrates the benefit of the alternative design based on the detailed design and the technological, hydraulic, thermal, structural and strength analyses, conducted for module no. 17

  6. Design issues for block-oriented reflective memory system

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Jovanovic, M; Tomasevic, M; Milutinovic, V

    1996-12-31

    The block-oriented reflective memory (BORM) system represents a modular bus-based system architecture that belongs to the class of distributed shared memory systems. The results of the evaluation study of the BORM implementation strategies and design decisions in regard to the different values of input parameters are presented. 5 refs.

  7. Designation and influence of household increasing block electricity tariffs in China

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lin Boqiang; Jiang Zhujun

    2012-01-01

    Electricity is the guarantee of normal life, and the electricity price is widely concerned. As a developing country in the transition stage, abundant policy implications are included in the electricity price in China, thus, whether to adjust the resident electricity price is a dilemma for the government. However, the current single tariff system cannot cope with the complex social and environmental problems. A new price mechanism is indeed needed. This paper tries to design an increasing block tariffs system with the consideration of residential income and electricity consumption. The result indicates that the increasing block tariffs system with four-tier structure is more reasonable for China. Although the increasing block tariffs will result in the increase of electricity price, it is still acceptable and affordable. The increasing block tariffs will greatly improve the equity and efficiency, and promote the electricity saving and emissions reduction. Moreover, the power companies will increase tariffs revenue, which would use to the transmission networks investment in poor area. In order to the offset the limitations of the increasing block tariffs, the government should adopt some complementary measures. - Highlights: ► We design an increasing block tariffs for residential electricity consumption with four-tier structure. ► Both the equity and efficiency will be greatly improved. ► Electricity demand and CO 2 emissions will reduce by 26.68 billion kWh and 14.11 million tons. ► Some measures should be taken as the complement to make the increasing block tariffs mechanism more efficient.

  8. Parametric Optimization Design of Brake Block Based on Reverse Engineering

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Jin Hua-wei

    2017-01-01

    Full Text Available As one of the key part of automotive brake,the performance of brake block has a direct impact on the safety and comfort of cars. Modeling the brake block of disc brake in reverse parameterization by reverse engineering software, analyzing and optimizing the reconstructed model by CAE software. Processing the scanned point cloud by Geomagic Studio and reconstructing the CAD model of the brake block with the parametric surface function of the software, then analyzing and optimizing it by Wrokbench. The example shows that it is quick to reconstruct the CAD model of parts by using reverse parameterization method and reduce part re-design development cycle significantly.

  9. Current status on detail design and fabrication techniques development of ITER blanket shield block in Korea

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kim, Duck Hoi; Cho, Seungyon; Ahn, Mu-Young; Lee, Eun-Seok; Jung, Ki Jung

    2007-01-01

    The allocation of components and systems to be delivered to ITER on an in-kind basis, was agreed between the ITER Parties. Among parties, Korea agreed to procure inboard blanket modules 1, 2 and 6, which consists of FW and shield block. Regarding shield block the detail design and Fabrication techniques development have been undertaken in Korea. Especially manufacturing feasibility study on shield block had been performed and some technical issues for the fabrication were selected. Based on these results, fabrication techniques using EB welding are being developed. Meanwhile, the detail design of inboard standard module has been carried out. The optimization of flow driver design to improve the cooling performance was executed. And, thermo-hydraulic analysis on half block of inboard standard module was performed. In this study, current status and some results from Fabrication techniques development on ITER blanket shield block are described. The detail design activity and results on shield block are also introduced herein. (orig.)

  10. POBE: A Computer Program for Optimal Design of Multi-Subject Blocked fMRI Experiments

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Bärbel Maus

    2014-01-01

    Full Text Available For functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI studies, researchers can use multi-subject blocked designs to identify active brain regions for a certain stimulus type of interest. Before performing such an experiment, careful planning is necessary to obtain efficient stimulus effect estimators within the available financial resources. The optimal number of subjects and the optimal scanning time for a multi-subject blocked design with fixed experimental costs can be determined using optimal design methods. In this paper, the user-friendly computer program POBE 1.2 (program for optimal design of blocked experiments, version 1.2 is presented. POBE provides a graphical user interface for fMRI researchers to easily and efficiently design their experiments. The computer program POBE calculates the optimal number of subjects and the optimal scanning time for user specified experimental factors and model parameters so that the statistical efficiency is maximised for a given study budget. POBE can also be used to determine the minimum budget for a given power. Furthermore, a maximin design can be determined as efficient design for a possible range of values for the unknown model parameters. In this paper, the computer program is described and illustrated with typical experimental factors for a blocked fMRI experiment.

  11. Interactive Block Games for Assessing Children's Cognitive Skills: Design and Preliminary Evaluation

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Kiju Lee

    2018-05-01

    Full Text Available Background: This paper presents design and results from preliminary evaluation of Tangible Geometric Games (TAG-Games for cognitive assessment in young children. The TAG-Games technology employs a set of sensor-integrated cube blocks, called SIG-Blocks, and graphical user interfaces for test administration and real-time performance monitoring. TAG-Games were administered to children from 4 to 8 years of age for evaluating preliminary efficacy of this new technology-based approach.Methods: Five different sets of SIG-Blocks comprised of geometric shapes, segmented human faces, segmented animal faces, emoticons, and colors, were used for three types of TAG-Games, including Assembly, Shape Matching, and Sequence Memory. Computational task difficulty measures were defined for each game and used to generate items with varying difficulty. For preliminary evaluation, TAG-Games were tested on 40 children. To explore the clinical utility of the information assessed by TAG-Games, three subtests of the age-appropriate Wechsler tests (i.e., Block Design, Matrix Reasoning, and Picture Concept were also administered.Results: Internal consistency of TAG-Games was evaluated by the split-half reliability test. Weak to moderate correlations between Assembly and Block Design, Shape Matching and Matrix Reasoning, and Sequence Memory and Picture Concept were found. The computational measure of task complexity for each TAG-Game showed a significant correlation with participants' performance. In addition, age-correlations on TAG-Game scores were found, implying its potential use for assessing children's cognitive skills autonomously.

  12. Isotopes and the Electron Configuration of the Blocks in the Periodic Table of Elements, upto the Last Element No.155

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Khazan A.

    2011-04-01

    Full Text Available This is a theoretical study, which first manifests which connexion exists between iso- topes and the electron blocks, and how the electron blocks are located in the version of the Periodic Table of Elements which ends with element No.155.

  13. Isotopes and the Electron Configuration of the Blocks in the Periodic Table of Elements, upto the Last Element No.155

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Khazan A.

    2011-04-01

    Full Text Available This is a theoretical study, which first manifests which connexion exists between isotopes and the electron blocks, and how the electron blocks are located in the version of the Periodic Table of Elements which ends with element No.155.

  14. Design of block copolymer membranes using segregation strength trend lines

    KAUST Repository

    Sutisna, Burhannudin; Polymeropoulos, Georgios; Musteata, Valentina-Elena; Peinemann, Klaus-Viktor; Avgeropoulos, Apostolos; Smilgies, Detlef-M.; Hadjichristidis, Nikolaos; Nunes, Suzana Pereira

    2016-01-01

    composition, polymer molecular weights, casting solution concentration, and evaporation time. We propose here an effective method for designing new block copolymer membranes. The method consists of predetermining a trend line for the preparation of isoporous

  15. Origami-inspired building block and parametric design for mechanical metamaterials

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jiang, Wei; Ma, Hua; Feng, Mingde; Yan, Leilei; Wang, Jiafu; Wang, Jun; Qu, Shaobo

    2016-08-01

    An origami-based building block of mechanical metamaterials is proposed and explained by introducing a mechanism model based on its geometry. According to our model, this origami mechanism supports response to uniaxial tension that depends on structure parameters. Hence, its mechanical properties can be tunable by adjusting the structure parameters. Experiments for poly lactic acid (PLA) samples were carried out, and the results are in good agreement with those of finite element analysis (FEA). This work may be useful for designing building blocks of mechanical metamaterials or other complex mechanical structures.

  16. Origami-inspired building block and parametric design for mechanical metamaterials

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Jiang, Wei; Ma, Hua; Feng, Mingde; Yan, Leilei; Wang, Jiafu; Wang, Jun; Qu, Shaobo

    2016-01-01

    An origami-based building block of mechanical metamaterials is proposed and explained by introducing a mechanism model based on its geometry. According to our model, this origami mechanism supports response to uniaxial tension that depends on structure parameters. Hence, its mechanical properties can be tunable by adjusting the structure parameters. Experiments for poly lactic acid (PLA) samples were carried out, and the results are in good agreement with those of finite element analysis (FEA). This work may be useful for designing building blocks of mechanical metamaterials or other complex mechanical structures. (paper)

  17. Thermal-hydraulic analysis and design improvement for coolant channel of ITER shield block

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Zhao Ling; Li Huaqi; Zheng Jiantao; Yi Jingwei; Kang Weishan; Chen Jiming

    2013-01-01

    As an important part for ITER, shield block is used to shield the neutron heat. The structure design of shield block, especially the inner coolant channel design will influence its cooling effect and safety significantly. In this study, the thermal-hydraulic analysis for shield block has been performed by the computational fluid dynamics software, some optimization suggestions have been proposed and thermal-hydraulic characteristics of the improved model has been analyzed again. The analysis results for improved model show that pressure drop through flow path near the inlet and outlet region of the shield block has been reduced, and the total pressure drop in cooling path has been reduced too; the uniformity of the mass flowrate distribution and the velocity distribution have been improved in main cooling branches; the local highest temperature of solid domain reduced considerably, which could avoid thermal stress becoming too large because of coolant effect unevenly. (authors)

  18. Self-assembled Block Copolymers with Various Architectures Designed by ATRP

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Jankova Atanasova, Katja

    Exploring Atom Transfer Radical Polymerization, ATRP, and using the basic concepts to construct a particular advanced material, a number of novel block copolymers has been designed (1-3). Additionally the properties of new macromolecular architectures have been utilized (4-5). Below are presented...

  19. Fast breeder reactor-block antiseismic design and verification

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Martelli, A.; Forni, M.

    1988-02-01

    The Specialists' Meeting on ''Fast Breeder Reactor-Block Antiseismic Design and Verification'' was organized by the ENEA Fast Reactor Department in co-operation with the International Working Group (IWGFR) of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), according to the recommendations of the 19th IAEA/IWGFR Meeting. It was held in Bologna, at the Headquarters of the ENEA Fast Reactor Department, on October 12-15, 1987, in the framework of the Celebrations for the Ninth Centenary of the Bologna University. The proceedings of the meeting consists of three parts. Part 1 contains the introduction and general comments, the agenda of the meeting, session summaries, conclusions and recommendations and the list of participants. Part 2 contains 8 status reports of Member States participating in the Working Group. Contributed papers were published in Part 3 and were further subdivided into 5 sessions as follows: whole reactor-block analysis (4 papers); whole reactor-block analysis (sloshing and buckling, seismic isolation effects) (8 papers); detailed core analysis (6 papers); shutdown systems and core structural and functional verifications (6 papers); component and piping analysis (7 papers). A separate abstract was prepared for each of the 8 status reports and 31 contributed papers. Refs, figs and tabs

  20. The effect of the rotational orientation of circular photomultipliers in a PET camera block detector design

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Uribe, J.; Wong, Wai-Hoi; Hu, Guoju

    1996-01-01

    This is a study of the effects of geometric asymmetries in circular photomultipliers (PMT) on the design of PET position-sensitive block detectors. The dynodes of linear-focus circular PMT's are asymmetric relative to the axis of the photocathode, despite the rotational symmetry of the photocathode. Hence, there are regional photocathode differences in the anode signal, which affect the decoding characteristics of position sensitive block detectors. This orientation effect, as well as the effect of introducing light diffusers, are studied in a block detector design (BGO) using the PMT-quadrant-sharing configuration. The PMT studied is the Philips XP-1911 (19mm diameter). Seven symmetrical and representative orientations of the four decoding PMT were investigated, as well as one asymmetric orientation. The measurements performed include block-composite pulse-height spectra and crystal decoding maps. Two orientation effects were observed: (A) distortion variation in decoding maps, and (B) decoding resolution variation. The introduction of circular plastic pieces, used as light diffusers, prove to be useful by improving the decoding of crystals on the periphery of the detector block and minimizing distortion in the decoding map. These measurements have shown optimal PMT orientations for the PMT-quadrant-sharing design, as well as for conventional block designs

  1. Designing block copolymer architectures for targeted membrane performance

    KAUST Repository

    Dorin, Rachel Mika

    2014-01-01

    Using a combination of block copolymer self-assembly and non-solvent induced phase separation, isoporous ultrafiltration membranes were fabricated from four poly(isoprene-b-styrene-b-4-vinylpyridine) triblock terpolymers with similar block volume fractions but varying in total molar mass from 43 kg/mol to 115 kg/mol to systematically study the effect of polymer size on membrane structure. Small-angle X-ray scattering was used to probe terpolymer solution structure in the dope. All four triblocks displayed solution scattering patterns consistent with a body-centered cubic morphology. After membrane formation, structures were characterized using a combination of scanning electron microscopy and filtration performance tests. Membrane pore densities that ranged from 4.53 × 1014 to 1.48 × 1015 pores/m 2 were observed, which are the highest pore densities yet reported for membranes using self-assembly and non-solvent induced phase separation. Hydraulic permeabilities ranging from 24 to 850 L m-2 h-1 bar-1 and pore diameters ranging from 7 to 36 nm were determined from permeation and rejection experiments. Both the hydraulic permeability and pore size increased with increasing molar mass of the parent terpolymer. The combination of polymer characterization and membrane transport tests described here demonstrates the ability to rationally design macromolecular structures to target specific performance characteristics in block copolymer derived ultrafiltration membranes. © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  2. An alternative design of reference blocks during the ultrasonic of ferritic welded joints

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Rondon Torriente, S.; Galeano Alvarez, N.J.

    1996-01-01

    This paper describes an alternative design which can be used to construct the reference blocks required to make the sensibility adjustment during the ultrasonic control ferritic welded joints. The major possibilities of this design are seen when it's used together with the well known AVG method, however it can be properly used with the reference block technique. In addition, the most general facts to keep in mind during the construction of this means are outlined, and besides advantages and problems involved with the use of some basics reference reflectors of wide spread use. Also formulates are given that can be used to obtain the size of the disk shaped reflector corresponding to the basics reference reflectors that this design includes

  3. 24 CFR 3285.306 - Design procedures for concrete block piers.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-04-01

    ... piers less than 36 inches high are permitted to be constructed of single, open, or closed-cell concrete... shown in Figure A to this section. (3) The concrete blocks must be stacked with their hollow cells... 24 Housing and Urban Development 5 2010-04-01 2010-04-01 false Design procedures for concrete...

  4. Theory of melt polyelectrolyte blends and block copolymers: Phase behavior, surface tension, and microphase periodicity

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Sing, Charles E. [Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois 60208 (United States); Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, Illinois 61801 (United States); Zwanikken, Jos W.; Olvera de la Cruz, Monica [Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois 60208 (United States)

    2015-01-21

    Polymer mixtures such as blends or block copolymers are of great interest in energy applications and functional materials, and often, one or more of these species contain charges. The traditional fashion in which such materials are studied uses Self-Consistent Field Theory (SCFT) methods that incorporate electrostatics using Poisson-Boltzmann (PB) theory. We adapt a new and rigorous approach that does not rely on the mean-field assumptions inherent in the PB theory and instead uses Liquid State (LS) integral equation theory to articulate charge correlations that are completely neglected in PB. We use this theory to calculate phase diagrams for both blends and block copolyelectrolytes using SCFT-LS and demonstrate how their phase behavior is highly dependent on chain length, charge fraction, charge size, and the strength of Coulombic interactions. Beyond providing phase behavior of blends and block copolyelectrolytes, we can use this theory to investigate the interfacial properties such as surface tension and block copolyelectrolyte lamellar spacing. Lamellar spacing provides a way to directly compare the SCFT-LS theory to the results of experiments. SCFT-LS will provide conceptual and mathematical clarification of the role of charge correlations in these systems and aid in the design of materials based on charge polymers.

  5. Theory of melt polyelectrolyte blends and block copolymers: Phase behavior, surface tension, and microphase periodicity

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Sing, Charles E.; Zwanikken, Jos W.; Olvera de la Cruz, Monica

    2015-01-01

    Polymer mixtures such as blends or block copolymers are of great interest in energy applications and functional materials, and often, one or more of these species contain charges. The traditional fashion in which such materials are studied uses Self-Consistent Field Theory (SCFT) methods that incorporate electrostatics using Poisson-Boltzmann (PB) theory. We adapt a new and rigorous approach that does not rely on the mean-field assumptions inherent in the PB theory and instead uses Liquid State (LS) integral equation theory to articulate charge correlations that are completely neglected in PB. We use this theory to calculate phase diagrams for both blends and block copolyelectrolytes using SCFT-LS and demonstrate how their phase behavior is highly dependent on chain length, charge fraction, charge size, and the strength of Coulombic interactions. Beyond providing phase behavior of blends and block copolyelectrolytes, we can use this theory to investigate the interfacial properties such as surface tension and block copolyelectrolyte lamellar spacing. Lamellar spacing provides a way to directly compare the SCFT-LS theory to the results of experiments. SCFT-LS will provide conceptual and mathematical clarification of the role of charge correlations in these systems and aid in the design of materials based on charge polymers

  6. Task-related Functional Connectivity Dynamics in a Block-designed Visual Experiment

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Xin eDi

    2015-09-01

    Full Text Available Studying task modulations of brain connectivity using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI is critical to understand brain functions that support cognitive and affective processes. Existing methods such as psychophysiological interaction (PPI and dynamic causal modelling (DCM usually implicitly assume that the connectivity patterns are stable over a block-designed task with identical stimuli. However, this assumption lacks empirical verification on high-temporal resolution fMRI data with reliable data-driven analysis methods. The present study performed a detailed examination of dynamic changes of functional connectivity (FC in a simple block-designed visual checkerboard experiment with a sub-second sampling rate (TR = 0.645 s by estimating time-varying correlation coefficient (TVCC between BOLD responses of different brain regions. We observed reliable task-related FC changes (i.e., FCs were transiently decreased after task onset and went back to the baseline afterward among several visual regions of the bilateral middle occipital gyrus (MOG and the bilateral fusiform gyrus (FuG. Importantly, only the FCs between higher visual regions (MOG and lower visual regions (FuG exhibited such dynamic patterns. The results suggested that simply assuming a sustained FC during a task block may be insufficient to capture distinct task-related FC changes. The investigation of FC dynamics in tasks could improve our understanding of condition shifts and the coordination between different activated brain regions.

  7. Copper based superconductors by the combination of blocking and mediating layers

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Shimizu, K.; Nobumasa, H.; Kawai, T.

    1992-01-01

    Copper based high temperature superconductors are composed of Cu-O 2 sheets in combination with thin atomic mediating layers and thick blocking layers which mediate and intercept interactions between Cu-O 2 sheets, respectively. New possible superconductors can be designed by the stacking of the Cu-O 2 sheets along with the periodic insertion of the mediating layers and different kinds of blocking layers. (orig.)

  8. E-Block: A Tangible Programming Tool with Graphical Blocks

    OpenAIRE

    Danli Wang; Yang Zhang; Shengyong Chen

    2013-01-01

    This paper designs a tangible programming tool, E-Block, for children aged 5 to 9 to experience the preliminary understanding of programming by building blocks. With embedded artificial intelligence, the tool defines the programming blocks with the sensors as the input and enables children to write programs to complete the tasks in the computer. The symbol on the programming block's surface is used to help children understanding the function of each block. The sequence information is transfer...

  9. Population Blocks.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Smith, Martin H.

    1992-01-01

    Describes an educational game called "Population Blocks" that is designed to illustrate the concept of exponential growth of the human population and some potential effects of overpopulation. The game material consists of wooden blocks; 18 blocks are painted green (representing land), 7 are painted blue (representing water); and the remaining…

  10. Design of block copolymer membranes using segregation strength trend lines

    KAUST Repository

    Sutisna, Burhannudin

    2016-05-18

    Block copolymer self-assembly and non-solvent induced phase separation are now being combined to fabricate membranes with narrow pore size distribution and high porosity. The method has the potential to be used with a broad range of tailor-made block copolymers to control functionality and selectivity for specific separations. However, the extension of this process to any new copolymer is challenging and time consuming, due to the complex interplay of influencing parameters, such as solvent composition, polymer molecular weights, casting solution concentration, and evaporation time. We propose here an effective method for designing new block copolymer membranes. The method consists of predetermining a trend line for the preparation of isoporous membranes, obtained by computing solvent properties, interactions and copolymer block sizes for a set of successful systems and using it as a guide to select the preparation conditions for new membranes. We applied the method to membranes based on poly(styrene-b-ethylene oxide) diblocks and extended it to newly synthesized poly(styrene-b-2-vinyl pyridine-b-ethylene oxide) (PS-b-P2VP-b-PEO) terpolymers. The trend line method can be generally applied to other new systems and is expected to dramatically shorten the path of isoporous membrane manufacture. The PS-b-P2VP-b-PEO membrane formation was investigated by in situ Grazing Incident Small Angle X-ray Scattering (GISAXS), which revealed a hexagonal micelle order with domain spacing clearly correlated to the membrane interpore distances.

  11. Steady natural convection in a horizontal channel containing heated rectangular blocks periodically mounted on its lower wall

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Bakkas, M.; Amahmid, A.; Hasnaoui, M.

    2006-01-01

    In this paper, we perform a numerical investigation of laminar steady natural convection flows in a two-dimensional horizontal channel containing heating rectangular blocks, periodically mounted on its lower wall. The blocks are heated at a constant temperature, T H ' and connected with adiabatic surfaces. The upper wall of the channel is maintained at a cold temperature T C ' . The parameters governing the problem are the Rayleigh number (10 2 = 6 ), the geometric parameter C (0.25=< C=l'/H'=<0.75) and the relative height of the blocks (1/8=< B=h'/H'=<1/2). The effect of the computational domain choice on the multiplicity of solutions is also investigated. The results obtained using air (Pr=0.72) as the working fluid show that the parameters B and C have a significant effect on the fluid flow and temperature fields. The symmetry of the flow is not always maintained although the boundary conditions for this problem are symmetrical, and the difference between two multiple solutions in terms of heat transfer may reach 34% for a given set of the governing parameters

  12. Design for an IO block array in a tile-based FPGA

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ding Guangxin; Chen Lingdou; Liu Zhongli

    2009-01-01

    A design for an IO block array in a tile-based FPGA is presented. Corresponding with the characteristics of the FPGA, each IO cell is composed of a signal path, local routing pool and configurable input/output buffers. Shared programmable registers in the signal path can be configured for the function of JTAG, without specific boundary scan registers/latches, saving layout area. The local routing pool increases the flexibility of routing and the routability of the whole FPGA. An auxiliary power supply is adopted to increase the performance of the IO buffers at different configured IO standards. The organization of the IO block array is described in an architecture description file, from which the array layout can be accomplished through use of an automated layout assembly tool. This design strategy facilitates the design of FPGAs with different capacities or architectures in an FPGA family series. The bond-out schemes of the same FPGA chip in different packages are also considered. The layout is based on SMIC 0.13 μm logic 1P8M salicide 1.2/2.5 V CMOS technology. Our performance is comparable with commercial SRAM-based FPGAs which use a similar process. (semiconductor integrated circuits)

  13. Sustainable Block Design Process for High-Rise and High-Density Districts with Snow and Wind Simulations for Winter Cities

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Norihiro Watanabe

    2017-11-01

    Full Text Available Urban designs that consider regional climatic conditions are one of the most important approaches for developing sustainable cities. In cities that suffer from heavy snow and cold winds in winter, an urban design approach different than that used for warm cities should be used. This study presents a scientific design process (the sustainable design approach that incorporates environmental and energy assessments that use snow and wind simulations to establish guidelines for the design of urban blocks in high-rise and high-density districts so that the impact of snow and wind can be minimized in these cities. A city block in downtown Sapporo, Japan, was used as a case study, and we evaluated four conceptual models. The four models were evaluated for how they impacted the snow and wind conditions in the block as well as the snow removal energy. Based on the results, we were able to identify the design guidelines in downtown Sapporo: an urban block design with higher building height ratio without the mid-rise part can reduce the snowdrifts and lower the snow removal energy. The proposed sustainable urban design approach would be effective in improving the quality of public spaces and reducing snow removal energy in winter cities.

  14. Block design reconstruction skills: not a good candidate for an endophenotypic marker in autism research.

    Science.gov (United States)

    de Jonge, Maretha; Kemner, Chantal; Naber, Fabienne; van Engeland, Herman

    2009-04-01

    Superior performance on block design tasks is reported in autistic individuals, although it is not consistently found in high-functioning individuals or individuals with Asperger Syndrome. It is assumed to reflect weak central coherence: an underlying cognitive deficit, which might also be part of the genetic makeup of the disorder. We assessed block design reconstruction skills in high-functioning individuals with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) from multi-incidence families and in their parents. Performance was compared to relevant matched control groups. We used a task that was assumed to be highly sensitive to subtle performance differences. We did not find individuals with ASD to be significantly faster on this task than the matched control group, not even when the difference between reconstruction time of segmented and pre-segmented designs was compared. However, we found individuals with ASD to make fewer errors during the process of reconstruction which might indicate some dexterity in mental segmentation. However, parents of individuals with ASD did not perform better on the task than control parents. Therefore, based on our data, we conclude that mental segmentation ability as measured with a block design reconstruction task is not a neurocognitive marker or endophenotype useful in genetic studies.

  15. Numerical Simulation of a Novel Sensing Approach Based on Abnormal Blocking by Periodic Grating Strips near the Silicon Wire Waveguide

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Andrei Tsarev

    2018-05-01

    Full Text Available This paper discusses the physical nature and the numerical modeling of a novel approach of periodic structures for applications as photonic sensors. The sensing is based on the high sensitivity to the cover index change of the notch wavelength. This sensitivity is due to the effect of abnormal blocking of the guided wave propagating along the silicon wire with periodic strips overhead it through the silica buffer. The structure sensing is numerically modeled by 2D and 3D finite difference time domain (FDTD method, taking into account the waveguide dispersion. The modeling of the long structures (more than 1000 strips is accomplished by the 2D method of lines (MoL with a maximal implementation of the analytical feature of the method. It is proved that the effect of abnormal blocking could be used for the construction of novel types of optical sensors.

  16. Metal-Organic Frameworks: Building Block Design Strategies for the Synthesis of MOFs.

    KAUST Repository

    Luebke, Ryan

    2014-09-01

    A significant and ongoing challenge in materials chemistry and furthermore solid state chemistry is to design materials with the desired properties and characteristics. The field of Metal-Organic Frameworks (MOFs) offers several strategies to address this challenge and has proven fruitful at allowing some degree of control over the resultant materials synthesized. Several methodologies for synthesis of MOFs have been developed which rely on use of predetermined building blocks. The work presented herein is focused on the utilization of two of these design principles, namely the use of molecular building blocks (MBBs) and supermolecular building blocks (SBBs) to target MOF materials having desired connectivities (topologies). These design strategies also permit the introduction of specific chemical moieties, allowing for modification of the MOFs properties. This research is predominantly focused on two platforms (rht-MOFs and ftw-MOFs) which topologically speaking are edge transitive binodal nets; ftw being a (4,12)-connected net and rht being a (3,24)-connected net. These highly connected nets (at least one node having connectivity greater than eight) have been purposefully targeted to increase the predictability of structural outcome. A general trend in topology is that there is an inverse relationship between the connectivity of the node(s) and the number of topological outcomes. Therefore the key to this research (and to effective use of the SBB and MBB approaches) is identification of conditions which allow for reliable formation of the targeted MBBs and SBBs. In the case of the research presented herein: a 12-connected Group IV or Rare Earth based hexanuclear MBB and a 24-connected transition metal based SBB were successfully targeted and synthesized. These two synthetic platforms will be presented and used as examples of how these design methods have been (and can be further) utilized to modify existing materials or develop new materials for gas storage and

  17. Block backstepping design of nonlinear state feedback control law for underactuated mechanical systems

    CERN Document Server

    Rudra, Shubhobrata; Maitra, Madhubanti

    2017-01-01

    This book presents a novel, generalized approach to the design of nonlinear state feedback control laws for a large class of underactuated mechanical systems based on application of the block backstepping method. The control law proposed here is robust against the effects of model uncertainty in dynamic and steady-state performance and addresses the issue of asymptotic stabilization for the class of underactuated mechanical systems. An underactuated system is defined as one for which the dimension of space spanned by the configuration vector is greater than that of the space spanned by the control variables. Control problems concerning underactuated systems currently represent an active field of research due to their broad range of applications in robotics, aerospace, and marine contexts. The book derives a generalized theory of block backstepping control design for underactuated mechanical systems, and examines several case studies that cover interesting examples of underactuated mechanical systems. The math...

  18. Design of fundamental building blocks for fast binary readout CMOS sensors used in high-energy physics experiments

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Degerli, Yavuz [CEA Saclay, IRFU/SEDI, 91191 Gif-sur-Yvette Cedex (France)], E-mail: degerli@cea.fr

    2009-04-21

    In this paper, design details of key building blocks for fast binary readout CMOS monolithic active pixel sensors developed for charged particle detection are presented. Firstly, an all-NMOS pixel architecture with in-pixel amplification and reset noise suppression which allows fast readout is presented. This pixel achieves high charge-to-voltage conversion factors (CVF) using a few number of transistors inside the pixel. It uses a pre-amplifying stage close to the detector and a simple double sampling (DS) circuitry to store the reset level of the detector. The DS removes the offset mismatches of amplifiers and the reset noise of the detector. Offset mismatches of the source follower are also corrected by a second column-level DS stage. The second important building block of these sensors, a low-power auto-zeroed column-level discriminator, is also presented. These two blocks transform the charge of the impinging particle into binary data. Finally, some experimental results obtained on CMOS chips designed using these blocks are presented.

  19. Design of Long Period Pseudo-Random Sequences from the Addition of -Sequences over

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ren Jian

    2004-01-01

    Full Text Available Pseudo-random sequence with good correlation property and large linear span is widely used in code division multiple access (CDMA communication systems and cryptology for reliable and secure information transmission. In this paper, sequences with long period, large complexity, balance statistics, and low cross-correlation property are constructed from the addition of -sequences with pairwise-prime linear spans (AMPLS. Using -sequences as building blocks, the proposed method proved to be an efficient and flexible approach to construct long period pseudo-random sequences with desirable properties from short period sequences. Applying the proposed method to , a signal set is constructed.

  20. Designing block copolymer architectures for targeted membrane performance

    KAUST Repository

    Dorin, Rachel Mika; Phillip, William A.; Sai, Hiroaki; Werner, Jö rg; Elimelech, Menachem; Wiesner, Ulrich

    2014-01-01

    Using a combination of block copolymer self-assembly and non-solvent induced phase separation, isoporous ultrafiltration membranes were fabricated from four poly(isoprene-b-styrene-b-4-vinylpyridine) triblock terpolymers with similar block volume

  1. E-Block: A Tangible Programming Tool with Graphical Blocks

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Danli Wang

    2013-01-01

    Full Text Available This paper designs a tangible programming tool, E-Block, for children aged 5 to 9 to experience the preliminary understanding of programming by building blocks. With embedded artificial intelligence, the tool defines the programming blocks with the sensors as the input and enables children to write programs to complete the tasks in the computer. The symbol on the programming block's surface is used to help children understanding the function of each block. The sequence information is transferred to computer by microcomputers and then translated into semantic information. The system applies wireless and infrared technologies and provides user with feedbacks on both screen and programming blocks. Preliminary user studies using observation and user interview methods are shown for E-Block's prototype. The test results prove that E-Block is attractive to children and easy to learn and use. The project also highlights potential advantages of using single chip microcomputer (SCM technology to develop tangible programming tools for children.

  2. Direct block scheduling technology: Analysis of Avidity

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Felipe Ribeiro Souza

    Full Text Available Abstract This study is focused on Direct Block Scheduling testing (Direct Multi-Period Scheduling methodology which schedules mine production considering the correct discount factor of each mining block, resulting in the final pit. Each block is analyzed individually in order to define the best target period. This methodology presents an improvement of the classical methodology derived from Lerchs-Grossmann's initial proposition improved by Whittle. This paper presents the differences between these methodologies, specially focused on the algorithms' avidity. Avidity is classically defined by the voracious search algorithms, whereupon some of the most famous greedy algorithms are Branch and Bound, Brutal Force and Randomized. Strategies based on heuristics can accentuate the voracity of the optimizer system. The applied algorithm use simulated annealing combined with Tabu Search. The most avid algorithm can select the most profitable blocks in early periods, leading to higher present value in the first periods of mine operation. The application of discount factors to blocks on the Lerchs-Grossmann's final pit has an accentuated effect with time, and this effect may make blocks scheduled for the end of the mine life unfeasible, representing a trend to a decrease in reported reserves.

  3. Order quantification of hexagonal periodic arrays fabricated by in situ solvent-assisted nanoimprint lithography of block copolymers

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Simão, Claudia; Khunsin, Worawut; Kehagias, Nikolaos; Sotomayor Torres, Clivia M; Salaun, Mathieu; Zelsmann, Marc; Morris, Michael A

    2014-01-01

    Directed self-assembly of block copolymer polystyrene-b-polyethylene oxide (PS-b-PEO) thin film was achieved by a one-pot methodology of solvent vapor assisted nanoimprint lithography (SAIL). Simultaneous solvent-anneal and imprinting of a PS-b-PEO thin film on silicon without surface pre-treatments yielded a 250 nm line grating decorated with 20 nm diameter nanodots array over a large surface area of up to 4′ wafer scale. The grazing-incidence small-angle x-ray scattering diffraction pattern showed the fidelity of the NIL stamp pattern replication and confirmed the periodicity of the BCP of 40 nm. The order of the hexagonally arranged nanodot lattice was quantified by SEM image analysis using the opposite partner method and compared to conventionally solvent-annealed block copolymer films. The imprint-based SAIL methodology thus demonstrated an improvement in ordering of the nanodot lattice of up to 50%, and allows significant time and cost reduction in the processing of these structures. (papers)

  4. Related Drupal Nodes Block

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Van der Vegt, Wim

    2010-01-01

    Related Drupal Nodes Block This module exposes a block that uses Latent Semantic Analysis (Lsa) internally to suggest three nodes that are relevant to the node a user is viewing. This module performs three tasks. 1) It periodically indexes a Drupal site and generates a Lsa Term Document Matrix.

  5. 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.

  6. Design issues for cryogenic cooling of short period superconducting undulators

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Green, M.A.; Dietderich, D.R.; Marks, S.; Prestemon, S.O.; Schlueter, R.D.

    2003-01-01

    Superconducting insertion devices, which produce periodic magnetic fields, have been built and installed in a number of synchrotron-light source storage-rings. For the most part, these devices have been wigglers, which have relatively long period lengths. This report concerns itself with the special cryogenic issues associated with short period undulators. The motivation for considering the incorporation of superconducting technology in insertion device designs is to achieve higher magnetic fields than can be achieved with more conventional permanent magnet technology. Since the peak field decreases sharply with increased magnet gap to period ratio, the cryogenic design of the magnet system is crucial. In particular, the insulation required for a warm vacuum bore device is impractical for short period undulators. This report describes the issues that are related to a cold bore (∼4 K) and an intermediate temperature bore (30 to 70 K) designs. The criteria for the use of small cryocoolers for cooling a short period undulator are presented. The problems associated with connecting small coolers to an undulator at 4.2 K are discussed

  7. Block Cipher Analysis

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Miolane, Charlotte Vikkelsø

    ensurethat no attack violatesthe securitybounds specifiedbygeneric attack namely exhaustivekey search and table lookup attacks. This thesis contains a general introduction to cryptography with focus on block ciphers and important block cipher designs, in particular the Advanced Encryption Standard(AES...... on small scale variants of AES. In the final part of the thesis we present a new block cipher proposal Present and examine its security against algebraic and differential cryptanalysis in particular....

  8. Powered Explicit Guidance Modifications and Enhancements for Space Launch System Block-1 and Block-1B Vehicles

    Science.gov (United States)

    Von der Porten, Paul; Ahmad, Naeem; Hawkins, Matt; Fill, Thomas

    2018-01-01

    NASA is currently building the Space Launch System (SLS) Block-1 launch vehicle for the Exploration Mission 1 (EM-1) test flight. NASA is also currently designing the next evolution of SLS, the Block-1B. The Block-1 and Block-1B vehicles will use the Powered Explicit Guidance (PEG) algorithm (of Space Shuttle heritage) for closed loop guidance. To accommodate vehicle capabilities and design for future evolutions of SLS, modifications were made to PEG for Block-1 to handle multi-phase burns, provide PEG updated propulsion information, and react to a core stage engine out. In addition, due to the relatively low thrust-to-weight ratio of the Exploration Upper Stage (EUS) and EUS carrying out Lunar Vicinity and Earth Escape missions, certain enhancements to the Block-1 PEG algorithm are needed to perform Block-1B missions to account for long burn arcs and target translunar and hyperbolic orbits. This paper describes the design and implementation of modifications to the Block-1 PEG algorithm as compared to Space Shuttle. Furthermore, this paper illustrates challenges posed by the Block-1B vehicle and the required PEG enhancements. These improvements make PEG capable for use on the SLS Block-1B vehicle as part of the Guidance, Navigation, and Control (GN&C) System.

  9. Application of interconnected porous hydroxyapatite ceramic block for onlay block bone grafting in implant treatment: A case report.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ohta, Kouji; Tada, Misato; Ninomiya, Yoshiaki; Kato, Hiroki; Ishida, Fumi; Abekura, Hitoshi; Tsuga, Kazuhiro; Takechi, Masaaki

    2017-12-01

    Autogenous block bone grafting as treatment for alveolar ridge atrophy has various disadvantages, including a limited availability of sufficiently sized and shaped grafts, donor site morbidity and resorption of the grafted bone. As a result, interconnected porous hydroxyapatite ceramic (IP-CHA) materials with high porosity have been developed and used successfully in orthopedic cases. To the best of the author's knowledge, this is the first report of clinical application of an IP-CHA block for onlay grafting for implant treatment in a patient with horizontal alveolar atrophy. The present study performed onlay block grafting using an IP-CHA block to restore bone volume for implant placement in the alveolar ridge area without collecting autogenous bone. Dental X-ray findings revealed that the border of the IP-CHA block became increasingly vague over the 3-year period, whereas CT scanning revealed that the gap between the block and bone had a smooth transition, indicating that IP-CHA improved the process of integration with host bone. In follow-up examinations over a period of 5 years, the implants and superstructures had no problems. An IP-CHA block may be useful as a substitute for onlay block bone grafting in implant treatment.

  10. Blocked Randomization with Randomly Selected Block Sizes

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Jimmy Efird

    2010-12-01

    Full Text Available When planning a randomized clinical trial, careful consideration must be given to how participants are selected for various arms of a study. Selection and accidental bias may occur when participants are not assigned to study groups with equal probability. A simple random allocation scheme is a process by which each participant has equal likelihood of being assigned to treatment versus referent groups. However, by chance an unequal number of individuals may be assigned to each arm of the study and thus decrease the power to detect statistically significant differences between groups. Block randomization is a commonly used technique in clinical trial design to reduce bias and achieve balance in the allocation of participants to treatment arms, especially when the sample size is small. This method increases the probability that each arm will contain an equal number of individuals by sequencing participant assignments by block. Yet still, the allocation process may be predictable, for example, when the investigator is not blind and the block size is fixed. This paper provides an overview of blocked randomization and illustrates how to avoid selection bias by using random block sizes.

  11. Electrocardiographic characteristics of atrioventricular block induced by tilt testing.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zyśko, Dorota; Gajek, Jacek; Koźluk, Edward; Mazurek, Walentyna

    2009-02-01

    The electrocardiographic (ECG) characteristics of atrioventricular (AV) block during reflex syncope may be unique due to the presence of hypervagotonia. The aim of the present study was to define the ECG characteristics of the AV block induced by neurocardiogenic reflex provoked by tilt testing (TT). A series of 31 patients with presumed vasovagal syncope and AV block provoked by TT was studied. The duration of PP and PR interval, AV block grade and type, concomitant arrhythmias, and timing of the AV block occurrence were assessed. The AV block occurred at TT termination in 26 patients, in the recovery in 4 patients, and in both periods in 1 patient. Atrioventricular block was preceded by sinus slowing, and sinus rhythm during AV block was slow and instable. Mobitz I, 2:1 second-degree AV block, and advanced second-degree AV block were recognized in 35.5, 48.4, and 67.8% of patients, respectively. Third-degree AV block was diagnosed in 41.9% of patients. Twenty-one patients had at least two AV block forms. The most prevalent concomitant arrhythmia was junctional escape rhythm (61.3%). (i) The occurrence of the AV block during neurocardiogenic reaction induced by TT is always preceded by sinus rhythm slowing and usually by PR interval prolongation. (ii) The AV block provoked by TT usually occurs at TT termination, but may occur even in the recovery period in a supine position. Sometimes the AV block may be present both at TT termination and during the recovery period.

  12. Computational strategies for the automated design of RNA nanoscale structures from building blocks using NanoTiler.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bindewald, Eckart; Grunewald, Calvin; Boyle, Brett; O'Connor, Mary; Shapiro, Bruce A

    2008-10-01

    One approach to designing RNA nanoscale structures is to use known RNA structural motifs such as junctions, kissing loops or bulges and to construct a molecular model by connecting these building blocks with helical struts. We previously developed an algorithm for detecting internal loops, junctions and kissing loops in RNA structures. Here we present algorithms for automating or assisting many of the steps that are involved in creating RNA structures from building blocks: (1) assembling building blocks into nanostructures using either a combinatorial search or constraint satisfaction; (2) optimizing RNA 3D ring structures to improve ring closure; (3) sequence optimisation; (4) creating a unique non-degenerate RNA topology descriptor. This effectively creates a computational pipeline for generating molecular models of RNA nanostructures and more specifically RNA ring structures with optimized sequences from RNA building blocks. We show several examples of how the algorithms can be utilized to generate RNA tecto-shapes.

  13. Computational strategies for the automated design of RNA nanoscale structures from building blocks using NanoTiler☆

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bindewald, Eckart; Grunewald, Calvin; Boyle, Brett; O’Connor, Mary; Shapiro, Bruce A.

    2013-01-01

    One approach to designing RNA nanoscale structures is to use known RNA structural motifs such as junctions, kissing loops or bulges and to construct a molecular model by connecting these building blocks with helical struts. We previously developed an algorithm for detecting internal loops, junctions and kissing loops in RNA structures. Here we present algorithms for automating or assisting many of the steps that are involved in creating RNA structures from building blocks: (1) assembling building blocks into nanostructures using either a combinatorial search or constraint satisfaction; (2) optimizing RNA 3D ring structures to improve ring closure; (3) sequence optimisation; (4) creating a unique non-degenerate RNA topology descriptor. This effectively creates a computational pipeline for generating molecular models of RNA nanostructures and more specifically RNA ring structures with optimized sequences from RNA building blocks. We show several examples of how the algorithms can be utilized to generate RNA tecto-shapes. PMID:18838281

  14. Main-chain supramolecular block copolymers.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yang, Si Kyung; Ambade, Ashootosh V; Weck, Marcus

    2011-01-01

    Block copolymers are key building blocks for a variety of applications ranging from electronic devices to drug delivery. The material properties of block copolymers can be tuned and potentially improved by introducing noncovalent interactions in place of covalent linkages between polymeric blocks resulting in the formation of supramolecular block copolymers. Such materials combine the microphase separation behavior inherent to block copolymers with the responsiveness of supramolecular materials thereby affording dynamic and reversible materials. This tutorial review covers recent advances in main-chain supramolecular block copolymers and describes the design principles, synthetic approaches, advantages, and potential applications.

  15. Simulation of the Long period Core Design for WH type of KHNP

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Jung, Ji-Eun; Moon, Sang-Rae [Korea Hydro and Nuclear Power Co., Daejeon (Korea, Republic of)

    2016-10-15

    The current core design of the reactor and the new design of long period based on ANC code are compared here targeting the unit of WH type(Westinghouse nuclear steam supply system) operated by KHNP. The reactor core is composed of 157 fuel assemblies, consisting of a 17×17 array with 264 fuel rods, 24 guide thimbles. To investigate susceptibility of CIPS(crud-induced power shift) for long period core design, the boron mass is also calculated here. The long period core design for WH type of KHNP is simulated and evaluated the risk assessment for the result. 89 feed assemblies and 4.95w/o uranium enrichment (3.2w/o for Axial-blanket) are used for fresh fuel rods. The cycle length of long period design is increased by 6 month than the average of operated cycles satisfying the criteria of risk assessment for the core design; maximum F△h and maximum pin burnup and so on, except burndown curve.

  16. Simulation of the Long period Core Design for WH type of KHNP

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Jung, Ji-Eun; Moon, Sang-Rae

    2016-01-01

    The current core design of the reactor and the new design of long period based on ANC code are compared here targeting the unit of WH type(Westinghouse nuclear steam supply system) operated by KHNP. The reactor core is composed of 157 fuel assemblies, consisting of a 17×17 array with 264 fuel rods, 24 guide thimbles. To investigate susceptibility of CIPS(crud-induced power shift) for long period core design, the boron mass is also calculated here. The long period core design for WH type of KHNP is simulated and evaluated the risk assessment for the result. 89 feed assemblies and 4.95w/o uranium enrichment (3.2w/o for Axial-blanket) are used for fresh fuel rods. The cycle length of long period design is increased by 6 month than the average of operated cycles satisfying the criteria of risk assessment for the core design; maximum F△h and maximum pin burnup and so on, except burndown curve

  17. 78 FR 28700 - Unblocking of Specially Designated Nationals and Blocked Persons Pursuant to the Foreign...

    Science.gov (United States)

    2013-05-15

    ... Secretary of Homeland Security when designating and blocking the property or interests in property, subject... financial or technological support for or to, or providing goods or services in support of, the..., Colombia; citizen Colombia; Cedula No. 79263544 (Colombia) (individual) [SDNTK]. 2. MORENO BERNAL, Luz...

  18. 78 FR 36638 - Unblocking of Specially Designated Nationals and Blocked Persons Pursuant to the Foreign...

    Science.gov (United States)

    2013-06-18

    ... Secretary of Homeland Security when designating and blocking the property or interests in property, subject... financial or technological support for or to, or providing goods or services in support of, the..., Sinaloa, Mexico; nationality Mexico; citizen Mexico (individual) [SDNTK]. ZERMENO BELTRAN, Guillermo, c/o...

  19. Structural Color for Additive Manufacturing: 3D-Printed Photonic Crystals from Block Copolymers.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Boyle, Bret M; French, Tracy A; Pearson, Ryan M; McCarthy, Blaine G; Miyake, Garret M

    2017-03-28

    The incorporation of structural color into 3D printed parts is reported, presenting an alternative to the need for pigments or dyes for colored parts produced through additive manufacturing. Thermoplastic build materials composed of dendritic block copolymers were designed, synthesized, and used to additively manufacture plastic parts exhibiting structural color. The reflection properties of the photonic crystals arise from the periodic nanostructure formed through block copolymer self-assembly during polymer processing. The wavelength of reflected light could be tuned across the visible spectrum by synthetically controlling the block copolymer molecular weight and manufacture parts that reflected violet, green, or orange light with the capacity to serve as selective optical filters and light guides.

  20. The effect of transversus abdominis plane block or local anaesthetic infiltration in inguinal hernia repair

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Petersen, Pernille Lykke; Mathiesen, Ole; Stjernholm, Pia

    2013-01-01

    was evaluated versus placebo and versus an active comparator (ilioinguinal block and wound infiltration). DESIGN: Randomised controlled trial. SETTING: Single centre trial. Study period from June 2010 to November 2011. PATIENTS: Adults (18 to 75 years) with American Society of Anesthesiologists' status 1...

  1. Detection block

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Bezak, A.

    1987-01-01

    A diagram is given of a detection block used for monitoring burnup of nuclear reactor fuel. A shielding block is an important part of the detection block. It stabilizes the fuel assembly in the fixing hole in front of a collimator where a suitable gamma beam is defined for gamma spectrometry determination of fuel burnup. The detector case and a neutron source case are placed on opposite sides of the fixing hole. For neutron measurement for which the water in the tank is used as a moderator, the neutron detector-fuel assembly configuration is selected such that neutrons from spontaneous fission and neutrons induced with the neutron source can both be measured. The patented design of the detection block permits longitudinal travel and rotation of the fuel assembly to any position, and thus more reliable determination of nuclear fuel burnup. (E.S.). 1 fig

  2. 77 FR 33562 - Unblocking of Specially Designated Nationals and Blocked Persons Pursuant to the Foreign...

    Science.gov (United States)

    2012-06-06

    ... Homeland Security when designating and blocking the property or interests in property, subject to U.S... technological support for or to, or providing goods or services in support of, the international narcotics... Papasquiaro, Durango, Mexico; citizen Mexico; nationality Mexico; C.U.R.P. ROCB740127HDGBRL07 (Mexico...

  3. 78 FR 72751 - Unblocking of Specially Designated Nationals and Blocked Persons Pursuant to the Foreign...

    Science.gov (United States)

    2013-12-03

    ... State, and the Secretary of Homeland Security when designating and blocking the property or interests in... providing financial or technological support for or to, or providing goods or services in support of, the..., Chihuahua 31240, Mexico; DOB 04 Nov 1945; POB Aquiles Serdan, Chihuahua, Mexico; nationality Mexico; citizen...

  4. MODELING STRATEGIES FOR THE ANALYSIS OF EXPERIMENTS IN AUGMENTED BLOCK DESIGN IN CLONAL TESTS OF Eucalyptus spp.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Paulo Eduardo Rodrigues Prado

    2013-08-01

    Full Text Available http://dx.doi.org/10.5902/1980509810546The objective of this work was to compare analyses of experiment strategies when there is a large number of clones and a reduced number of seedlings to be evaluated. Data from girth at breast height of two seasons of evaluation, 30 and 90 months, from a clonal test of Eucalyptus were analyzed in three locations. The experiments were carried out in the augmented block design with 400 regular clones distributed in 20 blocks and with four common clones (controls.  Each plot consisted of five plants spaced 3 x 3 meters. The individual statistic analyses were carried out by season and local, a combined one by local at each season and a combined one involving the three locals and the two seasons. Each analysis was carried out according to two models: augmented design (AD and one way classification (OWC. The variance components, the heritability, the Speaman’s rank correlation and the coincidence indexes in the clone selection at the two models were estimated. It was found that the augmented block design and the one way classification provide similar results in Eucalyptus clone evaluation. The coincidence indexes between the two models in the clone selection, in general, were high, showing values of 100% in the local combined analyses at 90 months. The Spearman’s rank

  5. Elfin: An algorithm for the computational design of custom three-dimensional structures from modular repeat protein building blocks.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yeh, Chun-Ting; Brunette, T J; Baker, David; McIntosh-Smith, Simon; Parmeggiani, Fabio

    2018-02-01

    Computational protein design methods have enabled the design of novel protein structures, but they are often still limited to small proteins and symmetric systems. To expand the size of designable proteins while controlling the overall structure, we developed Elfin, a genetic algorithm for the design of novel proteins with custom shapes using structural building blocks derived from experimentally verified repeat proteins. By combining building blocks with compatible interfaces, it is possible to rapidly build non-symmetric large structures (>1000 amino acids) that match three-dimensional geometric descriptions provided by the user. A run time of about 20min on a laptop computer for a 3000 amino acid structure makes Elfin accessible to users with limited computational resources. Protein structures with controlled geometry will allow the systematic study of the effect of spatial arrangement of enzymes and signaling molecules, and provide new scaffolds for functional nanomaterials. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  6. Bypass Flow and Hot Spot Analysis for PMR200 Block-Core Design with Core Restraint Mechanism

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lim, Hong Sik; Kim, Min Hwan

    2009-01-01

    The accurate prediction of local hot spot during normal operation is important to ensure core thermal margin in a very high temperature gas-cooled reactor because of production of its high temperature output. The active cooling of the reactor core determining local hot spot is strongly affected by core bypass flows through the inter-column gaps between graphite blocks and the cross gaps between two stacked fuel blocks. The bypass gap sizes vary during core life cycle by the thermal expansion at the elevated temperature and the shrinkage/swelling by fast neutron irradiation. This study is to investigate the impacts of the variation of bypass gaps during core life cycle as well as core restraint mechanism on the amount of bypass flow and thus maximum fuel temperature. The core thermo fluid analysis is performed using the GAMMA+ code for the PMR200 block-core design. For the analysis not only are some modeling features, developed for solid conduction and bypass flow, are implemented into the GAMMA+ code but also non-uniform bypass gap distribution taken from a tool calculating the thermal expansion and the shrinkage/swell of graphite during core life cycle under the design options with and without core restraint mechanism is used

  7. Basic design of shield blocks for a spallation neutron source under the high-intensity proton accelerator project

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Yoshida, Katsuhiko; Maekawa, Fujio; Takada, Hiroshi [Japan Atomic Energy Research Inst., Tokai, Ibaraki (Japan). Tokai Research Establishment

    2003-03-01

    Under the JAERI-KEK High-Intensity Proton Accelerator Project (J-PARC), a spallation neutron source driven by a 3 GeV-1 MW proton beam is planed to be constructed as a main part of the Materials and Life Science Facility. Overall dimensions of a biological shield of the neutron source had been determined by evaluation of shielding performance by Monte Carlo calculations. This report describes results of design studies on an optimum dividing scheme in terms of cost and treatment and mechanical strength of shield blocks for the biological shield. As for mechanical strength, it was studied whether the shield blocks would be stable, fall down or move to a horizontal direction in case of an earthquake of seismic intensity of 5.5 (250 Gal) as an abnormal load. For ceiling shielding blocks being supported by both ends of the long blocks, maximum bending moment and an amount of maximum deflection of their center were evaluated. (author)

  8. Basic design of shield blocks for a spallation neutron source under the high-intensity proton accelerator project

    CERN Document Server

    Yoshida, K; Takada, H

    2003-01-01

    Under the JAERI-KEK High-Intensity Proton Accelerator Project (J-PARC), a spallation neutron source driven by a 3 GeV-1 MW proton beam is planed to be constructed as a main part of the Materials and Life Science Facility. Overall dimensions of a biological shield of the neutron source had been determined by evaluation of shielding performance by Monte Carlo calculations. This report describes results of design studies on an optimum dividing scheme in terms of cost and treatment and mechanical strength of shield blocks for the biological shield. As for mechanical strength, it was studied whether the shield blocks would be stable, fall down or move to a horizontal direction in case of an earthquake of seismic intensity of 5.5 (250 Gal) as an abnormal load. For ceiling shielding blocks being supported by both ends of the long blocks, maximum bending moment and an amount of maximum deflection of their center were evaluated.

  9. STANFORD-OHWAKI-KOHS TACTILE BLOCK DESIGN INTELLIGENCE TEST FOR THE BLIND. PART ONE-FINAL REPORT.

    Science.gov (United States)

    DAUTERMAN, WILLIAM L.; SUINN, RICHARD M.

    THIS TEST WAS DEVELOPED TO MEASURE THE INTELLIGENCE OF BLIND ADOLESCENTS AND ADULTS. SIX HUNDRED AND THIRTY BLIND SUBJECTS 14 YEARS OF AGE AND OLDER WERE USED IN REFINING AND STANDARDIZING THE NONVERBAL, PERFORMANCE OHWAKI-KOHS BLOCK DESIGN TEST FOR USE BY BLIND INDIVIDUALS IN THE UNITED STATES. RESULTS INDICATED STATISTICALLY SIGNIFICANT…

  10. Nanostructure of self-assembled rod-coil block copolymer films for photovoltaic applications

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Heiser, T.; Adamopoulos, G.; Brinkmann, M.; Giovanella, U.; Ould-Saad, S.; Brochon, C.; Wetering, K. van de; Hadziioannou, G.

    2006-01-01

    The nanostructures of a series of rod-coil block copolymers, designed for photovoltaic applications, are studied by atomic force microscopy and transmission electron microscopy. The copolymers are composed of a semiconducting poly-p-phenylenevinylene rod with (2'-ethyl)-hexyloxy side chains and a functionalized coil block of various length and flexibility. Both, as deposited and annealed block copolymer films were investigated. The results show that highly ordered structures are only obtained if the coil block is characterized by a glass transition temperature which is significantly lower than the melting temperature of the alkyl side chains. For this material a high molecular mobility and strong driving force for crystallization of the rigid block can be achieved simultaneously. For the smallest coil to rod length ratio, we found a lamellar morphology with perpendicularly oriented lamellae with respect to the substrate. Electron diffraction data show the presence of a periodical molecular arrangement with a characteristic distance of 0.94 nm that is attributed to the distance between conjugated chains separated by the layers of alkyl sidechains

  11. Nanostructure of self-assembled rod-coil block copolymer films for photovoltaic applications

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Heiser, T. [Institut d' Electronique du Solide et des Systemes (InESS), CNRS/ULP, 23, rue du Loess, F-67037 Strasbourg Cedex 2 (France)]. E-mail: Thomas.Heiser@iness.c-strasbourg.fr; Adamopoulos, G. [Laboratoire d' Ingenierie des Polymeres pour les Hautes Technologies (LIPHT), Ecole Europeenne de Chimie Polymeres et Materiaux (ECPM), 25, rue Becquerel, F-67087 Strasbourg Cedex 2 (France); Brinkmann, M. [Institut Charles Sadron (ICS), CNRS, 6, rue Boussingault, F-67083 Strasbourg Cedex (France); Giovanella, U. [Laboratoire d' Ingenierie des Polymeres pour les Hautes Technologies (LIPHT), Ecole Europeenne de Chimie Polymeres et Materiaux (ECPM), 25, rue Becquerel, F-67087 Strasbourg Cedex 2 (France); Ould-Saad, S. [Institut d' Electronique du Solide et des Systemes (InESS), CNRS/ULP, 23, rue du Loess, F-67037 Strasbourg Cedex 2 (France); Brochon, C. [Laboratoire d' Ingenierie des Polymeres pour les Hautes Technologies (LIPHT), Ecole Europeenne de Chimie Polymeres et Materiaux (ECPM), 25, rue Becquerel, F-67087 Strasbourg Cedex 2 (France); Wetering, K. van de [Laboratoire d' Ingenierie des Polymeres pour les Hautes Technologies (LIPHT), Ecole Europeenne de Chimie Polymeres et Materiaux (ECPM), 25, rue Becquerel, F-67087 Strasbourg Cedex 2 (France); Hadziioannou, G. [Laboratoire d' Ingenierie des Polymeres pour les Hautes Technologies (LIPHT), Ecole Europeenne de Chimie Polymeres et Materiaux (ECPM), 25, rue Becquerel, F-67087 Strasbourg Cedex 2 (France)

    2006-07-26

    The nanostructures of a series of rod-coil block copolymers, designed for photovoltaic applications, are studied by atomic force microscopy and transmission electron microscopy. The copolymers are composed of a semiconducting poly-p-phenylenevinylene rod with (2'-ethyl)-hexyloxy side chains and a functionalized coil block of various length and flexibility. Both, as deposited and annealed block copolymer films were investigated. The results show that highly ordered structures are only obtained if the coil block is characterized by a glass transition temperature which is significantly lower than the melting temperature of the alkyl side chains. For this material a high molecular mobility and strong driving force for crystallization of the rigid block can be achieved simultaneously. For the smallest coil to rod length ratio, we found a lamellar morphology with perpendicularly oriented lamellae with respect to the substrate. Electron diffraction data show the presence of a periodical molecular arrangement with a characteristic distance of 0.94 nm that is attributed to the distance between conjugated chains separated by the layers of alkyl sidechains.

  12. Paroxysmal atrioventricular block: Electrophysiological mechanism of phase 4 conduction block in the His-Purkinje system: A comparison with phase 3 block.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Shenasa, Mohammad; Josephson, Mark E; Wit, Andrew L

    2017-11-01

    Paroxysmal atrioventricular (A-V) block is relatively rare, and due to its transient nature, it is often under recognized. It is often triggered by atrial, junctional, or ventricular premature beats, and occurs in the presence of a diseased His-Purkinje system (HPS). Here, we present a 45-year-old white male who was admitted for observation due to recurrent syncope and near-syncope, who had paroxysmal A-V block. The likely cellular electrophysiological mechanisms(s) of paroxysmal A-V block and its differential diagnosis and management are discussed. Continuous electrocardiographic monitoring was done while the patient was in the cardiac unit. Multiple episodes of paroxysmal A-V block were documented in this case. All episodes were initiated and terminated with atrial/junctional premature beats. The patient underwent permanent pacemaker implantation and has remained asymptomatic since then. Paroxysmal A-V block is rare and often causes syncope or near-syncope. Permanent pacemaker implantation is indicated according to the current guidelines. Paroxysmal A-V block occurs in the setting of diseased HPS and is bradycardia-dependent. The detailed electrophysiological mechanisms, which involve phase 4 diastolic depolarization, and differential diagnosis are discussed. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

  13. Stormwater Design Return Period Standards for U.S. Transportation Infrastructure: How Are States Approaching Resilience?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Samaras, C.; Lopez, T.

    2016-12-01

    Climate change is projected to increase the frequency and intensity of precipitation in many regions, which is relevant for stormwater engineering designs and resilience in the transportation sector. Existing and future stormwater infrastructure is generally designed for historical and stationary hydrologic conditions. For example, the design return period is based on statistical analysis of past precipitation events, often over a 50-year historical timeline. The design return period translates into how much peak precipitation volume a system is designed for in a state, and provides information about the performance of a drainage structure. The higher the design period used by an engineer for a given stormwater system, the more peak stormwater volume the system can convey. Therefore, design return periods can be associated with a design's near-term and long-term resilience. However, there is a tradeoff between the choice of design return period, the total infrastructure capital cost, and the resilience of a system to heavy precipitation events. This study analyzes current stormwater infrastructure design guidelines for state departments of transportation in the contiguous United States, in order to understand how stormwater design return periods vary across states and provide insight into the resilience of current stormwater systems design. The study found that the design return period varies considerably across the United States by roadway functional class and drainage classification, as well as within climate regions. Understanding this variation will help states identify possible vulnerabilities, highlight deficiencies across states and infrastructure types, and help in updating design return periods to increase the climate resilience of stormwater infrastructure.

  14. Bier′s block using lignocaine and butorphanol

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Abhishek Bansal

    2011-01-01

    Full Text Available Background : Opioids are most commonly used as adjuncts in intravenous regional anesthesia (IVRA to improve the quality of intraoperative and postoperative analgesia. There is paucity of literature on the use of butorphanol in IVRA. Aims : The aim of this study was to evaluate the likely benefits of addition of butorphanol to lignocaine in Bier′s block in terms of onset and duration of sensory block and also for analgesic requirement in postoperative period. Settings and Design : A randomized double blind study was conducted at Tertiary Care Educational Institute. Patients and Methods : A total of 40 adult ASA I or II patients scheduled to undergo upper limb surgery were randomized in two groups (n=20. Group I received 3 mg/kg of lignocaine alone and group II received 1 mg butorphanol in addition to 3 mg/kg lignocaine. Sensory block onset time and time to recovery from sensory block after tourniquet deflation were noted using the pin prick method. Duration of postoperative analgesia was noted using a visual analogue scale. All the patients were compared for the time to first rescue analgesic consumption and total analgesic consumption in first 24 hours postoperatively. Statistical Analysis Used : The statistical analysis was done using unpaired Student′s t-test. Results : Our study showed significant prolongation of postoperative analgesia in group II as noted by the time to first analgesic requirement. Total analgesic consumption in first 24 hours postoperatively was less in group II. Sensory block onset time and time to recovery from sensory block after tourniquet deflation, did not show any significant difference between the two groups. Conclusions : Addition of butorphanol to lignocaine in IVRA significantly prolongs the duration of postoperative analgesia and 24 hours analgesic consumption is less in patients receiving butorphanol along with lignocaine in IVRA. However, there is no effect on sensory block onset time and time to recovery

  15. Photonic Resins: Designing Optical Appearance via Block Copolymer Self-Assembly.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Song, Dong-Po; Jacucci, Gianni; Dundar, Feyza; Naik, Aditi; Fei, Hua-Feng; Vignolini, Silvia; Watkins, James J

    2018-03-27

    Despite a huge variety of methodologies having been proposed to produce photonic structures by self-assembly, the lack of an effective fabrication approach has hindered their practical uses. These approaches are typically limited by the poor control in both optical and mechanical properties. Here we report photonic thermosetting polymeric resins obtained through brush block copolymer (BBCP) self-assembly. We demonstrate that the control of the interplay between order and disorder in the obtained photonic structure offers a powerful tool box for designing the optical appearance of the polymer resins in terms of reflected wavelength and scattering properties. The obtained materials exhibit excellent mechanical properties with hardness up to 172 MPa and Young's modulus over 2.9 GPa, indicating great potential for practical uses as photonic coatings on a variety of surfaces.

  16. 76 FR 38533 - Alphabetical Listings: Specially Designated Nationals and Blocked Persons; Blocked Vessels...

    Science.gov (United States)

    2011-06-30

    .... * * * * * PART 546--DARFUR SANCTIONS REGULATIONS 0 22. The authority citation for part 546 continues to read as... Nationals and Blocked Persons List (``SDN List'') with the identifier ``[DARFUR].'' The SDN List is... Federal Register and incorporated into the SDN List with the identifier ``[BPI-DARFUR].'' * * * * * PART...

  17. 3D casing-distributor analysis with a novel block coupled OpenFOAM solver for hydraulic design application

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Devals, C; Zhang, Y; Dompierre, J; Guibault, F; Vu, T C; Mangani, L

    2014-01-01

    Nowadays, computational fluid dynamics is commonly used by design engineers to evaluate and compare losses in hydraulic components as it is less expensive and less time consuming than model tests. For that purpose, an automatic tool for casing and distributor analysis will be presented in this paper. An in-house mesh generator and a Reynolds Averaged Navier-Stokes equation solver using the standard k-ω SST turbulence model will be used to perform all computations. Two solvers based on the C++ OpenFOAM library will be used and compared to a commercial solver. The performance of the new fully coupled block solver developed by the University of Lucerne and Andritz will be compared to the standard 1.6ext segregated simpleFoam solver and to a commercial solver. In this study, relative comparisons of different geometries of casing and distributor will be performed. The present study is thus aimed at validating the block solver and the tool chain and providing design engineers with a faster and more reliable analysis tool that can be integrated into their design process

  18. ASIC chipset design to generate block-based complex holographic video.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Seo, Young-Ho; Lee, Yoon-Hyuk; Kim, Dong-Wook

    2017-03-20

    In this paper, we propose a new hardware architecture implemented as a very large scaled integrated circuit by using an application-specific integrated circuit technology, where block-based calculations are used to generate holograms. The proposed hardware is structured to produce a part of a hologram in the block units in parallel. A block of a hologram is calculated using an object point, and then the calculation is repeated for all object points to obtain intermediate results that are accumulated to produce the final block of a hologram. This structure can be used to produce holograms of various sizes in real time with optimized memory access. The proposed hardware was implemented using the Hynix 0.18 μm CMOS technology of Magna Chip, Inc., and it has about 448 K gate counts and a silicon size of 3.592  mm×3.592  mm. It can generate complex holograms and operate in a stable manner at a clock frequency of 200 MHz.

  19. A comparison of oblique subcostal transversus abdominis plane block versus thoracic paravertebral block for postoperative analgesia after open cholecystectomy

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ghada Kamhawy

    2017-10-01

    Full Text Available Background: A major challenge in the postoperative period is pain management which, if not adequately controlled, may contribute to patient discomfort and decreased patient satisfaction, and possibly increased morbidity and mortality. Both Thoracic paravertebral block and oblique subcostal transversus abdominis plane block can be used as analgesic techniques for abdominal surgeries. Our aim in this research was comparison of cumulative 24-h post-operative morphine consumption between ultrasound-guided oblique subcostal transversus abdominis plane block and ultrasound-guided thoracic paravertebral block in patients who underwent an open cholecystectomy under general anesthesia. Patients and methods: This study was performed on 46 patients who underwent open cholecystectomy under general anesthesia. All patients were randomly allocated alternatively to one of two equal groups to either undergo ultrasound-guided unilateral oblique subcostal transversus abdominis plane block Group (I or to undergo ultrasound-guided unilateral thoracic paravertebral block Group (II. Both groups were subjected to a similar analgesic regimen in the immediate post-operative period that involved intravenous patient-controlled morphine analgesia which was used in both groups. Results: The total morphine consumption in the first postoperative 24 h was lower in thoracic paravertebral block Group (II (9.9 mg in thoracic paravertebral block group vs. 15.4 mg in oblique subcostal transversus abdominis plane block Group (I with p < 0.001. The mean time of first request of analgesia in Group (I was 248.7 min compared to 432.1 for Group (II with p < 0.001. Conclusions: Both ultrasound-guided oblique subcostal transversus abdominis plain block and single injection ultrasound guided thoracic paravertebral block are effective analgesic techniques for upper abdominal surgeries and reduces postoperative opioid requirements. However, thoracic paravertebral block is more

  20. The One-Pot Directed Assembly of Cylinder-Forming Block Copolymer on Adjacent Chemical Patterns for Bimodal Patterning.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chang, Tzu-Hsuan; Xiong, Shisheng; Liu, Chi-Chun; Liu, Dong; Nealey, Paul F; Ma, Zhenqiang

    2017-09-01

    The direct self-assembly of cylinder-forming poly(styrene-block-methyl-methacrylate) (PS-b-PMMA) block copolymer is successfully assembled into two orientations, according to the underlying guiding pattern in different areas. Lying-down and perpendicular cylinders are formed, respectively, depending on the design of chemical pattern: sparse line/space pattern or hexagonal dot array. The first chemical pattern composed of prepatterned cross-linked polystyrene (XPS) line/space structure has a period (L S ) equal to twice the intercylinder period of the block copolymer (L 0 ). The PS-b-PMMA thin film on the prepared chemical template after thermal annealing forms a lying-down cylinder morphology when the width of the PS strips is less than the width of PS block in the PS-b-PMMA block copolymer. The morphology is only applicable at the discrete thickness of the PS-b-PMMA film. In addition to forming the lying-down cylinders directly on the XPS guiding pattern, the cylinder-forming block copolymer can also be assembled in a perpendicular way on the second guiding pattern (the hexagonal dot array). The block copolymer films are registered into two orientations in a single directed self-assembly process. The features of the assembled patterns are successfully transferred down to the silicon oxide substrate. © 2017 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

  1. Revision of nuclear power plants safety systems' routine testing assigned periodicity during the design extension period

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Skalozubov, V.I.; Kozlov, Yi.L.; Chulkyin, O.O.

    2017-01-01

    When nuclear power plants safety systems thermal equipment operation extending, a necessary requirement shall rely on revising the scheduled equipment tests frequency to optimize those tests schedule taking into account the equipment remained lifespan. On the one hand, there exists a need for tests frequency increase to detect ''hidden'' failures, and on the another, frequent tests cause a premature wear of the equipment. Proposed is an original method for optimizing the frequency of NPPs safety systems thermal engineering equipment testing. Essential in the proposed method is the optimization criterion chosen: index of security system failure probability non-exceedance during the beyond-design operating period as referred to the failure probability expected considering the equipment residual resource during the design operating period. The developed method implementation when applied to NPPs safety systems operated beyond the design service life at nuclear power plants with WWER-1000 series reactors, allowed to establish that the optimal tests frequency makes half the designed one when the equipment service life is extended by five years and three times less that the designed frequency when subject lifespan extended by 10 years.

  2. Rapid self-assembly of block copolymers to photonic crystals

    Science.gov (United States)

    Xia, Yan; Sveinbjornsson, Benjamin R; Grubbs, Robert H; Weitekamp, Raymond; Miyake, Garret M; Atwater, Harry A; Piunova, Victoria; Daeffler, Christopher Scot; Hong, Sung Woo; Gu, Weiyin; Russell, Thomas P.

    2016-07-05

    The invention provides a class of copolymers having useful properties, including brush block copolymers, wedge-type block copolymers and hybrid wedge and polymer block copolymers. In an embodiment, for example, block copolymers of the invention incorporate chemically different blocks comprising polymer size chain groups and/or wedge groups that significantly inhibit chain entanglement, thereby enhancing molecular self-assembly processes for generating a range of supramolecular structures, such as periodic nanostructures and microstructures. The present invention also provides useful methods of making and using copolymers, including block copolymers.

  3. Operating characteristics of a partial-block randomized crossover bioequivalence study for dutasteride, a drug with a long half-life: investigation through simulation and comparison with final results.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cai, Gengqian; Thiessen, Jake J; Baidoo, Charlotte A; Fossler, Michael J

    2010-10-01

    Studies to establish bioequivalence (BE) of a drug are important elements in support of drug applications. A typical BE study is conducted as a single dose, randomized, 2-period crossover design. For drugs with long half lives (≥ 48 hours) and evaluation of multiple BE objectives in 1 trial, this design may not be adequate. A parallel design may then be a more appropriate choice. However, parallel designs require increased sample size, which can become substantial. One option that is a compromise between the complete randomized block design and the parallel design is a partial-block crossover design. This approach came about during the development of a combination of dutasteride and tamsulosin. Previous experience with performing single-dose dutasteride studies suggested that 28 days of washout is needed between treatments because of its half-life of 7-9 days. Simulations were performed to assess the operating characteristics of this design using a previously developed PK model. Four scenarios were developed, and each scenario was simulated 500 times. The results showed that this design demonstrated acceptable consumer and producer risk. Partial-block crossover designs should be considered for studies when the half-life of the drug is long and there are more than 2 periods.

  4. Architecture of Gothic Period and Its Effect to Clothing Design

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Şerife YILDIZ

    2015-08-01

    Full Text Available Root of the word Gothic comes from a German tribe which lives in region of the Gotland of Scandinavia. Gothic period is a movement which ends the Midde Age and opens Renaissance. Alth ough seen in all branches of the art, Gothic is widely a style of architecture. Having been originated from the Roman architecture, Gothic Architecture come out in the second half of the 12th century and continued its existence until the half of the 16th c entury when classical architecture come out. In Europe, Gothic painting, sculpture and architecture were dominant and preserved its popularity until the Renaissance. Fashion means all the temporary new styles which come out in a certain period of time with the desires of dressing up, being different, wearing the most desirable. Although seen as two different design field, when we examine closely, we can see that fashion and architecture has many common point from the past to present. As man is the common po int of this two field, they naturally affect each other. Gothic architecture inspired clothing designs, which is enough to show how much they affected each other. In this study, our purpose is to reveal effects of the Gothic architecture on the clothing d esigns. The style used in the Gothic period architecture and models and styles in clothing designs was presented with the help of table of specification. According to this, both fields' sharing common aesthetic concern and same theoritic and ideologic bas e was accompanied by stylistic and structural similarities accordingly. Designers in this two different fields turned even to themselves for inspiration and technical strategy. Environmental and cultural factors affect both fashion designers and architects . When seen as a part of historical process, clothes and buildings with their important cultural and economic conditions are priceless anthropological buildings which show technological developments within the period.

  5. Intelligent Design Creationism: The New Kid on the Block

    Science.gov (United States)

    Scott, Eugenie C.

    2000-03-01

    Traditionally, the antievolution movement has been characterized by biblical literalists who hold that the universe (including living things) was created in its present form and has not appreciably changed since that creation event, which in the most familiar version, "young earth" creationism (YEC), occurred about 10,000 years ago. The YECs primarily are associated with not-for-profit organizations such as the Institute for Creation Research and Answers in Genesis. Now there is a "new kid on the [antievolutionist] block": Intelligent Design Creationism (IDC). IDC updates William Paley's 1801 "Argument from Design" that structural complexity requires an omniscient designer, with examples from biochemistry and cell biology. Unlike YEC, IDC's most prominent practitioners are academics associated with secular universities, such as lawyer Phillip Johnson of UC- Berkeley, and biochemist Michael Behe of Lehigh University. Like YECs, IDCs stress alleged "weaknesses" in evolution more than positive evidence for their position. IDCs avoid the Big Bang, the age of the Earth, the speed of light, and most other cosmological issues, but are very concerned with "disproving" biological evolution, the inference that living things shared common ancestry. They also argue that evolution is inherently anti-religious. Perhaps most disturbingly, they propose that supernatural explanations be allowed into science. Although the most prominent IDCs are based at secular universities, they produce little IDC scholarship. Refereed scholarly articles promoting IDC have been lacking, though books and articles for the general public and newspaper opinion/editorial pieces, appear in great quantity. IDC books are being used in philosophy of science, science studies, and other non-science courses where students may be misled into thinking that evolution is scientifically a "theory in crisis."

  6. Design and construction of a block test in closely jointed rock

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Black, M.T.; Cramer, M.L.

    1983-06-01

    The Basalt Waste Isolation Project developed a large-scale block test to investigate the in-situ deformational response of a basalt rock mass. The test was designed and installed into the vertical rib (wall) of a tunnel to examine the response of basalt both in a parallel and perpendicular mode to the basalt columns. The salient challenge confronting the design and development of the test was a lack of documented experience for testing into a vertical wall. Information was available for testing in a horizontal surface. The major tasks involved in the implementation of this test included flat-jack slot drilling, instrumentation hole drilling, cable anchor hole drilling, flat-jack installation, monitoring instrumentation installation, and cable anchor installation. Drilling in the closely jointed and fractured rock mass required extreme care to prevent unraveling of the columnar structure and to minimize the disturbance of the section to be tested. The adaptation of a high-strength cable anchor system to the space limitations of the test configuration and the design and implementation of an optical deformation monitoring device capable of achieving a measurement precision of 30 μm required equal innovation. Construction of the test facility was successfully completed on schedule in approx. 25 wk

  7. Cryptanalysis of Selected Block Ciphers

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Alkhzaimi, Hoda A.

    , pseudorandom number generators, and authenticated encryption designs. For this reason a multitude of initiatives over the years has been established to provide a secure and sound designs for block ciphers as in the calls for Data Encryption Standard (DES) and Advanced Encryption Standard (AES), lightweight...... ciphers initiatives, and the Competition for Authenticated Encryption: Security, Applicability, and Robustness (CAESAR). In this thesis, we first present cryptanalytic results on different ciphers. We propose attack named the Invariant Subspace Attack. It is utilized to break the full block cipher...

  8. Interaction between periodic in-service inspection requirements and design

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Prot, A.C.; Saglio, R.

    1979-03-01

    After reviewing the requirements specific of periodic In-Service Inspection related to safety problems, especially for the pressure vessels, and taking into account the experience gained with several PWR reactors, the authors show these requirements could lead to modify the primary circuit design

  9. An efficient, block-by-block algorithm for inverting a block tridiagonal, nearly block Toeplitz matrix

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Reuter, Matthew G; Hill, Judith C

    2012-01-01

    We present an algorithm for computing any block of the inverse of a block tridiagonal, nearly block Toeplitz matrix (defined as a block tridiagonal matrix with a small number of deviations from the purely block Toeplitz structure). By exploiting both the block tridiagonal and the nearly block Toeplitz structures, this method scales independently of the total number of blocks in the matrix and linearly with the number of deviations. Numerical studies demonstrate this scaling and the advantages of our method over alternatives.

  10. 30 CFR 250.511 - Traveling-block safety device.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-07-01

    ... 30 Mineral Resources 2 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Traveling-block safety device. 250.511 Section... Traveling-block safety device. All units being used for well-completion operations that have both a traveling block and a crown block must be equipped with a safety device that is designed to prevent the...

  11. Peripheral nerve blocks in pediatric anesthesia

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Novaković Dejan

    2009-01-01

    Full Text Available Introduction Most children undergoing surgery can benefit from regional anesthetic techniques, either as the sole anesthetic regimen or, as usual in pediatric practice, in combination with general anesthesia. The use of peripheral nerve blocks (PNBs in pediatric anesthesia is an effective way to decrease the side-effects and complications associated with central blocks. In spite of their many advantages, including easy performance end efficacy, peripheral nerve blocks are still underused. Objective This article discusses a general approach to PNBs in children and provides data concerning the practice of this regional technique in different age groups. Methods Data from 1,650 procedures were prospectively collected during the period from March 1, 2007 to February 29, 2008. The type of PNB, if any, as well as the patient age were noted. Our patients were divided into four groups: 0-3 years, 4-7 years, 8-12 years and 13-18 years. Results During the investigated period, PNBs as a sole technique or in anesthetized children were performed in 7.45% of cases. Ilioingunal/iliohypogastric nerve block and penile block were the most common (70% of all PNBs distributed mainly among the children between 4-7 years of age (p<0.05. In older children, extremity PNBs predominate in regard to other types of blocks. PNBs are most frequently performed under general anesthesia (85%, so the perineural approach requires a safe technique to avoid nerve damage. Conclusion The observed differences in PNB usage seem to be related to patient age and correlate with common pathology and also with technical availability of PNB performance.

  12. 30 CFR 250.611 - Traveling-block safety device.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-07-01

    ... 30 Mineral Resources 2 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Traveling-block safety device. 250.611 Section... Traveling-block safety device. After May 31, 1989, all units being used for well-workover operations which have both a traveling block and a crown block shall be equipped with a safety device which is designed...

  13. On the return period and design in a multivariate framework

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    G. Salvadori

    2011-11-01

    Full Text Available Calculating return periods and design quantiles in a multivariate environment is a difficult problem: this paper tries to make the issue clear. First, we outline a possible way to introduce a consistent theoretical framework for the calculation of the return period in a multi-dimensional environment, based on Copulas and the Kendall's measure. Secondly, we introduce several approaches for the identification of suitable design events: these latter quantities are of utmost importance in practical applications, but their calculation is yet limited, due to the lack of an adequate theoretical environment where to embed the problem. Throughout the paper, a case study involving the behavior of a dam is used to illustrate the new concepts outlined in this work.

  14. Bootstrapped efficiency measures of oil blocks in Angola

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Barros, C.P.; Assaf, A.

    2009-01-01

    This paper investigates the technical efficiency of Angola oil blocks over the period 2002-2007. A double bootstrap data envelopment analysis (DEA) model is adopted composed in the first stage of a DEA-variable returns to scale (VRS) model and then followed in the second stage by a bootstrapped truncated regression. Results showed that on average, the technical efficiency has fluctuated over the period of study, but deep and ultradeep oil blocks have generally maintained a consistent efficiency level. Policy implications are derived.

  15. Thoracic paravertebral block versus transversus abdominis plane block in major gynecological surgery: a prospective, randomized, controlled, observer-blinded study

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Melnikov AL

    2012-10-01

    Full Text Available Andrey L Melnikov,1 Steinar Bjoergo,1 Ulf E Kongsgaard21Department of Anesthesiology, Division of Emergencies and Critical Care, Oslo University Hospital, Oslo, Norway; 2Department of Research and Development, Division of Emergencies and Critical Care, Oslo University Hospital and Medical Faculty, University of Oslo, Oslo, NorwayBackground and objectives: Patients undergoing abdominal surgery often receive an epidural infusion for postoperative analgesia. However, when epidural analgesia is contraindicated or unwanted, the administration of opioids is the usual means used to relieve pain. Various regional analgesia techniques used in conjunction with systemic analgesia have been reported to reduce the cumulative postoperative opioid consumption and opioid-induced side effects. The objective of this trial was to assess the effectiveness of transversus abdominis plane block and paravertebral block in women undergoing major gynecological surgery.Methods: We analyzed 58 patients scheduled for a midline vertical laparatomy due to gynecological cancer. They were all equipped with a patient-controlled postoperative analgesia pump that delivered ketobemidon. In addition, some patients were randomized to receive either a bilateral transversus abdominis plane block (n = 19 or a bilateral paravertebral block at the level of Th10 (n = 19. Both blocks were performed preoperatively as a single injection of bupivacaine.Results: Cumulative ketobemidon consumption, postoperative pain scores at rest and while coughing, and postoperative nausea and vomiting scores were assessed by a blinded observer at 2, 4, 6, 24, and 48 hours postoperatively. Both blocks were associated with significant reductions in opioid consumption and pain scores throughout the study period compared with the control patients. Postoperative nausea and vomiting scores were low in all groups, but during the early postoperative period more control group patients needed antiemetics

  16. Capacitor blocks for linear transformer driver stages.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kovalchuk, B M; Kharlov, A V; Kumpyak, E V; Smorudov, G V; Zherlitsyn, A A

    2014-01-01

    In the Linear Transformer Driver (LTD) technology, the low inductance energy storage components and switches are directly incorporated into the individual cavities (named stages) to generate a fast output voltage pulse, which is added along a vacuum coaxial line like in an inductive voltage adder. LTD stages with air insulation were recently developed, where air is used both as insulation in a primary side of the stages and as working gas in the LTD spark gap switches. A custom designed unit, referred to as a capacitor block, was developed for use as a main structural element of the transformer stages. The capacitor block incorporates two capacitors GA 35426 (40 nF, 100 kV) and multichannel multigap gas switch. Several modifications of the capacitor blocks were developed and tested on the life time and self breakdown probability. Blocks were tested both as separate units and in an assembly of capacitive module, consisting of five capacitor blocks. This paper presents detailed design of capacitor blocks, description of operation regimes, numerical simulation of electric field in the switches, and test results.

  17. CONJUGATED BLOCK-COPOLYMERS FOR ELECTROLUMINESCENT DIODES

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Hilberer, A; Gill, R.E; Herrema, J.K; Malliaras, G.G; Wildeman, J.; Hadziioannou, G

    In this article we review results obtained in our laboratory on the design and study of new light-emitting polymers. We are interested in the synthesis and characterisation of block copolymers with regularly alternating conjugated and non conjugated sequences. The blocks giving rise to luminescence

  18. Transversus abdominis plane block: A multimodal analgesia technique – Our experience

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Deepak Dwivedi

    2017-01-01

    Full Text Available Context: A retrospective observational study conducted to assess transversus abdominis plane (TAP block as a tool for providing multimodal analgesia postoperatively for abdominal surgeries. Aims: The aim is to compare the visual analog scale (VAS of pain and the requirement of rescue analgesia postoperatively in patients undergoing various abdominal surgeries (open and laparoscopic where TAP block was given for postoperative analgesia and was compared with patients who received pain relief according to the institutional protocol. Settings and Design: Retrospective observational study conducted in a tertiary care hospital. Subjects and Methods: Retrospective data from anesthesia records of patients, who underwent abdominal surgeries from January 2016 to December 2016, were analyzed and were divided into two groups. Group A (n = 250 consisted of patients who received the conventional standard postoperative analgesia protocol of the department of anesthesia. Group B (n = 136 consisted of patients who were administered TAP block postsurgery for the postoperative analgesia by the trained anesthesiologist. Primary outcome considered was (i average VAS at 02, 06, 12, and 24 h and (ii average opioid/nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug consumption at 24 h postoperatively. Secondary outcome considered was time to first rescue analgesia. Statistical Analysis: All parametric data were analyzed using unpaired t-test. Data are expressed as the mean ± standard deviation. A SPSS version 17 (SPSS Inc., Chicago, IL, USA was used for statistical analysis. Results: Average pain scores (VAS were lower in Group B as compared to Group A in all subcategories of surgery postoperatively. Patients given TAP block (Group B required less rescue analgesia in the postoperative period with time to first rescue analgesia being prolonged. Conclusions: On the basis of our retrospective study, we suggest that TAP block can be utilized as a part of multimodal analgesia regimen for

  19. Two innovative solutions based on fibre concrete blocks designed for building substructure

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pazderka, J.; Hájek, P.

    2017-09-01

    Using of fibers in a high-strength concrete allows reduction of the dimensions of small precast concrete elements, which opens up new ways of solution for traditional construction details in buildings. The paper presents two innovative technical solutions for building substructure: The special shaped plinth block from fibre concrete and the fibre concrete elements for new technical solution of ventilated floor. The main advantages of plinth block from fibre concrete blocks (compared with standard plinth solutions) is: easier and faster assembly, higher durability and thanks to the air cavity between the vertical part of the block, the building substructure reduced moisture level of structures under the waterproofing layer and a comprehensive solution to the final surface of building plinth as well as the surface of adjacent terrain. The ventilated floor based on fibre concrete precast blocks is an attractive structural alternative for tackling the problem of increased moisture in masonry in older buildings, lacking a functional waterproof layer in the substructure.

  20. Design of Long Period Pseudo-Random Sequences from the Addition of m -Sequences over 𝔽 p

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ren Jian

    2004-01-01

    Full Text Available Pseudo-random sequence with good correlation property and large linear span is widely used in code division multiple access (CDMA communication systems and cryptology for reliable and secure information transmission. In this paper, sequences with long period, large complexity, balance statistics, and low cross-correlation property are constructed from the addition of m -sequences with pairwise-prime linear spans (AMPLS. Using m -sequences as building blocks, the proposed method proved to be an efficient and flexible approach to construct long period pseudo-random sequences with desirable properties from short period sequences. Applying the proposed method to 𝔽 2 , a signal set ( ( 2 n − 1 ( 2 m − 1 , ( 2 n + 1 ( 2 m + 1 , ( 2 ( n + 1 / 2 + 1 ( 2 ( m + 1 / 2 + 1 is constructed.

  1. Design and Production of an Articulating Needle Guide for Ultrasound-Guided Needle Block Manufactured With a Three-Dimensional Printer: Technical Communication.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bigeleisen, Paul E

    2017-05-15

    Needle guides may allow the practitioner to align the needle with the probe when ultrasound-guided nerve block is performed. The author's goal was to design and fabricate an inexpensive ($1.90), disposable, needle guide that could articulate over a range from 85 degrees to 0 degrees with a three-dimension printer. Three-dimensional representations of an L50, L25, and C 60 ultrasound probe (Sono Site, Bothell, WA) were created using a laser scanner. Computer-aided design software (Solid Works, Waltham, MA) was used to design a needle bracket and needle guide to attach to these probes. A three-dimensional printer was used to fabricate the needle bracket and guide with acrylonitrile polybutadiene polystyrene. An echogenic needle was held in plane with the needle guide. The author performed a supraclavicular block in a morbidly obese patient. The needle was easily visualized. Similar guides that are commercially available cost as much as $400. A knowledge of computer-aided design is necessary for this work.

  2. Seismic proof test of shielding block walls

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ohte, Yukio; Watanabe, Takahide; Watanabe, Hiroyuki; Maruyama, Kazuhide

    1989-01-01

    Most of the shielding block walls used for building nuclear facilities are built by dry process. When a nuclear facility is designed, seismic waves specific at each site are set as input seismic motions and they are adopted in the design. Therefore, it is necessary to assure safety of the shielding block walls for earthquake by performing anti-seismic experiments under the conditions at each site. In order to establish the normal form that can be applied to various seismic conditions in various areas, Shimizu Corp. made an actual-size test samples for the shielding block wall and confirmed the safety for earthquake and validity of normalization. (author)

  3. ALS insertion device block measurement and inspection

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Marks, S.; Carrieri, J.; Cook, C.; Hassenzahl, W.V.; Hoyer, E.; Plate, D.

    1991-05-01

    The performance specifications for ALS insertion devices require detailed knowledge and strict control of the Nd-Fe-B permanent magnet blocks incorporated in these devices. This paper describes the measurement and inspection apparatus and the procedures designed to qualify and characterize these blocks. A detailed description of a new, automated Helmholtz coil facility for measurement of the three components of magnetic moment is included. Physical block inspection and magnetic moment measurement procedures are described. Together they provide a basis for qualifying blocks and for specifying placement of blocks within an insertion devices' magnetic structures. 1 ref., 4 figs

  4. Chromium supplementation alters the performance, metabolism, and immune response of feedlot cattle during the receiving period

    Science.gov (United States)

    Crossbreed steers (n = 180; 507 +/- 13 lb) were fed during a 56-d receiving period to determine if supplementing chromium (Cr; KemTRACEbrandChromiumPropionate 0.04%, Kemin Industries) would improve feedlot performance and health of newly received cattle. A completely randomized block design (36 pens...

  5. Recovery from distal ulnar motor conduction block injury: serial EMG studies.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Montoya, Liliana; Felice, Kevin J

    2002-07-01

    Acute conduction block injuries often result from nerve compression or trauma. The temporal pattern of clinical, electrophysiologic, and histopathologic changes following these injuries has been extensively studied in experimental animal models but not in humans. Our recent evaluation of a young man with an injury to the deep motor branch of the ulnar nerve following nerve compression from weightlifting exercises provided the opportunity to follow the course and recovery of a severe conduction block injury with sequential nerve conduction studies. The conduction block slowly and completely resolved, as did the clinical deficit, over a 14-week period. The reduction in conduction block occurred at a linear rate of -6.1% per week. Copyright 2002 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

  6. Preparations, Properties, and Applications of Periodic Nano Arrays using Anodized Aluminum Oxide and Di-block Copolymer

    Science.gov (United States)

    Noh, Kunbae

    2011-12-01

    Self-ordered arrangements observed in various materials systems such as anodic aluminum oxide, polystyrene nanoparticles, and block copolymer are of great interest in terms of providing new opportunities in nanofabrication field where lithographic techniques are broadly used in general. Investigations on self-assembled nano arrays to understand how to obtain periodic nano arrays in an efficient yet inexpensive way, and how to realize advanced material and device systems thereof, can lead to significant impacts on science and technology for many forefront device applications. In this thesis, various aspects of periodic nano-arrays have been discussed including novel preparations, properties and applications of anodized aluminum oxide (AAO) and PS-b-P4VP (S4VP) di-block copolymer self-assembly. First, long-range ordered AAO arrays have been demonstrated. Nanoimprint lithography (NIL) process allowed a faithful pattern transfer of the imprint mold pattern onto Al thin film, and interesting self-healing and pattern tripling phenomena were observed, which could be applicable towards fabrication of the NIL master mold having highly dense pattern over large area, useful for fabrication of a large-area substrate for predictable positioning of arrayed devices. Second, S4VP diblock copolymer self-assembly and S4VP directed AAO self-assembly have been demonstrated in the Al thin film on Si substrate. Such a novel combination of two dissimilar self-assembly techniques demonstrated a potential as a versatile tool for nanopatterning formation on a Si substrate, capable of being integrated into Si process technology. As exemplary applications, vertically aligned Ni nanowires have been synthesized into an S4VP-guided AAO membrane on a Si substrate in addition to anti-dot structured [Co/Pd]n magnetic multilayer using S4VP self assembly. Third, a highly hexagonally ordered, vertically parallel aluminum oxide nanotube array was successfully fabricated via hard anodization technique

  7. Design of High Field Multipole Wiggler at PLS

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kim, D. E.; Park, K. H.; Lee, H. G.; Suh, H. S.; Han, H. S.; Jung, Y. G.; Chung, C. W.

    2007-01-01

    Pohang Accelerator Laboratory (PAL) is developing a high field multipole wiggler for new EXAFS beamline. The beamline is planning to utilize very high photon energy (∼40keV) synchrotron radiation at Pohang Light Source (PLS). To achieve higher critical photon energy, the wiggler field need to be maximized. A magnetic structure with wedged pole and blocks with additional side blocks which are similar to asymmetric wiggler of ESRF are designed to achieve higher flux density. The end structures were designed to be asymmetric along the beam direction to ensure systematic zero 1st field integral. The thickness of the last magnets were adjusted to minimize the transition sequence to the fully developed periodic field. This approach is more convenient to control than adjusting the strength of the end magnets. The final design features 140mm period, 2.5 Tesla peak flux density at 12mm pole gap, 1205mm magnetic structure length with 16 full field poles. In this article, all the design, engineering efforts for the HFMSII wiggler will be described

  8. Block Toeplitz operators with frequency-modulated semi-almost periodic symbols

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    A. Böttcher

    2003-01-01

    conditions on an orientation-preserving homeomorphism α of the real line that ensure the following: if b belongs to a certain class of oscillating matrix functions (periodic, almost periodic, or semi-almost periodic matrix functions and the Toeplitz operator generated by the matrix function b(x is semi-Fredholm, then the Toeplitz operator with the matrix symbol b(α(x is also semi-Fredholm.

  9. Comparison of the Cellient(™) automated cell block system and agar cell block method.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kruger, A M; Stevens, M W; Kerley, K J; Carter, C D

    2014-12-01

    To compare the Cellient(TM) automated cell block system with the agar cell block method in terms of quantity and quality of diagnostic material and morphological, histochemical and immunocytochemical features. Cell blocks were prepared from 100 effusion samples using the agar method and Cellient system, and routinely sectioned and stained for haematoxylin and eosin and periodic acid-Schiff with diastase (PASD). A preliminary immunocytochemical study was performed on selected cases (27/100 cases). Sections were evaluated using a three-point grading system to compare a set of morphological parameters. Statistical analysis was performed using Fisher's exact test. Parameters assessing cellularity, presence of single cells and definition of nuclear membrane, nucleoli, chromatin and cytoplasm showed a statistically significant improvement on Cellient cell blocks compared with agar cell blocks (P cell groups, PASD staining or the intensity or clarity of immunocytochemical staining. A discrepant immunocytochemistry (ICC) result was seen in 21% (13/63) of immunostains. The Cellient technique is comparable with the agar method, with statistically significant results achieved for important morphological features. It demonstrates potential as an alternative cell block preparation method which is relevant for the rapid processing of fine needle aspiration samples, malignant effusions and low-cellularity specimens, where optimal cell morphology and architecture are essential. Further investigation is required to optimize immunocytochemical staining using the Cellient method. © 2014 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

  10. WAIS-IV administration errors: effects of altered response requirements on Symbol Search and violation of standard surface-variety patterns on Block Design.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ryan, Joseph J; Swopes-Willhite, Nicole; Franklin, Cassi; Kreiner, David S

    2015-01-01

    This study utilized a sample of 50 college students to assess the possibility that responding to the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale-Fourth Edition (WAIS-IV) Symbol Search subtest items with an "x" instead of a "single slash mark" would affect performance. A second sample of 50 college students was used to assess the impact on WAIS-IV Block Design performance of presenting all the items with only red surfaces facing up. The modified Symbol Search and Block Design administrations yielded mean scaled scores and raw scores that did not differ significantly from mean scores obtained with standard administrations. Findings should not be generalized beyond healthy, well-educated young adults.

  11. Supra-Hisian Conduction Block as an Unusual Presenting Feature of Takotsubo Cardiomyopathy.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Prabhu, Mukund Aravind; Pai, Praveen Gopalakrishna; Vupputuri, Anjith; Shekhar, Saritha; Harikrishnan, Madhavankutty Santhakumari; Kumaraswamy, Natarajan Umayammal

    2017-05-01

    Atrioventricular (AV) block is rare in Takotsubo cardiomyopathy (TC). A 66-year-old female presented with fatigue. Her electrocardiogram revealed 3:2 Mobitz Type II AV block, confirmed to be supra-Hisian by electrophysiological study. Echocardiogram and left ventricular angiogram showed moderate left ventricular dysfunction and apical ballooning, whereas coronary angiogram revealed mildly ectatic coronaries. At 2 weeks AV block persisted, needing permanent pacemaker implantation. At 1-month follow-up, she had normal ventricular function and no AV block. Delayed recovery of AV conduction is possible in TC, thus implying to wait for a longer period before implanting a pacemaker. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

  12. Computer-Aided-Design of the Hydraulic System of Three-Dimensional Cartridge Valve Blocks (Selected Articles)

    Science.gov (United States)

    1991-03-21

    sectional representation of the spatial figure can be correctly determined. 6 The AutoLisp language system in the AutoCAD software provides the most...softwares are developed on the 32-bit machines and little progress has been reported for the 16-bit machines. Even the AutoCAD is a two-ard-a-half... AutoCAD software as the basis, developed the design package of 3-D cartridge valve blocks on IM PC/AT. To realize the 3-D displaying of cartridge valves

  13. A MAC Mode for Lightweight Block Ciphers

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Luykx, Atul; Preneel, Bart; Tischhauser, Elmar Wolfgang

    2016-01-01

    Lightweight cryptography strives to protect communication in constrained environments without sacrificing security. However, security often conflicts with efficiency, shown by the fact that many new lightweight block cipher designs have block sizes as low as 64 or 32 bits. Such low block sizes lead...... no effect on the security bound, allowing an order of magnitude more data to be processed per key. Furthermore, LightMAC is incredibly simple, has almost no overhead over the block cipher, and is parallelizable. As a result, LightMAC not only offers compact authentication for resource-constrained platforms...

  14. Discoloration of various CAD/CAM blocks after immersion in coffee

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Sasipin Lauvahutanon

    2017-02-01

    Full Text Available Objectives This study evaluated color differences (ΔEs and translucency parameter changes (ΔTPs of various computer-aided design/computer-aided manufacturing (CAD/CAM blocks after immersion in coffee. Materials and Methods Eight CAD/CAM blocks and four restorative composite resins were evaluated. The CIE L*a*b* values of 2.0 mm thick disk-shaped specimens were measured using the spectrophotometer on white and black backgrounds (n = 6. The ΔEs and ΔTPs of one day, one week, and one month immersion in coffee or water were calculated. The values of each material were analyzed by two-way ANOVA and Tukey's multiple comparisons (α = 0.05. The ΔEs after prophylaxis paste polishing of 1 month coffee immersion specimens, water sorption and solubility were also evaluated. Results After one month in coffee, ΔEs of CAD/CAM composite resin blocks and restorative composites ranged from 1.6 to 3.7 and from 2.1 to 7.9, respectively, and ΔTPs decreased. The ANOVA of ΔEs and ΔTPs revealed significant differences in two main factors, immersion periods and media, and their interaction except for ΔEs of TEL (Telio CAD, Ivoclar Vivadent. The ΔEs significantly decreased after prophylaxis polishing except GRA (Gradia Block, GC. There was no significant correlation between ΔEs and water sorption or solubility in water. Conclusions The ΔEs of CAD/CAM blocks after immersion in coffee varied among products and were comparable to those of restorative composite resins. The discoloration of CAD/CAM composite resin blocks could be effectively removed with prophylaxis paste polishing, while that of some restorative composites could not be removed.

  15. Design of a short-period superconducting undulator at KEK-PF

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Ohmi, K.; Ikeda, N.; Ishii, S.

    1998-06-01

    A short-period undulator using a superconducting magnet is proposed. This undulator has been designed to install in the KEK-Photon Factory 2.5-GeV or 6.5-GeV storage ring. The idea of a staggered wiggler, developed in Stanford university, is used in this undulator. The target of the period and K value of the undulator are set to be 1 cm and 1, respectively. We can obtain monochromatic photons with an energy of {approx} 5keV or {approx} 40 keV by using the undulator. (author)

  16. A general U-block model-based design procedure for nonlinear polynomial control systems

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhu, Q. M.; Zhao, D. Y.; Zhang, Jianhua

    2016-10-01

    The proposition of U-model concept (in terms of 'providing concise and applicable solutions for complex problems') and a corresponding basic U-control design algorithm was originated in the first author's PhD thesis. The term of U-model appeared (not rigorously defined) for the first time in the first author's other journal paper, which established a framework for using linear polynomial control system design approaches to design nonlinear polynomial control systems (in brief, linear polynomial approaches → nonlinear polynomial plants). This paper represents the next milestone work - using linear state-space approaches to design nonlinear polynomial control systems (in brief, linear state-space approaches → nonlinear polynomial plants). The overall aim of the study is to establish a framework, defined as the U-block model, which provides a generic prototype for using linear state-space-based approaches to design the control systems with smooth nonlinear plants/processes described by polynomial models. For analysing the feasibility and effectiveness, sliding mode control design approach is selected as an exemplary case study. Numerical simulation studies provide a user-friendly step-by-step procedure for the readers/users with interest in their ad hoc applications. In formality, this is the first paper to present the U-model-oriented control system design in a formal way and to study the associated properties and theorems. The previous publications, in the main, have been algorithm-based studies and simulation demonstrations. In some sense, this paper can be treated as a landmark for the U-model-based research from intuitive/heuristic stage to rigour/formal/comprehensive studies.

  17. Natural convective flows in a horizontal channel provided with heating isothermal blocks: Effect of the inter blocks spacing

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Bakkas, M.; Hasnaoui, M.; Amahmid, A.

    2010-01-01

    A numerical study of laminar steady natural convection induced in a two dimensional horizontal channel provided with rectangular heating blocks, periodically mounted on its lower wall, is carried out. The blocks' surface temperature, T H ' , is maintained constant and the former are connected with adiabatic surfaces. The upper wall of the channel is maintained cold at a temperature T C ' H ' . Fluid flow, temperature fields and heat transfer rates are presented for different combinations of the governing parameters which are the Rayleigh number (10 2 ≤Ra≤2x10 6 ), the blocks' spacing (1/4≤C=l ' /H ' ≤1), the blocks' height (1/8≤B=h ' /H ' ≤1/2) and the relative width of the blocks (A=(L ' -l ' )/H ' =1/2). The results obtained in the case of air (Pr = 0.72) show that the flow structure and the heat transfer are significantly influenced by the control parameters. It is found that there are situations where the increase of the blocks' spacing leads to a reduction of heat transfer.

  18. Periodic Virtual Cell Manufacturing (P-VCM) - Concept, Design and Operation

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Slomp, Jannes; Krushinsky, Dimitry; Caprihan, Rahul

    2011-01-01

    This paper presents and discusses the concept of Periodic Virtual Cell Manufacturing (P-VCM). After giving an illustrative example of the operation and design complexity of a P-VCM system, we present an industrial case to study the applicability of the concept. The illustrative example and the

  19. High Temperature Reactor (HTR) Deep Burn Core and Fuel Analysis: Design Selection for the Prismatic Block Reactor

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Francesco Venneri; Chang-Keun Jo; Jae-Man Noh; Yonghee Kim; Claudio Filippone; Jonghwa Chang; Chris Hamilton; Young-Min Kim; Ji-Su Jun; Moon-Sung Cho; Hong-Sik Lim; MIchael A. Pope; Abderrafi M. Ougouag; Vincent Descotes; Brian Boer

    2010-09-01

    The Deep Burn (DB) Project is a U.S. Department of Energy sponsored feasibility study of Transuranic Management using high burnup fuel in the high temperature helium cooled reactor (HTR). The DB Project consists of seven tasks: project management, core and fuel analysis, spent fuel management, fuel cycle integration, TRU fuel modeling, TRU fuel qualification, and HTR fuel recycle. In the Phase II of the Project, we conducted nuclear analysis of TRU destruction/utilization in the HTR prismatic block design (Task 2.1), deep burn fuel/TRISO microanalysis (Task 2.3), and synergy with fast reactors (Task 4.2). The Task 2.1 covers the core physics design, thermo-hydraulic CFD analysis, and the thermofluid and safety analysis (low pressure conduction cooling, LPCC) of the HTR prismatic block design. The Task 2.3 covers the analysis of the structural behavior of TRISO fuel containing TRU at very high burnup level, i.e. exceeding 50% of FIMA. The Task 4.2 includes the self-cleaning HTR based on recycle of HTR-generated TRU in the same HTR. Chapter IV contains the design and analysis results of the 600MWth DB-HTR core physics with the cycle length, the average discharged burnup, heavy metal and plutonium consumptions, radial and axial power distributions, temperature reactivity coefficients. Also, it contains the analysis results of the 450MWth DB-HTR core physics and the analysis of the decay heat of a TRU loaded DB-HTR core. The evaluation of the hot spot fuel temperature of the fuel block in the DB-HTR (Deep-Burn High Temperature Reactor) core under full operating power conditions are described in Chapter V. The investigated designs are the 600MWth and 460MWth DB-HTRs. In Chapter VI, the thermo-fluid and safety of the 600MWth DB-HTRs has been analyzed to investigate a thermal-fluid design performance at the steady state and a passive safety performance during an LPCC event. Chapter VII describes the analysis results of the TRISO fuel microanalysis of the 600MWth and 450

  20. 77 FR 10808 - Designation of One Entity Pursuant to Executive Order 13572 of April 29, 2011, “Blocking Property...

    Science.gov (United States)

    2012-02-23

    ...'') pursuant to, inter alia, the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (50 U.S.C. 1701-06). In the Order... Designated Nationals and Blocked Persons appears as follows: Entity IRANIAN MINISTRY OF INTELLIGENCE AND...; Ministry of Intelligence, Second Negarestan Street, Pasdaran Avenue, Tehran, Iran [SYRIA]. Dated: February...

  1. Theory of circuit block switch-off

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    S. Henzler

    2004-01-01

    Full Text Available Switching-off unused circuit blocks is a promising approach to supress static leakage currents in ultra deep sub-micron CMOS digital systems. Basic performance parameters of Circuit Block Switch-Off (CBSO schemes are defined and their dependence on basic circuit parameters is estimated. Therefore the design trade-off between strong leakage suppression in idle mode and adequate dynamic performance in active mode can be supported by simple analytic investigations. Additionally, a guideline for the estimation of the minimum time for which a block deactivation is useful is derived.

  2. Evidence of peripheral nerve blocks for cancer-related pain

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Klepstad, P; Kurita, G P; Mercadante, S

    2015-01-01

    The European Association for Palliative Care has initiated a comprehensive program to achieve an over-all review of the evidence of multiple cancer pain management strategies in order to extend the current guideline for treatment of cancer pain. The present systematic review analyzed the existing...... evidence of analgesic efficacy for peripheral nerve blocks in adult patients with cancer. A search strategy was elaborated with words related to cancer, pain, peripheral nerve and block. The search was performed in PubMed, EMBASE, and Cochrane for the period until February 2014. The number of abstracts...... retrieved was 155. No controlled studies were identified. Sixteen papers presented a total of 79 cases. The blocks applied were paravertebral blocks (10 cases), blocks in the head region (2 cases), plexus blocks (13 cases), intercostal blocks (43 cases) and others (11 cases). In general, most cases reported...

  3. Pharmacokinetic studies of neuromuscular blocking agents: Good Clinical Research Practice (GCRP)

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Viby-Mogensen, J.; Østergaard, D.; Donati, F.

    2000-01-01

    Good Clinical Research Practice (GCRP), neuromuscular blocking agents, pharmacokinetics, pharmacokinetic/pharmacodynamic modeling, population pharmacokinetics, statistics, study design......Good Clinical Research Practice (GCRP), neuromuscular blocking agents, pharmacokinetics, pharmacokinetic/pharmacodynamic modeling, population pharmacokinetics, statistics, study design...

  4. Transversus abdominis plane block reduces morphine consumption in the early postoperative period following microsurgical abdominal tissue breast reconstruction: a double-blind, placebo-controlled, randomized trial.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhong, Toni; Ojha, M; Bagher, Shaghayegh; Butler, Kate; Srinivas, Coimbatore; McCluskey, Stuart A; Clarke, Hance; O'Neill, Anne C; Novak, Christine B; Hofer, Stefan O P

    2014-11-01

    The analgesic efficacy of the transversus abdominis plane peripheral nerve block following abdominal tissue breast reconstruction has not been studied in a randomized controlled trial. The authors conducted a double-blind, placebo-controlled, 1:1 allocation, two-arm parallel group, superiority design, randomized controlled trial in patients undergoing microsurgical abdominally based breast reconstruction. Intraoperatively, epidural catheters were inserted under direct vision through the triangle of Petit on both sides of the abdomen into the transversus abdominis plane just before rectus fascial closure. Patients received either bupivacaine (study group) or saline (placebo group) through the catheters for 2 postoperative days. All patients received hydromorphone by means of a patient-controlled analgesic pump. The primary outcome was the difference in the parenteral opioid consumption on each postoperative day between the groups. The secondary outcome measures included the following: total in-hospital opioid; antinausea medication; pain, nausea, and sedation scores; Quality of Recovery Score; time to ambulation; and hospital stay duration. Between September of 2011 and June of 2013, 93 patients were enrolled: 49 received bupivacaine and 44 received saline. There were 11 postoperative complications (13 percent); none were related to the catheter. Primary outcomes were completed by 85 of 93 patients (91.3 percent); the mean parenteral morphine consumption was significantly reduced on postoperative day 1 in the bupivacaine group (20.7±20.1 mg) compared with 30.0±19.1 mg in the control group (p=0.02). There were no significant differences in secondary outcomes. Following abdominally based breast reconstruction, transversus abdominis plane peripheral nerve block is safe and significantly reduces morphine consumption in the early postoperative period. Therapeutic, II.

  5. Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale-Revised Block Design broken configuration errors in nonpenetrating traumatic brain injury.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wilde, M C; Boake, C; Sherer, M

    2000-01-01

    Final broken configuration errors on the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale-Revised (WAIS-R; Wechsler, 1981) Block Design subtest were examined in 50 moderate and severe nonpenetrating traumatically brain injured adults. Patients were divided into left (n = 15) and right hemisphere (n = 19) groups based on a history of unilateral craniotomy for treatment of an intracranial lesion and were compared to a group with diffuse or negative brain CT scan findings and no history of neurosurgery (n = 16). The percentage of final broken configuration errors was related to injury severity, Benton Visual Form Discrimination Test (VFD; Benton, Hamsher, Varney, & Spreen, 1983) total score and the number of VFD rotation and peripheral errors. The percentage of final broken configuration errors was higher in the patients with right craniotomies than in the left or no craniotomy groups, which did not differ. Broken configuration errors did not occur more frequently on designs without an embedded grid pattern. Right craniotomy patients did not show a greater percentage of broken configuration errors on nongrid designs as compared to grid designs.

  6. Cipher block based authentication module: A hardware design perspective

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Michail, H.E.; Schinianakis, D.; Goutis, C.E.; Kakarountas, A.P.; Selimis, G.

    2011-01-01

    Message Authentication Codes (MACs) are widely used in order to authenticate data packets, which are transmitted thought networks. Typically MACs are implemented using modules like hash functions and in conjunction with encryption algorithms (like Block Ciphers), which are used to encrypt the

  7. How Young Children Learn to Program with Sensor, Action, and Logic Blocks

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wyeth, Peta

    2008-01-01

    Electronic Blocks are a new programming environment designed specifically for children aged between 3 and 8 years. These physical, stackable blocks include sensor blocks, action blocks, and logic blocks. By connecting these blocks, children can program a wide variety of structures that interact with one another and the environment. Electronic…

  8. Periodic table of virus capsids: implications for natural selection and design.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mannige, Ranjan V; Brooks, Charles L

    2010-03-04

    For survival, most natural viruses depend upon the existence of spherical capsids: protective shells of various sizes composed of protein subunits. So far, general evolutionary pressures shaping capsid design have remained elusive, even though an understanding of such properties may help in rationally impeding the virus life cycle and designing efficient nano-assemblies. This report uncovers an unprecedented and species-independent evolutionary pressure on virus capsids, based on the the notion that the simplest capsid designs (or those capsids with the lowest "hexamer complexity", C(h)) are the fittest, which was shown to be true for all available virus capsids. The theories result in a physically meaningful periodic table of virus capsids that uncovers strong and overarching evolutionary pressures, while also offering geometric explanations to other capsid properties (rigidity, pleomorphy, auxiliary requirements, etc.) that were previously considered to be unrelatable properties of the individual virus. Apart from describing a universal rule for virus capsid evolution, our work (especially the periodic table) provides a language with which highly diverse virus capsids, unified only by geometry, may be described and related to each other. Finally, the available virus structure databases and other published data reiterate the predicted geometry-derived rules, reinforcing the role of geometry in the natural selection and design of virus capsids.

  9. The undesirable effects of neuromuscular blocking drugs

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Claudius, C; Garvey, L H; Viby-Mogensen, J

    2009-01-01

    Neuromuscular blocking drugs are designed to bind to the nicotinic receptor at the neuromuscular junction. However, they also interact with other acetylcholine receptors in the body. Binding to these receptors causes adverse effects that vary with the specificity for the cholinergic receptor...... in question. Moreover, all neuromuscular blocking drugs may cause hypersensitivity reactions. Often the symptoms are mild and self-limiting but massive histamine release can cause systematic reactions with circulatory and respiratory symptoms and signs. At the end of anaesthesia, no residual effect...... of a neuromuscular blocking drug should be present. However, the huge variability in response to neuromuscular blocking drugs makes it impossible to predict which patient will suffer postoperative residual curarization. This article discusses the undesirable effects of the currently available neuromuscular blocking...

  10. Region 9 Census Block 2010

    Science.gov (United States)

    Geography:The TIGER Line Files are feature classes and related database files (.) that are an extract of selected geographic and cartographic information from the U.S. Census Bureau's Master Address File / Topologically Integrated Geographic Encoding and Referencing (MAF/TIGER) Database (MTDB). The MTDB represents a seamless national file with no overlaps or gaps between parts, however, each TIGER Line File is designed to stand alone as an independent data set, or they can be combined to cover the entire nation. Census Blocks are statistical areas bounded on all sides by visible features, such as streets, roads, streams, and railroad tracks, and/or by non visible boundaries such as city, town, township, and county limits, and short line-of-sight extensions of streets and roads. Census blocks are relatively small in area; for example, a block in a city bounded by streets. However, census blocks in remote areas are often large and irregular and may even be many square miles in area. A common misunderstanding is that data users think census blocks are used geographically to build all other census geographic areas, rather all other census geographic areas are updated and then used as the primary constraints, along with roads and water features, to delineate the tabulation blocks. As a result, all 2010 Census blocks nest within every other 2010 Census geographic area, so that Census Bureau statistical data can be tabulated at the block level and aggregated up t

  11. Ankle Block vs Single-Shot Popliteal Fossa Block as Primary Anesthesia for Forefoot Operative Procedures: Prospective, Randomized Comparison.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Schipper, Oliver N; Hunt, Kenneth J; Anderson, Robert B; Davis, W Hodges; Jones, Carroll P; Cohen, Bruce E

    2017-11-01

    Postoperative pain is often difficult to control with oral medications, requiring large doses of opioid analgesia. Regional anesthesia may be used for primary anesthesia, reducing the need for general anesthetic and postoperative pain medication requirements in the immediate postoperative period. The purpose of this study was to compare the analgesic effects of an ankle block (AB) to a single-shot popliteal fossa block (PFB) for patients undergoing orthopedic forefoot procedures. All patients having elective outpatient orthopedic forefoot procedures were invited to participate in the study. Patients were prospectively randomized to receive either an ultrasound-guided AB or PFB by a board-certified anesthesiologist prior to their procedure. Intraoperative conversion to general anesthesia and postanesthesia care unit (PACU) opioid requirements were recorded. Postoperative pain was assessed using the visual analog scale (VAS) at regular time intervals until 8 am on postoperative day (POD) 2. Patients rated the effectiveness of the block on a 1 to 5 scale, with 5 being very effective. A total of 167 patients participated in the study with 88 patients (53%) receiving an AB and 79 (47%) receiving a single-shot PFB. There was no significant difference in the rate of conversion to general anesthesia between the 2 groups (13.6% [12/88] AB vs 12.7% [10/79] PFB). PACU morphine requirements and doses were significantly reduced in the PFB group ( P = .004) when compared to the AB group. The VAS was also significantly lower for the PFB patients at 10 pm on POD 0 (4.6 vs 1.6, P block site pain and/or erythema (AB 6.9% [6/88] vs PFB 5.1% [4/79], P = .44). The analgesic effect of the PFB lasted significantly longer when compared to the ankle block (AB 14.5 hours vs PFB 20.9 hours, P block between the 2 groups, with both blocks being highly effective (AB 4.79/5 vs PFB 4.82/5, P = .68). Regional anesthesia was a safe and reliable adjunct to perioperative pain management and highly

  12. Long-term retrospective study of implants placed after sinus floor augmentation with fresh-frozen homologous block

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Livingstom Rubens Sousa Rocha

    2017-01-01

    Full Text Available Aim: The aim of this study was to analyze and follow-up implants placed in the posterior maxillary regions previously grafted with homologous bone. Materials and Methods: Forty-one grafts with homologous bone blocks were performed in maxillary sinuses, and 121 implants were placed in premolar and molar regions approximately 6 months after the grafts. Patients were followed up for periods varying from 12 to 124 months after rehabilitation. Results: The results showed two implant failures, for a 98.3% success rate during the follow-up period. Discussion: The implants placed had an average torque of 40 N-cm, regardless of the, design, diameter, and length of the implants used. Conclusion: After following up on the implants placed in this study, we concluded that those placed in regions of the maxillary sinuses previously grafted with homologous bone blocks had high long-term success rates and met the functional masticatory requirements.

  13. Two injection digital block versus single subcutaneous palmar injection block for finger lacerations.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Okur, O M; Şener, A; Kavakli, H Ş; Çelik, G K; Doğan, N Ö; Içme, F; Günaydin, G P

    2017-12-01

    We aimed to compare two digital nerve block techniques in patients due to traumatic digital lacerations. This was a randomized-controlled study designed prospectively in the emergency department of a university-based training and research hospital. Randomization was achieved by sealed envelopes. Half of the patients were randomised to traditional (two-injection) digital nerve block technique while single-injection digital nerve block technique was applied to the other half. Score of pain due to anesthetic infiltration and suturing, onset time of total anesthesia, need for an additional rescue injection were the parameters evaluated with both groups. Epinephrin added lidocaine hydrochloride preparation was used for the anesthetic application. Visual analog scale was used for the evaluation of pain scores. Outcomes were compared by using Mann-Whitney U test and Student t-test. Fifty emergency department patients ≥18 years requiring digital nerve block were enrolled in the study. Mean age of the patients was 33 (min-max: 19-86) and 39 (78 %) were male. No statistically significant difference was found between the two groups in terms of our main parameters; anesthesia pain score, suturing pain score, onset time of total anesthesia and rescue injection need. Single injection volar digital nerve block technique is a suitable alternative for digital anesthesias in emergency departments.

  14. Design of permanent block stopping to resist strata convergence

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Ray, R.E.

    1985-11-01

    Conventional concrete block plastered with a cementitious coating is the most common material used in the construction of permanent stoppings to direct airflow in underground mines in the US. All mines experience various degrees of strata convergence depending on depth of overburden, geological conditions, and type of roof support employed. Strata convergence will cause cracks and joint openings in masonry stoppings, resulting in significant air leakage losses. Where strata convergence is severe, complete structural failure of the stopping can ultimately occur. Reconstruction of damaged or destroyed stoppings adds expensive overheads to mining operations, and even greater expenses are incurred from the additional fan horsepower required to overcome leakage losses. Ideally, a stopping should maintain high resistance to airflow while yielding to strata convergence. By properly incorporating a polyisocyanurate rigid foam material within the masonry block structure, stopping service life can be increased in mines experiencing strata convergence problems such as floor heave, roof loading, and lateral rib movement.

  15. Round Gating for Low Energy Block Ciphers

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Banik, Subhadeep; Bogdanov, Andrey; Regazzoni, Francesco

    2016-01-01

    design techniques for implementing block ciphers in a low energy fashion. We concentrate on round based implementation and we discuss how gating, applied at round level can affect and improve the energy consumption of the most common lightweight block cipher currently used in the internet of things....... Additionally, we discuss how to needed gating wave can be generated. Experimental results show that our technique is able to reduce the energy consumption in most block ciphers by over 60% while incurring only a minimal overhead in hardware....

  16. Design and Synthesis of Network-Forming Triblock Copolymers Using Tapered Block Interfaces

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kuan, Wei-Fan; Roy, Raghunath; Rong, Lixia; Hsiao, Benjamin S.; Epps, Thomas H.

    2012-01-01

    We report a strategy for generating novel dual-tapered poly(isoprene-b-isoprene/styrene-b-styrene-b-styrene/methyl methacrylate-b-methyl methacrylate) [P(I-IS-S-SM-M)] triblock copolymers that combines anionic polymerization, atom transfer radical polymerization (ATRP), and Huisgen 1,3-dipolar cycloaddition click chemistry. The tapered interfaces between blocks were synthesized via a semi-batch feed using programmable syringe pumps. This strategy allows us to manipulate the transition region between copolymer blocks in triblock copolymers providing control over the interfacial interactions in our nanoscale phase-separated materials independent of molecular weight and block constituents. Additionally, we show the ability to retain a desirous and complex multiply-continuous network structure (alternating gyroid) in our dual-tapered triblock material. PMID:23066522

  17. Contaminated soil concrete blocks

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    de Korte, A.C.J.; Brouwers, Jos; Limbachiya, Mukesh C.; Kew, Hsein Y.

    2009-01-01

    According to Dutch law the contaminated soil needs to be remediated or immobilised. The main focus in this article is the design of concrete blocks, containing contaminated soil, that are suitable for large production, financial feasible and meets all technical and environmental requirements. In

  18. Low cost metamodel for robust design of periodic nonlinear coupled micro-systems

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Chikhaoui K.

    2016-01-01

    Full Text Available To achieve robust design, in presence of uncertainty, nonlinearity and structural periodicity, a metamodel combining the Latin Hypercube Sampling (LHS method for uncertainty propagation and an enriched Craig-Bampton Component Mode Synthesis approach (CB-CMS for model reduction is proposed. Its application to predict the time responses of a stochastic periodic nonlinear micro-system proves its efficiency in terms of accuracy and reduction of computational cost.

  19. Modeling and designing of variable-period and variable-pole-number undulator

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    I. Davidyuk

    2016-02-01

    Full Text Available The concept of permanent-magnet variable-period undulator (VPU was proposed several years ago and has found few implementations so far. The VPUs have some advantages as compared with conventional undulators, e.g., a wider range of radiation wavelength tuning and the option to increase the number of poles for shorter periods. Both these advantages will be realized in the VPU under development now at Budker INP. In this paper, we present the results of 2D and 3D magnetic field simulations and discuss some design features of this VPU.

  20. Impression block with orientator

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Brilin, V I; Ulyanova, O S

    2015-01-01

    Tool review, namely the impression block, applied to check the shape and size of the top of fish as well as to determine the appropriate tool for fishing operation was realized. For multiple application and obtaining of the impress depth of 3 cm and more, the standard volumetric impression blocks with fix rods are used. However, the registered impress of fish is not oriented in space and the rods during fishing are in the extended position. This leads to rods deformation and sinking due to accidental impacts of impression block over the borehole irregularity and finally results in faulty detection of the top end of fishing object in hole. The impression blocks with copy rods and fixed magnetic needle allow estimating the object configuration and fix the position of magnetic needle determining the position of the top end of object in hole. However, the magnetic needle fixation is realized in staged and the rods are in extended position during fishing operations as well as it is in standard design. The most efficient tool is the impression block with copy rods which directs the examined object in the borehole during readings of magnetic needles data from azimuth plate and averaging of readings. This significantly increases the accuracy of fishing toll direction. The rods during fishing are located in the body and extended only when they reach the top of fishing object

  1. Effects of different building blocks designs on the statistical ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Tholang T. Mokhele

    Enumeration Areas (EAs), Small Area Layers (SALs) and SubPlaces) from the 2001 census data were used as building blocks for the generation of census output areas with AZTool program in both rural and urban areas of South Africa. One way-Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) was also performed to determine statistical ...

  2. A Comparision of the Effect of Sugammadex on the Recovery Period and Postoperative Residual Block in Young Elderly and Middle-Aged Elderly Patients

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Emine Yazar

    2016-04-01

    Full Text Available Background: The importance of the characteristics of anesthesia and postoperative residual curarization (PORC in the elderly population should be a growing concern in this century. Aims: To investigate the effect of sugammadex on the duration of the recovery from neuromuscular blocking agents and postoperative residual curarization in the young elderly and middle-aged elderly patients who underwent elective laparoscopic cholecystectomy, followed by a train of four (TOF watch monitorization. Study Design: Prospective clinical trial study. Methods: Sixty patients over the age of 65 with American Society of Anesthesiologists I-III were divided into two groups according to their age (65-74 years old and ≥75 years old. Patients received sugammadex (2.0 mg/kg iv at the reappearance of the second twitch of the TOF as an agent for reversal of neuromuscular blockage at the end of surgery. Patients were extubated at the time of TOF ≥0.9. The patients’ TOF responses were evaluated with regards to PORC in at the 5th minute and were followed up for one hour in the recovery room. Reintubation was applied for those patients who developed PORC and had peripheric oxygen saturation <90% despite being given 6 L oxygen per min with a face mask. Results: The onset time of neuromuscular blocking agent and time from T2 to achieve TOF ratio 90% (the duration of sugammadex effect or over were found to be longer in the middle-aged elderly group than in the young elderly group. A statistically significant relationship was found between age and the duration of TOF ratio to reach 0.9 in the same direction. The PORC incidence and rate of reintubation were found to be 1.7% in all patients. Conclusion: In our opinion, it is necessary to remember that the duration of sugammadex effect on the recovery period is prolonged for patients who are aged ≥75 years compared to patients aged between 65-74 years. (ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: ACTRN12615000758505

  3. Study on efficient methods for removal and treatment of graphite blocks in a gas cooled reactor

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Fujii, S.; Shirakawa, M.; Murakami, T.

    2001-01-01

    Tokai Power Station (GCR, 166 MWe) started its commercial operation on July 1966 and ceased activities at the end of March 1998 after 32 years of operation. The decommissioning plans are being developed, to prepare for near future dismantling. In the study, the methods for removal of the graphite blocks of about 1,600 ton have been developed to carrying it out safely and in a short period of time, and the methods of treatment of graphite have also been developed. All technological items have been identified for which R and D work will be required for removal from the core and treatment for disposal. (1) In order to reduce the programme required for the dismantling of reactor internals, an efficient method for removal of the graphite blocks is necessary. For this purpose the design of a dismantling machine has been investigated which can extract several blocks at a time. The conceptual design has being developed and the model has been manufactured and tested in a mock-up facility. (2) In order to reduce disposal costs, it will be necessary to segment the graphite blocks, maximising the packing density available in the disposal containers. Some of the graphite blocks will be cut into pieces longitudinally by a remote machine. Relevant technical matters have been identified, such as graphite cutting methods, the nature of fine particles arising from the cutting operation, the treatment of fine particles for disposal, and the method of mortar filling inside the waste container. (author)

  4. Linoleum Block Printing Revisited.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chetelat, Frank J.

    1980-01-01

    The author discusses practical considerations of teaching linoleum block printing in the elementary grades (tool use, materials, motivation) and outlines a sequence of design concepts in this area for the primary, intermediate and junior high grades. A short list of books and audiovisual aids is appended. (SJL)

  5. Evaluation of long-term stability of low thermal expansion coefficient materials using gauge block interferometers

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hirai, Akiko; Bitou, Youichi; Oike, Yoshiyuki

    2018-06-01

    The long-term stability of NEXCERA™ ceramics having a low coefficient of thermal expansion was evaluated over a period of eight years. Several gauge blocks of differing lengths were prepared, using two types of NEXCERA. Each gauge block was kept wrung to a platen and its absolute length was periodically measured by gauge block interferometer during the eight years. Relative uncertainties of measurement of changes in gauge block length were estimated as 4.1  ×  10‑8 and 2.9  ×  10‑8 for 200 mm and 800 mm gauge blocks, respectively. The experimental results show the trend of expansion and a relative change of less than 0.1  ×  10‑6/year for every gauge block.

  6. Analysis of Block OMP using Block RIP

    OpenAIRE

    Wang, Jun; Li, Gang; Zhang, Hao; Wang, Xiqin

    2011-01-01

    Orthogonal matching pursuit (OMP) is a canonical greedy algorithm for sparse signal reconstruction. When the signal of interest is block sparse, i.e., it has nonzero coefficients occurring in clusters, the block version of OMP algorithm (i.e., Block OMP) outperforms the conventional OMP. In this paper, we demonstrate that a new notion of block restricted isometry property (Block RIP), which is less stringent than standard restricted isometry property (RIP), can be used for a very straightforw...

  7. Block Study: Learning About Your Local Community.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Eckbreth, Catherine

    Designed for 7th- and 8th-grade students, five lessons using a block of houses in an urban neighborhood help students learn about the history of a neighborhood, the owners of the houses, and the style and architectural features of the homes. Although this unit has been developed for a specific neighborhood, a similar block study could be conducted…

  8. 31 CFR 595.301 - Blocked account; blocked property.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-07-01

    ... (Continued) OFFICE OF FOREIGN ASSETS CONTROL, DEPARTMENT OF THE TREASURY TERRORISM SANCTIONS REGULATIONS General Definitions § 595.301 Blocked account; blocked property. The terms blocked account and blocked...

  9. The storage period of the formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded tumor blocks does not influence the concentration and purity of the isolated DNA in a series of 83 renal and thyroid carcinomas.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nechifor-Boilă, Adela Corina; Loghin, Andrada; Vacariu, Victor; Halaţiu, Vasile Bogdan; Borda, Angela

    2015-01-01

    Optimal recovery of nucleic acids from formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded (FFPE) tissues is highly dependent on a series of pre-extraction steps, mainly related (but not limited) to fixation. The aim of our study was to investigate if the storage period of the FFPE blocks had a significant effect on the isolated DNA. We examined the quantity and purity of the isolated DNA from 83 FFPE blocks, corresponding to malignant thyroid (n=28) and renal (n=55) carcinomas that had been stored in our department for up to eight years. The DNA extraction protocol was based on a precipitation method (MasterPure™ DNA Purification Kit, Epicentre), in accordance to the manufacturer instructions, optimized in our laboratory. A spectrophotometer was used to determine the yield (A260) and purity (A260/A280 ratio) of the isolated DNA. We successfully isolated good DNA quantity and purity from all our study cases (mean concentration: 223.4 ± 104.16 ng/μL; mean A260/A280 ratio: 1.68 ± 0.09). Moreover, no statistically significant differences were observed between tumor blocks stored for 2-3 years and 7-8 years, respectively, both in terms of DNA quantity (p=0.196) and purity (p=0.663). In conclusion, we successfully validated an efficient, reproducible DNA extraction technique that provided a good range of DNA concentrations and purity, regardless the type of tissue (thyroid or kidney). Moreover, we demonstrated that the storage period of the FFPE blocks does not have a significant influence on the DNA quantity and purity.

  10. Digital blocks in Camac standard for synchrocyclotron investigations

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Zhuravlev, N.I.; Li Zu Ehk; Nguen Man' Shat; Petrov, A.G.

    1975-01-01

    Described are brief characteristics and block diagrams of the following 12 blocks in the CAMAC standard designed for experiments on a synchrocyclotron: output register, digital printout, frame controller, logic signal commutator, controlled delay, binary counters of 4 types, exposure-set counter, decimal counter with full indication and L signal grader

  11. Image tuning techniques for enhancing the performance of pure permanent magnet undulators with small gap/period ratios

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Tatchyn, R. [Stanford Univ., CA (United States)

    1995-12-31

    The on-axis field of a small-gap undulator constricted out of pure permanent magnet (PM) blocks arranged in an alternating-dipole (i.e., 2 dipoles/period) array can be substantially varied by positioning monolithic permeable plates above and below the undulator jaws. This simple technique, which can be used to control the 1st harmonic energy in conventional synchrotron radiation (SR) or Free Electron Laser (FEL) applications requiring sub-octave tuning, can also be shown to suppress magnetic inhomogeneities that can contribute to the undulator`s on-axis field errors. If a standard 4 block/period Halbach undulator, composed of PM blocks with square cross sections, is rearranged into an alternating-dipole array with the same period, the peak field that can be generated with superimposed image plates can substantially exceed that of the pure-PM Halbach array. This design technique, which can be viewed as intermediate between the {open_quotes}pure-PM{close_quotes} and standard {open_quotes}hybrid/PM{close_quotes} configurations, provides a potentially cost-effective method of enhancing the performance of small-gap, pure-PM insertion devices. In this paper we report on the analysis and recent characterization of pure-PM undulator structures with superimposed image plates, and discuss possible applications to FEL research.

  12. Nerve Blocks

    Science.gov (United States)

    ... News Physician Resources Professions Site Index A-Z Nerve Blocks A nerve block is an injection to ... the limitations of Nerve Block? What is a Nerve Block? A nerve block is an anesthetic and/ ...

  13. Design theory

    CERN Document Server

    2009-01-01

    This book deals with the basic subjects of design theory. It begins with balanced incomplete block designs, various constructions of which are described in ample detail. In particular, finite projective and affine planes, difference sets and Hadamard matrices, as tools to construct balanced incomplete block designs, are included. Orthogonal latin squares are also treated in detail. Zhu's simpler proof of the falsity of Euler's conjecture is included. The construction of some classes of balanced incomplete block designs, such as Steiner triple systems and Kirkman triple systems, are also given.

  14. Subcostal transversus abdominis plane block can improve analgesia after laparoscopic cholecystectomy

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Vladimir Vrsajkov

    Full Text Available Abstract Background and goal of study: After laparoscopic cholecystectomy, patients have moderate pain in the early postoperative period. Some studies shown beneficial effects of subcostal transversus abdominis plane block on reducing this pain. Our goal was to investigate influence of subcostal transversus abdominis plane block on postoperative pain scores and opioid consumption. Materials and methods: We have randomized 76 patients undergoing laparoscopic cholecystectomy to receive either subcostal transversus abdominis plane block (n = 38 or standard postoperative analgesia (n = 38. First group received bilateral ultrasound guided subcostal transversus abdominis plane block with 20 mL of 0.33% bupivacaine per side before operation and tramadol 1 mg.kg−1 IV for pain breakthrough (≥6. Second group received after operation tramadol 1 mg.kg−1/6 h as standard hospital analgesia protocol. Both groups received acetaminophen 1 g/8 h IV and metamizole 2.5 g/12 h. Pain at rest was recorded for each patient using NR scale (0–10 in period of 10 min, 30 min, 2 h, 4 h, 8 h, 12 h and 16 h after the surgery. Results and discussion: We obtained no difference between groups according age, weight, intraoperative fentanyl consumption and duration of surgery. Subcostal transversus abdominis plane block significantly reduced postoperative pain scores compared to standard analgesia in all periods after surgery. Tramadol consumption was significantly lower in the subcostal transversus abdominis plane (24.29 ± 47.54 g than in the standard analgesia group (270.2 ± 81.9 g (p = 0.000. Conclusion: Our results show that subcostal transversus abdominis plane block can provide superior postoperative analgesia and reduction in opioid requirements after laparoscopic cholecystectomy.

  15. [Subcostal transversus abdominis plane block can improve analgesia after laparoscopic cholecystectomy].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Vrsajkov, Vladimir; Mančić, Nedjica; Mihajlović, Dunja; Milićević, Suzana Tonković; Uvelin, Arsen; Vrsajkov, Jelena Pantić

    After laparoscopic cholecystectomy, patients have moderate pain in the early postoperative period. Some studies shown beneficial effects of subcostal transversus abdominis plane block on reducing this pain. Our goal was to investigate influence of subcostal transversus abdominis plane block on postoperative pain scores and opioid consumption. We have randomized 76 patients undergoing laparoscopic cholecystectomy to receive either subcostal transversus abdominis plane block (n=38) or standard postoperative analgesia (n=38). First group received bilateral ultrasound guided subcostal transversus abdominis plane block with 20mL of 0.33% bupivacaine per side before operation and tramadol 1mg.kg -1 IV for pain breakthrough (≥6). Second group received after operation tramadol 1mg.kg -1 /6h as standard hospital analgesia protocol. Both groups received acetaminophen 1g/8h IV and metamizole 2.5g/12h. Pain at rest was recorded for each patient using NR scale (0-10) in period of 10min, 30min, 2h, 4h, 8h, 12h and 16h after the surgery. We obtained no difference between groups according age, weight, intraoperative fentanyl consumption and duration of surgery. Subcostal transversus abdominis plane block significantly reduced postoperative pain scores compared to standard analgesia in all periods after surgery. Tramadol consumption was significantly lower in the subcostal transversus abdominis plane (24.29±47.54g) than in the standard analgesia group (270.2±81.9g) (p=0.000). Our results show that subcostal transversus abdominis plane block can provide superior postoperative analgesia and reduction in opioid requirements after laparoscopic cholecystectomy. Copyright © 2017 Sociedade Brasileira de Anestesiologia. Publicado por Elsevier Editora Ltda. All rights reserved.

  16. [Pharmacology of local anesthetics and clinical aspects of segmental blocking. II. Spinal anesthesia].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kozlov, S P; Svetlov, V A; Luk'ianov, M V

    1998-01-01

    Clinical picture of development of segmental blocking after subarachnoidal injection of hyperbaric solutions of 0.75% bupivacaine, 5% ultracaine, and isobaric 0.5% bupivacaine is studied. A total of 152 patients operated on the lower part of the body and the lower limbs were examined under conditions of single, prolonged subarachnoidal, and combined spinal epidural anesthesia. Ultracaine and bupivacaine in different concentrations with different barism provided anesthesia equivalent by the efficacy, depth, and dissemination of sensory block. Segmental blocking with 5% ultracaine was characterized by the shortest latent period (3.14 +/- 0.16 min, p anesthesia in comparison with a single injection, and combined spinal epidural anesthesia shortened the latent period of segmental blocking and ensured intraoperative anesthesia and postoperative analgesia at the expense of the epidural component.

  17. Cement Stabilized Soil Blocks Admixed with Sugarcane Bagasse Ash

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Jijo James

    2016-01-01

    Full Text Available The study involved investigating the performance of ordinary Portland cement (OPC stabilized soil blocks amended with sugarcane bagasse ash (SBA. Locally available soil was tested for its properties and characterized as clay of medium plasticity. This soil was stabilized using 4% and 10% OPC for manufacture of blocks of size 19 cm × 9 cm × 9 cm. The blocks were admixed with 4%, 6%, and 8% SBA by weight of dry soil during casting, with plain OPC stabilized blocks acting as control. All blocks were cast to one target density and water content followed by moist curing for a period of 28 days. They were then subjected to compressive strength, water absorption, and efflorescence tests in accordance with Bureau of Indian standards (BIS specifications. The results of the tests indicated that OPC stabilization resulted in blocks that met the specifications of BIS. Addition of SBA increased the compressive strength of the blocks and slightly increased the water absorption but still met the standard requirement of BIS code. It is concluded that addition of SBA to OPC in stabilized block manufacture was capable of producing stabilized blocks at reduced OPC content that met the minimum required standards.

  18. Study on design method and vibration reduction characteristic of floating raft with periodic structure

    Science.gov (United States)

    Fang, Yuanyuan; Zuo, Yanyan; Xia, Zhaowang

    2018-03-01

    The noise level is getting higher with the development of high-power marine power plant. Mechanical noise is one of the most obvious noise sources which not only affect equipment reliability, riding comfort and working environment, but also enlarge underwater noise. The periodic truss type device which is commonly applied in fields of aerospace and architectural is introduced to floating raft construction in ship. Four different raft frame structure are designed in the paper. The vibration transmissibility is taken as an evaluation index to measure vibration isolation effect. A design scheme with the best vibration isolation effect is found by numerical method. Plate type and the optimized periodic truss type raft frame structure are processed to experimental verify vibration isolation effect of the structure of the periodic raft. The experimental results demonstrate that the same quality of the periodic truss floating raft has better isolation effect than that of the plate type floating raft.

  19. SNUPPS power block engineering

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Thompson, C A [Bechtel Power Corp., San Francisco, Calif. (USA)

    1975-11-01

    The Standard Power Block is based on a modular concept and consists of the following: turbine building, auxiliary building, fuel building, control building, radwaste building, diesel generators building, and outside storage tanks and transformers. Each power block unit includes a Westinghouse pressurized water reactor and has a thermal power rating of 3425 MW(t). The corresponding General Electric turbine generator net electrical output is 1188 MW(e). This standardization approach results in not only a reduction in the costs of engineering, licensing, procurement, and project planning, but should also result in additional savings by the application of experience gained in the construction of the first unit to the following units and early input of construction data to design.

  20. Inferior alveolar nerve block: Alternative technique.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Thangavelu, K; Kannan, R; Kumar, N Senthil

    2012-01-01

    Inferior alveolar nerve block (IANB) is a technique of dental anesthesia, used to produce anesthesia of the mandibular teeth, gingivae of the mandible and lower lip. The conventional IANB is the most commonly used the nerve block technique for achieving local anesthesia for mandibular surgical procedures. In certain cases, however, this nerve block fails, even when performed by the most experienced clinician. Therefore, it would be advantageous to find an alternative simple technique. The objective of this study is to find an alternative inferior alveolar nerve block that has a higher success rate than other routine techniques. To this purpose, a simple painless inferior alveolar nerve block was designed to anesthetize the inferior alveolar nerve. This study was conducted in Oral surgery department of Vinayaka Mission's dental college Salem from May 2009 to May 2011. Five hundred patients between the age of 20 years and 65 years who required extraction of teeth in mandible were included in the study. Out of 500 patients 270 were males and 230 were females. The effectiveness of the IANB was evaluated by using a sharp dental explorer in the regions innervated by the inferior alveolar, lingual, and buccal nerves after 3, 5, and 7 min, respectively. This study concludes that inferior alveolar nerve block is an appropriate alternative nerve block to anesthetize inferior alveolar nerve due to its several advantages.

  1. Peculiarities of Clutch Forming Rails and Wheel Block Construction

    Science.gov (United States)

    Shiler, V. V.; Galiev, I. I.; Shiler, A. V.

    2018-03-01

    The clutch of the wheel and rail is significantly influenced by the design features of the standard wheel pair, which are manifested in the presence of "parasitic" slipping of the wheels along the rails during its movement. The purpose of the presented work is to evaluate new design solutions for wheel sets. The research was carried out using methods of comparative simulation modelling and physical prototyping. A new design of the wheel pair (block wheel pair) is proposed, which features an independent rotation of all surfaces of the wheels in contact with the rails. The block construction of the wheel pair forms open mechanical contours with the track gauge, which completely eliminates the "parasitic" slippage. As a result, in the process of implementing traction or braking forces, the coupling coefficient of the block construction of the wheel pair is significantly higher than that of existing structures. In addition, in the run-out mode, the resistance to movement of the block wheel pair is half as much. All this will allow one to significantly reduce the energy consumption for traction of trains, wear of track elements and crew, and to increase the speed and safety of train traffic.

  2. The Effect of Unilateral Spinal Anaesthesia and Psoas Compartment with Sciatic Block on the Postoperative Pain Management in Total Knee Artroplastic Surgery

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ebru Canakci

    2017-01-01

    Full Text Available Purpose. This study was designed to investigate the effects of peripheral nerve block methods, applied through unilateral spinal anaesthesia on elderly patients to undergo total knee arthroplasty, on perioperative hemodynamic parameters and postoperative analgesia period. Materials and Method. 60 patients were randomly divided into two groups in the study. In group USA spinal anaesthesia was performed. In group PCS it was applied on psoas compartment block and sciatic nerve block. Results. Significantly higher intraoperative 60th and 90th minute mean arterial pressure values were ascertained in the PCS group compared to the USA group. The decrease observed in the 5th, 10th, and 20th minute MAP values in the USA group was statistically significant according to the control MAP value. Concerning within group comparisons, the decrease in 5th, 10th, and 20th minute heart rate values in the USA group was statistically significant compared with the control measurement value. The mean beginning time of sensory and motor blocks in the PCS group was found to be at a significantly advanced level compared with that in the USA group. Conclusions. The PCS block technique using bupivacaine hydrochloride ensured a higher haemodynamic efficiency in the perioperative period in high-risk elderly patients undergoing total knee arthroplasty. This trial is registered with ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT03021421.

  3. Dynamic photoinduced realignment processes in photoresponsive block copolymer films: effects of the chain length and block copolymer architecture.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sano, Masami; Shan, Feng; Hara, Mitsuo; Nagano, Shusaku; Shinohara, Yuya; Amemiya, Yoshiyuki; Seki, Takahiro

    2015-08-07

    A series of block copolymers composed of an amorphous poly(butyl methacrylate) (PBMA) block connected with an azobenzene (Az)-containing liquid crystalline (PAz) block were synthesized by changing the chain length and polymer architecture. With these block copolymer films, the dynamic realignment process of microphase separated (MPS) cylinder arrays of PBMA in the PAz matrix induced by irradiation with linearly polarized light was studied by UV-visible absorption spectroscopy, and time-resolved grazing incidence small angle X-ray scattering (GI-SAXS) measurements using a synchrotron beam. Unexpectedly, the change in the chain length hardly affected the realignment rate. In contrast, the architecture of the AB-type diblock or the ABA-type triblock essentially altered the realignment feature. The strongly cooperative motion with an induction period before realignment was characteristic only for the diblock copolymer series, and the LPL-induced alignment change immediately started for triblock copolymers and the PAz homopolymer. Additionally, a marked acceleration in the photoinduced dynamic motions was unveiled in comparison with a thermal randomization process.

  4. Natural convection in a horizontal channel provided with heat generating blocks: Discussion of the isothermal blocks validity

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Mouhtadi, D.; Amahmid, A.; Hasnaoui, M.; Bennacer, R.

    2012-01-01

    Highlights: ► We examine the validity of isothermal model for blocks with internal heat generation. ► Criteria based on comparison of total and local quantities are adopted. ► Thermal conductivity and Biot number required for the validity of the isothermal model are dependent on the Rayleigh number. ► The validity conditions are also affected by the multiplicity of solutions. - Abstract: This work presents a numerical study of air natural convection in a horizontal channel provided with heating blocks periodically distributed on its lower adiabatic surface. The blocks are submitted to a uniform heat generation and the channel upper surface is maintained at a cold constant temperature. The main objective of this study is to examine the validity of the model with isothermal blocks for the system under consideration. Then the calculations are performed using two different models. In the first (denoted Model 1 or M1) the calculations are performed by imposing a uniform volumetric heat generation inside the blocks. In the second model (denoted Model 2 or M2), the blocks are maintained isothermal at the average blocks surface temperature deduced from the Model 1. The controlling parameters of the present problem are the thermal conductivity ratio of the solid block and the fluid (0.1 ⩽ k* = k s /k a ⩽ 200) and the Rayleigh number (10 4 ⩽ Ra ⩽ 10 7 ). The validity of the isothermal model is examined for various Ra by using criteria based on local and mean heat transfer characteristics. It is found that some solutions of the isothermal model do not reproduce correctly the results of the first model even for very large conductivity ratios. The Biot number below which the Model 2 is valid depends strongly on the Rayleigh number and the type of solution.

  5. Three-Dimensional Design of a Non-Axisymmetric Periodic Permanent Magnet Focusing System

    CERN Document Server

    Chen Chi Ping; Radovinsky, Alexey; Zhou, Jing

    2005-01-01

    A three-dimensional (3D) design is presented of a non-axisymmetric periodic permanent magnet focusing system which will be used to focus a large-aspect-ratio, ellipse-shaped, space-charge-dominated electron beam. In this design, an analytic theory is used to specify the magnetic profile for beam transport. The OPERA3D code is used to compute and optimize a realizable magnet system. Results of the magnetic design are verified by two-dimensional particle-in-cell and three-dimensional trajectory simulations of beam propagation using PFB2D and OMNITRAK, respectively. Results of fabrication tolerance studies are discussed.

  6. Water Recovery System Design to Accommodate Dormant Periods for Manned Missions

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tabb, David; Carter, Layne

    2015-01-01

    Future manned missions beyond lower Earth orbit may include intermittent periods of extended dormancy. Under the NASA Advanced Exploration System (AES) project, NASA personnel evaluated the viability of the ISS Water Recovery System (WRS) to support such a mission. The mission requirement includes the capability for life support systems to support crew activity, followed by a dormant period of up to one year, and subsequently for the life support systems to come back online for additional crewed missions. Dormancy could be a critical issue due to concerns with microbial growth or chemical degradation that might prevent water systems from operating properly when the crewed mission began. As such, it is critical that the water systems be designed to accommodate this dormant period. This paper details the results of this evaluation, which include identification of dormancy issues, results of testing performed to assess microbial stability of pretreated urine during dormancy periods, and concepts for updating to the WRS architecture and operational concepts that will enable the ISS WRS to support the dormancy requirement.

  7. Effects of Grafting Density on Block Polymer Self-Assembly: From Linear to Bottlebrush.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lin, Tzu-Pin; Chang, Alice B; Luo, Shao-Xiong; Chen, Hsiang-Yun; Lee, Byeongdu; Grubbs, Robert H

    2017-11-28

    Grafting density is an important structural parameter that exerts significant influences over the physical properties of architecturally complex polymers. In this report, the physical consequences of varying the grafting density (z) were studied in the context of block polymer self-assembly. Well-defined block polymers spanning the linear, comb, and bottlebrush regimes (0 ≤ z ≤ 1) were prepared via grafting-through ring-opening-metathesis polymerization. ω-Norbornenyl poly(d,l-lactide) and polystyrene macromonomers were copolymerized with discrete comonomers in different feed ratios, enabling precise control over both the grafting density and molecular weight. Small-angle X-ray scattering experiments demonstrate that these graft block polymers self-assemble into long-range-ordered lamellar structures. For 17 series of block polymers with variable z, the scaling of the lamellar period with the total backbone degree of polymerization (d* ∼ N bb α ) was studied. The scaling exponent α monotonically decreases with decreasing z and exhibits an apparent transition at z ≈ 0.2, suggesting significant changes in the chain conformations. Comparison of two block polymer systems, one that is strongly segregated for all z (System I) and one that experiences weak segregation at low z (System II), indicates that the observed trends are primarily caused by the polymer architectures, not segregation effects. A model is proposed in which the characteristic ratio (C ∞ ), a proxy for the backbone stiffness, scales with N bb as a function of the grafting density: C ∞ ∼ N bb f(z) . The scaling behavior disclosed herein provides valuable insights into conformational changes with grafting density, thus introducing opportunities for block polymer and material design.

  8. Effect of sympathetic nerve block on acute inflammatory pain and hyperalgesia

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Pedersen, J L; Rung, G W; Kehlet, H

    1997-01-01

    BACKGROUND: Sympathetic nerve blocks relieve pain in certain chronic pain states, but the role of the sympathetic pathways in acute pain is unclear. Thus the authors wanted to determine whether a sympathetic block could reduce acute pain and hyperalgesia after a heat injury in healthy volunteers....... The duration and quality of blocks were evaluated by the sympatogalvanic skin response and skin temperature. Bilateral heat injuries were produced on the medial surfaces of the calves with a 50 x 25 mm thermode (47 degrees C, 7 min) 45 min after the blocks. Pain intensity induced by heat, pain thresholds...... between sympathetic block and placebo for pain or mechanical allodynia during injury, or pain thresholds, pain responses to heat, or areas of secondary hyperalgesia after the injury. The comparisons were done for the period when the block was effective. CONCLUSION: Sympathetic nerve block did not change...

  9. Pre-operative brachial plexus block compared with an identical block performed at the end of surgery: a prospective, double-blind, randomised clinical trial.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Holmberg, A; Sauter, A R; Klaastad, Ø; Draegni, T; Raeder, J C

    2017-08-01

    We evaluated whether pre-emptive analgesia with a pre-operative ultrasound-guided infraclavicular brachial plexus block resulted in better postoperative analgesia than an identical block performed postoperatively. Fifty-two patients undergoing fixation of a fractured radius were included. All patients received general anaesthesia with remifentanil and propofol. Patients were randomly allocated into two groups: a pre-operative block or a postoperative block with 0.5 ml.kg -1 ropivacaine 0.75%. After surgery, all patients received regular paracetamol plus opioids for breakthrough pain. Mean (SD) time to first rescue analgesic after emergence from general anaesthesia was 544 (217) min in the pre-operative block group compared with 343 (316) min in the postoperative block group (p = 0.015). Postoperative pain scores were higher and more patients required rescue analgesia during the first 4 h after surgery in the postoperative block group. There were no significant differences in plasma stress mediators between the groups. Analgesic consumption was lower at day seven in the pre-operative block group. Pain was described as very strong at block resolution in 27 (63%) patients and 26 (76%) had episodes of mild pain after 6 months. We conclude that a pre-operative ultrasound-guided infraclavicular brachial plexus block provides longer and better analgesia in the acute postoperative period compared with an identical postoperative block in patients undergoing surgery for fractured radius. © 2017 The Association of Anaesthetists of Great Britain and Ireland.

  10. Cutaneous Sensory Block Area, Muscle-Relaxing Effect, and Block Duration of the Transversus Abdominis Plane Block

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Støving, Kion; Rothe, Christian; Rosenstock, Charlotte V

    2015-01-01

    BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: The transversus abdominis plane (TAP) block is a widely used nerve block. However, basic block characteristics are poorly described. The purpose of this study was to assess the cutaneous sensory block area, muscle-relaxing effect, and block duration. METHODS: Sixteen...... healthy volunteers were randomized to receive an ultrasound-guided unilateral TAP block with 20 mL 7.5 mg/mL ropivacaine and placebo on the contralateral side. Measurements were performed at baseline and 90 minutes after performing the block. Cutaneous sensory block area was mapped and separated...... into a medial and lateral part by a vertical line through the anterior superior iliac spine. We measured muscle thickness of the 3 lateral abdominal muscle layers with ultrasound in the relaxed state and during maximal voluntary muscle contraction. The volunteers reported the duration of the sensory block...

  11. Evaluation of Effect of Pudendal Nerve Block on Post Hemmorrhoidectomy Pain

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    M.H. Sarmast Shoshtari

    2008-10-01

    Full Text Available Introduction & Objective: Hemorrhoid is one of the most common anorectal disease which presents with pain, bleeding and mass protrusion from anus. One of the most important reasons to avoid operation in these patients fears of the pain. Pain control specially during the first 24 hour postoperation period results in decreasing urinary retension and constipation as well as increasing patients pleasant. In this study we assisted the effect of pudendal nerve block to reduce pain in posthemorrhoidectomy period and compared with those patients without pudendal nerve block.Materials & Methods: We randomized 120 patients with average age of 37.7 year who referred to the hospitals of Ahwaz university for hemorrhoidectomy into 2 groups (N1: 60 N2:60. In the first group pudendal nerve block was done but in the second group we didn't. Then pain scores by analogue scale method were calculated in each group at 2, 6, 12& 24 hours after operations. The scores were matched with Chi- Square test. Also we calculated and compared the dosages of injected narcotics.Results: The average pain scores at 2, 6, 12, 24 hours after operation in the first group (with nerve block. Were 2.53, 2.4, 1.91, 2.7, 2.38, and in the second group (without nerve block were 3.43, 3.23, 2.98, 2.81, 3.11. The average of narcotic dosage in the first group was 0.69 and in the second group was 1.3. P-value in two groups in those times were 0.001, 0.002, 0.001, 0.66. P-value for comparison of two groups was 0.01. P-value for comparison of narcotic consumption was 0.003Conclusions: In this study, we showed that pudendal nerve block in post hemorrhoidectomy period, reduced pain significantly and decreased narcotic consumption as well.

  12. DEM study of granular flow around blocks attached to inclined walls

    Science.gov (United States)

    Samsu, Joel; Zhou, Zongyan; Pinson, David; Chew, Sheng

    2017-06-01

    Damage due to intense particle-wall contact in industrial applications can cause severe problems in industries such as mineral processing, mining and metallurgy. Studying the flow dynamics and forces on containing walls can provide valuable feedback for equipment design and optimising operations to prolong the equipment lifetime. Therefore, solids flow-wall interaction phenomena, i.e. induced wall stress and particle flow patterns should be well understood. In this work, discrete element method (DEM) is used to study steady state granular flow in a gravity-fed hopper like geometry with blocks attached to an inclined wall. The effects of different geometries, e.g. different wall angles and spacing between blocks are studied by means of a 3D DEM slot model with periodic boundary conditions. The findings of this work include (i) flow analysis in terms of flow patterns and particle velocities, (ii) force distributions within the model geometry, and (iii) wall stress vs. model height diagrams. The model enables easy transfer of the key findings to other industrial applications handling granular materials.

  13. DEM study of granular flow around blocks attached to inclined walls

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Samsu Joel

    2017-01-01

    Full Text Available Damage due to intense particle-wall contact in industrial applications can cause severe problems in industries such as mineral processing, mining and metallurgy. Studying the flow dynamics and forces on containing walls can provide valuable feedback for equipment design and optimising operations to prolong the equipment lifetime. Therefore, solids flow-wall interaction phenomena, i.e. induced wall stress and particle flow patterns should be well understood. In this work, discrete element method (DEM is used to study steady state granular flow in a gravity-fed hopper like geometry with blocks attached to an inclined wall. The effects of different geometries, e.g. different wall angles and spacing between blocks are studied by means of a 3D DEM slot model with periodic boundary conditions. The findings of this work include (i flow analysis in terms of flow patterns and particle velocities, (ii force distributions within the model geometry, and (iii wall stress vs. model height diagrams. The model enables easy transfer of the key findings to other industrial applications handling granular materials.

  14. 31 CFR 594.301 - Blocked account; blocked property.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-07-01

    ... (Continued) OFFICE OF FOREIGN ASSETS CONTROL, DEPARTMENT OF THE TREASURY GLOBAL TERRORISM SANCTIONS REGULATIONS General Definitions § 594.301 Blocked account; blocked property. The terms blocked account and...

  15. A Blocking Criterion for Self-Compacting Concrete

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Thrane, Lars Nyholm; Stang, Henrik; Geiker, Mette Rica

    2005-01-01

    To benefit from the full potential of Self-Compacting Concrete (SCC) prediction tools for the form filling ability of SCC are needed. This paper presents a theoretical concept for assessment of the blocking resistance of SCC. A critical concrete flow rate above which no blocking occurs...... is introduced. The critical flow rate takes into account the mix design, the rheological properties of the matrix and concrete, and the geometry of the flow domain....

  16. Design study of 15-Tesla RHQT Nb3Al block type dipole magnet

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Yamada, R.; Ambrosio, G.; Barzi, E.; Kashikin, V.; Kikuchi, A.; Novitski, I.; Takeuchi, T.; Wake, M.; Zlobin, A.; /Fermilab /NIMC, Tsukuba /KEK, Tsukuba

    2005-09-01

    The design study of the block type 15-Tesla RHQT Nb{sub 3}Al dipole magnet, and its merits over Nb{sub 3}Sn magnets are presented. The copper stabilized RHQT Nb{sub 3}Al strand is now becoming commercially available for the application to the accelerator magnets. A 1 mm diameter RHQT Nb{sub 3}Al strand with filament size about 50 {mu}, non-copper Jc about 1000 A/mm{sup 2} at 15 Tesla at 4.2K, copper ratio of 50%, can now be produced over several hundred meters. The stress and strain characteristics of the Nb{sub 3}Al strand are superior to the Nb{sub 3}Sn strand. Another advantage is that it can tolerate a longitudinal strain up to 0.55%. The RHQT Nb{sub 3}Al Rutherford cable will have less chance of contamination of the stabilizer, compared to Nb{sub 3}Sn cable. These characteristics of the RHQT Nb{sub 3}Al will be beneficial for designing and producing 15-Tesla dipole magnets. An example 15-Tesla magnet cross section, utilizing the RHQT Nb{sub 3}Sn strand is presented. A systematic investigation on RHQT Nb{sub 3}Al strands, its Rutherford cables, and building a small racetrack magnet for cable testing are proposed.

  17. Simplified Casing Program for Development Wells in Mahu Well Block

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Lu Zongyu

    2017-01-01

    Full Text Available In the Mahu well block of Junggar basin, the complex formation has many sets of pressure system. Especially, the formation with microcracks in the middle layer is loose and the pressure bearing capacity is low. Lost circulation is prone to occur in this layer. At present, high investment and long drilling period were the main problems in the exploration and development process. The geostress 3D model of Mahu well block was established by means of logging and drilling data. The model provided the three-pressure profiles of Mahu well block for casing program optimization and safety drilling. Each well could be optimized the intermediate casing setting position. The intermediate casing was saved 160 meters long. The total of drilling speed was improved 5 times compared with the past drilling process. Slim hole drilling technology raised ROP 51.96% higher, and the average drilling period is shorten to 24.83 days.

  18. Characterizing permanent magnet blocks with Helmholtz coils

    Science.gov (United States)

    Carnegie, D. W.; Timpf, J.

    1992-08-01

    Most of the insertion devices to be installed at the Advanced Photon Source will utilize permanent magnets in their magnetic structures. The quality of the spectral output is sensitive to the errors in the field of the device which are related to variations in the magnetic properties of the individual blocks. The Advanced Photon Source will have a measurement facility to map the field in the completed insertion devices and equipment to test and modify the magnetic strength of the individual magnet blocks. One component of the facility, the Helmholtz coil permanent magnet block measurement system, has been assembled and tested. This system measures the total magnetic moment vector of a block with a precision better than 0.01% and a directional resolution of about 0.05°. The design and performance of the system will be presented.

  19. Chromium supplementation alters the performance and health of feedlot cattle during the receiving period and enhances their metabolic response to a lipopolysaccharide challenge

    Science.gov (United States)

    Crossbred steers (n = 180; 230 +/- 6 kg) were fed during a 56-d receiving period to determine if supplementing chromium (Cr; KemTRACE®brandChromiumPropionate0.04%, Kemin Industries) would improve feedlot performance and health of newly-received cattle. A completely randomized block design (36 pens; ...

  20. Pairs of dual periodic frames

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Christensen, Ole; Goh, Say Song

    2012-01-01

    The time–frequency analysis of a signal is often performed via a series expansion arising from well-localized building blocks. Typically, the building blocks are based on frames having either Gabor or wavelet structure. In order to calculate the coefficients in the series expansion, a dual frame...... is needed. The purpose of the present paper is to provide constructions of dual pairs of frames in the setting of the Hilbert space of periodic functions L2(0,2π). The frames constructed are given explicitly as trigonometric polynomials, which allows for an efficient calculation of the coefficients...

  1. Block 3 X-band receiver-exciter

    Science.gov (United States)

    Johns, C. E.

    1987-01-01

    The development of an X-band exciter, for use in the X-Band Uplink Subsystem, was completed. The exciter generates the drive signal for the X-band transmitter and also generates coherent test signals for the S- and X-band Block 3 translator and a Doppler reference signal for the Doppler extractor system. In addition to the above, the exciter generates other reference signals that are described. Also presented is an overview of the exciter design and some test data taken on the prototype. A brief discussion of the Block 3 Doppler extractor is presented.

  2. ["Habitual" left branch block alternating with 2 "disguised" bracnch block].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lévy, S; Jullien, G; Mathieu, P; Mostefa, S; Gérard, R

    1976-10-01

    Two cases of alternating left bundle branch block and "masquerading block" (with left bundle branch morphology in the stnadard leads and right bundle branch block morphology in the precordial leads) were studied by serial tracings and his bundle electrocardiography. In case 1 "the masquerading" block was associated with a first degree AV block related to a prolongation of HV interval. This case is to our knowledge the first cas of alternating bundle branch block in which his bundle activity was recorded in man. In case 2, the patient had atrial fibrilation and His bundle recordings were performed while differents degrees of left bundle branch block were present: The mechanism of the alternation and the concept of "masquerading" block are discussed. It is suggested that this type of block represents a right bundle branch block associated with severe lesions of the "left system".

  3. About Block Dynamic Model of Earthquake Source.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gusev, G. A.; Gufeld, I. L.

    One may state the absence of a progress in the earthquake prediction papers. The short-term prediction (diurnal period, localisation being also predicted) has practical meaning. Failure is due to the absence of the adequate notions about geological medium, particularly, its block structure and especially in the faults. Geological and geophysical monitoring gives the basis for the notion about geological medium as open block dissipative system with limit energy saturation. The variations of the volume stressed state close to critical states are associated with the interaction of the inhomogeneous ascending stream of light gases (helium and hydrogen) with solid phase, which is more expressed in the faults. In the background state small blocks of the fault medium produce the sliding of great blocks in the faults. But for the considerable variations of ascending gas streams the formation of bound chains of small blocks is possible, so that bound state of great blocks may result (earthquake source). Recently using these notions we proposed a dynamical earthquake source model, based on the generalized chain of non-linear bound oscillators of Fermi-Pasta-Ulam type (FPU). The generalization concerns its in homogeneity and different external actions, imitating physical processes in the real source. Earlier weak inhomogeneous approximation without dissipation was considered. Last has permitted to study the FPU return (return to initial state). Probabilistic properties in quasi periodic movement were found. The chain decay problem due to non-linearity and external perturbations was posed. The thresholds and dependence of life- time of the chain are studied. The great fluctuations of life-times are discovered. In the present paper the rigorous consideration of the inhomogeneous chain including the dissipation is considered. For the strong dissipation case, when the oscillation movements are suppressed, specific effects are discovered. For noise action and constantly arising

  4. Responsive linear-dendritic block copolymers.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Blasco, Eva; Piñol, Milagros; Oriol, Luis

    2014-06-01

    The combination of dendritic and linear polymeric structures in the same macromolecule opens up new possibilities for the design of block copolymers and for applications of functional polymers that have self-assembly properties. There are three main strategies for the synthesis of linear-dendritic block copolymers (LDBCs) and, in particular, the emergence of click chemistry has made the coupling of preformed blocks one of the most efficient ways of obtaining libraries of LDBCs. In these materials, the periphery of the dendron can be precisely functionalised to obtain functional LDBCs with self-assembly properties of interest in different technological areas. The incorporation of stimuli-responsive moieties gives rise to smart materials that are generally processed as self-assemblies of amphiphilic LDBCs with a morphology that can be controlled by an external stimulus. Particular emphasis is placed on light-responsive LDBCs. Furthermore, a brief review of the biomedical or materials science applications of LDBCs is presented. © 2014 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

  5. Silk-collagen-like block copolymers with charged blocks : self-assembly into nanosized ribbons and macroscopic gels

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Martens, A.A.

    2008-01-01

    The research described in this thesis concerns the design, biotechnological production, and physiochemical study of large water-soluble (monodisperse) protein triblock-copolymers with sequential blocks, some of which are positively or negatively charged and self-assemble in response to a change in

  6. MWTF jumper connector integral seal block development and leak testing

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ruff, E.S.; Jordan, S.R.

    1995-01-01

    In fiscal year 1993, tests of an o-ring/tetraseal retainer designed to replace a gasket-type seal used in PUREX-type process jumper connectors encouraged the design of an improved seal block. This new seal block combines several parts into one unitized component called an integral seal block. This report summarizes development and leak testing of the new integral seal block. The integral seal block uses a standard o-ring nested in a groove to accomplish leak tightness. This seal block eliminates the need to machine acme threads into the lower skirt casting and seal retainers, eliminates tolerance stack-up, reduces parts inventory, and eliminates an unnecessary leak path in the jumper connector assembly. This report also includes test data on various types of o-ring materials subjected to heat and pressure. Materials tested included Viton, Kalrez, and fluorosilicone, with some incidental data on teflon coated silicone o-rings. Test experience clearly demonstrates the need to test each seal material for temperature and pressure in its intended application. Some materials advertised as being open-quotes betterclose quotes at higher temperatures did not perform up to expectations. Inspection of the fluorosilicone and Kalrez seals after thermal testing indicates that they are much more susceptible to heat softening than Viton

  7. Experimental research on stability of covering blocks for sloping banks

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Okuno, Toshihiko

    1988-01-01

    In the case of constructing thermal and nuclear power stations facing open seas, usually the harbors for unloading fuel and others are constructed. In Japan, breakwaters are installed in the places of relatively shallow depth less than 20 m, and in such case, the sloping banks having the covering material of wave-controlling blocks made of concrete are mostly adopted as those are excellent in their function and economical efficiency, and are advantageous in the maintenance and management. Sloping banks are of such type that wave-controlling blocks cover the vertical front face of nonpermeating caissons, and the same type was adopted for breakwaters and others in Onagawa Nuclear Power Station, Tohoku Electric Power Co., Inc. As for the wave-controlling blocks, tetrapods and shake blocks were used. One of the most important problems in the design of sloping banks is how to estimate the stability of wave controlling blocks. In this paper, the results of the examination by hydraulic model experiment on the stability of covering blocks are reported, which are useful as the basic data for the rational and economical design of sloping banks. The experimental setup and a model bank, the generation of experimental waves and their characteristics, the experimental conditions and experimental method, and the results are reported. (Kako, I.)

  8. Periodic feedback stabilization for linear periodic evolution equations

    CERN Document Server

    Wang, Gengsheng

    2016-01-01

    This book introduces a number of recent advances regarding periodic feedback stabilization for linear and time periodic evolution equations. First, it presents selected connections between linear quadratic optimal control theory and feedback stabilization theory for linear periodic evolution equations. Secondly, it identifies several criteria for the periodic feedback stabilization from the perspective of geometry, algebra and analyses respectively. Next, it describes several ways to design periodic feedback laws. Lastly, the book introduces readers to key methods for designing the control machines. Given its coverage and scope, it offers a helpful guide for graduate students and researchers in the areas of control theory and applied mathematics.

  9. Laughter-induced left bundle branch block.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chow, Grant V; Desai, Dipan; Spragg, David D; Zakaria, Sammy

    2012-10-01

    We present the case of a patient with ischemic heart disease and intermittent left bundle branch block, reproducibly induced by laughter. Following treatment of ischemia with successful deployment of a drug-eluting stent, no further episodes of inducible LBBB were seen. Transient ischemia, exacerbated by elevated intrathoracic pressure during laughter, may have contributed to onset of this phenomenon. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

  10. Critical period of memory enhancement during taste avoidance conditioning in Lymnaea stagnalis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Takahashi, Tomoyo; Takigami, Satoshi; Sunada, Hiroshi; Lukowiak, Ken; Sakakibara, Manabu

    2013-01-01

    The present study investigated the optimal training procedure leading to long-lasting taste avoidance behavior in Lymnaea. A training procedure comprising 5 repeated pairings of a conditional stimulus (CS, sucrose), with an unconditional stimulus (US, a tactile stimulation to the animal's head), over a 4-day period resulted in an enhanced memory formation than 10 CS-US repeated pairings over a 2-day period or 20 CS-US repeated pairings on a single day. Backward conditioning (US-CS) pairings did not result in conditioning. Thus, this taste avoidance conditioning was CS-US pairing specific. Food avoidance behavior was not observed following training, however, if snails were immediately subjected to a cold-block (4°C for 10 min). It was critical that the cold-block be applied within 10 min to block long-term memory (LTM) formation. Further, exposure to the cold-block 180 min after training also blocked both STM and LTM formation. The effects of the cold-block on subsequent learning and memory formation were also examined. We found no long lasting effects of the cold-block on subsequent memory formation. If protein kinase C was activated before the conditioning paradigm, snails could still acquire STM despite exposure to the cold-block.

  11. Critical period of memory enhancement during taste avoidance conditioning in Lymnaea stagnalis.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Tomoyo Takahashi

    Full Text Available The present study investigated the optimal training procedure leading to long-lasting taste avoidance behavior in Lymnaea. A training procedure comprising 5 repeated pairings of a conditional stimulus (CS, sucrose, with an unconditional stimulus (US, a tactile stimulation to the animal's head, over a 4-day period resulted in an enhanced memory formation than 10 CS-US repeated pairings over a 2-day period or 20 CS-US repeated pairings on a single day. Backward conditioning (US-CS pairings did not result in conditioning. Thus, this taste avoidance conditioning was CS-US pairing specific. Food avoidance behavior was not observed following training, however, if snails were immediately subjected to a cold-block (4°C for 10 min. It was critical that the cold-block be applied within 10 min to block long-term memory (LTM formation. Further, exposure to the cold-block 180 min after training also blocked both STM and LTM formation. The effects of the cold-block on subsequent learning and memory formation were also examined. We found no long lasting effects of the cold-block on subsequent memory formation. If protein kinase C was activated before the conditioning paradigm, snails could still acquire STM despite exposure to the cold-block.

  12. Quasi-Block Copolymers Based on a General Polymeric Chain Stopper.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sanguramath, Rajashekharayya A; Nealey, Paul F; Shenhar, Roy

    2016-07-11

    Quasi-block copolymers (q-BCPs) are block copolymers consisting of conventional and supramolecular blocks, in which the conventional block is end-terminated by a functionality that interacts with the supramolecular monomer (a "chain stopper" functionality). A new design of q-BCPs based on a general polymeric chain stopper, which consists of polystyrene end-terminated with a sulfonate group (PS-SO3 Li), is described. Through viscosity measurements and a detailed diffusion-ordered NMR spectroscopy study, it is shown that PS-SO3 Li can effectively cap two types of model supramolecular monomers to form q-BCPs in solution. Furthermore, differential scanning calorimetry data and structural characterization of thin films by scanning force microscopy suggests the existence of the q-BCP architecture in the melt. The new design considerably simplifies the synthesis of polymeric chain stoppers; thus promoting the utilization of q-BCPs as smart, nanostructured materials. © 2016 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

  13. Local and global processing in block design tasks in children with dyslexia or nonverbal learning disability.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cardillo, Ramona; Mammarella, Irene C; Garcia, Ricardo Basso; Cornoldi, Cesare

    2017-05-01

    Visuo-constructive and perceptual abilities have been poorly investigated in children with learning disabilities. The present study focused on local or global visuospatial processing in children with nonverbal learning disability (NLD) and dyslexia compared with typically-developing (TD) controls. Participants were presented with a modified block design task (BDT), in both a typical visuo-constructive version that involves reconstructing figures from blocks, and a perceptual version in which respondents must rapidly match unfragmented figures with a corresponding fragmented target figure. The figures used in the tasks were devised by manipulating two variables: the perceptual cohesiveness and the task uncertainty, stimulating global or local processes. Our results confirmed that children with NLD had more problems with the visuo-constructive version of the task, whereas those with dyslexia showed only a slight difficulty with the visuo-constructive version, but were in greater difficulty with the perceptual version, especially in terms of response times. These findings are interpreted in relation to the slower visual processing speed of children with dyslexia, and to the visuo-constructive problems and difficulty in using flexibly-experienced global vs local processes of children with NLD. The clinical and educational implications of these findings are discussed. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  14. Emulsion Solvent Evaporation-Induced Self-Assembly of Block Copolymers Containing pH-Sensitive Block.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wu, Yuqing; Wang, Ke; Tan, Haiying; Xu, Jiangping; Zhu, Jintao

    2017-09-26

    A simple yet efficient method is developed to manipulate the self-assembly of pH-sensitive block copolymers (BCPs) confined in emulsion droplets. Addition of acid induces significant variation in morphological transition (e.g., structure and surface composition changes) of the polystyrene-block-poly(4-vinylpyridine) (PS-b-P4VP) assemblies, due to the hydrophobic-hydrophilic transition of the pH-sensitive P4VP block via protonation. In the case of pH > pKa (P4VP) (pKa (P4VP) = 4.8), the BCPs can self-assemble into pupa-like particles because of the nearly neutral wetting of PS and P4VP blocks at the oil/water interface. As expected, onion-like particles obtained when pH is slightly lower than pKa (P4VP) (e.g., pH = 3.00), due to the interfacial affinity to the weakly hydrophilic P4VP block. Interestingly, when pH was further decreased to ∼2.5, interfacial instability of the emulsion droplets was observed, and each emulsion droplet generated nanoscale assemblies including vesicles, worm-like and/or spherical micelles rather than a nanostructured microparticle. Furthermore, homopolymer with different molecular weights and addition ratio are employed to adjust the interactions among copolymer blocks. By this means, particles with hierarchical structures can be obtained. Moreover, owing to the kinetically controlled processing, we found that temperature and stirring speed, which can significantly affect the kinetics of the evaporation of organic solvent and the formation of particles, played a key role in the morphology of the assemblies. We believe that manipulation of the property for the aqueous phase is a promising strategy to rationally design and fabricate polymeric assemblies with desirable shapes and internal structures.

  15. Gas-Cooled Thorium Reactor with Fuel Block of the Unified Design

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Igor Shamanin

    2015-01-01

    Full Text Available Scientific researches of new technological platform realization carried out in Russia are based on ideas of nuclear fuel breeding in closed fuel cycle and physical principles of fast neutron reactors. Innovative projects of low-power reactor systems correspond to the new technological platform. High-temperature gas-cooled thorium reactors with good transportability properties, small installation time, and operation without overloading for a long time are considered perspective. Such small modular reactor systems at good commercial, competitive level are capable of creating the basis of the regional power industry of the Russian Federation. The analysis of information about application of thorium as fuel in reactor systems and its perspective use is presented in the work. The results of the first stage of neutron-physical researches of a 3D model of the high-temperature gas-cooled thorium reactor based on the fuel block of the unified design are given. The calculation 3D model for the program code of MCU-5 series was developed. According to the comparison results of neutron-physical characteristics, several optimum reactor core compositions were chosen. The results of calculations of the reactivity margins, neutron flux distribution, and power density in the reactor core for the chosen core compositions are presented in the work.

  16. Manipulating Interfaces through Surface Confinement of Poly(glycidyl methacrylate)-block-poly(vinyldimethylazlactone), a Dually Reactive Block Copolymer

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lokitz, Bradley S.; Wei, Jifeng; Hinestrosa Salazar, Juan P.; Ivanov, Ilia N.; Browning, James B.; Ankner, John Francis; Kilbey, S. Michael II; Messman, Jamie M.

    2012-01-01

    The assembly of dually reactive, well-defined diblock copolymers incorporating the chemoselective/functional monomer, 4,4-dimethyl-2-vinylazlactone (VDMA) and the surface-reactive monomer glycidyl methacrylate (GMA) is examined to understand how competition between surface attachment and microphase segregation influences interfacial structure. Reaction of the PGMA block with surface hydroxyl groups not only anchors the copolymer to the surface, but limits chain mobility, creating brush-like structures comprising PVDMA blocks, which contain reactive azlactone groups. The block copolymers are spin coated at various solution concentrations and annealed at elevated temperature to optimize film deposition to achieve a molecularly uniform layer. The thickness and structure of the polymer thin films are investigated by ellipsometry, infrared spectroscopy, and neutron reflectometry. The results show that deposition of PGMA-b-PVDMA provides a useful route to control film thickness while preserving azlactone groups that can be further modified with biotin-poly(ethylene glycol)amine to generate designer surfaces. The method described herein offers guidance for creating highly functional surfaces, films, or coatings through the use of dually reactive block copolymers and postpolymerization modification.

  17. Analog Organic Electronics Building Blocks for Organic Smart Sensor Systems on Foil

    CERN Document Server

    Marien, Hagen; Heremans, Paul

    2013-01-01

     This book provides insight into organic electronics technology and in analog circuit techniques that can be used to increase the performance of both analog and digital organic circuits. It explores the domain of organic electronics technology for analog circuit applications, specifically smart sensor systems.  It focuses on all the building blocks in the data path of an organic sensor system between the sensor and the digital processing block. Sensors, amplifiers, analog-to-digital converters and DC-DC converters are discussed in detail. Coverage includes circuit techniques, circuit implementation, design decisions and measurement results of the building blocks described. Offers readers the first book to focus on analog organic circuit design; Discusses organic electronics technology for analog circuit applications in the context of smart sensor systems; Describes all building blocks necessary for an organic sensor system between the sensor and the digital processing block; Includes circuit techniques, cir...

  18. There Once Was a 9-Block ...--A Middle-School Design for Probability and Statistics

    Science.gov (United States)

    Abrahamson, Dor; Janusz, Ruth M.; Wilensky, Uri

    2006-01-01

    ProbLab is a probability-and-statistics unit developed at the Center for Connected Learning and Computer-Based Modeling, Northwestern University. Students analyze the combinatorial space of the 9-block, a 3-by-3 grid of squares, in which each square can be either green or blue. All 512 possible 9-blocks are constructed and assembled in a "bar…

  19. Inter-rater agreement among orthodontists in a blocked experiment.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Korn, E L; Baumrind, S

    1985-01-01

    Five orthodontists were asked to predict for 64 patients a particular dichotomous outcome of treatment based on pre-treatment X-ray films. The orthodontists rated the cases in blocks of size 4-6 with the knowledge of the number of positive outcomes in each block. We discuss the reasons why this blocked design is appropriate whenever clinicians are asked to rate cases which have not been randomly selected from a clinical practice similar to their own. We give a simple description of the inter-rater agreement for this type of blocked experiment as well as a procedure to test that the agreement is no better than that expected by random independent assignment.

  20. Critical periods of sorghum and palisadegrass in intercropped cultivation for climatic risk zoning

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Nino Rodrigo Cabral de Barros Lima

    2011-07-01

    Full Text Available The objective of this work was to define critical periods for sorghum and palisadegrass cultivated on crop-livestock integrated systems under water deficit. An experiment was carried out in a completely random block design with four treatments (control and interruption of water supply in three periods and three replicates. Water supply was interrupted until soil water humidity was close to permanent wilting point at the phases: germination of palisadegrass seeds; start of tillering of palisadegrass and initiation of panicles of shorghum; start of shorghum flowering. Water deficit starting at palisadegrass germination delayed intital development of the plants because of the reduction in tillering. Water restriction at panicle initiation phase and at sorghum flowering determined reduction of grain production. Critical periods for intercrop of sorghum and palisadegrass correspond to palisadegrass germination phase and flowering and panicle inititation phase of sorghum.

  1. Area, speed and power measurements of FPGA-based complex orthogonal space-time block code channel encoders

    Science.gov (United States)

    Passas, Georgios; Freear, Steven; Fawcett, Darren

    2010-01-01

    Space-time coding (STC) is an important milestone in modern wireless communications. In this technique, more copies of the same signal are transmitted through different antennas (space) and different symbol periods (time), to improve the robustness of a wireless system by increasing its diversity gain. STCs are channel coding algorithms that can be readily implemented on a field programmable gate array (FPGA) device. This work provides some figures for the amount of required FPGA hardware resources, the speed that the algorithms can operate and the power consumption requirements of a space-time block code (STBC) encoder. Seven encoder very high-speed integrated circuit hardware description language (VHDL) designs have been coded, synthesised and tested. Each design realises a complex orthogonal space-time block code with a different transmission matrix. All VHDL designs are parameterisable in terms of sample precision. Precisions ranging from 4 bits to 32 bits have been synthesised. Alamouti's STBC encoder design [Alamouti, S.M. (1998), 'A Simple Transmit Diversity Technique for Wireless Communications', IEEE Journal on Selected Areas in Communications, 16:55-108.] proved to be the best trade-off, since it is on average 3.2 times smaller, 1.5 times faster and requires slightly less power than the next best trade-off in the comparison, which is a 3/4-rate full-diversity 3Tx-antenna STBC.

  2. Design innovation and service works after twenty years operation period at the 250 kW TRIGA reactor

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hammer, J.; Boeck, H.

    1986-01-01

    In 1967 the thermalizing column of the TRIGA Reactor Vienna which was originally composed of graphite blocks was converted to a cold neutron source and the empty experimental tank was covered with heavy concrete shielding blocks. Since during the last decade this cold neutron source was not used and possible disintegration and corrosion of this system was to be expected it was decided to remove this installation and to replace it with a new designed two component collimator to be used for neutron radiography. The replacement of the cold neutron source required close access to the reactor core, therefore due to radiation protection aspects all fuel elements had to be removed from the reactor pool. As a consequence this situation was used to inspect visually two beam tubes and the reactor tank and to replace the two electromechanical control rod drives. Further, a new purification circuit was installed, replacing the old bypass system. Many other reactor components or systems were improved and serviced as described

  3. Self-assembled Block Copolymer Membranes with Bioinspired Artificial Channels

    KAUST Repository

    Sutisna, Burhannudin

    2018-04-01

    Nature is an excellent design that inspires scientists to develop smart systems. In the realm of separation technology, biological membranes have been an ideal model for synthetic membranes due to their ultrahigh permeability, sharp selectivity, and stimuliresponse. In this research, fabrications of bioinspired membranes from block copolymers were studied. Membranes with isoporous morphology were mainly prepared using selfassembly and non-solvent induced phase separation (SNIPS). An effective method that can dramatically shorten the path for designing new isoporous membranes from block copolymers via SNIPS was first proposed by predetermining a trend line computed from the solvent properties, interactions and copolymer block sizes of previously-obtained successful systems. Application of the method to new copolymer systems and fundamental studies on the block copolymer self-assembly were performed. Furthermore, the manufacture of bioinspired membranes was explored using (1) poly(styrene-b-4-hydroxystyrene-b-styrene) (PS-b-PHS-b-PS), (2) poly(styrene-bbutadiene- b-styrene) (PS-b-PB-b-PS) and (3) poly(styrene-b-γ-benzyl-L-glutamate) (PSb- PBLG) copolymers via SNIPS. The structure formation was investigated using smallangle X-ray scattering (SAXS) and time-resolved grazing-Incidence SAXS. The PS-b- PHS-b-PS membranes showed preferential transport for proteins, presumably due to the hydrogen bond interactions within the channels, electrostatic attraction, and suitable pore dimension. Well-defined nanochannels with pore sizes of around 4 nm based on PS-b- PB-b-PS copolymers could serve as an excellent platform to fabricate bioinspired channels due to the modifiable butadiene blocks. Photolytic addition of thioglycolic acid was demonstrated without sacrificing the self-assembled morphology, which led to a five-fold increase in water permeance compared to that of the unmodified. Membranes with a unique feather-like structure and a lamellar morphology for dialysis and

  4. Periodic Cellular Structure Technology for Shape Memory Alloys

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chen, Edward Y.

    2015-01-01

    Shape memory alloys are being considered for a wide variety of adaptive components for engine and airframe applications because they can undergo large amounts of strain and then revert to their original shape upon heating or unloading. Transition45 Technologies, Inc., has developed an innovative periodic cellular structure (PCS) technology for shape memory alloys that enables fabrication of complex bulk configurations, such as lattice block structures. These innovative structures are manufactured using an advanced reactive metal casting technology that offers a relatively low cost and established approach for constructing near-net shape aerospace components. Transition45 is continuing to characterize these structures to determine how best to design a PCS to better exploit the use of shape memory alloys in aerospace applications.

  5. Multivariate return periods in hydrology: a critical and practical review focusing on synthetic design hydrograph estimation

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    B. Gräler

    2013-04-01

    Full Text Available Most of the hydrological and hydraulic studies refer to the notion of a return period to quantify design variables. When dealing with multiple design variables, the well-known univariate statistical analysis is no longer satisfactory, and several issues challenge the practitioner. How should one incorporate the dependence between variables? How should a multivariate return period be defined and applied in order to yield a proper design event? In this study an overview of the state of the art for estimating multivariate design events is given and the different approaches are compared. The construction of multivariate distribution functions is done through the use of copulas, given their practicality in multivariate frequency analyses and their ability to model numerous types of dependence structures in a flexible way. A synthetic case study is used to generate a large data set of simulated discharges that is used for illustrating the effect of different modelling choices on the design events. Based on different uni- and multivariate approaches, the design hydrograph characteristics of a 3-D phenomenon composed of annual maximum peak discharge, its volume, and duration are derived. These approaches are based on regression analysis, bivariate conditional distributions, bivariate joint distributions and Kendall distribution functions, highlighting theoretical and practical issues of multivariate frequency analysis. Also an ensemble-based approach is presented. For a given design return period, the approach chosen clearly affects the calculated design event, and much attention should be given to the choice of the approach used as this depends on the real-world problem at hand.

  6. Multicarrier Block-Spread CDMA for Broadband Cellular Downlink

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Leus Geert

    2004-01-01

    Full Text Available Effective suppression of multiuser interference (MUI and mitigation of frequency-selective fading effects within the complexity constraints of the mobile constitute major challenges for broadband cellular downlink transceiver design. Existing wideband direct-sequence (DS code division multiple access (CDMA transceivers suppress MUI statistically by restoring the orthogonality among users at the receiver. However, they call for receive diversity and multichannel equalization to improve the fading effects caused by deep channel fades. Relying on redundant block spreading and linear precoding, we design a so-called multicarrier block-spread- (MCBS-CDMA transceiver that preserves the orthogonality among users and guarantees symbol detection, regardless of the underlying frequency-selective fading channels. These properties allow for deterministic MUI elimination through low-complexity block despreading and enable full diversity gains, irrespective of the system load. Different options to perform equalization and decoding, either jointly or separately, strike the trade-off between performance and complexity. To improve the performance over multi-input multi-output (MIMO multipath fading channels, our MCBS-CDMA transceiver combines well with space-time block-coding (STBC techniques, to exploit both multiantenna and multipath diversity gains, irrespective of the system load. Simulation results demonstrate the superior performance of MCBS-CDMA compared to competing alternatives.

  7. Kalman-filter model for determining block and trickle SNM losses

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Barlow, R.E.; Durst, M.J.; Smiriga, N.G.

    1982-07-01

    This paper describes an integrated decision procedure for deciding whether a diversion of SNM has occurred. Two possible types of diversion are considered: a block loss during a single time period and a cumulative trickle loss over several time periods. The methodology used is based on a compound Kalman filter model. Numerical examples illustrate our approach

  8. Design and Implementation of a Bingo Game for Teaching the Periodic Table

    Science.gov (United States)

    Franco-Mariscal, Antonio Joaquín; Cano-Iglesias, María José

    2014-01-01

    This article describes a game designed to help Spanish high school students (grade 10, age 15-16) understand the periodic table. It combines some features of bingo and a puzzle in the same pedagogical game, making it an engaging approach for learning about this important teaching tool. Students are given a verbal clue -- the name of a chemical…

  9. Macrocell Builder: IP-Block-Based Design Environment for High-Throughput VLSI Dedicated Digital Signal Processing Systems

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Urard Pascal

    2006-01-01

    Full Text Available We propose an efficient IP-block-based design environment for high-throughput VLSI systems. The flow generates SystemC register-transfer-level (RTL architecture, starting from a Matlab functional model described as a netlist of functional IP. The refinement model inserts automatically control structures to manage delays induced by the use of RTL IPs. It also inserts a control structure to coordinate the execution of parallel clocked IP. The delays may be managed by registers or by counters included in the control structure. The flow has been used successfully in three real-world DSP systems. The experimentations show that the approach can produce efficient RTL architecture and allows to save huge amount of time.

  10. Effect of preemptive nerve block on inflammation and hyperalgesia after human thermal injury

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Pedersen, J L; Crawford, M E; Dahl, J B

    1996-01-01

    compared to the opposite unblocked leg for 12 h after bilateral thermal injuries (15 x 25 mm, 49 degrees C for 5 min) in 20 healthy volunteers. Recovery from the block was identified by return of sensation to cold. RESULTS: Six subjects were excluded because of insufficient initial block (2 subjects......) or because the block lasted beyond the study period (4 subjects). The remaining 14 subjects experienced significantly reduced primary (P = 0.005) and secondary hyperplasia (P = 0.01) in the blocked leg after return of cold sensation compared to the unblocked leg. Erythema intensity and blister formation were...

  11. Designing and Implementing Service Learning Projects in an Introductory Oceanography Course Using the ``8-Block Model''

    Science.gov (United States)

    Laine, E. P.; Field, C.

    2010-12-01

    The Campus Compact for New Hampshire (Gordon, 2003) introduced a practical model for designing service-learning exercises or components for new or existing courses. They divided the design and implementation process into eight concrete areas, the “8-Block Model”. Their goal was to demystify the design process of service learning courses by breaking it down into interconnected components. These components include: project design, community partner relations, the problem statement, building community in the classroom, building student capacity, project management, assessment of learning, and reflection and connections. The project design component of the “8-Block Model” asks that the service performed be consistent with the learning goals of the course. For science courses students carry out their work as a way of learning science and the process of science, not solely for the sake of service. Their work supports the goals of a community partner and the community partner poses research problems for the class in a letter on their letterhead. Linking student work to important problems in the community effectively engages students and encourages them to work at more sophisticated levels than usually seen in introductory science classes. Using team-building techniques, the classroom becomes a safe, secure learning environment that encourages sharing and experimentation. Targeted lectures, labs, and demonstrations build the capacity of students to do their research. Behind the scenes project management ensures student success. Learning is assessed using a variety of tools, including graded classroom presentations, poster sessions, and presentations and reports to community partners. Finally, students reflect upon their work and make connections between their research and its importance to the well being of the community. Over the past 10 years, we have used this approach to design and continually modify an introductory oceanography course for majors and non

  12. Poly(ferrocenylsilane)-block-Polylactide Block Copolymers

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Roerdink, M.; van Zanten, Thomas S.; Hempenius, Mark A.; Zhong, Zhiyuan; Feijen, Jan; Vancso, Gyula J.

    2007-01-01

    A PFS/PLA block copolymer was studied to probe the effect of strong surface interactions on pattern formation in PFS block copolymer thin films. Successful synthesis of PFS-b-PLA was demonstrated. Thin films of these polymers show phase separation to form PFS microdomains in a PLA matrix, and

  13. Impact of atmospheric blocking events on the decrease of precipitation in the Selenga River basin

    Science.gov (United States)

    Antokhina, O.; Antokhin, P.; Devyatova, E.; Vladimir, M.

    2017-12-01

    The periods of prolonged deficiency of hydropower potential (HP) of Angara cascade hydroelectric plant related to low-inflow in Baikal and Angara basins threaten to energy sector of Siberia. Since 1901 was recorded five such periods. Last period began in 1996 and continues today. This period attracts the special attention, because it is the longest and coincided with the observed climate change. In our previous works we found that the reason of observed decrease of HP is low water content of Selenga River (main river in Baikal Basin). We also found that the variations of Selenga water-content almost totally depend of summer atmospheric precipitation. Most dramatic decrease of summer precipitation observed in July. In turn, precipitation in July depends on location and intensity of atmospheric frontal zone which separates mid-latitude circulation and East Asia monsoon system. Recently occur reduction this frontal zone and decrease of East Asia summer monsoon intensity. We need in the understanding of the reasons leading to these changes. In the presented work we investigate the influence of atmospheric blocking over Asia on the East Asian summer monsoon circulation in the period its maximum (July). Based on the analysis of large number of blocking events we identified the main mechanisms of blocking influence on the monsoon and studied the properties of cyclones formed by the interaction of air masses from mid latitude and tropics. It turned out that the atmospheric blockings play a fundamental role in the formation of the East Asia monsoon moisture transport and in the precipitation anomalies redistribution. In the absence of blockings over Asia East Asian monsoon moisture does not extend to the north, and in the presence of blockings their spatial configuration and localization completely determines the precipitation anomalies configuration in the northern part of East Asia. We also found that the weakening monsoon circulation in East Asia is associated with

  14. Block share ownership and corporate earning: Evidence from Tehran Stock Exchange

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Somayye Adhami

    2013-01-01

    Full Text Available During the past few years, there have been growing interests among researchers to study the effect of block share ownership on corporate earning especially in developing countries. The purpose of this paper is to consider the impact of block ownership on performance of firms in terms of profitability. The proposed study develops two econometric models and applies them on selected firms from Tehran Stock Exchange over the period 2002-2010. The primary objective of this survey is to find the relationship between return of assets and Tobin's Q as dependent variables with eight independent variables including company size, sales growth, block ownership, debt and liability ratios, etc. The results of implementation of ordinary least squares on two econometric models reveal that while there is no meaningful relationship between return of asset and block ownership there is a meaningful relationship between block ownership and Tobin's Q.

  15. Indoor climate design for a monumental building with periodic high indoor moisture loads

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Schijndel, van A.W.M.; Lony, R.J.M.; Schellen, H.L.

    2008-01-01

    The paper presents a case study on the performance based design for the indoor climate of a monumental building with periodic high indoor moisture loads. Several scenarios of the past performance and new control classes are simulated and evaluated. The results include the influence of hygric inertia

  16. Design of transparent conductors and periodic two-dimensional electron gases without doping

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhang, Xiuwen; Zhang, Lijun; Zunger, Alex; Perkins, John; Materials by Design Team; John D. Perkins Collaboration

    The functionality of transparency plus conductivity plays an important role in renewable energy and information technologies, including applications such as solar cells, touch-screen sensors, and flat panel display. However, materials with such seemingly contraindicated properties are difficult to come by. The traditional strategy for designing bulk transparent conductors (TCs) starts from a wide-gap insulator and finds ways to make it conductive by extensive doping. We propose a different strategy for TC design--starting with a metallic conductor and designing transparency by control of intrinsic interband transitions and intraband plasmonic frequency. We identified specific design principles for prototypical intrinsic TC classes and searched computationally for materials that satisfy them. The electron gases in the 3D intrinsic TCs demonstrate intriguing properties, such as periodic 2D electron gas regions with very high carrier density. We will discuss a more extended search of these functionalities, in parallel with stability and growability calculations

  17. Designing advanced functional periodic mesoporous organosilicas for biomedical applications

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Dolores Esquivel

    2014-03-01

    Full Text Available Periodic mesoporous organosilicas (PMOs, reported for the first time in 1999, constitute a new branch of organic-inorganic hybrid materials with high-ordered structures, uniform pore size and homogenous distribution of organic bridges into a silica framework. Unlike conventional mesoporous silicas, these materials offer the possibility to adjust the surface (hydrophilicity/hydrophobicity and physical properties (morphology, porosity as well as their mechanical stability through the incorporation of different functional organic moieties in their pore walls. A broad variety of PMOs has been designed for their subsequent application in many fields. More recently, PMOs have attracted growing interest in emerging areas as biology and biomedicine. This review provides a comprehensive overview of the most recent breakthroughs achieved for PMOs in biological and biomedical applications.

  18. Periodic Ciphers with Small Blocks and Cryptanalysis of KeeLoq

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Courtois, Nicolas T.; Bard, Gregory V.; Bogdanov, Andrey

    2008-01-01

    ]. In this paper we study a unique way of attacking KeeLoq, in which the periodic property of KeeLoq is used in to distinguish 512 rounds of KeeLoq from a random permutation. Our attacks require the knowledge of the entire code-book and are not among the fastest attacks known on this cipher. However one of them...

  19. Backfill design 2012

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Autio, J.; Hassan, M. M.; Karttunen, P.; Keto, P.

    2013-12-01

    This report describes both the concept and the detailed design of backfilling in KBS-3V deposition tunnels. The purpose of the backfill is to keep the buffer in place, maintain favourable and predictable conditions for the buffer and the canister, and also favourable rock mechanical, hydrological and geochemical conditions in the near-field and to retard the transport of released radionuclides in case of canister failure. In addition to the description of the overall backfill design, detailed designs for the components of the backfill (foundation, block and pellet fill) are provided in this report. The deposition tunnel end plug design is not presented in this document. In the backfill design, the deposition tunnels are to be filled with a foundation layer material, precompacted clay blocks and extruded bentonite pellets. The foundation layer consists of Milos bentonite granules, which are compacted in situ in order to level the deposition tunnel floor, providing an even and stable base for the block filling. On the foundation layer, a rigid assemblage of overlapping layers of pre-compacted blocks made of Friedland clay are installed. The void space between the blocks and the rock wall is filled with extruded pellets made of bentonite similar to raw material of Cebogel QSE product. (orig.)

  20. Block and sub-block boundary strengthening in lath martensite

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Du, C.; Hoefnagels, J.P.M.; Vaes, R.; Geers, M.G.D.

    2016-01-01

    Well-defined uniaxial micro-tensile tests were performed on lath martensite single block specimens and multi-block specimens with different number of block boundaries parallel to the loading direction. Detailed slip trace analyses consistently revealed that in the {110}<111> slip system with the

  1. On the Eigenvalues and Eigenvectors of Block Triangular Preconditioned Block Matrices

    KAUST Repository

    Pestana, Jennifer

    2014-01-01

    Block lower triangular matrices and block upper triangular matrices are popular preconditioners for 2×2 block matrices. In this note we show that a block lower triangular preconditioner gives the same spectrum as a block upper triangular preconditioner and that the eigenvectors of the two preconditioned matrices are related. © 2014 Society for Industrial and Applied Mathematics.

  2. Powder wastes confinement block and manufacturing process of this block

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Dagot, L.; Brunel, G.

    1996-01-01

    This invention concerns a powder wastes containment block and a manufacturing process of this block. In this block, the waste powder is encapsulated in a thermo hardening polymer as for example an epoxy resin, the encapsulated resin being spread into cement. This block can contain between 45 and 55% in mass of wastes, between 18 and 36% in mass of polymer and between 14 and 32% in mass of cement. Such a containment block can be used for the radioactive wastes storage. (O.M.). 4 refs

  3. The role of dexamethasone in peripheral and neuraxial nerve blocks ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    pain and prolongs analgesia in the postoperative period when combined with ... management of acute pain and that focused on dexamethasone's ability to prolong ... of dexamethasone to brachial plexus nerve blocks and Akram and Hassani ...

  4. Progress report on pre-test calculations for the large block test

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lee, K.H.

    1995-01-01

    The U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) Yucca Mountain Site Characterization Project (YMP) is investigating the suitability of the Topopah Spring tuff in the thick vadose zone at Yucca Mountain, Nevada, as a host rock for permanent disposal of high-level radioactive waste. As part of the YMP, a group of field tests, referred to as the Large Block Test (LBT), will be conducted on a large electrically heated block of Topopah Spring tuff, isolated at Fran Ridge, Nevada Test Site. The block, which will be 3 x 3 m in horizontal dimensions and 4.5 m in height, will be heated by electrical heaters. The goals of the LBT axe to gain information on the coupled thermal-mechanical-hydrological-chemical processes active in the near-field environment of a repository; to provide field data for testing and calibrating models; and to help the development of measurement systems and techniques. This progress report presents results of on-going numerical modeling calculations carried out in support of the LBT design. An equivalent continuum model with an upper boundary temperature of 60 degrees C was used to simulate the hydrothermal response of the block to heating over a one-year period. The total heating power was started at 1500 W and later reduced to maintain an approximately uniform temperature of 138-140 degrees C. For a homogeneous bulk permeability case, the results show the formation of a distinct dry-out zone in and around the heater plane, and well-developed condensation zones above and below the heater plane. For a heterogeneous permeability distribution, the condensation zone above the heater plane was not well developed. This difference in results suggests that water saturation changes might be sensitive to changes in bulk permeability distribution. Rock temperatures were almost unaffected by permeability distribution. Heat flow was dominated by conduction. No liquid flow through the top of the block was predicted

  5. Efficient configurations for block ciphers with unified ENC/DEC paths

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Banik, Subhadeep; Bogdanov, Andrey; Regazzoni, Francesco

    2017-01-01

    by analyzing 12 circuit configurations for the Advanced Encryption Standard (AES-128) cipher and establish some design rules for energy efficiency. We then extend our analysis to several lightweight block ciphers. In the second part of the paper we also investigate area optimized circuits for combined......Block Ciphers providing the combined functionalities of encryption and decryption are required to operate in modes of operation like CBC and ELmD. Hence such architectures form critical building blocks for secure cryptographic implementations. Depending on the algebraic structure of a given cipher......, there may be multiple ways of constructing the combined encryption/decryption circuit, each targeted at optimizing lightweight design metrics like area or power etc. In this paper we look at how the choice of circuit configuration affects the energy required to perform one encryption/decryption. We begin...

  6. Comparison of Continuous Femoral Nerve Block with and Without Combined Sciatic Nerve Block after Total Hip Arthroplasty: A Prospective Randomized Study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nishio, Shoji; Fukunishi, Shigeo; Fukui, Tomokazu; Fujihara, Yuki; Okahisa, Shohei; Takeda, Yu; Yoshiya, Shinichi

    2017-06-23

    In association with the growing interests in pain management, several modalities to control postoperative pain have been proposed and examined for the efficacy in the recent studies. Various modes of peripheral nerve block have been proposed and the effectiveness and safety have been examined for each of those techniques. We have described our clinical experiences, showing that continuous femoral nerve block could provide a satisfactory analgesic effect after total hip arthroplasty (THA) procedure. In this study, we compared the effectiveness and safety of continuous femoral nerve block with and without sciatic nerve blockade on pain control after THA. Forty patients scheduled for THA were included in the study and randomly divided into 2 groups. Postoperative analgesic measure was continuous femoral nerve block alone, while the identical regimen of continuous femoral nerve block was combined with sciatic nerve block. The amount of postoperative pain was evaluated in the immediate postoperative period, 6 hours, and 12 hours after surgery. Moreover, postoperative complications as well as requirement of supplemental analgesics during the initial 12 hours after surgery were reviewed in the patient record. The obtained study results showed that the supplemental sciatic nerve blockade provided no significant effect on arrival at the postoperative recovery room, while the NRS pain score was significantly reduced by the combined application of sciatic nerve blockade at 6 and 12 hours after surgery. In the investigation of postoperative analgesiarelated complications, no major complication was encountered without significant difference in complication rate between the groups.

  7. Impact analysis on ESF design for Calico Hills penetration and exploratory drift and tuff main extension to limits of the repository block

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Grenia, J.; Weyand, L.

    1988-01-01

    The study covers the impacts on project costs, schedule, human resources and engineering designs caused by increases in site characterization activity consisting of penetration of the Calico Hills formation by ES-1 shaft with exploratory drifting to the Ghost Dance fault and/or drifting 10,000 feet southward from the MTL ESF test complex area to the end of the future repository block

  8. Design options analysis for a zero energy block of flats in Athens, Greece

    Science.gov (United States)

    Soulti, Eleni

    Human activities and to a smaller degree other reasons have led to climate change. This is evident in meteorological phenomena and natural procedures which are constantly subject to modifications. Recent studies prove that a great percentage of the CO2 emissions, which are partly responsible for the climate change, are produced by buildings. In fact, a big part of them belongs to the residential sector. Countries like UK are quite aware of this problem, its causes, its consequences, as well as of some remedies that can at least limit the damage. Therefore, they develop the appropriate legislation, in an effort to decrease the problems and limit its causes. Greece, on the other hand, has been quite ineffective until now. Hopefully the new legislation will constrain the causes of the problem, in all sectors, including the building domain. This study involves designing a zero energy block of flats in Athens, with climatic data and environmental parameters taken into consideration from the initial steps of the design procedure. Appropriate software has been used in order to observe the improvement of thermal comfort conditions by changing the building design and using various strategies for passive cooling and heating. The predicted consumption of electricity, heating and cooling loads have been calculated and renewable sources of energy have been used in order to meet those needs. The economical analysis demonstrated that this type of building, is not only energy efficient and thermally comfortable for its occupants, but also economically profitable, especially with regard to the benefit of the occupants and the environment. In fact, it is only 11.2% more expensive to construct such a building, while its energy performance reduces the amount of CO2 emissions. The aim is to widely implement this type of buildings, which can have a significant effect on environmental, economical and social development related issues.

  9. Impact-Contact Analysis of Prismatic Graphite Blocks Using Abaqus

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kang, Ji Ho; Kim, Gyeong Ho; Choi, Woo Seok

    2010-12-01

    Graphite blocks are the important core components of the high temperature gas-cooled reactor. As these blocks are simply stacked in array, collisions among neighboring components may occur during earthquakes or accidents. The final objective of the research project is to develop a reliable seismic model of the stacked graphite blocks from which their behavior can be predicted and, thus, they are designed to have sufficient strength to maintain their structural integrity during the anticipated occurrences. The work summarized in this report is a first step toward the big picture and is dedicated to build a realistic impact-contact dynamics model of the graphite block using a commercial FEM package, Abaqus. The developed model will be further used to assist building a reliable lumped dynamics model of these stacked graphite components

  10. Impact of dietary plane of energy during the dry period on lipoprotein parameters in the transition period in dairy cattle.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Newman, A; Mann, S; Nydam, D V; Overton, T R; Behling-Kelly, E

    2016-02-01

    The high energy demands of dairy cows during the transition period from late gestation into early lactation can place them at an increased risk for the development of metabolic and infectious diseases. Modification of the dry period diet has been investigated as a preventive means to minimize the detrimental aspects of metabolic shifts during the transition period. Studies investigating the impact of dry period diet on lipid parameters during the transition period have largely focused on markers of lipolysis and ketogenesis. Total cholesterol declines during the periparturient period and increases in early lactation. The impact total energy in the dry period diet has on the ability of the cow to maintain total serum cholesterol, as well as its natural high-density lipoprotein-rich status, during this metabolically challenging window is not clear. The impact of lipoproteins on inflammation and immune function may have a clinical impact on the cow's ability to ward off production-related diseases. In this study, we hypothesized that the provision of adequate, but not excessive, total metabolizable energy, would better allow the cow to maintain total cholesterol and a higher relative proportion of HDL throughout the transition period. Cows were allocated to one of three dry period dietary treatment groups following a randomized block design. Total serum triglycerides, cholesterol and lipoprotein fractions were measured on a weekly basis from approximately 7 weeks pre-calving to 6 weeks post-calving. The cows on the high energy diet maintained total serum cholesterol as compared to the cows provided a lower energy diet, but there was no significant increase in the LDL fraction of lipoproteins between diet treatment groups. Journal of Animal Physiology and Animal Nutrition © 2015 Blackwell Verlag GmbH.

  11. Student Teachers of Technology and Design: Can Short Periods of STEM-Related Industrial Placement Change Student Perceptions of Engineering and Technology?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gibson, Ken S.

    2012-01-01

    This is a report, on a small-scale case study, of a programme of short industrial placements (5 day block) for student teachers of technology and design in Northern Ireland. Such placements increase student awareness and understanding of the nature of Engineering and Technology and therefore better prepare them to teach these subjects, as integral…

  12. Frequency of inter-atrial blocks in patients with ischemic stroke

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Manzar, A.; Iftikhar, R.; Qadir, A.

    2012-01-01

    Objective: To determine the frequency and association of Interatrial block in hospitalized patients with Ischemic Stroke. Study Design: A case control study. Place and Duration of Study: Department of medicine, Military Hospital, Rawalpindi from 1 January 2009 to 30 December 2009. Methodology: It included 64 patients, 32 cases of diagnosed ischemic stroke and 32 patients were taken as controls not suffering from ischemic stroke or ischemic heart disease. ECG findings of both selected groups were evaluated for presence or absence of interatrial block. Results: Out of 32 ischemic stroke patients, 14 (43.85%) were found to have interatrial block on electrocardiogram (ECG). Whereas only 6 (18.80%) controls were found to have interatrial block on ECG. Odds ratio was 1.66. Conclusion: Interatrial block is more frequent in ischemic stroke patients and may represent a risk factor for such stroke. (author)

  13. Random-effects linear modeling and sample size tables for two special crossover designs of average bioequivalence studies: the four-period, two-sequence, two-formulation and six-period, three-sequence, three-formulation designs.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Diaz, Francisco J; Berg, Michel J; Krebill, Ron; Welty, Timothy; Gidal, Barry E; Alloway, Rita; Privitera, Michael

    2013-12-01

    Due to concern and debate in the epilepsy medical community and to the current interest of the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in revising approaches to the approval of generic drugs, the FDA is currently supporting ongoing bioequivalence studies of antiepileptic drugs, the EQUIGEN studies. During the design of these crossover studies, the researchers could not find commercial or non-commercial statistical software that quickly allowed computation of sample sizes for their designs, particularly software implementing the FDA requirement of using random-effects linear models for the analyses of bioequivalence studies. This article presents tables for sample-size evaluations of average bioequivalence studies based on the two crossover designs used in the EQUIGEN studies: the four-period, two-sequence, two-formulation design, and the six-period, three-sequence, three-formulation design. Sample-size computations assume that random-effects linear models are used in bioequivalence analyses with crossover designs. Random-effects linear models have been traditionally viewed by many pharmacologists and clinical researchers as just mathematical devices to analyze repeated-measures data. In contrast, a modern view of these models attributes an important mathematical role in theoretical formulations in personalized medicine to them, because these models not only have parameters that represent average patients, but also have parameters that represent individual patients. Moreover, the notation and language of random-effects linear models have evolved over the years. Thus, another goal of this article is to provide a presentation of the statistical modeling of data from bioequivalence studies that highlights the modern view of these models, with special emphasis on power analyses and sample-size computations.

  14. Reliability study of Piezoelectric Structures Dedicated to Energy Harvesting by the Way of Blocking Force Investigation

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Maaroufi, S; Parrain, F; Lefeuvre, E; Boutaud, B; Molin, R Dal

    2015-01-01

    In this paper we propose an approach to study the reliability of piezoelectric structures and more precisely energy harvesting micro-devices dedicated to autonomous active medical implants (new generation pacemakers). The structure under test is designed as a bimorph piezoelectric cantilever with a seismic mass at its tip. Good understanding of material aging and mechanical failure is critical for this kind of system. To study the reliability and durability of the piezoelectric part we propose to establish a new accelerated methodology and an associated test bench where the environment and stimuli can be precisely controlled over a wide period of time. This will allow the identification of potential failure modes and the study of their impacts by the way of direct mechanical investigation based on stiffness and blocking force measurements performed periodically. (paper)

  15. Reliability study of Piezoelectric Structures Dedicated to Energy Harvesting by the Way of Blocking Force Investigation

    Science.gov (United States)

    Maaroufi, S.; Parrain, F.; Lefeuvre, E.; Boutaud, B.; Dal Molin, R.

    2015-12-01

    In this paper we propose an approach to study the reliability of piezoelectric structures and more precisely energy harvesting micro-devices dedicated to autonomous active medical implants (new generation pacemakers). The structure under test is designed as a bimorph piezoelectric cantilever with a seismic mass at its tip. Good understanding of material aging and mechanical failure is critical for this kind of system. To study the reliability and durability of the piezoelectric part we propose to establish a new accelerated methodology and an associated test bench where the environment and stimuli can be precisely controlled over a wide period of time. This will allow the identification of potential failure modes and the study of their impacts by the way of direct mechanical investigation based on stiffness and blocking force measurements performed periodically.

  16. Comparison of automated and manual shielding block fabrication

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Weeks, K.J.; Fraass, B.A.; McShan, D.L.; Hardybala, S.S.; Hargreaves, E.A.; Lichter, A.S.

    1989-01-01

    This work reports the results of a study comparing computer controlled and manual shielding block cutting. The general problems inherent in automated block cutting have been identified and minimized. A system whose accuracy is sufficient for clinical applications has been developed. The relative accuracy of our automated system versus experienced technician controlled cutting was investigated. In general, it is found that automated cutting is somewhat faster and more accurate than manual cutting for very large fields, but that the reverse is true for most smaller fields. The relative cost effectiveness of automated cutting is dependent on the percentage of computer designed blocks which are generated in the clinical setting. At the present time, the traditional manual method is still favored

  17. Technologies for faults diagnosis of FPGA logic blocks

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    C. U. Ngene

    2012-08-01

    Full Text Available The critical issues of testing field programmable gate arrays (FPGA with a view to diagnosing faults are an important step that ensures the reliability of FPGA designs. Correct diagnosis of faulty logic blocks of FPGAs guarantees restoration of functionality through replacement of faulty block with replacement units. This process can be done autonomously or without the intervention of an engineer depending on application area. This paper considers two methods for analysing test results of FPGA logic blocks with the purpose of localising and distinguishing faults. The algebraic logic and vector-logical methods are proposed for diagnosing faulty logic blocks in FPGA fabric. It is found that the algebraic logic method is more useful for processing of sparse faults tables when the number of coordinates with 1s values with respect to zero values ​​is not more than 20%, whereas the vector-logical method facilitates the analysis of faults table with predominance of 1s values.

  18. Minimum description length block finder, a method to identify haplotype blocks and to compare the strength of block boundaries.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mannila, H; Koivisto, M; Perola, M; Varilo, T; Hennah, W; Ekelund, J; Lukk, M; Peltonen, L; Ukkonen, E

    2003-07-01

    We describe a new probabilistic method for finding haplotype blocks that is based on the use of the minimum description length (MDL) principle. We give a rigorous definition of the quality of a segmentation of a genomic region into blocks and describe a dynamic programming algorithm for finding the optimal segmentation with respect to this measure. We also describe a method for finding the probability of a block boundary for each pair of adjacent markers: this gives a tool for evaluating the significance of each block boundary. We have applied the method to the published data of Daly and colleagues. The results expose some problems that exist in the current methods for the evaluation of the significance of predicted block boundaries. Our method, MDL block finder, can be used to compare block borders in different sample sets, and we demonstrate this by applying the MDL-based method to define the block structure in chromosomes from population isolates.

  19. Ganglion impar block in patients with chronic coccydynia

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Nitesh Gonnade

    2017-01-01

    Full Text Available Introduction: Coccydynia refers to pain in the terminal segment of the spinecaused by abnormal sitting and standing posture. Coccydynia is usually managed conservatively, however in nonresponsive patients, ganglion impar block is used as a good alternate modality for pain relief. This article studies the effect of ganglion impar block in coccydynia patients who were not relieved by conservative management. Materials and Methods: The study was carried out at the pain clinic in the departments of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation and Radiology in a tertiary centre in India.It was a prospective hospital-based study, in which 35 patients with coccydynia were considered for fluoroscopy-guided trans-sacro-coccygeal ganglion impar block. The outcome assessment was done using Numerical Rating Scale (NRS and Oswestry Disability Index (ODI scores for a follow-up period of 6 months. Of the 35 patients, 4 were lost to follow-up. Analysis was done usingthe data from the remaining 31 patients. Results: The mean age of the patients suffering from chronic coccydynia was 42.9 ± 8.39 years, and patients' age range was 28–57 years. The mean score of NRS and ODI before the procedure was 7.90 ± 0.16 and 48.97 ± 1.05, respectively. The interquartile range (IQR of NRS score remained almost unchanged during pre and postprocedure, however, IQR of ODI varied during the pre and post procedural events. The NRS and ODI scores immediately after the procedure decreased drastically showing significant pain relief in patients, and the difference of scores till the end of study was statistically significant. Conclusion: This study recommends the trans-sacro-coccygeal “needle inside needle” technique for local anesthetic block of the ganglion impar for pain relief in patients with coccydynia. This should be integrated with rehabilitative measures including ergonomical modification for prolonging pain free period.

  20. Transient Femoral Nerve Palsy Following Ilioinguinal Nerve Block ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    2018-04-20

    Apr 20, 2018 ... a 3‑year period under ilioinguinal nerve block only were assessed for evidence of TFNP. All patients ... loss over the anterior aspect of the thigh, weakness of extension at the knee joint, .... and may result in falls with fractures which carry severe ... recovery of the palsy and subsequently discharged same.

  1. Development of Seismic Isolation Systems Using Periodic Materials

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Yan, Yiqun [Univ. of Houston, Houston, TX (United States); Mo, Yi-Lung [Univ. of Houston, Houston, TX (United States); Menq, Farn-Yuh [Univ. of Texas, Austin, TX (United States); Stokoe, II, Kenneth H. [Univ. of Texas, Austin, TX (United States); Perkins, Judy [Prairie View A & M University, Prairie View, TX (United States); Tang, Yu [Argonne National Lab. (ANL), Argonne, IL (United States)

    2014-12-10

    Advanced fast nuclear power plants and small modular fast reactors are composed of thin-walled structures such as pipes; as a result, they do not have sufficient inherent strength to resist seismic loads. Seismic isolation, therefore, is an effective solution for mitigating earthquake hazards for these types of structures. Base isolation, on which numerous studies have been conducted, is a well-defined structure protection system against earthquakes. In conventional isolators, such as high-damping rubber bearings, lead-rubber bearings, and friction pendulum bearings, large relative displacements occur between upper structures and foundations. Only isolation in a horizontal direction is provided; these features are not desirable for the piping systems. The concept of periodic materials, based on the theory of solid-state physics, can be applied to earthquake engineering. The periodic material is a material that possesses distinct characteristics that prevent waves with certain frequencies from being transmitted through it; therefore, this material can be used in structural foundations to block unwanted seismic waves with certain frequencies. The frequency band of periodic material that can filter out waves is called the band gap, and the structural foundation made of periodic material is referred to as the periodic foundation. The design of a nuclear power plant, therefore, can be unified around the desirable feature of a periodic foundation, while the continuous maintenance of the structure is not needed. In this research project, three different types of periodic foundations were studied: one-dimensional, two-dimensional, and three-dimensional. The basic theories of periodic foundations are introduced first to find the band gaps; then the finite element methods are used, to perform parametric analysis, and obtain attenuation zones; finally, experimental programs are conducted, and the test data are analyzed to verify the theory. This procedure shows that the

  2. Anaesthetic management of a patient with familial normokalaemic periodic paralysis.

    LENUS (Irish Health Repository)

    Walsh, F

    2012-02-03

    PURPOSE: We describe the anaesthetic management of a patient with the autosomal dominant inherited disease, normokalaemic periodic paralysis. The disease results in intermittent bouts of limb and respiratory muscular weakness in association with hypothermia, stress, prolonged fasting or exercise. Unlike hypokalaemic and hyperkalaemic periodic paralysis, the more common variants of the disease, normokalaemic periodic paralysis is not accompanied by alterations in the plasma potassium concentration. CLINICAL FEATURES: A five-year-old boy presented for emergency scrotal exploration. He had a family history of periodic paralysis and had experienced previous episodes of weakness, two of which had required hospitalization for respiratory distress. On admission there was no evidence of weakness and serum potassium concentration was 4.2 mMol.L-1. A spinal anaesthetic was performed and the procedure was uncomplicated by muscle paralysis above the level of the spinal block. CONCLUSION: Avoidance of known precipitating factors and judicious use of neuromuscular blocking drugs has been advocated in patients with this disorder presenting for surgery. In appropriate circumstances, spinal anaesthesia represents a useful option in patients with normokalaemic periodic paralysis.

  3. A multi-period distribution network design model under demand uncertainty

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tabrizi, Babak H.; Razmi, Jafar

    2013-05-01

    Supply chain management is taken into account as an inseparable component in satisfying customers' requirements. This paper deals with the distribution network design (DND) problem which is a critical issue in achieving supply chain accomplishments. A capable DND can guarantee the success of the entire network performance. However, there are many factors that can cause fluctuations in input data determining market treatment, with respect to short-term planning, on the one hand. On the other hand, network performance may be threatened by the changes that take place within practicing periods, with respect to long-term planning. Thus, in order to bring both kinds of changes under control, we considered a new multi-period, multi-commodity, multi-source DND problem in circumstances where the network encounters uncertain demands. The fuzzy logic is applied here as an efficient tool for controlling the potential customers' demand risk. The defuzzifying framework leads the practitioners and decision-makers to interact with the solution procedure continuously. The fuzzy model is then validated by a sensitivity analysis test, and a typical problem is solved in order to illustrate the implementation steps. Finally, the formulation is tested by some different-sized problems to show its total performance.

  4. Architectural design criteria for f-block metal sequestering agents. 1997 annual progress report

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hay, B.P.; Paine, R.T.; Roundhill, D.M.

    1997-01-01

    'The objective of this project is to provide the means to optimize ligand architecture for f-block metal recognition. The authors strategy builds on an innovative and successful molecular modeling approach in developing polyether ligand design criteria for the alkali and alkaline earth cations. The hypothesis underlying this proposal is that differences in metal ion binding with multidentate ligands bearing the same number and type of donor groups are primarily attributable to intramolecular steric factors. The authors propose quantifying these steric factors through the application of molecular mechanics models. The proposed research involves close integration of theoretical and experimental chemistry. The experimental work entails synthesizing novel ligands and experimentally determining structures and binding constants for metal ion complexation by series of ligands in which architecture is systematically varied. The theoretical work entails using electronic structure calculations to parameterize a molecular mechanics force field for a range of metal ions and ligand types. The resulting molecular mechanics force field will be used to predict low-energy structures for unidentate, bidentate, and multidentate ligands and their metal complexes through conformational searches. Results will be analyzed to assess the relative importance of several steric factors including optimal M-L length, optimal geometry at the metal center, optimal geometry at the donor atoms (complementarity), and conformation prior to binding (preorganization). An accurate set of criteria for the design of ligand architecture will be obtained from these results. These criteria will enable researchers to target ligand structures for synthesis and thereby dramatically reduce the time and cost associated with metal-specific ligand development.'

  5. THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN STIFFNESS LOSSES AND LOSSES IN BEARINGS OF ROPE BLOCKS

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    V. M. Bohomaz

    2017-08-01

    Full Text Available Purpose. To determine the efficiency of rope blocks, it is necessary to determine the stiffness coefficient of the ropes of blocks, taking into account the classification group of the mechanism and the wrapping angle of a block by a rope. At this one should use well-tested values of the efficiency coefficients of the rope blocks, taking into account the wrapping angle of a block by a rope and the analytically found friction coefficients of the rolling bearings given to the trunnion. Methodology. The work presents the analytical method of determining the coefficient of bearing resistance of the block when it is rotated by both the inner and outer cages, as well as the design scheme of the bearing of the block. Findings. The analysis of the lubrication method effect, the operating mode of the mechanism and the wrapping angle of a block by a rope on losses in bearings was carried out for rope blocks. The corresponding comparative tables of losses are given. Analysis of the obtained calculation results allows us to establish: 1 the main resistance affecting the cable blocks efficiency is the resistance in bearings; 2 the second largest component is the stiffness losses, depending on the operating mode, the wrapping angle of a block by a rope, the type of bearing lubrication; 3 the block efficiency when rotating the inner cage is higher than rotating the outer one by about 3% with thick lubrication and 1M mode; 4 in the sequential location of assemblies with a rolling bearing, it is necessary to strive for the design of the assembly in which the inner cage rotates; 5 with the number of blocks up to 5, one can use the recommended definitions of block bearings in the literature with an error in the efficiency value of up to 10%. Originality. The authors obtained values of resistances in the rolling bearings of the rope blocks and stiffness losses due to the girth of the block by the rope. In this case, dependences were used to determine the coefficient

  6. "Eyeball test" of thermographic patterns for predicting a successful lateral infraclavicular block.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Andreasen, Asger M; Linnet, Karen E; Asghar, Semera; Rothe, Christian; Rosenstock, Charlotte V; Lange, Kai H W; Lundstrøm, Lars H

    2017-11-01

    Increased distal skin temperature can be used to predict the success of lateral infraclavicular (LIC) block. We hypothesized that an "eyeball test" of specific infrared thermographic patterns after LIC block could be used to determine block success. In this observational study, five observers trained in four distinct thermographic patterns independently evaluated thermographic images of the hands of 40 patients at baseline and at one-minute intervals for 30 min after a LIC block. Sensitivity, specificity, and predictive values of a positive and a negative test were estimated to evaluate the validity of specific thermographic patterns for predicting a successful block. Sensory and motor block of the musculocutaneous, radial, ulnar, and median nerves defined block success. Fleiss' kappa statistics of multiple interobserver agreements were used to evaluate reliability. As a diagnostic test, the defined specific thermographic patterns of the hand predicted a successful block with increasing accuracy over the 30-min observation period. Block success was predicted with a sensitivity of 92.4% (95% confidence interval [CI], 86.8 to 96.2) and with a specificity of 84.0% (95% CI, 70.3 to 92.4) at min 30. The Fleiss' kappa for the five observers was 0.87 (95% CI, 0.77 to 0.96). We conclude that visual evaluation by an eyeball test of specific thermographic patterns of the blocked hands may be useful as a valid and reliable diagnostic test for predicting a successful LIC block.

  7. Application of Sensor Technology for the Efficient Positioningand Assembling of Ship Blocks

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Sangdon Lee

    2010-09-01

    Full Text Available This paper proposes the application of sensor technology to assemble ship blocks efficiently. A sensor-based monitoring system is designed and implemented to improve shipbuilding productivity by reducing the labor cost for the adjustment of adequate positioning between ship blocks during pre-erection or erection stage. For the real-time remote monitoring of relative distances between two ship blocks, sensor nodes are applied to measure the distances between corresponding target points on the blocks. Highly precise positioning data can be transferred to a monitoring server via wireless network, and analyzed to support the decision making which needs to determine the next construction process; further adjustment or seam welding between the ship blocks. The developed system is expected to put to practical use, and increase the productivity during ship blocks assembly.

  8. Sympathetic Blocks Provided Sustained Pain Relief in a Patient with Refractory Painful Diabetic Neuropathy

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Jianguo Cheng

    2012-01-01

    Full Text Available The sympathetic nervous system has been implicated in pain associated with painful diabetic neuropathy. However, therapeutic intervention targeted at the sympathetic nervous system has not been established. We thus tested the hypothesis that sympathetic nerve blocks significantly reduce pain in a patient with painful diabetic neuropathy who has failed multiple pharmacological treatments. The diagnosis of small fiber sensory neuropathy was based on clinical presentations and confirmed by skin biopsies. A series of 9 lumbar sympathetic blocks over a 26-month period provided sustained pain relief in his legs. Additional thoracic paravertebral blocks further provided control of the pain in the trunk which can occasionally be seen in severe diabetic neuropathy cases, consequent to extensive involvement of the intercostal nerves. These blocks provided sustained and significant pain relief and improvement of quality of life over a period of more than two years. We thus provided the first clinical evidence supporting the notion that sympathetic nervous system plays a critical role in painful diabetic neuropathy and sympathetic blocks can be an effective management modality of painful diabetic neuropathy. We concluded that the sympathetic nervous system is a valuable therapeutic target of pharmacological and interventional modalities of treatments in painful diabetic neuropathy patients.

  9. Effect of paracetamol, dexketoprofen trometamol, lidocaine spray, and paracervical block application for pain relief during suction termination of first-trimester pregnancy.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Açmaz, Gökhan; Aksoy, Hüseyin; Özoğlu, Nil; Aksoy, Ülkü; Albayrak, Evrim

    2013-01-01

    The aim of the study was to investigate the analgesic efficacy of preoperative oral dexketoprofen trometamol, intravenous paracetamol, lidocaine spray, and paracervical block with ultracaine on curettage procedure. A total of 111 subjects with the request of pregnancy termination between 5 and 7 weeks of gestation were included in the study. The first group (control group) consisted of 20 participants without medication. The second group consisted of 25 participants receiving 2 puffs of lidocaine sprays on cervical mucosa. The third group consisted of 20 participants receiving oral 25 mg dexketoprofen trometamol. The fourth group consisted of 23 participants receiving 1000 mg intravenous paracetamol and the fifth group consisted of 23 participants receiving paracervical block with ultracaine. Paracervical block reduced pain score significantly in both intraoperative and postoperative periods. All analgesic procedures were significantly effective for reducing pain in postoperative period. Paracervical block may be the best method for reducing pain scores in intraoperative and postoperative periods during curettage procedure. All analgesic procedures such as lidocaine, paracetamol, ultracaine, and paracervical block with ultracaine can be used for reducing pain score in postoperative period. This trial is registered with NCT01947205.

  10. Effect of Paracetamol, Dexketoprofen Trometamol, Lidocaine Spray, and Paracervical Block Application for Pain Relief during Suction Termination of First-Trimester Pregnancy

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Gökhan Açmaz

    2013-01-01

    Full Text Available The aim of the study was to investigate the analgesic efficacy of preoperative oral dexketoprofen trometamol, intravenous paracetamol, lidocaine spray, and paracervical block with ultracaine on curettage procedure. A total of 111 subjects with the request of pregnancy termination between 5 and 7 weeks of gestation were included in the study. The first group (control group consisted of 20 participants without medication. The second group consisted of 25 participants receiving 2 puffs of lidocaine sprays on cervical mucosa. The third group consisted of 20 participants receiving oral 25 mg dexketoprofen trometamol. The fourth group consisted of 23 participants receiving 1000 mg intravenous paracetamol and the fifth group consisted of 23 participants receiving paracervical block with ultracaine. Paracervical block reduced pain score significantly in both intraoperative and postoperative periods. All analgesic procedures were significantly effective for reducing pain in postoperative period. Paracervical block may be the best method for reducing pain scores in intraoperative and postoperative periods during curettage procedure. All analgesic procedures such as lidocaine, paracetamol, ultracaine, and paracervical block with ultracaine can be used for reducing pain score in postoperative period. This trial is registered with NCT01947205.

  11. Receiver-exciter controller design

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jansma, P. A.

    1982-01-01

    A description of the general design of both the block 3 and block 4 receiver-exciter controllers for the Deep Space Network (DSN) Mark IV-A System is presented along with the design approach. The controllers are designed to enable the receiver-exciter subsystem (RCV) to be configured, calibrated, initialized and operated from a central location via high level instructions. The RECs are designed to be operated under the control of the DMC subsystem. The instructions are in the form of standard subsystem blocks (SSBs) received via the local area network (LAN). The centralized control provided by RECs and other DSCC controllers in Mark IV-A is intended to reduce DSN operations costs from the Mark III era.

  12. Traces of warping subsided tectonic blocks on Miranda, Enceladus, Titan

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kochemasov, G.

    2007-08-01

    Icy satellites of the outer Solar system have very large range of sizes - from kilometers to thousands of kilometers. Bodies less than 400-500 km across have normally irregular shapes , often presenting simple Plato's polyhedrons woven by standing inertiagravity waves (see an accompanying abstract of Kochemasov). Larger bodies with enhanced gravity normally are rounded off and have globular shapes but far from ideal spheres. This is due to warping action of inertia-gravity waves of various wavelengths origin of which is related to body movements in elliptical keplerian orbits with periodically changing accelerations (alternating accelerations cause periodically changing forces acting upon a body what means oscillations of its spheres in form of standing warping waves). The fundamental wave 1 and its first overtone wave 2 produce ubiquitous tectonic dichotomy - two segmental structure and tectonic sectoring superimposed on this dichotomy. Two kinds of tectonic blocks (segments and sectors) are formed: uplifted (+) and subsided (-). Uplifting means increasing planetary radius of blocks, subsiding - decreasing radius (as a sequence subsiding blocks diminishing their surfaces must be warped, folded, wrinkled; uplifting blocks increasing their surfaces tend to be deeply cracked, fallen apart). To level changing angular momenta of blocks subsided areas are filled with denser material than uplifted ones (one of the best examples is Earth with its oceanic basins filled with dense basalts and uplifted continents built of less dense on average andesitic material). Icy satellites follow the same rule. Their warped surfaces show differing chemistries or structures of constructive materials. Uplifted blocks are normally built with light (by color and density) water ice. Subsided blocks - depressions, "seas', "lakes", coronas - by somewhat denser material differing in color from water ice (very sharply - Iapetus, moderately - Europa, slightly - many saturnian satellites). A very

  13. Building block method: a bottom-up modular synthesis methodology for distributed compliant mechanisms

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    G. Krishnan

    2012-03-01

    Full Text Available Synthesizing topologies of compliant mechanisms are based on rigid-link kinematic designs or completely automated optimization techniques. These designs yield mechanisms that match the kinematic specifications as a whole, but seldom yield user insight on how each constituent member contributes towards the overall mechanism performance. This paper reviews recent developments in building block based design of compliant mechanisms. A key aspect of such a methodology is formulating a representation of compliance at a (i single unique point of interest in terms of geometric quantities such as ellipses and vectors, and (ii relative compliance between distinct input(s and output(s in terms of load flow. This geometric representation provides a direct mapping between the mechanism geometry and their behavior, and is used to characterize simple deformable members that form a library of building blocks. The design space spanned by the building block library guides the decomposition of a given problem specification into tractable sub-problems that can be each solved from an entry in the library. The effectiveness of this geometric representation aids user insight in design, and enables discovery of trends and guidelines to obtain practical conceptual designs.

  14. SODART optical block of the SRG satellite

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Christensen, Finn Erland; Frederiksen, P.; Polny, Josef

    1998-01-01

    This paper describes the design and the successful integration of the optical block of the SODART telescopes to be flown on the Spectrum Roentgen Gamma satellite. The integration involves both the integration of the two high throughput x-ray telescopes as well as the objective crystal spectrometer...

  15. A Comparison of Combined Suprascapular and Axillary Nerve Blocks to Interscalene Nerve Block for Analgesia in Arthroscopic Shoulder Surgery: An Equivalence Study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Dhir, Shalini; Sondekoppam, Rakesh V; Sharma, Ranjita; Ganapathy, Sugantha; Athwal, George S

    2016-01-01

    The primary objective of this study was to compare the analgesic efficacy of combined suprascapular and axillary nerve block (SSAX) with interscalene block (ISB) after arthroscopic shoulder surgery. Our hypothesis was that ultrasound-guided SSAX would provide postoperative analgesia equivalent to ISB. Sixty adult patients undergoing arthroscopic shoulder surgery received either SSAX or ISB prior to general anesthesia, in a randomized fashion. Pain scores, satisfaction, and adverse effects were recorded in the recovery room, 6 hours, 24 hours, and 7 days after surgery. Combined suprascapular and axillary nerve block provided nonequivalent analgesia when compared with ISB at different time points postoperatively, except on postoperative day 7. Interscalene block had better mean static pain score in the recovery room (ISB 1.80 [95% confidence interval [CI], 1.10-2.50] vs SSAX 5.45 [95% CI, 4.40-6.49; P shoulder surgery. While SSAX provides better quality pain relief at rest and fewer adverse effects at 24 hours, ISB provides better analgesia in the immediate postoperative period. For arthroscopic shoulder surgery, SSAX can be a clinically acceptable analgesic option with different analgesic profile compared with ISB.

  16. Molecular Clusters: Nanoscale Building Blocks for Solid-State Materials.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pinkard, Andrew; Champsaur, Anouck M; Roy, Xavier

    2018-04-17

    The programmed assembly of nanoscale building blocks into multicomponent hierarchical structures is a powerful strategy for the bottom-up construction of functional materials. To develop this concept, our team has explored the use of molecular clusters as superatomic building blocks to fabricate new classes of materials. The library of molecular clusters is rich with exciting properties, including diverse functionalization, redox activity, and magnetic ordering, so the resulting cluster-assembled solids, which we term superatomic crystals (SACs), hold the promise of high tunability, atomic precision, and robust architectures among a diverse range of other material properties. Molecular clusters have only seldom been used as precursors for functional materials. Our team has been at the forefront of new developments in this exciting research area, and this Account focuses on our progress toward designing materials from cluster-based precursors. In particular, this Account discusses (1) the design and synthesis of molecular cluster superatomic building blocks, (2) their self-assembly into SACs, and (3) their resulting collective properties. The set of molecular clusters discussed herein is diverse, with different cluster cores and ligand arrangements to create an impressive array of solids. The cluster cores include octahedral M 6 E 8 and cubane M 4 E 4 (M = metal; E = chalcogen), which are typically passivated by a shell of supporting ligands, a feature upon which we have expanded upon by designing and synthesizing more exotic ligands that can be used to direct solid-state assembly. Building from this library, we have designed whole families of binary SACs where the building blocks are held together through electrostatic, covalent, or van der Waals interactions. Using single-crystal X-ray diffraction (SCXRD) to determine the atomic structure, a remarkable range of compositional variability is accessible. We can also use this technique, in tandem with vibrational

  17. Design and fabrication of Ni nanowires having periodically hollow nanostructures

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sada, Takao; Fujigaya, Tsuyohiko; Nakashima, Naotoshi

    2014-09-01

    We propose a concept for the design and fabrication of metal nanowires having periodically hollow nanostructures inside the pores of an anodic aluminum oxide (AAO) membrane using a sacrificial metal. In this study, nickel (Ni) and silver (Ag) were used as the base metal and the sacrificial metal, respectively. Alternating an applied potential between -0.4 and -1.0 V provided alternatively deposited Ni and Ag segments in a Ni-Ag `barcode' nanowire with a diameter of 18 or 35 nm. After etching away the Ag segments, we fabricated Ni nanowires with nanopores of 12 +/- 5.3 nm. Such nanostructure formation is explained by the formation of a Ni shell layer over the surface of the Ag segments due to the strong affinity of Ni2+ for the interior surfaces of AAO. The Ni shell layer allows the Ni segments to remain even after dissolution of the Ag segments. Because the electroplating conditions can be easily controlled, we could carefully adjust the size and pitch of the periodically hollow nanospaces. We also describe a method for the fabrication of Ni nanorods by forming an Ag shell instead of a Ni shell on the Ni-Ag barcode nanowire, in which the interior of the AAO surfaces was modified with a compound bearing a thiol group prior to electroplating.We propose a concept for the design and fabrication of metal nanowires having periodically hollow nanostructures inside the pores of an anodic aluminum oxide (AAO) membrane using a sacrificial metal. In this study, nickel (Ni) and silver (Ag) were used as the base metal and the sacrificial metal, respectively. Alternating an applied potential between -0.4 and -1.0 V provided alternatively deposited Ni and Ag segments in a Ni-Ag `barcode' nanowire with a diameter of 18 or 35 nm. After etching away the Ag segments, we fabricated Ni nanowires with nanopores of 12 +/- 5.3 nm. Such nanostructure formation is explained by the formation of a Ni shell layer over the surface of the Ag segments due to the strong affinity of Ni2+ for the

  18. A critical period of progesterone withdrawal precedes menstruation in macaques

    Science.gov (United States)

    Slayden, Ov D; Brenner, Robert M

    2006-01-01

    Macaques are menstruating nonhuman primates that provide important animal models for studies of hormonal regulation in the uterus. In women and macaques the decline of progesterone (P) at the end of the cycle triggers endometrial expression of a variety of matrix metalloproteinase (MMP) enzymes that participate in tissue breakdown and menstrual sloughing. To determine the minimal duration of P withdrawal required to induce menses, we assessed the effects of adding P back at various time points after P withdrawal on both frank bleeding patterns and endometrial MMP expression. Artificial menstrual cycles were induced by treating the animals sequentially with implants releasing estradiol (E2) and progesterone (P). To assess bleeding patterns, P implants were removed at the end of a cycle and then added back at 12, 24, 30, 36, 40, 48, 60, or 72 hours (h) after the initial P withdrawal. Observational analysis of frank bleeding patterns showed that P replacement at 12 and 24 h blocked menses, replacement at 36 h reduced menses but replacement after 36 h failed to block menses. These data indicate that in macaques, a critical period of P withdrawal exists and lasts approximately 36 h. In other similarly cycled animals, we withdrew P and then added P back either during (12–24 h) or after (48 h) the critical period, removed the uterus 24 h after P add back and evaluated endometrial MMP expression. Immunocytochemistry showed that replacement of P during the critical period suppressed MMP-1, -2 and -3 expression along with menses, but replacement of P at 48 h, which failed to suppress mense, suppressed MMP-1 and MMP-3 but did not block MMP-2. We concluded that upregulation of MMPs is essential to menses induction, but that after the critical period, menses will occur even if some MMPs are experimentally blocked. PMID:17118170

  19. STARTING BLOCK PERFORMANCE IN SPRINTERS: A STATISTICAL METHOD FOR IDENTIFYING DISCRIMINATIVE PARAMETERS OF THE PERFORMANCE AND AN ANALYSIS OF THE EFFECT OF PROVIDING FEEDBACK OVER A 6-WEEK PERIOD

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Sylvie Fortier

    2005-06-01

    Full Text Available The purpose of this study was twofold: (a to examine if kinetic and kinematic parameters of the sprint start could differentiate elite from sub-elite sprinters and, (b to investigate whether providing feedback (FB about selected parameters could improve starting block performance of intermediate sprinters over a 6-week training period. Twelve male sprinters, assigned to an elite or a sub-elite group, participated in Experiment 1. Eight intermediate sprinters participated in Experiment 2. All athletes were required to perform three sprint starts at maximum intensity followed by a 10-m run. To detect differences between elite and sub-elite groups, comparisons were made using t-tests for independent samples. Parameters reaching a significant group difference were retained for the linear discriminant analysis (LDA. The LDA yielded four discriminative kinetic parameters. Feedback about these selected parameters was given to sprinters in Experiment 2. For this experiment, data acquisition was divided into three periods. The first six sessions were without specific FB, whereas the following six sessions were enriched by kinetic FB. Finally, athletes underwent a retention session (without FB 4 weeks after the twelfth session. Even though differences were found in the time to front peak force, the time to rear peak force, and the front peak force in the retention session, the results of the present study showed that providing FB about selected kinetic parameters differentiating elite from sub-elite sprinters did not improve the starting block performance of intermediate sprinters

  20. Using periodicity to mitigate ground vibration

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Andersen, Lars Vabbersgaard

    2015-01-01

    Introduction of trenches, barriers and wave impeding blocks on the transmission path between a source and receiver can be used for mitigation of ground vibration. However, to be effective a barrier must have a depth of about one wavelength of the waves to be mitigated. Hence, while great reductions......: A soil with periodic stiffening (ground improvement) and a ground with periodic changes in the surface elevation obtained by artificial landscaping. By means of a two-dimensional finite-element model, the stiffness and mass matrices are determined for a single cell of the ground with horizonal...

  1. Apache, Santa Fe energy units awarded two Myanmar blocks

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Anon.

    1992-01-01

    This paper reports that Myanmar's state oil company has awarded production sharing contracts (PSCs) on two blocks to units of Apache Corp. and Santa Fe Energy Resources Inc., both of Houston. That comes on the heels of a report by County NatWest Woodmac that notes Myanmar's oil production, currently meeting less than half the country's demand, is set to fall further this year. 150 line km of new seismic data could be acquired and one well drilled. During the initial 2 year exploration period on Block EP-3, Apache will conduct geological studies and conduct at least 200 line km of seismic data

  2. Postoperative analgesic efficacy of ultrasound-guided ilioinguinal-iliohypogastric nerve block compared with medial transverse abdominis plane block in inguinal hernia repair: A prospective, randomised trial.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bhatia, Nidhi; Sen, Indu Mohini; Mandal, Banashree; Batra, Ankita

    2018-03-29

    Analgesic efficacy of ultrasound-guided transverse abdominis plane block, administered a little more medially, just close to the origin of the transverse abdominis muscle has not yet been investigated in patients undergoing unilateral inguinal hernia repair. We hypothesised that medial transverse abdominis plane block would provide comparable postoperative analgesia to ilioinguinal-iliohypogastric nerve block in inguinal hernia repair patients. This prospective, randomised trial was conducted in 50 ASA I and II male patients≥18 years of age. Patients were randomised into two groups to receive either pre-incisional ipsilateral ultrasound-guided ilioinguinal-iliohypogastric nerve block or medial transverse abdominis plane block, with 0.3ml/kg of 0.25% bupivacaine. Our primary objective was postoperative 24-hour analgesic consumption and secondary outcomes included pain scores, time to first request for rescue analgesic and side effects, if any, in the postoperative period. There was no significant difference in the total postoperative analgesic consumption [group I: 66.04mg; group II: 68.33mg (P value 0.908)]. Time to first request for rescue analgesic was delayed, though statistically non-significant (P value 0.326), following medial transverse abdominis plane block, with excellent pain relief seen in 58.3% patients as opposed to 45.8% patients in ilioinguinal-iliohypogastric nerve block group. Medial transverse abdominis plane block being a novel, simple and easily performed procedure can serve as an useful alternative to ilioinguinal-iliohypogastric nerve block for providing postoperative pain relief in inguinal hernia repair patients. Copyright © 2018 Société française d'anesthésie et de réanimation (Sfar). Published by Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.

  3. Dependence of present and future European heat waves and cold spells on the location of atmospheric blocking

    Science.gov (United States)

    Brunner, L.; Schaller, N.; Sillmann, J.; Steiner, A. K.

    2017-12-01

    Atmospheric blocking describes stationary anti-cyclones, which weaken or reverse the climatological flow at mid-latitudes. In the northern hemisphere one of the main blocking regions is located over the North Atlantic and Northern Europe. The link between blocking and European temperature extremes, such as heat waves and cold spells, strongly depends on several aspects like season, longitudinal location of the block, and location of the extremes (particularly Northern Europe versus Southern Europe). We use a 50-member ensemble of the Canadian CanESM2 model to investigate historical (1981-2010) and future (2070-2099) blocking cases and their relationship with European temperature extremes. For the historical period the model results are also compared to those from the ERA-Interim reanalysis. Atmospheric blocking is detected on a daily basis in different 30° longitude windows between 60°W and 60°E, using a standard geopotential height-based detection index. Temperature extremes are defined by the daily Heat/Cold Wave Magnitude Index (HWMId/CWMId). The role of cold advection is found particularly important in winter conditions leading to a more than threefold increase in cold wave occurrence during blocking between 60°W and 0°. During blocking over Northern Europe (0° to 60°E) a split relationship is found with cold wave occurrence being strongly increased in Southern Europe, while it is decreased in Northern Europe. Direct, radiative effects dominate in summer, therefore blocking westward of Europe has a weaker effect, while blocking over Northern Europe leads to an increase of heat waves by at least a factor three at the location of the block and a decrease in cold wave occurrence in almost all of Europe. Comparing the historical and future period we find the link between blocking and temperature extremes in Europe to be robust, even though blocking frequency and temperatures are changing.

  4. Ultrasound-guided peripheral and truncal blocks in pediatric patients

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Mohamed Bilal Delvi

    2011-01-01

    Full Text Available Ultrasound has added a feather in the cap of the anesthesiologists as real-time nerve localization and drug deposition around the nerve structure under real-time guidance is now a reality, as the saying "seeing is believing" has been proven true with the advent of ultrasound in anesthesia. Pediatric patients are a unique group regarding their anatomical and physiological features in comparison with adults; regional blocks in adults with the anatomical landmark and surface marking are almost uniform across the adult population. The landmark technique in pediatric patients is not reliable in all patients due to the variability in the age and size; the advent of ultrasound in assisting nerve localization has changed the way regional blocks are achieved in children and the range of blocks performed on adults can now be performed on pediatric patients; with advances in the technology and dexterity of ultrasound equipment, the chances of success of blocks has increased with a smaller dose of the local anesthetic in comparison to the traditional methods. Anesthesiologists are now able to perform blocks with more accuracy and avoid complications like intravascular injection and injury to the pleura and peritoneum during routine practice with the assistance of high-frequency transducers and top of the range portable ultrasound machines; catheters can be inserted to provide a continuous analgesia in the postoperative period. This review article describes the common peripheral blocks in pediatric patients; the readers are encouraged to gain experience by attending workshops, hands-on practice under supervision, and conduct random controlled trials pertaining to ultrasound-guided blocks in the pediatric age group. The recent literature is encouraging and further research is promising; a wide range of blocks being described in detail by many prominent experts from all over the world.

  5. High Temperature Reactor (HTR) Deep Burn Core and Fuel Analysis: Design Selection for the Prismatic Block Reactor With Results from FY-2011 Activities

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Michael A. Pope

    2011-10-01

    The Deep Burn (DB) Project is a U.S. Department of Energy sponsored feasibility study of Transuranic Management using high burnup fuel in the high temperature helium cooled reactor (HTR). The DB Project consists of seven tasks: project management, core and fuel analysis, spent fuel management, fuel cycle integration, TRU fuel modeling, TRU fuel qualification, and HTR fuel recycle. In the Phase II of the Project, we conducted nuclear analysis of TRU destruction/utilization in the HTR prismatic block design (Task 2.1), deep burn fuel/TRISO microanalysis (Task 2.3), and synergy with fast reactors (Task 4.2). The Task 2.1 covers the core physics design, thermo-hydraulic CFD analysis, and the thermofluid and safety analysis (low pressure conduction cooling, LPCC) of the HTR prismatic block design. The Task 2.3 covers the analysis of the structural behavior of TRISO fuel containing TRU at very high burnup level, i.e. exceeding 50% of FIMA. The Task 4.2 includes the self-cleaning HTR based on recycle of HTR-generated TRU in the same HTR. Chapter IV contains the design and analysis results of the 600MWth DB-HTR core physics with the cycle length, the average discharged burnup, heavy metal and plutonium consumptions, radial and axial power distributions, temperature reactivity coefficients. Also, it contains the analysis results of the 450MWth DB-HTR core physics and the analysis of the decay heat of a TRU loaded DB-HTR core. The evaluation of the hot spot fuel temperature of the fuel block in the DB-HTR (Deep-Burn High Temperature Reactor) core under full operating power conditions are described in Chapter V. The investigated designs are the 600MWth and 460MWth DB-HTRs. In Chapter VI, the thermo-fluid and safety of the 600MWth DB-HTRs has been analyzed to investigate a thermal-fluid design performance at the steady state and a passive safety performance during an LPCC event. Chapter VII describes the analysis results of the TRISO fuel microanalysis of the 600MWth and 450

  6. Generalized Block Failure

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Jönsson, Jeppe

    2015-01-01

    Block tearing is considered in several codes as a pure block tension or a pure block shear failure mechanism. However in many situations the load acts eccentrically and involves the transfer of a substantial moment in combination with the shear force and perhaps a normal force. A literature study...... shows that no readily available tests with a well-defined substantial eccentricity have been performed. This paper presents theoretical and experimental work leading towards generalized block failure capacity methods. Simple combination of normal force, shear force and moment stress distributions along...... yield lines around the block leads to simple interaction formulas similar to other interaction formulas in the codes....

  7. Blocking Optimality in Distributed Real-Time Locking Protocols

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Björn Bernhard Brandenburg

    2014-09-01

    Full Text Available Lower and upper bounds on the maximum priority inversion blocking (pi-blocking that is generally unavoidable in distributed multiprocessor real-time locking protocols (where resources may be accessed only from specific synchronization processors are established. Prior work on suspension-based shared-memory multiprocessor locking protocols (which require resources to be accessible from all processors has established asymptotically tight bounds of Ω(m and Ω(n maximum pi-blocking under suspension-oblivious and suspension-aware analysis, respectively, where m denotes the total number of processors and n denotes the number of tasks. In this paper, it is shown that, in the case of distributed semaphore protocols, there exist two different task allocation scenarios that give rise to distinct lower bounds. In the case of co-hosted task allocation, where application tasks may also be assigned to synchronization processors (i.e., processors hosting critical sections, Ω(Φ · n maximum pi-blocking is unavoidable for some tasks under any locking protocol under both suspension-aware and suspension-oblivious schedulability analysis, where Φ denotes the ratio of the maximum response time to the shortest period. In contrast, in the case of disjoint task allocation (i.e., if application tasks may not be assigned to synchronization processors, only Ω(m and Ω(n maximum pi-blocking is fundamentally unavoidable under suspension-oblivious and suspension-aware analysis, respectively, as in the shared-memory case. These bounds are shown to be asymptotically tight with the construction of two new distributed real-time locking protocols that ensure O(m and O(n maximum pi-blocking under suspension-oblivious and suspension-aware analysis, respectively.

  8. Quantum Image Steganography and Steganalysis Based On LSQu-Blocks Image Information Concealing Algorithm

    Science.gov (United States)

    A. AL-Salhi, Yahya E.; Lu, Songfeng

    2016-08-01

    Quantum steganography can solve some problems that are considered inefficient in image information concealing. It researches on Quantum image information concealing to have been widely exploited in recent years. Quantum image information concealing can be categorized into quantum image digital blocking, quantum image stereography, anonymity and other branches. Least significant bit (LSB) information concealing plays vital roles in the classical world because many image information concealing algorithms are designed based on it. Firstly, based on the novel enhanced quantum representation (NEQR), image uniform blocks clustering around the concrete the least significant Qu-block (LSQB) information concealing algorithm for quantum image steganography is presented. Secondly, a clustering algorithm is proposed to optimize the concealment of important data. Finally, we used Con-Steg algorithm to conceal the clustered image blocks. Information concealing located on the Fourier domain of an image can achieve the security of image information, thus we further discuss the Fourier domain LSQu-block information concealing algorithm for quantum image based on Quantum Fourier Transforms. In our algorithms, the corresponding unitary Transformations are designed to realize the aim of concealing the secret information to the least significant Qu-block representing color of the quantum cover image. Finally, the procedures of extracting the secret information are illustrated. Quantum image LSQu-block image information concealing algorithm can be applied in many fields according to different needs.

  9. Colour Blocking: Disregarding Traditional Artistic Colour Harmonies ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    A development in the world of design – costume, fashion, graphics, architecture and general decor whereby traditional colour harmonies are reengineered to suite the taste of the time engages the attention of the paper. The trending phenomenon popularly referred to as 'colour blocking' involves the use of bright ...

  10. Quadratus lumborum block for post-operative pain relief in patient with Prune belly syndrome.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Garg, Chitra; Khanna, Sangeeta; Mehta, Yatin

    2017-10-01

    Abdominal field blocks are commonly used as part of multimodal analgesia for post-operative pain relief in patients undergoing abdominal surgery. Conventionally, transversus abdominis plane block is used, but has the disadvantage of limited spread only to T10-T12 segments, providing only partial pain relief. The new quadratus lumborum (QL) block has the advantage of providing wider sensory block from T6 to L1 and thus has an evolving role in opioid-free anaesthesia. Opioid-induced cough depression, urinary retention, and drowsiness can be problematic in patients with Prune belly syndrome, who have deficient abdominal muscles and myriad of genitourinary problems. We report a case of a young male with Prune belly syndrome, who had a pain-free post-operative period after high inguinal orchidectomy with unilateral QL block.

  11. Epidural block

    Science.gov (United States)

    ... page: //medlineplus.gov/ency/patientinstructions/000484.htm Epidural block - pregnancy To use the sharing features on this page, please enable JavaScript. An epidural block is a numbing medicine given by injection (shot) ...

  12. Fabrication of periodic arrays of metallic nanoparticles by block copolymer templates on HfO_2 substrates

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Frascaroli, Jacopo; Seguini, Gabriele; Spiga, Sabina; Perego, Michele; Boarino, Luca

    2015-01-01

    Block copolymer-based templates can be exploited for the fabrication of ordered arrays of metal nanoparticles (NPs) with a diameter down to a few nanometers. In order to develop this technique on metal oxide substrates, we studied the self-assembly of polymeric templates directly on the HfO_2 surface. Using a random copolymer neutralization layer, we obtained an effective HfO_2 surface neutralization, while the effects of surface cleaning and annealing temperature were carefully examined. Varying the block copolymer molecular weight, we produced regular nanoporous templates with feature size variable between 10 and 30 nm and a density up to 1.5 × 10"1"1 cm"−"2. With the adoption of a pattern transfer process, we produced ordered arrays of Pt and Pt/Ti NPs with diameters of 12, 21 and 29 nm and a constant size dispersion (σ) of 2.5 nm. For the smallest template adopted, the NP diameter is significantly lower than the original template dimension. In this specific configuration, the granularity of the deposited film probably influences the pattern transfer process and very small NPs of 12 nm were achieved without a significant broadening of the size distribution. (paper)

  13. Shear bond strength of computer-aided design and computer-aided manufacturing feldspathic and nano resin ceramics blocks cemented with three different generations of resin cement.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ab-Ghani, Zuryati; Jaafar, Wahyuni; Foo, Siew Fon; Ariffin, Zaihan; Mohamad, Dasmawati

    2015-01-01

    To evaluate the shear bond strength between the dentin substrate and computer-aided design and computer-aided manufacturing feldspathic ceramic and nano resin ceramics blocks cemented with resin cement. Sixty cuboidal blocks (5 mm × 5 mm × 5 mm) were fabricated in equal numbers from feldspathic ceramic CEREC(®) Blocs PC and nano resin ceramic Lava™ Ultimate, and randomly divided into six groups (n = 10). Each block was cemented to the dentin of 60 extracted human premolar using Variolink(®) II/Syntac Classic (multi-steps etch-and-rinse adhesive bonding), NX3 Nexus(®) (two-steps etch-and-rinse adhesive bonding) and RelyX™ U200 self-adhesive cement. All specimens were thermocycled, and shear bond strength testing was done using the universal testing machine at a crosshead speed of 1.0 mm/min. Data were analyzed using one-way ANOVA. Combination of CEREC(®) Blocs PC and Variolink(®) II showed the highest mean shear bond strength (8.71 Mpa), while the lowest of 2.06 Mpa were observed in Lava™ Ultimate and RelyX™ U200. There was no significant difference in the mean shear bond strength between different blocks. Variolink(®) II cement using multi-steps etch-and-rinse adhesive bonding provided a higher shear bond strength than the self-adhesive cement RelyX U200. The shear bond strength was not affected by the type of blocks used.

  14. Optimizing Blocking and Nonblocking Reduction Operations for Multicore Systems: Hierarchical Design and Implementation

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Gorentla Venkata, Manjunath [ORNL; Shamis, Pavel [ORNL; Graham, Richard L [ORNL; Ladd, Joshua S [ORNL; Sampath, Rahul S [ORNL

    2013-01-01

    Many scientific simulations, using the Message Passing Interface (MPI) programming model, are sensitive to the performance and scalability of reduction collective operations such as MPI Allreduce and MPI Reduce. These operations are the most widely used abstractions to perform mathematical operations over all processes that are part of the simulation. In this work, we propose a hierarchical design to implement the reduction operations on multicore systems. This design aims to improve the efficiency of reductions by 1) tailoring the algorithms and customizing the implementations for various communication mechanisms in the system 2) providing the ability to configure the depth of hierarchy to match the system architecture, and 3) providing the ability to independently progress each of this hierarchy. Using this design, we implement MPI Allreduce and MPI Reduce operations (and its nonblocking variants MPI Iallreduce and MPI Ireduce) for all message sizes, and evaluate on multiple architectures including InfiniBand and Cray XT5. We leverage and enhance our existing infrastructure, Cheetah, which is a framework for implementing hierarchical collective operations to implement these reductions. The experimental results show that the Cheetah reduction operations outperform the production-grade MPI implementations such as Open MPI default, Cray MPI, and MVAPICH2, demonstrating its efficiency, flexibility and portability. On Infini- Band systems, with a microbenchmark, a 512-process Cheetah nonblocking Allreduce and Reduce achieves a speedup of 23x and 10x, respectively, compared to the default Open MPI reductions. The blocking variants of the reduction operations also show similar performance benefits. A 512-process nonblocking Cheetah Allreduce achieves a speedup of 3x, compared to the default MVAPICH2 Allreduce implementation. On a Cray XT5 system, a 6144-process Cheetah Allreduce outperforms the Cray MPI by 145%. The evaluation with an application kernel, Conjugate

  15. Thermal-structural analysis for ITER in-wall shielding block

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hao Junchuan; Song Yuntao; Wu Weiyue; Du Shuangsong; Wang, X.; Ioki, K.

    2012-01-01

    Highlights: ► IWS blocks shall withstand various types of mechanical loads including EM loads, inertial loads and thermal loads. ► Due to the complicated geometry, the finite element method is the suitable tool to solve the problem. ► Contact element has been selected to simulate the friction between the different components. ► At baking phase, secondary stresses due to preloading and temperature difference predominate in the total stress. ► At plasma operation phase, secondary stresses due to preloading and thermal loads were deducted from the total stresses. - Abstract: In order to verify the design strength of the in-wall shielding (IWS) blocks of the ITER, thermal-structural analyses of one IWS block under vacuum vessel (VV) baking and plasma operation conditions have been respectively performed with finite element (FE) method. Among the complicated operation scenarios of the ITER, two critical types of combined loads required by the load specification of IWS were applied on the shielding block. The stress of the block is judged by American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) criterion. Results show that the structure of this block has enough safety margin, and it also supplies detailed information of the stress distribution in concerned region under certain loads.

  16. Saturation Detection-Based Blocking Scheme for Transformer Differential Protection

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Byung Eun Lee

    2014-07-01

    Full Text Available This paper describes a current differential relay for transformer protection that operates in conjunction with a core saturation detection-based blocking algorithm. The differential current for the magnetic inrush or over-excitation has a point of inflection at the start and end of each saturation period of the transformer core. At these instants, discontinuities arise in the first-difference function of the differential current. The second- and third-difference functions convert the points of inflection into pulses, the magnitudes of which are large enough to detect core saturation. The blocking signal is activated if the third-difference of the differential current is larger than the threshold and is maintained for one cycle. In addition, a method to discriminate between transformer saturation and current transformer (CT saturation is included. The performance of the proposed blocking scheme was compared with that of a conventional harmonic blocking method. The test results indicate that the proposed scheme successfully discriminates internal faults even with CT saturation from the magnetic inrush, over-excitation, and external faults with CT saturation, and can significantly reduce the operating time delay of the relay.

  17. A heated large block test for high level nuclear waste management

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lin, W.; Wilder, D.G.; Blink, J.A.; Blair, S.C.; Buscheck, T.A.; Glassley, W.E.; Lee, K.; Owens, M.W.; Roberts, J.J.

    1995-01-01

    The radioactive decay heat from high-level nuclear waste may, depending on the thermal load, create coupled thermal-mechanical-hydrological-chemical (TMHC) processes in the host rock of a repository. A heated large block test (LBT) is designed to understand some of the TNMC processes. A block of Topopah Spring tuff of about 3 x 3 x 4.5 m was isolated at Fran Ridge, Nevada Test Site. Small blocks of the rock adjacent to the large block were collected for laboratory testing of some individual thermal-mechanical, thermal-hydrological, and thermal-chemical processes. The large block will be heated by heaters within so that a dryout zone and a condensate zone will exist simultaneously. Guard heaters on the block sides will be used to minimize horizontal heat losses. A constant load of about 4 MPa will be applied to the top and sides of the large block. The sides will be sealed with moisture and thermal barriers. Temperature, moisture content, pore pressure, chemical composition, stress, displacement, electrical resistivity, acoustic emissions, and acoustic velocities will be measured throughout the block during the heating and cool-down phases. The results from the experiments on small blocks and the tests on the large block will provide a better understanding of some concepts of the coupled TMHC processes. The progress of the project is presented in this paper

  18. Visuospatial characteristics of an elderly Chinese population: results from the WAIS-R block design test.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yin, Shufei; Zhu, Xinyi; Huang, Xin; Li, Juan

    2015-01-01

    Visuospatial deficits have long been recognized as a potential predictor of dementia, with visuospatial ability decline having been found to accelerate in later stages of dementia. We, therefore, believe that the visuospatial performance of patients with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and dementia (Dem) might change with varying visuospatial task difficulties. This study administered the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale-Revised (WAIS-R) Block Design Test (BDT) to determine whether visuospatial ability can help discriminate between MCI patients from Dem patients and normal controls (NC). Results showed that the BDT could contribute to the discrimination between MCI and Dem. Specifically, simple BDT task scores could best distinguish MCI from Dem patients, while difficult BDT task scores could contribute to discriminating between MCI and NC. Given the potential clinical value of the BDT in the diagnosis of Dem and MCI, normative data stratified by age and education for the Chinese elderly population are presented for use in research and clinical settings.

  19. Phase separation and mechanical properties of an elastomeric biomaterial from spider wrapping silk and elastin block copolymers.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Muiznieks, Lisa D; Keeley, Fred W

    2016-10-01

    Elastin and silk spidroins are fibrous, structural proteins with elastomeric properties of extension and recoil. While elastin is highly extensible and has excellent recovery of elastic energy, silks are particularly strong and tough. This study describes the biophysical characterization of recombinant polypeptides designed by combining spider wrapping silk and elastin-like sequences as a strategy to rationally increase the strength of elastin-based materials while maintaining extensibility. We demonstrate a thermo-responsive phase separation and spontaneous colloid-like droplet formation from silk-elastin block copolymers, and from a 34 residue disordered region of Argiope trifasciata wrapping silk alone, and measure a comprehensive suite of tensile mechanical properties from cross-linked materials. Silk-elastin materials exhibited significantly increased strength, toughness, and stiffness compared to an elastin-only material, while retaining high failure strains and low energy loss upon recoil. These data demonstrate the mechanical tunability of protein polymer biomaterials through modular, chimeric recombination, and provide structural insights into mechanical design. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Biopolymers 105: 693-703, 2016. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

  20. Predictability of blocking

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Tosi, E.; Ruti, P.; Tibaldi, S.; D'Andrea, F.

    1994-01-01

    Tibaldi and Molteni (1990, hereafter referred to as TM) had previously investigated operational blocking predictability by the ECMWF model and the possible relationships between model systematic error and blocking in the winter season of the Northern Hemisphere, using seven years of ECMWF operational archives of analyses and day 1 to 10 forecasts. They showed that fewer blocking episodes than in the real atmosphere were generally simulated by the model, and that this deficiency increased with increasing forecast time. As a consequence of this, a major contribution to the systematic error in the winter season was shown to derive from the inability of the model to properly forecast blocking. In this study, the analysis performed in TM for the first seven winter seasons of the ECMWF operational model is extended to the subsequent five winters, during which model development, reflecting both resolution increases and parametrisation modifications, continued unabated. In addition the objective blocking index developed by TM has been applied to the observed data to study the natural low frequency variability of blocking. The ability to simulate blocking of some climate models has also been tested

  1. Effects of HRV-Guided vs. Predetermined Block Training on Performance, HRV and Serum Hormones.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nuuttila, Olli-Pekka; Nikander, Aku; Polomoshnov, Dmitry; Laukkanen, Jari Antero; Häkkinen, Keijo

    2017-11-01

    The aim of this study was to compare heart rate variability -guided (HRVG) and predetermined (PD) block periodization of high intensity aerobic training (HIT). Endurance performance, neuromuscular performance, heart rate variability (HRV) and serum hormone concentrations were measured before, in the middle and after the 8-week training period in 24 endurance trained males. Both groups improved significantly maximal treadmill velocity (V max ) (pHRV (RMSSD, LF and TP) increased significantly only in HRVG (pHRV and serum testosterone levels observed in HRVG, individually HRV -guided block training may be more optimal compared to predetermined training. © Georg Thieme Verlag KG Stuttgart · New York.

  2. Functional Block Copolymers as Compatibilizers for Nanoclays in Polypropylene Nanocomposites

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Jankova Atanasova, Katja; Daugaard, Anders Egede; Stribeck, Norbert

    2011-01-01

    With the aim of creating tough nanocomposits (NC) [1] based on polypropylene (PP) and nanoclay (NCl) in the framework of the 7th EU program NANOTOUGH we have designed amphiphilic block copolymers utilizing Atom Transfer Radical Polymerization (ATRP) [2]. They consist of a hydrophobic block...... crystallites) is replaced by alien-reinforcement (of the MMT). Furthermore, the results from the impact strength and cyclic test of the prepared PP nanocomposites [3] are promicing....

  3. Survey and Benchmark of Block Ciphers for Wireless Sensor Networks

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Law, Y.W.; Doumen, J.M.; Hartel, Pieter H.

    Cryptographic algorithms play an important role in the security architecture of wireless sensor networks (WSNs). Choosing the most storage- and energy-efficient block cipher is essential, due to the facts that these networks are meant to operate without human intervention for a long period of time

  4. Effect of eccentric location of the RBMK CPS displacer graphite block in the shielding sheath

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Dostov, A.I.

    2001-01-01

    Temperature conditions and accumulation of Wigner energy in the graphite block of the RBMK reactor CPS (control power system) displacer is examined. It is shown, that at eccentric location of the block in the shielding sheath average temperature of the block drops sharply. Due to the design demerit quantity of the stored energy in the block may be so great, that its release will result in melting of the displacer tube. (author)

  5. Interlocking Toy Building Blocks as Hands-On Learning Modules for Blind and Visually Impaired Chemistry Students

    Science.gov (United States)

    Melaku, Samuel; Schreck, James O.; Griffin, Kameron; Dabke, Rajeev B.

    2016-01-01

    Interlocking toy building blocks (e.g., Lego) as chemistry learning modules for blind and visually impaired (BVI) students in high school and undergraduate introductory or general chemistry courses are presented. Building blocks were assembled on a baseplate to depict the relative changes in the periodic properties of elements. Modules depicting…

  6. Homogeneous bilateral block shifts

    Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

    Douglas class were classified in [3]; they are unilateral block shifts of arbitrary block size (i.e. dim H(n) can be anything). However, no examples of irreducible homogeneous bilateral block shifts of block size larger than 1 were known until now.

  7. Experience in designing the automatic nuclear power plant control system

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Sedov, V.K.; Busygin, B.F.; Eliseeva, O.V.; Mikhajlov, V.A.

    1981-01-01

    The integrated automatic control system (ACS) is designed at the Novovoronezh NPP (NVNPP). It comprises automatic technological control of all the five power un+ts and the plant in the whole (ACST) and automatic organizational-economic production control system (ACSP). The NVNPP ACS is designed as a two-level system. The two M-4030 and M-4030-1 computers are the technical base of the upper layer while a set of block NPP (computer-M-60 and M-700 for unit 5; M-60 and SM-2 for units 1-4) of the lower level. Block diagram of the NVNPP ACS, flowsheet of NVNPP ACS technical means and external communications of the control centre are described. The NVNPP ACS is supposed to be put into operation by stages. It is noted that design and introduction of the typical NPP ACS at the NVNPP permits to maximally reduce in the future the period of developing automatic control systems at nly introduced units and NPPs with the WWER reactors [ru

  8. Quadratus lumborum block for post-operative pain relief in patient with Prune belly syndrome

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Chitra Garg

    2017-01-01

    Full Text Available Abdominal field blocks are commonly used as part of multimodal analgesia for post-operative pain relief in patients undergoing abdominal surgery. Conventionally, transversus abdominis plane block is used, but has the disadvantage of limited spread only to T10–T12 segments, providing only partial pain relief. The new quadratus lumborum (QL block has the advantage of providing wider sensory block from T6 to L1 and thus has an evolving role in opioid-free anaesthesia. Opioid-induced cough depression, urinary retention, and drowsiness can be problematic in patients with Prune belly syndrome, who have deficient abdominal muscles and myriad of genitourinary problems. We report a case of a young male with Prune belly syndrome, who had a pain-free post-operative period after high inguinal orchidectomy with unilateral QL block.

  9. Combined Psoas Compartment-Sciatic Block in a Pediatric Patient with High-Risk Cardiopulmonary

    OpenAIRE

    Levent Þahin

    2013-01-01

    There is high potential for complications in cardiopulmonary high-risk patients with valvular heart disease at perioperative period. The operation was planned due to pathological fracture of the femoral shaft of a nine year old male patient weighing 26 kilograms. He had 3o tricuspid insufficiency, 3o mitral insufficiency and pulmonary hypertension in preoperative evaluation. Sciatic nerve block and psoas compartment block was performed to patient for anesthesia and analgesia. In conclusion we...

  10. Comparison of efficacy of transversus abdominis plane block and iliohypogastric/ilioinguinal nerve block for postoperative pain management in patients undergoing inguinal herniorrhaphy with spinal anesthesia: a prospective randomized controlled open-label study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Okur, Onur; Tekgul, Zeki Tuncel; Erkan, Nazif

    2017-10-01

    The purpose of this study was to compare the effects of lateral abdominal transversus abdominis plane block (TAP block) and iliohypogastric/ilioinguinal nerve block (IHINB) under ultrasound guidance for postoperative pain management of inguinal hernia repair. Secondary purposes were to compare the complication rates of the two techniques and to examine the effects of TAP block and IHINB on chronic postoperative pain. This was a prospective randomized controlled open-label study. After approval of the Research Ethics Board, a total of 90 patients were allocated to three groups of 30 by simple randomized sampling as determined with a priori power analysis. Peripheral nerve blocks (TAP block or IHINB) were administered to patients following subarachnoid block according to their allocated group. Patient pain scores, additional analgesic requirements and complication rates were recorded periodically and compared. Pain scores were significantly lower in the study groups (p block group [GT] 266.6 ± 119.7 min; IHINB group [GI] 247.2 ± 128.7 min; and control group [GC] 79.1 ± 66.2 min; p block or IHINB for patients undergoing inguinal herniorrhaphy reduces the intensity of both acute and chronic postoperative pain and additional analgesic requirements.

  11. A hard X-ray telescope/concentrator design based on graded period multilayer coatings

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Christensen, Finn Erland; Joensen, K. D.; Gorenstein, P.

    1995-01-01

    It is shown that compact designs of multifocus, conical approximations to highly nested Wolter I telescopes, as well as single reflection concentrators, employing realistic graded period W/Si or Ni/C multilayer coatings, allow one to obtain more than 1000 cm2 of on-axis effective area at 40 ke...... that it is smaller than roughly 1 mm. The design can be realized with foils as thin (≤0.4 mm) as used for ASCA and SODART or with closed, slightly thicker (∼1.0 mm) mirror shells as used for JET-X and XMM. The effect of an increase of the inner radius is quantified on the effective area for multilayered mirrors up...

  12. Combined Psoas Compartment-Sciatic Block in a Pediatric Patient with High-Risk Cardiopulmonary

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Levent Þahin

    2013-03-01

    Full Text Available There is high potential for complications in cardiopulmonary high-risk patients with valvular heart disease at perioperative period. The operation was planned due to pathological fracture of the femoral shaft of a nine year old male patient weighing 26 kilograms. He had 3o tricuspid insufficiency, 3o mitral insufficiency and pulmonary hypertension in preoperative evaluation. Sciatic nerve block and psoas compartment block was performed to patient for anesthesia and analgesia. In conclusion we think that combined psoas compartment-sciatic nerve block may be a good alternative to other methods of anesthesia in high-risk pediatric patients with cardiopulmonary perspective in lower-extremity surgery.

  13. Dynamic supply chain network design with capacity planning and multi-period pricing

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Fattahi, Mohammad; Mahootchi, Masoud; Govindan, Kannan

    2015-01-01

    This paper addresses a new problem in designing and planning a multi-echelon and multi-product supply chain network over a multi-period horizon in which customer zones have price-sensitive demands. Based on price-demand relationships, a generic method is presented to obtain price levels...... for products and then, a mixed-integer linear programming model is developed. Due to the problem intractability, a simulated annealing algorithm that uses some developed linear relaxation-based heuristics for capacity planning and pricing is presented. Numerical results demonstrate the significance...

  14. A Phenomenological Research Study on Writer's Block: Causes, Processes, and Results

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bastug, Muhammet; Ertem, Ihsan Seyit; Keskin, Hasan Kagan

    2017-01-01

    Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to investigate the causes, processes of writer's block experienced by a group of classroom teacher candidates and its impact on them. Design/methodology/approach: The phenomenological design, which is a qualitative research design, was preferred in the research since it was aimed to investigate the causes,…

  15. Safety technical considerations on the 2012 periodic safety verification of the Beznau nuclear power plant

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    2016-12-01

    According to nuclear legislation, the owner of an operational license for a nuclear power plant has to provide a periodic safety verification (PSU) every 10 years. The 'North Eastern Power Plants' company (NOK), today AXPO Power AG already performed such a PSU for the Beznau-2 nuclear reactor block (KKB2) in 2002. The Beznau-1 nuclear reactor block (KKB1) received its definitive operational license in October 1970, after test operation during 7 months. After the license for test operation received on July 16 th , 1971, the operational license of KKB2 was renewed several times, each time for a certain period of validity. In 1991, NOK requested a definitive operational license for KKB2, but in 1994 the Swiss Federal Council lengthened the license for only 10 years. Moreover, it laid down that NOK has to periodically report on the safety of the facility. With its letter of August 23 rd , 1998, the Federal Office of Energy defined the documents to be produced for the PSU. The extent of the PSU was defined in such a way that many documents concern the whole power plant, i.e. both nuclear reactor blocks. On December 3 rd , 2004, the Swiss Federal Council granted KKB2 an operational license of limited validity. The present report reviews the 2012 PSU, which covers the time interval from January 1 st , 2002, to December 31 st , 2011, from the point of view of safety. It contains documents for the evaluation of both reactor blocks at KKB. The Beznau interim storage pool was also taken into consideration; it is situated on the KKB site, but, according to a decision of the Swiss Federal Council of May 23 rd , 1991, it has an independent operational license. The evaluation of ageing surveillance takes the whole operational period of the facility into account, i.e. the ageing mechanisms acting as from the beginning of the operation. Moreover, important developments that occurred after the surveillance time interval have been taken into account, especially the status

  16. Chemical lumbar sympathetic plexus block in Buerger′s disease: Current scenario

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Rampal Singh

    2014-01-01

    Full Text Available Introduction: High incidences of Buerger′s disease (43-62% in India draw our attention towards available treatment modalities in such patients. Patients with this disease are in severe pain and agony. Pain relief by any means remains first and foremost priority in such patients and if patient is able to sleep even one pain free night it is a boon for the patients. The purpose of study was to test the hypothesis that lumber sympathetic block relieves the pain of ischemic limb in Buerger′s disease. Aims and Objectives: To study the effect of chemical lumber sympathetic block on visual analog score (VAS score and walking distance of the patients. Materials and Methods: Lumber sympathetic block was given under C-arm guidance with 17.5 cm long 22 G spinal needle at L3 and L4 level. Diagnostic block was given initially with plain bupivacaine 0.25% with two needle technique. Total seven blocks series were given in all patients. Final block was given with phenol 8%, 8 ml at L3 and L4 level. In postoperative period, VAS score was observed. Effect of block on walking distance was assessed on 3 rd day before giving next block. Statistical analysis: Software Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS version 11.5 was used for statistical analysis. Data were analyzed by paired t-test and P-value < 0.05 was considered as significant. Results: Both VAS and walking distance improved significantly after each successive block. Healing of ulcers of foot is also noted. Conclusion: Despite advances in treatment modalities in such patients, lumber sympathetic block is still very cost-effective, safe, and least-invasive technique in treating painful ischemic legs.

  17. PERIODS OF WEED INTERFERENCE ON TRANSGENIC COTTON ‘IMACD 6001LL’

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    MARCOS PAULO DA SILVA

    2016-01-01

    Full Text Available The objective of this study was to determine the periods of weed interference and its impact on productivity of cotton 'IMACD 6001LL'. The experiment was conducted in Jaboticabal, São Paulo, the second crop in 2011 and consisted of two treatment groups: the first culture remained free of competing weeds since of emergence up different periods of its development: (0-15 , 0-25, 0-35, 0-45, 0-55, 0-65, 0-75 and 0-183 days - harvest. In the second treatment group was held to the contrary: the crop was in harmony with the weeds since of emergence up to the same stages of development described above. The treatments were arranged in a randomized block design in four replications. During these periods was evaluated dry matter accumulation by weeds. The cotton yield data were subjected to regression analysis and resulting in a CPWC of 35 DAE, the CPWR was 133 DAE and .The weed community was composed mainly of Raphanus raphanistrum, Amaranthus spp., Cyperus rotundus, Alternanthera tenella and Eleusine indica. Living with this community throughout the cycle resulted in reduction almost 85% in cotton yield.

  18. A comparison of integral block and tubular interacting fuel element concepts for low enrichment HTR

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Desoisa, J A

    1972-04-15

    The tubular interacting fuel element has to date been the favoured U.K. high temperature reactor design. Recent attempts to lower fuel costs and the progress of the Fort St. Vrain reactor has focussed attention on alternative designs, and in particular on the attractive design simplicity of the integral block concept. The aim of this investigation is to compare the merits of both concepts from fuel cycle cost and thermal performance viewpoints and to determine whether optimization of the integral block concept leads to changes in the current design values of (a) fuel density, (b) Nc/Nu, and/or (c) mean discharge irradiation within the framework of present design limits.

  19. Analysis of natural stone block pavements in urban shared areas

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Pablo Zoccali

    2018-06-01

    Full Text Available This paper analysed and verified an existing block stone pavement in an urban shared area. Fatigue and rutting verification was performed respectively for bound and unbound pavement materials using analytical curves available in the literature. The commercial finite element (FE software Abaqus® was used to calculate the response of the pavement when subjected to different loading, construction and geometrical configurations (i.e. type of analysis, shape and size of meshes, boundary conditions, and bonding contacts between the pavements layers. At the end of this study, a static model of a structure with hexahedral blocks having sides of 0.02 m, with full bonded layers and restrained horizontal displacements on the model sides, was implemented to evaluate the maximum tensile stress induced in a block when the load is applied at its centre. This analysis highlighted the need for rigorous criteria for a correct design, in order to avoid inappropriate and expensive use of road materials. Keywords: Block pavement, Commercial vehicle loads, Finite element model, Hexagonal Stone block, Pedestrian pavement, Shared area

  20. Magnetic design of a 14 mm period prototype superconducting undulator

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Gehlot, Mona, E-mail: mona_gehlot@yahoo.com [Insertion Device Development Laboratory, School of Physics, Devi Ahilya University, Indore 452001, MP (India); Mishra, G. [Insertion Device Development Laboratory, School of Physics, Devi Ahilya University, Indore 452001, MP (India); Institute of Engineering, UNAM (Mexico); Soleil, Paris (France); Trillaud, Frederic [Institute of Engineering, UNAM (Mexico); Sharma, Geetanjali [Soleil, Paris (France)

    2017-02-21

    In this paper we report the design of a 14 mm period prototype superconducting undulator that is under fabrication at Insertion Device Development Laboratory (IDDL) at Devi Ahilya Vishwavidyalaya, Indore, India. The field computations are made in RADIA and results are presented in an analytical form for computation of the on axis field and the field on the surface of the coil. On the basis of the findings, a best fit is presented for the model to calculate the field dependence on the gap and the current density. The fit is compared with Moser-Rossmanith formula proposed earlier to predict the magnetic flux density of a superconducting undulator. The field mapping is used to calculate the field integrals and its dependence on gap and current densities as well.

  1. Trellises and Trellis-Based Decoding Algorithms for Linear Block Codes

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lin, Shu

    1998-01-01

    A code trellis is a graphical representation of a code, block or convolutional, in which every path represents a codeword (or a code sequence for a convolutional code). This representation makes it possible to implement Maximum Likelihood Decoding (MLD) of a code with reduced decoding complexity. The most well known trellis-based MLD algorithm is the Viterbi algorithm. The trellis representation was first introduced and used for convolutional codes [23]. This representation, together with the Viterbi decoding algorithm, has resulted in a wide range of applications of convolutional codes for error control in digital communications over the last two decades. There are two major reasons for this inactive period of research in this area. First, most coding theorists at that time believed that block codes did not have simple trellis structure like convolutional codes and maximum likelihood decoding of linear block codes using the Viterbi algorithm was practically impossible, except for very short block codes. Second, since almost all of the linear block codes are constructed algebraically or based on finite geometries, it was the belief of many coding theorists that algebraic decoding was the only way to decode these codes. These two reasons seriously hindered the development of efficient soft-decision decoding methods for linear block codes and their applications to error control in digital communications. This led to a general belief that block codes are inferior to convolutional codes and hence, that they were not useful. Chapter 2 gives a brief review of linear block codes. The goal is to provide the essential background material for the development of trellis structure and trellis-based decoding algorithms for linear block codes in the later chapters. Chapters 3 through 6 present the fundamental concepts, finite-state machine model, state space formulation, basic structural properties, state labeling, construction procedures, complexity, minimality, and

  2. A novel closed reduction with extension block and flexion block using Kirschner wires and microscrew fixation for mallet fractures.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Shimura, Haruhiko; Wakabayashi, Yoshiaki; Nimura, Akimoto

    2014-03-01

    Some patients with mallet fractures who undergo extension block pinning complain of exposed wires, which delay their return to sports and causes inconvenience while performing tasks that require the use of hands during the early postoperative period. The purpose of this retrospective study was to present and evaluate a novel surgical procedure for mallet fractures. We treated 20 patients (14 males and six females; mean age, 38.4 years; range 17-68 years) with displaced mallet fractures involving >30 % of the articular surface using the closed reduction and microscrew fixation between January 2009 and January 2012. The distal interphalangeal joint (DIP) joint was immobilized with a splint for 1-3 weeks on an individual case basis. According to Wehbe and Schneider's classification, there were 12 type IB, six type IIB, and two type IA fractures. The mean follow-up duration was 12.6 months (range 6-31 months). Bone union was achieved in all patients within a mean period of 6.8 weeks, with no incidence of infection, skin necrosis, permanent nail deformity, or secondary osteoarthritis. Only two complications-temporary nail ridging in one patient and a dorsal bump caused by the screw in one patient-were observed. Minimum postoperative displacement was observed in one patient, for whom immobilization with a splint was continued for 4 weeks. Articular incongruity was <1.0 mm in four patients and 1.0-2.0 mm in two patients. Mean DIP joint extension loss was 6.5° and mean flexion was 67.8°. The surgical outcomes were excellent in seven patients, good in nine, and fair in four according to Crawford's evaluation criteria. Our novel surgical procedure combining closed reduction with extension block and flexion block using Kirschner wires and microscrew fixation produces good clinical results with relatively few complications.

  3. Biomimetic Wind Turbine Design with Lift Enhancing Periodic Stall

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Stamhuis, Eize Jan

    2017-01-01

    A wind turbine includes a rotor; a blade; and a periodic stall system. The periodic stall system selectively moves at least part of the blade in an oscillating motion whereby an angle of incidence continuously varies to invoke periodic stall. The periodic stall system can move the entire blade or

  4. Architectural design criteria for f-block metal ion sequestering agents. 1998 annual progress report

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Dixon, D.A.; Hay, B.P.; Paine, R.T.; Raymond, K.N.; Rogers, R.D.; Roundhill, D.M.

    1998-01-01

    'The objective of this project is to provide a means to optimize ligand architecture for f-block metal recognition. The authors strategy builds on an innovative and successful molecular modeling approach in developing polyether ligand design criteria for the alkali and alkaline earth cations. The hypothesis underlying this proposal is that differences in metal ion binding with multidentate ligands bearing the same number and type of donor groups are primarily attributable to intramolecular steric factors. They propose quantifying these steric factors through the application of molecular mechanics models. The research involves close integration of theoretical and experimental chemistry. The experimental work entails synthesizing novel ligands and experimentally determining structures and binding constants for metal ion complexation by series of ligands in which architecture is systematically varied. The theoretical work entails using electronic structure calculations to parameterize a molecular mechanics force field for a range of metal ions and ligand types. The resulting molecular mechanics force field will be used to predict low energy structures for unidentate, bidentate, and multidentate ligands and their metal complexes through conformational searches. Results will be analyzed to assess the relative importance of several steric factors including optimal M-L length, optimal geometry at the metal center, optimal geometry at the donor atoms (complementarity), and conformation prior to binding (preorganization). An accurate set of criteria for the design of ligand architecture will be obtained from these results. These criteria will enable researchers to target ligand structures for synthesis and thereby dramatically reduce the time and cost associated with metal-specific ligand development.'

  5. Design of application specific long period waveguide grating filters using adaptive particle swarm optimization algorithms

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Semwal, Girish; Rastogi, Vipul

    2014-01-01

    We present design optimization of wavelength filters based on long period waveguide gratings (LPWGs) using the adaptive particle swarm optimization (APSO) technique. We demonstrate optimization of the LPWG parameters for single-band, wide-band and dual-band rejection filters for testing the convergence of APSO algorithms. After convergence tests on the algorithms, the optimization technique has been implemented to design more complicated application specific filters such as erbium doped fiber amplifier (EDFA) amplified spontaneous emission (ASE) flattening, erbium doped waveguide amplifier (EDWA) gain flattening and pre-defined broadband rejection filters. The technique is useful for designing and optimizing the parameters of LPWGs to achieve complicated application specific spectra. (paper)

  6. Synthesis of amylose-block-polystyrene rod-coil block copolymers

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Loos, Katja; Stadler, Reimund

    1997-01-01

    In the present communication we demonstrate the synthesis of a hybrid block copolymer based on the combination of a biopolymer (amylose) with a synthetic block (polystyrene). To obtain such materials, amino-functionalized polymers were modified with maltoheptaose moieties that serve as initiators

  7. Design and fabrication of Ni nanowires having periodically hollow nanostructures.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sada, Takao; Fujigaya, Tsuyohiko; Nakashima, Naotoshi

    2014-10-07

    We propose a concept for the design and fabrication of metal nanowires having periodically hollow nanostructures inside the pores of an anodic aluminum oxide (AAO) membrane using a sacrificial metal. In this study, nickel (Ni) and silver (Ag) were used as the base metal and the sacrificial metal, respectively. Alternating an applied potential between -0.4 and -1.0 V provided alternatively deposited Ni and Ag segments in a Ni-Ag 'barcode' nanowire with a diameter of 18 or 35 nm. After etching away the Ag segments, we fabricated Ni nanowires with nanopores of 12 ± 5.3 nm. Such nanostructure formation is explained by the formation of a Ni shell layer over the surface of the Ag segments due to the strong affinity of Ni(2+) for the interior surfaces of AAO. The Ni shell layer allows the Ni segments to remain even after dissolution of the Ag segments. Because the electroplating conditions can be easily controlled, we could carefully adjust the size and pitch of the periodically hollow nanospaces. We also describe a method for the fabrication of Ni nanorods by forming an Ag shell instead of a Ni shell on the Ni-Ag barcode nanowire, in which the interior of the AAO surfaces was modified with a compound bearing a thiol group prior to electroplating.

  8. Paravertebral Block Plus Thoracic Wall Block versus Paravertebral Block Alone for Analgesia of Modified Radical Mastectomy: A Retrospective Cohort Study.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Nai-Liang Li

    Full Text Available Paravertebral block placement was the main anesthetic technique for modified radical mastectomy in our hospital until February 2014, when its combination with blocks targeting the pectoral musculature was initiated. We compared the analgesic effects of paravertebral blocks with or without blocks targeting the pectoral musculature for modified radical mastectomy.We retrospectively collected data from a single surgeon and anesthesiologist from June 1, 2012, to May 31, 2015. Intraoperative sedatives and analgesic requirements, time to the first analgesic request, postoperative analgesic doses, patient satisfaction, and complications were compared.Fifty-four patients received a paravertebral block alone (PECS 0, and 46 received a paravertebral block combined with blocks targeting the pectoral musculature (PECS 1. The highest intraoperative effect-site concentration of propofol was significantly lower in the PECS 1 group than in the PECS 0 group [2.3 (1.5, 2.8 vs 2.5 (1.5, 4 μg/mL, p = 0.0014]. The intraoperative rescue analgesic dose was significantly lower in the PECS 1 group [0 (0, 25 vs 0 (0, 75 mg of ketamine, p = 0.0384]. Furthermore, the PECS 1 group had a significantly longer time to the first analgesic request [636.5 (15, 720 vs 182.5 (14, 720 min, p = 0.0001]. After further adjustment for age, body mass index, American Society of Anesthesiologists Physical Status classification, chronic pain history, incidence of a superficial cervical plexus block placement, and operation duration, blocks targeting the pectoral musculature were determined to be the only significant factor (hazard ratio, 0.36; 95% confidence interval, 0.23-0.58; p < 0.0001. Very few patients used potent analgesics including morphine and ketorolac; the cumulative use of morphine or ketorolac was similar in the study groups. However, the incidence of all analgesic use, namely morphine, ketorolac, acetaminophen, and celecoxib, was significantly lower in the PECS 1 group [3

  9. Seismic isolation of two dimensional periodic foundations

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Yan, Y.; Mo, Y. L.; Laskar, A.; Cheng, Z.; Shi, Z.; Menq, F.; Tang, Y.

    2014-01-01

    Phononic crystal is now used to control acoustic waves. When the crystal goes to a larger scale, it is called periodic structure. The band gaps of the periodic structure can be reduced to range from 0.5 Hz to 50 Hz. Therefore, the periodic structure has potential applications in seismic wave reflection. In civil engineering, the periodic structure can be served as the foundation of upper structure. This type of foundation consisting of periodic structure is called periodic foundation. When the frequency of seismic waves falls into the band gaps of the periodic foundation, the seismic wave can be blocked. Field experiments of a scaled two dimensional (2D) periodic foundation with an upper structure were conducted to verify the band gap effects. Test results showed the 2D periodic foundation can effectively reduce the response of the upper structure for excitations with frequencies within the frequency band gaps. When the experimental and the finite element analysis results are compared, they agree well with each other, indicating that 2D periodic foundation is a feasible way of reducing seismic vibrations.

  10. Radiocarbon clock strikes the glacial period pulse

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Serebryannyj, L.R.

    1976-01-01

    Discussed are some aspects of the theory of radiocarbon dating in application to the study of the history of the Earth. The accumulation and the decay of C 14 and methods for its recording are desribed. Presented is a block diagram of a scintillation counter for recording C 14 . The chronology of the last glaciation of Europe has been determined: the Interglacial period (between 50 and 40 thousand years) a prolonged preglacil period (between 40 and 25 thousand years), the last glaciation (between 25 and 10 thousand years ago)

  11. Influence of anchor block size on the thickness of adsorbed block copolymer layers

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Belder, G.F; ten Brinke, G.; Hadziioannou, G

    1997-01-01

    We present surface force data on three different polystyrene/poly(2-vinylpyridine) block copolymers (PS/P2VP) with a fixed size of the nonadsorbing PS block but widely varying sizes of the adsorbing P2VP block. With respect to the sizes of the two blocks, they range from moderately to highly

  12. Combined KHFAC + DC nerve block without onset or reduced nerve conductivity after block

    Science.gov (United States)

    Franke, Manfred; Vrabec, Tina; Wainright, Jesse; Bhadra, Niloy; Bhadra, Narendra; Kilgore, Kevin

    2014-10-01

    Objective. Kilohertz frequency alternating current (KHFAC) waveforms have been shown to provide peripheral nerve conductivity block in many acute and chronic animal models. KHFAC nerve block could be used to address multiple disorders caused by neural over-activity, including blocking pain and spasticity. However, one drawback of KHFAC block is a transient activation of nerve fibers during the initiation of the nerve block, called the onset response. The objective of this study is to evaluate the feasibility of using charge balanced direct current (CBDC) waveforms to temporarily block motor nerve conductivity distally to the KHFAC electrodes to mitigate the block onset-response. Approach. A total of eight animals were used in this study. A set of four animals were used to assess feasibility and reproducibility of a combined KHFAC + CBDC block. A following randomized study, conducted on a second set of four animals, compared the onset response resulting from KHFAC alone and combined KHFAC + CBDC waveforms. To quantify the onset, peak forces and the force-time integral were measured during KHFAC block initiation. Nerve conductivity was monitored throughout the study by comparing muscle twitch forces evoked by supra-maximal stimulation proximal and distal to the block electrodes. Each animal of the randomized study received at least 300 s (range: 318-1563 s) of cumulative dc to investigate the impact of combined KHFAC + CBDC on nerve viability. Main results. The peak onset force was reduced significantly from 20.73 N (range: 18.6-26.5 N) with KHFAC alone to 0.45 N (range: 0.2-0.7 N) with the combined CBDC and KHFAC block waveform (p conductivity was observed after application of the combined KHFAC + CBDC block relative to KHFAC waveforms. Significance. The distal application of CBDC can significantly reduce or even completely prevent the KHFAC onset response without a change in nerve conductivity.

  13. Slip-spring model of entangled rod-coil block copolymers

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wang, Muzhou; Likhtman, Alexei E.; Olsen, Bradley D.

    2015-03-01

    Understanding the dynamics of rod-coil block copolymers is important for optimal design of functional nanostructured materials for organic electronics and biomaterials. Recently, we proposed a reptation theory of entangled rod-coil block copolymers, predicting the relaxation mechanisms of activated reptation and arm retraction that slow rod-coil dynamics relative to coil and rod homopolymers, respectively. In this work, we introduce a coarse-grained slip-spring model of rod-coil block copolymers to further explore these mechanisms. First, parameters of the coarse-grained model are tuned to match previous molecular dynamics simulation results for coils, rods, and block copolymers. For activated reptation, rod-coil copolymers are shown to disfavor configurations where the rod occupies curved portions of the entanglement tube of randomly varying curvature created by the coil ends. The effect of these barriers on diffusion is quantitatively captured by considering one-dimensional motion along an entanglement tube with a rough free energy potential. Finally, we analyze the crossover between the two mechanisms. The resulting dynamics from both mechanisms acting in combination is faster than from each one individually.

  14. Suprascapular nerve block for the treatment of frozen shoulder

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Korhan Ozkan

    2012-01-01

    Full Text Available Aims: The aim of our study was to compare the effects of suprascapular nerve block in patients with frozen shoulder and diabetes mellitus unresponsive to intraarticular steroid injections. Settings and Design: Ten patients without improvement of sign and symptoms after intraarticular injections were made a suprascapular nerve block. Methods: Pain levels and active range of movement of patients were recorded at initial attendance and after 1, 4, and 12 weeks. All patients′ simple pain scores, total pain scores, and range of motion of their shoulders were improved significantly after suprascapular nerve block. Statistical Analysis: In this study, the statistical analyses were performed by using the SPSS 8.0 program (SPSS Software, SPSS Inc., USA. To compare pre- and post-injection results of simple pain score, total pain score, shoulder abduction and external rotation, Wilcoxon test was used. Results: Patient′s simple pain scores, total pain scores also abduction, external rotation and internal rotation angles were improved significantly after suprascapular nerve block. Conclusion: Effective results after suprascapular nerve blockage was obtained for the treatment of refractory frozen shoulder cases.

  15. Cost Utility Analysis of Cervical Therapeutic Medial Branch Blocks in Managing Chronic Neck Pain.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Manchikanti, Laxmaiah; Pampati, Vidyasagar; Kaye, Alan D; Hirsch, Joshua A

    2017-01-01

    Background: Controlled diagnostic studies have established the prevalence of cervical facet joint pain to range from 36% to 67% based on the criterion standard of ≥ 80% pain relief. Treatment of cervical facet joint pain has been described with Level II evidence of effectiveness for therapeutic facet joint nerve blocks and radiofrequency neurotomy and with no significant evidence for intraarticular injections. However, there have not been any cost effectiveness or cost utility analysis studies performed in managing chronic neck pain with or without headaches with cervical facet joint interventions. Study Design: Cost utility analysis based on the results of a double-blind, randomized, controlled trial of cervical therapeutic medial branch blocks in managing chronic neck pain. Objectives: To assess cost utility of therapeutic cervical medial branch blocks in managing chronic neck pain. Methods: A randomized trial was conducted in a specialty referral private practice interventional pain management center in the United States. This trial assessed the clinical effectiveness of therapeutic cervical medial branch blocks with or without steroids for an established diagnosis of cervical facet joint pain by means of controlled diagnostic blocks. Cost utility analysis was performed with direct payment data for the procedures for a total of 120 patients over a period of 2 years from this trial based on reimbursement rates of 2016. The payment data provided direct procedural costs without inclusion of drug treatments. An additional 40% was added to procedural costs with multiplication of a factor of 1.67 to provide estimated total costs including direct and indirect costs, based on highly regarded surgical literature. Outcome measures included significant improvement defined as at least a 50% improvement with reduction in pain and disability status with a combined 50% or more reduction in pain in Neck Disability Index (NDI) scores. Results: The results showed direct

  16. Abdominal wall blocks in adults

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Børglum, Jens; Gögenür, Ismail; Bendtsen, Thomas F

    2016-01-01

    been introduced with success. Future research should also investigate the effect of specific abdominal wall blocks on neuroendocrine and inflammatory stress response after surgery.  Summary USG abdominal wall blocks in adults are commonplace techniques today. Most abdominal wall blocks are assigned......Purpose of review Abdominal wall blocks in adults have evolved much during the last decade; that is, particularly with the introduction of ultrasound-guided (USG) blocks. This review highlights recent advances of block techniques within this field and proposes directions for future research.......  Recent findings Ultrasound guidance is now considered the golden standard for abdominal wall blocks in adults, even though some landmark-based blocks are still being investigated. The efficiency of USG transversus abdominis plane blocks in relation to many surgical procedures involving the abdominal wall...

  17. Comparative study between ultrasound guided TAP block and paravertebral block in upper abdominal surgeries

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ruqaya M Elsayed Goda

    2017-01-01

    Conclusion: We concluded that ultrasound guided transverses abdominis plane block and thoracic paravertebral block were safe and effective anesthetic technique for upper abdominal surgery with longer and potent postoperative analgesia in thoracic paravertebral block than transverses abdominis block.

  18. Suprascapular and Interscalene Nerve Block for Shoulder Surgery: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hussain, Nasir; Goldar, Ghazaleh; Ragina, Neli; Banfield, Laura; Laffey, John G; Abdallah, Faraj W

    2017-12-01

    Interscalene block provides optimal shoulder surgery analgesia, but concerns over its associated risks have prompted the search for alternatives. Suprascapular block was recently proposed as an interscalene block alternative, but evidence of its comparative analgesic effect is conflicting. This meta-analysis compares the analgesic effect and safety of suprascapular block versus interscalene block for shoulder surgery. Databases were searched for randomized trials comparing interscalene block with suprascapular block for shoulder surgery. Postoperative 24-h cumulative oral morphine consumption and the difference in the area under curve for pooled rest pain scores were designated as primary outcomes. Analgesic and safety outcomes, particularly block-related and respiratory complications, were evaluated as secondary outcomes. Results were pooled using random-effects modeling. Data from 16 studies (1,152 patients) were analyzed. Interscalene block and suprascapular block were not different in 24-h morphine consumption. The difference in area under the curve of pain scores for the 24-h interval favored interscalene block by 1.1 cm/h, but this difference was not clinically important. Compared with suprascapular block, interscalene block reduced postoperative pain but not opioid consumption during recovery room stay by a weighted mean difference (95% CI) of 1.5 cm (0.6 to 2.5 cm; P shoulder surgery.

  19. Fermion-scalar conformal blocks

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Iliesiu, Luca [Joseph Henry Laboratories, Princeton University,Washington Road, Princeton, NJ 08544 (United States); Kos, Filip [Department of Physics, Yale University,217 Prospect Street, New Haven, CT 06520 (United States); Poland, David [Department of Physics, Yale University,217 Prospect Street, New Haven, CT 06520 (United States); School of Natural Sciences, Institute for Advanced Study,1 Einstein Dr, Princeton, New Jersey 08540 (United States); Pufu, Silviu S. [Joseph Henry Laboratories, Princeton University,Washington Road, Princeton, NJ 08544 (United States); Simmons-Duffin, David [School of Natural Sciences, Institute for Advanced Study,1 Einstein Dr, Princeton, New Jersey 08540 (United States); Yacoby, Ran [Joseph Henry Laboratories, Princeton University,Washington Road, Princeton, NJ 08544 (United States)

    2016-04-13

    We compute the conformal blocks associated with scalar-scalar-fermion-fermion 4-point functions in 3D CFTs. Together with the known scalar conformal blocks, our result completes the task of determining the so-called ‘seed blocks’ in three dimensions. Conformal blocks associated with 4-point functions of operators with arbitrary spins can now be determined from these seed blocks by using known differential operators.

  20. Role of dexamethasone in brachial plexus block

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Dawood, M.

    2015-01-01

    To evaluate the effect of dexamethasone added to (lignocaine) on the onset and duration of axillary brachial plexus block. Study Design: Randomized controlled trial. Place and Duration of Study: Combined Military Hospital Rawalpindi, from September 2009 to March 2010. Patients and Methods: A total of 100 patients, who were scheduled for elective hand and forearm surgery under axillary brachial plexus block, were randomly allocated to group A in which patients received 40 ml 1.5% lidocaine with 2 ml of isotonic saline (0.9%) and group B in which patients received 40 ml 1.5% lidocaine with 2 ml of dexamethasone (8 mg). Nerve stimulator with insulated needle for multiple stimulations technique was used to locate the brachial plexus nerves. After the injection onset of action and duration of sensory blockade of brachial plexus were recorded at 5 minutes and 15 minutes interval. Results: Group A showed the onset of action of 21.64 ± 2.30 min and in group B it was 15.42 ± 1.44 min (p< 0.001). Duration of nerve block was 115.08 ± 10.92 min in group A and 265.42 ± 16.56 min in group B (p < 0.001). Conclusion: The addition of dexamethasone to 1.5% lignocaine solution in axillary brachial plexus block prolongs the duration of sensory blockade significantly. (author)

  1. A casemix model for estimating the impact of hospital access block on the emergency department.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Stuart, Peter

    2004-06-01

    To determine the ED activity and costs resulting from access block. A casemix model (AWOOS) was developed to measure activity due to access block. Using data from four hospitals between 1998 and 2002, ED activity was measured using the urgency and disposition group (UDG) casemix model and the AWOOS model with the purpose of determining the change in ED activity due to access block. Whilst the mean length of stay in ED (admitted patients) increased by 93% between 1998 and 2002, mean UDG activity increased by 0.63% compared to a mean increase in AWOOS activity of 24.5%. The 23.9% difference between UDG and AWOOS activity represents the (unmeasured) increase in ED activity and costs for the period 1998-2002 resulting from access block. The UDG system significantly underestimates the activity in EDs experiencing marked access block.

  2. STRUCTURE AND NUTRITIVE VALUE OF DEFERRED PASTURE OF BRACHIARIA DECUMBENS CV. BASILISK DURING THE GRAZING PERIOD

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Manoel Eduardo Rozalino Santos

    2011-07-01

    Full Text Available The experiment aimed to understand the effect of grazing period on morphology and nutritive value of deferred Brachiaria decumbens cv. Basilisk pasture and on hand-plucking sample with cattle. Subdivided plots were used according to a randomized block design with two replicates. Four grazing periods (1, 31, 57 and 88 days and two forage samples (available in pasture (AP and obtained by hand-plucking (HP were studied. The live leaf laminae (LLL, potentially digestible neutral detergent fiber (PDNDF, potentially digestible dry matter (PDDM and crude protein (CP levels were higher and dead leaf laminae (DLL, and dead stem (DS, neutral detergent fiber (NDF and indigestible NDF percentages were lower in sample of HP in relation to forage AP. The grazing period decreased linearly the LLL, PDNDF, PDDM percentages, as well as increased linearly DS and indigestible NDF levels in forages. The potential selectivity indexes (PSI of LLL and indigestible NDF increased linearly with grazing period. The PSI of live stem was smaller and the PSI of CP was higher in interim periods of grazing. The reduction in deferring period results in B. decumbens with better morphological composition and nutritional value, which favors the animal selectivity.

  3. Identifying Effective Design Approaches to Allocate Genotypes in Two-Phase Designs: A Case Study in Pelargonium zonale.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Molenaar, Heike; Boehm, Robert; Piepho, Hans-Peter

    2017-01-01

    Robust phenotypic data allow adequate statistical analysis and are crucial for any breeding purpose. Such data is obtained from experiments laid out to best control local variation. Additionally, experiments frequently involve two phases, each contributing environmental sources of variation. For example, in a former experiment we conducted to evaluate production related traits in Pelargonium zonale , there were two consecutive phases, each performed in a different greenhouse. Phase one involved the propagation of the breeding strains to obtain the stem cutting count, and phase two involved the assessment of root formation. The evaluation of the former study raised questions regarding options for improving the experimental layout: (i) Is there a disadvantage to using exactly the same design in both phases? (ii) Instead of generating a separate layout for each phase, can the design be optimized across both phases, such that the mean variance of a pair-wise treatment difference (MVD) can be decreased? To answer these questions, alternative approaches were explored to generate two-phase designs either in phase-wise order (Option 1) or across phases (Option 2). In Option 1 we considered the scenarios (i) using in both phases the same experimental design and (ii) randomizing each phase separately. In Option 2, we considered the scenarios (iii) generating a single design with eight replicates and splitting these among the two phases, (iv) separating the block structure across phases by dummy coding, and (v) design generation with optimal alignment of block units in the two phases. In both options, we considered the same or different block structures in each phase. The designs were evaluated by the MVD obtained by the intra-block analysis and the joint inter-block-intra-block analysis. The smallest MVD was most frequently obtained for designs generated across phases rather than for each phase separately, in particular when both phases of the design were separated with a

  4. Blocking of CERN Accounts after 28 February 28 2011

    CERN Multimedia

    IT Department

    2011-01-01

    Since last year, all persons owning a CERN computer account must follow the obligatory CERN Computer Security Course. This course takes usually less than 15 minutes and is available online from inside and outside CERN at http://cern.ch/computersecuritycourse. Failure to pass this course by February 28th 2011 will lead to blocking the corresponding account. If you haven't taken it yet, do it NOW! Accounts of users who have not followed this course yet will be blocked during the first weeks of March. As a consequence, these users will not able anymore to log into any CERN computing resource with their primary account. Affected users should contact the CERN Service Desk at 77777 (+41 22 76 77777 from outside CERN) or http://cern.ch/service-desk in order to get their account unblocked. They will be given a grace-period of five days to follow the course or the account will be blocked again. Please see also the announcement in a previous issue of the Bulletin. Thank you for your collaboration, CERN Computer Sec...

  5. Is there a prognostic relevance of electrophysiological studies in bundle branch block patients?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bogossian, Harilaos; Frommeyer, Gerrit; Göbbert, Kornelius; Hasan, Fuad; Nguyen, Quy Suu; Ninios, Ilias; Mijic, Dejan; Bandorski, Dirk; Hoeltgen, Reinhard; Seyfarth, Melchior; Lemke, Bernd; Eckardt, Lars; Zarse, Markus

    2017-08-01

    The present European guidelines suggest a diagnostic electrophysiological (EP) study to determine indication for cardiac pacing in patients with bundle branch block and unexplained syncope. We evaluated the prognostic relevance of an EP study for mortality and the development of permanent complete atrioventricular (AV) block in patients with symptomatic bifascicular block and first-degree AV block. The HV interval is a poor prognostic marker to predict the development of permanent AV block in patients with symptomatic bifascicular block (BFB) and AV block I°. Thirty consecutive patients (mean age, 74.8 ± 8.6 years; 25 males) with symptomatic BFB and first-degree AV block underwent an EP study before device implantation, according to current guidelines. For 53 ± 31 months, patients underwent yearly follow-up screening for syncope or higher-degree AV block. Thirty patients presented with prolonged HV interval during the EP study (mean, 82.2 ± 20.1 ms; range, 57-142 ms), classified into 3 groups: group 1, 70 to ≤100 ms (mean, 80 ± 8 ms; range, 70-97 ms; n = 18), and group 3, >100 ms (mean, 119 ± 14 ms; range, 107-142 ms; n = 5). According to the guidelines, patients in groups 2 and 3 received a pacemaker. The length of the HV interval was not associated with the later development of third-degree AV block or with increased mortality. Our present study suggests that an indication for pacemaker implantation based solely on a diagnostic EP study with prolongation of the HV interval is not justified. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

  6. Minimum BER Receiver Filters with Block Memory for Uplink DS-CDMA Systems

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Debbah Mérouane

    2008-01-01

    Full Text Available Abstract The problem of synchronous multiuser receiver design in the case of direct-sequence single-antenna code division multiple access (DS-CDMA uplink networks is studied over frequency selective fading channels. An exact expression for the bit error rate (BER is derived in the case of BPSK signaling. Moreover, an algorithm is proposed for finding the finite impulse response (FIR receiver filters with block memory such that the exact BER of the active users is minimized. Several properties of the minimum BER FIR filters with block memory are identified. The algorithm performance is found for scenarios with different channel qualities, spreading code lengths, receiver block memory size, near-far effects, and channel mismatch. For the BPSK constellation, the proposed FIR receiver structure with block memory has significant better BER with respect to and near-far resistance than the corresponding minimum mean square error (MMSE filters with block memory.

  7. Dilute self-healing hydrogels of silk-collagen-like block copolypeptides at neutral pH

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Golinska, M.D.; Wlodarczyk-Biegun, M.K.; Werten, M.W.T.; Cohen Stuart, M.A.; Wolf, de F.A.; Vries, de R.J.

    2014-01-01

    We report on self-healing, pH-responsive hydrogels that are entirely protein-based. The protein is a denovo designed recombinant triblock polypeptide of 66 kg/mol consisting of a silk-like middle block (GAGAGAGH)48, flanked by two long collagen-inspired hydrophilic random coil side blocks. The

  8. PENGEMBANGAN DESAIN STARTING BLOCK KOLAM RENANG DENGAN MENGGUNAKAN THEORY OF INVENTIVE PROBLEM SOLVING (TRIZ

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Denny Nurkertamanda

    2012-02-01

    Full Text Available Swimmingpool starting block is one of swimming equiptment that must be used in swimming sport competition.It used not only by senior athlete but also the beginner. In addition, it used not only in one swimmingpool butalso another pool which has different height of watersurface and swimmingpoll wallside.Now, the condition of starting block only fit with some of athlete. The other athlete had difficulties when use it.Because of that, design improvement need to be done for starting block to be adaptable for all athlete in anyage and adaptable for the condition of watersurface.Adaptability fitur improvement for starting block makes fitur stabilition of product composition getting worse,and those things is unwanted. So that Theory of Inventive Problem Solving (TRIZ method is needed to solvethe problem technical contradiction so the ideal final output can be reached.Adaptable starting block design can be reached after solve the technical contradiction happened when solvingthe problems used TRIZ. Reducing the parameters which had disadvantages for the ideal final product suchas: weight of the moving object, quantity of the material used, dangerous factor of the object, and dangerousfactors from environtment.

  9. A completely transparent, adhesively bonded soda-lime glass block masonry system

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    F. Oikonomopoulou

    2015-01-01

    Full Text Available A pioneering, all transparent, self-supporting glass block facade is presented in this paper. Previously realized examples utilize embedded metal components in order to obtain the desired structural performance despite the fact that these elements greatly affect the facade’s overall transparency level. Undeniably, the oxymoron ‘transparency and strength’ remains the prime concern in such applications. In this paper, a new, innovative structural system for glass block facades is described, which demonstrably meets both criteria. The structure is exclusively constructed by monolithic glass blocks, bonded with a colourless, UV-curing adhesive, obtaining thus a maximum transparency. In addition, the desired structural performance is achieved solely through the masonry system, without any opaque substructure. Differing from previous realized projects, solid soda-lime glass blocks are used rather than borosilicate ones. This article provides an overview of the integrated architectural and structural design and discusses the choice of materials. The structural verification of the system is demonstrated. The results show that the adhesively bonded glass block structure has the required self-structural behaviour, but only if strict tolerances are met in the geometry of the glass blocks.

  10. Comparison of the post-operative analgesic effect of paravertebral block, pectoral nerve block and local infiltration in patients undergoing modified radical mastectomy: A randomised double-blind trial

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Kartik Syal

    2017-01-01

    Full Text Available Background and Aims: Paravertebral block, pectoral nerve (Pecs block and wound infiltration are three modalities for post-operative analgesia following breast surgery. This study compares the analgesic efficacy of these techniques for post-operative analgesia. Methods: Sixty-five patients with American Society of Anesthesiologists' physical status 1 or 2 undergoing modified radical mastectomy with axillary dissection were recruited for the study. All patients received 21 mL 0.5% bupivacaine with adrenaline in the technique which was performed at the end of the surgery prior to extubation. Patients in Group 1 (local anaesthetic [LA], n = 22 received infiltration at the incision site after surgery, Group 2 patients (paravertebral block [PVB], n = 22 received ultrasound-guided ipsilateral paravertebral block while Group 3 patients [PECT] (n = 21 received ultrasound-guided ipsilateral Pecs blocks I and II. Patients were evaluated for pain scores at 0, 2, 4, 6, 12 and 24 h, duration of post-operative analgesia and rescue analgesic doses required. Non-normally distributed data were analysed using the Kruskal-Wallis test and Analysis of variance for normal distribution. Results: The post-operative visual analogue scale scores were lower in PVB group compared with others at 0, 2, 4, 12 and 24 h (P < 0.05. Mean duration of analgesia was significantly prolonged in PVB group (P < 0.001 with lesser rescue analgesic consumption up to 24 h. Conclusion: Ultrasound-guided paravertebral block reduces post-operative pain scores, prolongs the duration of analgesia and decreases demands for rescue analgesics in the first 24 h of post-operative period compared to ultrasound-guided Pecs block and local infiltration block.

  11. Ultrasound guided supraclavicular block.

    LENUS (Irish Health Repository)

    Hanumanthaiah, Deepak

    2013-09-01

    Ultrasound guided regional anaesthesia is becoming increasingly popular. The supraclavicular block has been transformed by ultrasound guidance into a potentially safe superficial block. We reviewed the techniques of performing supraclavicular block with special focus on ultrasound guidance.

  12. Vibration isolation design for periodically stiffened shells by the wave finite element method

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hong, Jie; He, Xueqing; Zhang, Dayi; Zhang, Bing; Ma, Yanhong

    2018-04-01

    Periodically stiffened shell structures are widely used due to their excellent specific strength, in particular for aeronautical and astronautical components. This paper presents an improved Wave Finite Element Method (FEM) that can be employed to predict the band-gap characteristics of stiffened shell structures efficiently. An aero-engine casing, which is a typical periodically stiffened shell structure, was employed to verify the validation and efficiency of the Wave FEM. Good agreement has been found between the Wave FEM and the classical FEM for different boundary conditions. One effective wave selection method based on the Wave FEM has thus been put forward to filter the radial modes of a shell structure. Furthermore, an optimisation strategy by the combination of the Wave FEM and genetic algorithm was presented for periodically stiffened shell structures. The optimal out-of-plane band gap and the mass of the whole structure can be achieved by the optimisation strategy under an aerodynamic load. Results also indicate that geometric parameters of stiffeners can be properly selected that the out-of-plane vibration attenuates significantly in the frequency band of interest. This study can provide valuable references for designing the band gaps of vibration isolation.

  13. Concept of quasi-periodic undulator - control of radiation spectrum

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Sasaki, Shigemi [Japan Atomic Energy Research Institute, Ibaraki (Japan)

    1995-02-01

    A new type of undulator, the quasi-periodic undulator (QPU) is considered which generates the irrational harmonics in the radiation spectrum. This undulator consists of the arrays of magnet blocks aligned in a quasi-periodic order, and consequentially lead to a quasi-periodic motion of electron. A combination of the QPU and a conventional crystal/grating monochromator provides pure monochromatic photon beam for synchrotron radiation users because the irrational harmonics do not be diffracted in the same direction by a monochromator. The radiation power and width of each radiation peak emitted from this undulator are expected to be comparable with those of the conventional periodic undulator.

  14. Topology Optimization of Building Blocks for Photonic Integrated Circuits

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Jensen, Jakob Søndergaard; Sigmund, Ole

    2005-01-01

    Photonic integrated circuits are likely candidates as high speed replacements for the standard electrical integrated circuits of today. However, in order to obtain a satisfactorily performance many design prob- lems that up until now have resulted in too high losses must be resolved. In this work...... we demonstrate how the method of topology optimization can be used to design a variety of high performance building blocks for the future circuits....

  15. Valorisation of Sugarcane Bagasse Ash in the Manufacture of Lime-Stabilized Blocks

    Science.gov (United States)

    James, Jijo; Pandian, Pitchai Kasinatha

    2016-06-01

    The study investigated the potential of lime in the manufacture of stabilized soil blocks and the valorisation of a solid waste, Bagasse Ash (BA), in its manufacture. A locally available soil was collected from a field and characterized in the soil laboratory as a clay of intermediate plasticity. This soil was stabilized using lime, the quantity of which was determined from the Eades and Grim pH test. The soil was stabilized using this lime content, amended with various BA contents during mixing, and moulded into blocks of 19 cm x 9 cm x 9 cm. The blocks were then moist cured for a period of 28 days, following which they were subjected to compressive strength, water absorption and efflorescence tests. The results of the tests revealed that the addition of BA resulted in enhanced compressive strength of the blocks, increased the water absorption marginally, and resulted in no efflorescence in any of the combinations, although the limited combinations in the study could not produce enough strength to meet the specifications of the Bureau of Indian Standards. The study revealed that BA can be effectively valorised in the manufacture of stabilized soil blocks.

  16. HEAO Block 2 study executive summary

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    1976-03-01

    An executive summary is presented of a preliminary study done on several potential High Energy Astronomy Observatory (HEAO) missions which are follow-on missions to the currently defined HEAO program. The purpose was to examine several typical missions and determine the relative complexities associated with them. The four payloads investigated were a 1.2 m Diameter x-ray Telescope observatory, a Large Area Moderate Angular Resolution (LAMAR) observatory, a cosmic ray observatory, and (4) a gamma ray observatory. Each of the four observatories was considered a national facility. Low cost approaches were stressed throughout, with considerable use of HEAO Block I experience and designs effected to provide a high degree of confidence that such approaches were achievable. The use of the Multi-Mission Spacecraft (MMS) and the HEAO Block I spacecraft was considered as a result of this low cost emphasis. Also, NASA standard components were considered, where applicable

  17. Final report of the TRUE Block Scale project. 1. Characterisation and model development

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Andersson, Peter; Byegaard, Johan [Geosigma AB, Uppsala (Sweden); Dershowitz, Bill; Doe, Thomas [Golder Associates Inc., Redmond, WA (United States); Hermanson, Jan [Golder Associates AB (Sweden); Meier, Peter [ANDRA, Chatenay-Malabry (France); Tullborg, Eva-Lena [Terralogica AB (Sweden); Winberg, Anders (ed.) [Conterra AB, Partille (Sweden)

    2002-04-01

    The general objectives of the TRUE Block Scale Project were to 1) increase understanding of tracer transport in a fracture network and to improve predictive capabilities, 2) assess the importance of tracer retention mechanisms (diffusion and sorption) in a fracture network, and 3) assess the link between flow and transport data as a means for predicting transport phenomena. During the period mid 1996 through mid 1999 a 200x250x100 m rock volume was characterised with the purpose of furnishing the basis for successful tracer experiments in a network of conductive structures in the block scale (10-100 m). In total five cored boreholes were drilled as part of the project in an iterative mode with a period of analysis following completion of characterisation, and with a strong component of inter activity with numerical modelling and experimental design, particularly towards the end of the characterisation. The combined use of pressure responses due to drilling and drilling records provided important early information/confirmation of the existence and location of a given structure. Verification of conductors identified from pressure responses was achieved through the use of various flow logging techniques. The usage of the Posiva difference flow log towards the end of the characterisation work enabled identification of discrete conductive fractures with a high resolution. Pressure responses collected during drilling were used to obtain a first assessment of connectivity between boreholes. The transient behaviour of the responses collected during cross-hole interference tests in packed-off boreholes were used to identify families of responses, which correlated well with the identified principal families of structures/fracture networks. The conductive geometry of the investigated rock block is made up of steeply dipping deterministic NW structures and NNW structures. High inflows in the boreholes were for the most part associated with geologically/geometrically identified

  18. Final report of the TRUE Block Scale project. 1. Characterisation and model development

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Andersson, Peter; Byegaard, Johan; Dershowitz, Bill; Doe, Thomas; Hermanson, Jan; Meier, Peter; Tullborg, Eva-Lena; Winberg, Anders

    2002-04-01

    The general objectives of the TRUE Block Scale Project were to 1) increase understanding of tracer transport in a fracture network and to improve predictive capabilities, 2) assess the importance of tracer retention mechanisms (diffusion and sorption) in a fracture network, and 3) assess the link between flow and transport data as a means for predicting transport phenomena. During the period mid 1996 through mid 1999 a 200x250x100 m rock volume was characterised with the purpose of furnishing the basis for successful tracer experiments in a network of conductive structures in the block scale (10-100 m). In total five cored boreholes were drilled as part of the project in an iterative mode with a period of analysis following completion of characterisation, and with a strong component of inter activity with numerical modelling and experimental design, particularly towards the end of the characterisation. The combined use of pressure responses due to drilling and drilling records provided important early information/confirmation of the existence and location of a given structure. Verification of conductors identified from pressure responses was achieved through the use of various flow logging techniques. The usage of the Posiva difference flow log towards the end of the characterisation work enabled identification of discrete conductive fractures with a high resolution. Pressure responses collected during drilling were used to obtain a first assessment of connectivity between boreholes. The transient behaviour of the responses collected during cross-hole interference tests in packed-off boreholes were used to identify families of responses, which correlated well with the identified principal families of structures/fracture networks. The conductive geometry of the investigated rock block is made up of steeply dipping deterministic NW structures and NNW structures. High inflows in the boreholes were for the most part associated with geologically/geometrically identified

  19. The effect of UV-blocking contact lenses as a therapy for canine chronic superficial keratitis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Denk, Nora; Fritsche, Jens; Reese, Sven

    2011-05-01

    To evaluate the effect of UV-blocking soft contact lenses in treatment for chronic superficial keratitus (CSK). Twenty six dogs with CSK were treated continuously with UV-blocking contact lenses for 6 months. A contact lens was placed on one eye of each dog; the other eye remained without a lens as a control eye. After this primary study, five of the dogs were further treated and they wore then contact lenses in both eyes. Continuously, all patients were concurrently treated topically with cyclosporine. The contact lenses were changed every 4 weeks and an ophthalmic examination performed. Evaluation criteria included corneal alterations as pigmentation, edema, pannus and vascularization. To determine the transmittance characteristics of the contact lenses before and after use, 32 contact lenses were measured with a UV-vis-NIR spectrophotometer. Pigmentation increased in eyes wearing lenses and in control eyes over the evaluation period of 6 months. Corneal edema increased in the eyes wearing lenses, but remained unaffected in the control eyes. A significant difference in the incidence of pannus and the extent of corneal vascularisation could not be evaluated. Adverse effects were noted in six cases (corneal edema and vascularisation, conjunctivitis, blepharospasm). All new lenses studied reduced UV-radiation to a safe level, whereas used lenses did not maintain their transmittance characteristics. No positive effect of UV-blocking contact lenses could be proven with the study design used. © 2011 American College of Veterinary Ophthalmologists.

  20. Dynamics of markers of markers of acute kidney injury when using epidural block during resection under warm ischemia

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    O. I. Kit

    2017-01-01

    Full Text Available Objective: to investigate the time course of changes in the early biomarkers of acute kidney injury in patients with clinically localized cancer during partial nephrectomy, as electively indicated, under thermal ischemia with prior epidural block.Materials and methods. To analyze the nephroprotective effect of an epidural block in kidney resection with warm ischemia, markers of acute kidney injury (cystatin C, interleukin 18, NGAL, L-FABP and KIM-1 were studied by ELISA in the blood and urine of 35 patients with local cancer with an epidural block (main group and 37 patients with local cancer without an epidural block (control group before surgery and 40 min after its beginning and on days 1 and 3 of the postoperative period. All patients were divided into 2 groups by the levels of cystatin C in the blood serum: 1000 ng/ml and lower, and over 1000 ng/ml.Results. Epidural block during the perioperative period in kidney resection with warm ischemia for patients with local cancer had an obvious nephroprotective effect allowing maintaining the initial renal functional parameters, in contrast to the standard disease management.

  1. PENGGUNAAN BLOCK SET CONNECTION (BSC PADA SAMBUNGAN ELEMEN BETON PRECAST

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Jojon Suherman

    2012-08-01

    Full Text Available Application of block set connection (bsc in precast concrete element joints. Precast concrete technology is an alternative of reinforced concrete construction with the advantages of high quality and economical cost. However, precast concrete has not been widely used for seismic regions because of its weakness in the joints between precast concrete elements that are not ductile. The purpose of this research was to determine the ductility of precast concrete connections, which use a block set connection type (BSC. The design of beam column connection using the theory of full ductile that uses 2 specimen tests in a 1:1 scale, tested with cyclic loading and ana­lyzed for ductility, strength, stiffness, energy dissipation, and pattern collapse. The expe­rimental results obtained mean value of the ductility of μ = 6, the achievement of ductility value is greater than the ductility of the requirements in SNI 1726-2002 that is μ = 5.3. Therefore, block set connection type can be used to design buildings snaking precast concrete structures in seismic regions 5 and 6 (the area of high seismic risk. Penggunaan Block Set Connection (BSC pada Sambungan Elemen Beton Precast.  Teknologi beton precast merupakan alternatif pilihan dari konstruksi beton bertulang dengan keunggulan mutu yang tinggi dan biaya yang ekonomis. Namun demikian beton precast belum banyak digunakan untuk daerah gempa karena  mempunyai kelemahan pada sambungan antar elemen beton precast yang tidak daktail. Tujuan penelitian ini adalah mengetahui daktilitas sambungan beton precast, yang menggunakan tipe block set connection (BSC. Rancangan sambungan balok kolom menggunakan teori  full ductile  yang menggunakan 2 buah benda uji dalam skala 1:1, diuji dengan beban siklik dan dianalisis terhadap daktilitas, kekuatan, kekakuan, disipasi energi, dan pola keruntuhan. Hasil eksperimen diperoleh nilai daktilitas rerata μ = 6,  pencapaian nilai daktilitas  tersebut lebih besar dari

  2. Adductor Canal Block versus Femoral Nerve Block and Quadriceps Strength

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Jæger, Pia Therese; Nielsen, Zbigniew Jerzy Koscielniak; Henningsen, Lene Marianne

    2013-01-01

    : The authors hypothesized that the adductor canal block (ACB), a predominant sensory blockade, reduces quadriceps strength compared with placebo (primary endpoint, area under the curve, 0.5-6 h), but less than the femoral nerve block (FNB; secondary endpoint). Other secondary endpoints were...

  3. Asymmetric PS-block-(PS-co-PB)-block-PS block copolymers: morphology formation and deformation behaviour

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Adhikari, Rameshwar; Huy, Trinh An; Buschnakowski, Matthias; Michler, Goerg H; Knoll, Konrad

    2004-01-01

    Morphology formation and deformation behaviour of asymmetric styrene/butadiene triblock copolymers (total polystyrene (PS) content ∼70%) consisting of PS outer blocks held apart by a styrene-co-butadiene random copolymer block (PS-co-PB) each were investigated. The techniques used were differential scanning calorimetry, transmission electron microscopy, uniaxial tensile testing and Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy. A significant shift of the phase behaviour relative to that of a neat symmetric triblock copolymer was observed, which can be attributed to the asymmetric architecture and the presence of PS-co-PB as a soft block. The mechanical properties and the microdeformation phenomena were mainly controlled by the nature of their solid-state morphology. Independent of morphology type, the soft phase was found to deform to a significantly higher degree of orientation when compared with the hard phase

  4. On the Feasibility of Utilizing Allogeneic Bone Blocks for Atrophic Maxillary Augmentation

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Alberto Monje

    2014-01-01

    Full Text Available Purpose. This systematic review was aimed at assessing the feasibility by means of survival rate, histologic analysis, and causes of failure of allogeneic block grafts for augmenting the atrophic maxilla. Material and Methods. A literature search was conducted by one reviewer in several databases. Articles were included in this systematic review if they were human clinical trials in which outcomes of allogeneic bone block grafts were studied by means of survival rate. In addition other factors were extracted in order to assess their influence upon graft failure. Results. Fifteen articles fulfilled the inclusion criteria and subsequently were analyzed in this systematic review. A total of 361 block grafts could be followed 4 to 9 months after the surgery, of which 9 (2.4% failed within 1 month to 2 months after the surgery. Additionally, a weighed mean 4.79 mm (95% CI: 4.51–5.08 horizontal bone gain was computed from 119 grafted sites in 5 studies. Regarding implant cumulative survival rate, the weighed mean was 96.9% (95% CI: 92.8–98.7%, computed from 228 implants over a mean follow-up period of 23.9 months. Histologic analysis showed that allogeneic block grafts behave differently in the early stages of healing when compared to autogenous block grafts. Conclusion. Atrophied maxillary reconstruction with allogeneic bone block grafts represents a reliable option as shown by low block graft failure rate, minimal resorption, and high implant survival rate.

  5. Adductor canal block versus femoral nerve block for analgesia after total knee arthroplasty

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Jaeger, Pia; Zaric, Dusanka; Fomsgaard, Jonna Storm

    2013-01-01

    Femoral nerve block (FNB), a commonly used postoperative pain treatment after total knee arthroplasty (TKA), reduces quadriceps muscle strength essential for mobilization. In contrast, adductor canal block (ACB) is predominately a sensory nerve block. We hypothesized that ACB preserves quadriceps...

  6. Heliostat blocking and shadowing efficiency in the video-game era

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Ramos, Alberto [Deutsches Elektronen-Synchrotron (DESY), Zeuthen (Germany). John von Neumann-Inst. fuer Computing NIC; Ramos, Francisco [Nevada Software Informatica S.L., Madrid (Spain)

    2014-02-15

    Blocking and shadowing is one of the key effects in designing and evaluating a thermal central receiver solar tower plant. Therefore it is convenient to develop efficient algorithms to compute the area of an heliostat blocked or shadowed by the rest of the field. In this paper we explore the possibility of using very efficient clipping algorithms developed for the video game and imaging industry to compute the blocking and shadowing efficiency of a solar thermal plant layout. We propose an algorithm valid for arbitrary position, orientation and size of the heliostats. This algorithm turns out to be very accurate, free of assumptions and fast. We show the feasibility of the use of this algorithm to the optimization of a solar plant by studying a couple of examples in detail.

  7. Heliostat blocking and shadowing efficiency in the video-game era

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ramos, Alberto

    2014-02-01

    Blocking and shadowing is one of the key effects in designing and evaluating a thermal central receiver solar tower plant. Therefore it is convenient to develop efficient algorithms to compute the area of an heliostat blocked or shadowed by the rest of the field. In this paper we explore the possibility of using very efficient clipping algorithms developed for the video game and imaging industry to compute the blocking and shadowing efficiency of a solar thermal plant layout. We propose an algorithm valid for arbitrary position, orientation and size of the heliostats. This algorithm turns out to be very accurate, free of assumptions and fast. We show the feasibility of the use of this algorithm to the optimization of a solar plant by studying a couple of examples in detail.

  8. Minimum BER Receiver Filters with Block Memory for Uplink DS-CDMA Systems

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Mérouane Debbah

    2008-05-01

    Full Text Available The problem of synchronous multiuser receiver design in the case of direct-sequence single-antenna code division multiple access (DS-CDMA uplink networks is studied over frequency selective fading channels. An exact expression for the bit error rate (BER is derived in the case of BPSK signaling. Moreover, an algorithm is proposed for finding the finite impulse response (FIR receiver filters with block memory such that the exact BER of the active users is minimized. Several properties of the minimum BER FIR filters with block memory are identified. The algorithm performance is found for scenarios with different channel qualities, spreading code lengths, receiver block memory size, near-far effects, and channel mismatch. For the BPSK constellation, the proposed FIR receiver structure with block memory has significant better BER with respect to Eb/N0 and near-far resistance than the corresponding minimum mean square error (MMSE filters with block memory.

  9. Current status of preparing buffer/backfill block in HLW disposal abroad

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Yan Ming; Wang Xuewen; Zhang Huyuan

    2014-01-01

    There is an urgent need for China to commence the full-scale compaction test, resolving the preparation problem for buffer/backfill blocks when underground research laboratory project is planned for High Level Radioactive Waste (HLW) disposal. The foreign countries have some research about the preparation of buffer/backfill blocks in engineered barrier systems. The foreign research shows that installation of clay blocks with sector shape at waste pollution area is a feasible engineering method. Compacted clay blocks need to be cured in a cabinet with controlled temperature and humidity to avoid desiccation and surface powdering. A freeze mixing method, mixing powdered-ice and cooled bentonite, can be operated more easily and obtain more uniform hydration than the traditional mixing of water and bentonite. It is helpful to review and adsorb the foreign research results for the design of full-scale test of bentonite compaction. (authors)

  10. Micellar Self-Assembly of Recombinant Resilin-/Elastin-Like Block Copolypeptides.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Weitzhandler, Isaac; Dzuricky, Michael; Hoffmann, Ingo; Garcia Quiroz, Felipe; Gradzielski, Michael; Chilkoti, Ashutosh

    2017-08-14

    Reported here is the synthesis of perfectly sequence defined, monodisperse diblock copolypeptides of hydrophilic elastin-like and hydrophobic resilin-like polypeptide blocks and characterization of their self-assembly as a function of structural parameters by light scattering, cryo-TEM, and small-angle neutron scattering. A subset of these diblock copolypeptides exhibit lower critical solution temperature and upper critical solution temperature phase behavior and self-assemble into spherical or cylindrical micelles. Their morphologies are dictated by their chain length, degree of hydrophilicity, and hydrophilic weight fraction of the ELP block. We find that (1) independent of the length of the corona-forming ELP block there is a minimum threshold in the length of the RLP block below which self-assembly does not occur, but that once that threshold is crossed, (2) the RLP block length is a unique molecular parameter to independently tune self-assembly and (3) increasing the hydrophobicity of the corona-forming ELP drives a transition from spherical to cylindrical morphology. Unlike the self-assembly of purely ELP-based block copolymers, the self-assembly of RLP-ELPs can be understood by simple principles of polymer physics relating hydrophilic weight fraction and polymer-polymer and polymer-solvent interactions to micellar morphology, which is important as it provides a route for the de novo design of desired nanoscale morphologies from first principles.

  11. Effects of Interlocking and Supporting Conditions on Concrete Block Pavements

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mahapatra, Geetimukta; Kalita, Kuldeep

    2018-02-01

    Concrete Block Paving (CBP) is widely used as wearing course in flexible pavements, preferably under light and medium vehicular loadings. Construction of CBP at site is quick and easy in quality control. Usually, flexible pavement design philosophy is followed in CBP construction, though it is structurally different in terms of small block elements with high strength concrete and their interlocking aspects, frequent joints and discontinuity, restrained edge etc. Analytical solution for such group action of concrete blocks under loading in a three dimensional multilayer structure is complex and thus, the need of conducting experimental studies is necessitated for extensive understanding of the load—deformation characteristics and behavior of concrete blocks in pavement. The present paper focuses on the experimental studies for load transfer characteristics of CBP under different interlocking and supporting conditions. It is observed that both interlocking and supporting conditions affect significantly on the load transfer behavior in CBP structures. Coro-lock block exhibits better performance in terms of load carrying capacity and distortion behavior under static loads. Plate load tests are performed over subgrade, granular sub-base (GSB), CBP with and without GSB using different block shapes. For an example case, the comparison of CBP with conventional flexible pavement section is also presented and it is found that CBP provides considerable benefit in terms of construction cost of the road structure.

  12. Block That Pain!

    Science.gov (United States)

    Skip Navigation Bar Home Current Issue Past Issues Block That Pain! Past Issues / Fall 2007 Table of ... contrast, most pain relievers used for surgical procedures block activity in all types of neurons. This can ...

  13. Update formulas for split-plot and block designs

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    H. Arnouts (Heidi); P.P. Goos (Peter)

    2009-01-01

    textabstractFor the algorithmic construction of optimal experimental designs, it is important to be able to evaluate small modifications of given designs in terms of the optimality criteria at a low computational cost. This can be achieved by using powerful update formulas for the optimality

  14. Block Volume Estimation from the Discontinuity Spacing Measurements of Mesozoic Limestone Quarries, Karaburun Peninsula, Turkey

    OpenAIRE

    Elci, Hakan; Turk, Necdet

    2014-01-01

    Block volumes are generally estimated by analyzing the discontinuity spacing measurements obtained either from the scan lines placed over the rock exposures or the borehole cores. Discontinuity spacing measurements made at the Mesozoic limestone quarries in Karaburun Peninsula were used to estimate the average block volumes that could be produced from them using the suggested methods in the literature. The Block Quality Designation (BQD) ratio method proposed by the authors has been found to ...

  15. Building blocks for a polarimeter-on-a-chip

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Stevenson, Thomas R.; Hsieh, W.-T.; Schneider, Gideon; Travers, Douglas; Cao, Nga; Wollack, Edward; Limon, Michele; Kogut, Alan

    2006-01-01

    For the 'Primordial Anisotropy Polarization Pathfinder Array (PAPPA)' balloon flight project, we have designed and made thin-film niobium microstrip circuits as building blocks for a 'polarimeter-on-a-chip' in which superconducting transmission lines are used to couple millimeter wave signals from planar antennas to superconducting transition edge sensor (TES) detectors. Our goal is to demonstrate technology for precision measurements of the polarization of the cosmic microwave background. To enable characterization and verification of our microstrip components, we have incorporated waveguide probes on each chip that can bring millimeter wave signals from a room temperature vector network analyzer to the superconducting circuits on the chip and back again for S-parameter measurements. We have designed a planar antenna and RF choke on the probes to efficiently couple radiation between waveguide and thin-film microstrip. To support the probe antennas in waveguides, we sculpted thin silicon cantilevers that extend from an edge of each silicon chip into a pair of waveguides within a specially designed split-block mount. This technique will allow us to make calibrated measurements at low temperatures of the velocity, impedance, and loss properties of our niobium transmission lines, the frequency response of microstrip filters, hybrid couplers, or terminations, and the performance of integrated detectors

  16. Bundle Branch Block

    Science.gov (United States)

    ... known cause. Causes can include: Left bundle branch block Heart attacks (myocardial infarction) Thickened, stiffened or weakened ... myocarditis) High blood pressure (hypertension) Right bundle branch block A heart abnormality that's present at birth (congenital) — ...

  17. Analgesic effect of bilateral subcostal tap block after laparoscopic cholecystectomy

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Karam, K.; Khan, B.I.

    2018-01-01

    Pain after laparoscopic cholecystectomy is mild to moderate in intensity. Several modalities are employed for achieving safe and effective postoperative analgesia, the benefits of which adds to the early recovery of the patients. As a part of multimodal analgesia, various approaches of Transversus abdominis plane (TAP) block has been used for management of parietal and incisional components of pain after laparoscopic cholecystectomy. This study was designed to compare the analgesic efficacy of two different approaches of ultrasound guided TAP block, i.e., Subcostal-TAP block technique with ultrasound guided Posterior-TAP block for post-operative pain management in patients undergoing laparoscopic cholecystectomy under general anaesthesia. Methods: In this double blinded randomized controlled study, consecutive nonprobability sampling was done and a total of 126 patients admitted for elective laparoscopic cholecystectomy fulfilling the inclusion criteria were selected. After induction of general anaesthesia, patients were randomized through draw method and received either ultrasound guided posterior TAP block with 0.375% bupivacaine (20ml volume) on each side of the abdomen or subcostal TAP block bilaterally with the same. Up to 24 hours postoperatively, static and dynamic numeric rating pain scores were assessed. Results: We found statistically significant difference in mean static pain scores over 24 hours postoperatively in subcostal TAP group, suggesting improved analgesia. However, mean dynamic postoperative pain scores were comparable between the two groups. Whereas, patients in both groups were satisfied with pain management. Conclusions: Ultrasound guided subcostal TAP block provides better postoperative analgesia as compared to the Posterior TAP block in laparoscopic cholecystectomy. Otherwise both of the approaches improve patient outcomes towards early recovery and discharge from hospital. (author)

  18. Design and Synthesis of Network-Forming Triblock Copolymers Using Tapered Block Interfaces

    OpenAIRE

    Kuan, Wei-Fan; Roy, Raghunath; Rong, Lixia; Hsiao, Benjamin S.; Epps, Thomas H.

    2012-01-01

    We report a strategy for generating novel dual-tapered poly(isoprene-b-isoprene/styrene-b-styrene-b-styrene/methyl methacrylate-b-methyl methacrylate) [P(I-IS-S-SM-M)] triblock copolymers that combines anionic polymerization, atom transfer radical polymerization (ATRP), and Huisgen 1,3-dipolar cycloaddition click chemistry. The tapered interfaces between blocks were synthesized via a semi-batch feed using programmable syringe pumps. This strategy allows us to manipulate the transition region ...

  19. Analysis of the impact of crude oil price fluctuations on China's stock market in different periods-Based on time series network model

    Science.gov (United States)

    An, Yang; Sun, Mei; Gao, Cuixia; Han, Dun; Li, Xiuming

    2018-02-01

    This paper studies the influence of Brent oil price fluctuations on the stock prices of China's two distinct blocks, namely, the petrochemical block and the electric equipment and new energy block, applying the Shannon entropy of information theory. The co-movement trend of crude oil price and stock prices is divided into different fluctuation patterns with the coarse-graining method. Then, the bivariate time series network model is established for the two blocks stock in five different periods. By joint analysis of the network-oriented metrics, the key modes and underlying evolutionary mechanisms were identified. The results show that the both networks have different fluctuation characteristics in different periods. Their co-movement patterns are clustered in some key modes and conversion intermediaries. The study not only reveals the lag effect of crude oil price fluctuations on the stock in Chinese industry blocks but also verifies the necessity of research on special periods, and suggests that the government should use different energy policies to stabilize market volatility in different periods. A new way is provided to study the unidirectional influence between multiple variables or complex time series.

  20. Integration between anticipatory blocking and redox signaling by the peroxiredoxin/thioredoxin/thioredoxin-reductase system.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Selvaggio, Gianluca; Coelho, Pedro M B M; Salvador, Armindo

    2014-10-01

    Cells are occasionally exposed to high H2O2 concentrations, often preceding exposure to other electrophylic compounds. Both H2O2 and these compounds can irreversibly modify protein thiols, with deleterious consequences. Induction of enzymatic defenses against those agents is too slow to avoid significant damage. Cells may solve this conundrum by reversibly "blocking" the thiols once H2O2 concentrations begin to increase. We term this mechanism "anticipatory blocking" because it acts in anticipation of irreversible damage upon detection of early signs of stress. Here we examine the design requirements for the Peroxiredoxin/Thioredoxin/Thioredoxin-Reductase/Protein-Dithiol System (PTTRDS) to effectively integrate H2O2 signaling and anticipatory blocking of protein dithiols as disulfides, and we compared them to the designs found in cells. To that effect, we developed a minimal model of the PTTRDS, and we defined a set of quantitative performance criteria that embody the requirements for (a) efficient scavenging capacity, (b) low NADPH consumption, (c) effective signal propagation, and (d) effective anticipatory blocking. We then sought the design principles (relationships among rate constants and species concentrations) that warrant fulfillment of all these criteria. Experimental data indicates that the design of the PTTRDS in human erythrocytes fulfills these principles and thus accomplishes effective integration between anticipatory blocking, antioxidant protection and redox signaling. A more general analysis suggests that the same principles hold in a wide variety of cell types and organisms. We acknowledge grants PEst-C/SAU/LA0001/2013-2014, PEst-OE/QUI/UI0612/2013, FCOMP-01-0124-FEDER-020978 (PTDC/QUI-BIQ/119657/2010) financed by FEDER through the "Programa Operacional Factores de Competitividade, COMPETE" and by national funds through "FCT, Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia". Copyright © 2014. Published by Elsevier Inc.

  1. In-season training periodization of professional soccer players

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    A Los Arcos

    2017-04-01

    Full Text Available The aim of this study was to quantify the seasonal perceived respiratory and muscular training loads (i.e., sRPEres-TL and sRPEmus-TL completed by elite-oriented young professional soccer players. Twentyfour players (20.3 ± 2.0 years belonging to the same reserve team of a Spanish La Liga club participated in this study. Only the players that were available to train for a whole week with the team and also to play the weekly game were considered: Starters, players that participated in the match for at least 45 min and Non- Starters, players that did not participate or played less than 45 minutes in the match. The competitive period was analysed after the division into 5x6-8 week blocks and 35x1 week microcycles. Data were also analysed with respect to number of days before the immediate match. Weekly TL variation across the in-season blocks was trivial-small for both groups except between Block 2 and Block 3 (ES= moderate. Substantial TL differences (ES= small–very likely were found between training days, the TL pattern being a progressive increase up to MD-3 followed by a decrease until MD-1. Except for the match, sRPEres-/sRPEmus-TL was very similar between Starters and Non-Starters. In summary, perceived TL across the season displayed limited variation. Coaches periodized training contents to attain the highest weekly TL 72 hours before the match to progressively unload the players between MD-3 and the match day. The data revealed that the TL arising from the weekly game was solely responsible for the observed higher weekly TL of Starters in comparison with Non-Starters.

  2. A randomized trial comparing surgeon-administered intraoperative transversus abdominis plane block with anesthesiologist-administered transcutaneous block.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Narasimhulu, D M; Scharfman, L; Minkoff, H; George, B; Homel, P; Tyagaraj, K

    2018-04-27

    Injection of local anesthetic into the transversus abdominis plane (TAP block) decreases systemic morphine requirements after abdominal surgery. We compared intraoperative surgeon-administered TAP block (surgical TAP) to anesthesiologist-administered transcutaneous ultrasound-guided TAP block (conventional TAP) for post-cesarean analgesia. We hypothesized that surgical TAP blocks would take less time to perform than conventional TAP blocks. We performed a randomized trial, recruiting 41 women undergoing cesarean delivery under neuraxial anesthesia, assigning them to either surgical TAP block (n=20) or conventional TAP block (n=21). Time taken to perform the block was the primary outcome, while postoperative pain scores and 24-hour opioid requirements were secondary outcomes. Student's t-test was used to compare block time and Kruskal-Wallis test opioid consumption and pain-scores. Time taken to perform the block (2.4 vs 12.1 min, P consumption (P=0.17) and postoperative pain scores at 4, 8, 24 and 48 h were not significantly different between the groups. Surgical TAP blocks are feasible and less time consuming than conventional TAP blocks, while providing comparable analgesia after cesarean delivery. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  3. Ultrasound-guided paravertebral block for pyloromyotomy in 3 neonates with congenital hypertrophic pyloric stenosis

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Javier Mata-Gómez

    2015-08-01

    Full Text Available BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Hypertrophic pyloric stenosis is a relatively common affection of gastrointestinal tract in childhood that results in symptoms, such as projectile vomiting and metabolic disorders that imply a high risk of aspiration during anesthetic induction. In this way, the carrying out of a technique with general anesthesia and intravenous rapid sequence induction, preoxygenation and cricoid pressure are recommended. After the correction of systemic metabolic alkalosis and pH normalization, cerebrospinal fluid can keep a state of metabolic alkalosis. This circumstance, in addition to the residual effect of neuromuscular blocking agents, inhalant anesthetics and opioids could increase the risk of postoperative apnea after a general anesthesia.CASE REPORT: We present the successful management in 3 neonates in those a pyloromyotomy was carried out because they had presented congenital hypertrophic pyloric stenosis. This procedure was done under general anesthesia with orotracheal intubation and rapid sequence induction. Then, ultrasound-guided paravertebral block was performed as analgesic method without the need for administrating opioids within intraoperative period and keeping an appropriate analgesic level.CONCLUSIONS: Local anesthesia has demonstrated to be safe and effective in pediatric practice. We consider the ultrasound-guided paravertebral block with one dose as a possible alternative for other local techniques described, avoiding the use of opioids and neuromuscular blocking agents during general anesthesia, and reducing the risk of central apnea within postoperative period.

  4. Temperature Profile of IR Blocking Windows Used in Cryogenic X-Ray Spectrometers

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Friedrich, S.; Funk, T.; Drury, O.; Labov, S.E.

    2000-01-01

    Cryogenic high-resolution X-ray spectrometers are typically operated with thin IR blocking windows to reduce radiative heating of the detector while allowing good x-ray transmission. We have estimated the temperature profile of these IR blocking windows under typical operating conditions. We show that the temperature in the center of the window is raised due to radiation from the higher temperature stages. This can increase the infrared photon flux onto the detector, thereby increasing the IR noise and decreasing the cryostat hold time. The increased window temperature constrains the maximum window size and the number of windows required. We discuss the consequences for IR blocking window design

  5. Position of actinide elements in the periodic table : evolution of a generalised form (Preprint no. SSC-33)

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Nathaniel, T.N.

    1991-01-01

    All the actinides and lanthanides are placed in III group and are shown separately, in the most popular forms of the periodic table, including the latest version of IUPAC. This has been leading to an avoidable debate i.e. whether to place La and Ac or Lu and Lw below Sc and Y in the III-B group. Apart from this, the group characteristic nature of most of the actinides elements, demands that a more appropriate position is to be given to these f block elements. The situation is more complex in the higher periods, in which new elements belonging to g block, h block, ... are to be included. Also, there seems to be no consensus in following a uniform and acceptable subgroup notation. The author arrived at a new form of the periodic table to successfully sort out all these issues. The table is presented. (author). 10 refs., 1 fig

  6. Comparison of clinical effects of prilocaine, dexamethasone added to prilocaine and levobupivacaine on brachial plexus block

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Saritas, A.; Sabuncu, C.

    2014-01-01

    Objective: To determine whether the addition of 8mg dexamethasone to axillary brachial plexus block would prolong the duration of sensory and motor block in patients undergoing hand and forearm surgery. Methods: The prospective, randomised, double-blinded study was conducted at the Eskisehir Osmangazi University Medical School, Turkey, from October 2008 to December 2009. It comprised 45 American Society of Anaesthesiologists grade I and II patients under elective surgery of the hand and forearm. The patients were randomly divided into 3 groups: 5 mg/kg of 2% prilocaine was applied to Group 1; 5 mg/kg of 2% prilocaine +8mg of dexamethasone (2ml) was applied to Group 2; and 1.5 mg/kg 0.5% levobupivacaine was applied to Group 3. Sensory and motor block onset time as well as the duration of motor and sensory block of those were monitored and recorded. SPSS 15 was used for statistical analysis. Results: Of the 45 patients, 27 (60%) were men and 18 (40%) were women. There was no significant difference among the groups in terms of demographic data. Based on the duration of motor and sensory block, similar periods of time in Group 1 and Group 2 were noted, whereas this period was statistically different and significantly longer in Group 3 (p<0.001). There were no complications encountered. Conclusion: The addition of dexamethasone to prilocaine prolonged the duration of sensory and motor block. It could be used as an effective adjuvant agent. Levobupivacain could be a more appropriate local anaesthetic in post-operative analgesia and prolonged surgical procedures. (author)

  7. COMPARISON OF THE EFFECTIVENESS OF RADICULAR BLOCKING TECHNIQUES IN THE TREATMENT OF LUMBAR DISK HERNIA

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Igor de Barcellos Zanon

    2015-12-01

    Full Text Available Objective : Compare the interlaminar blocking technique with the transforaminal blocking, with regard to pain and the presence or absence of complications. Methods : Prospective, descriptive and comparative, double-blind, randomized study, with 40 patients of both sex suffering from sciatic pain due to central-lateral or foraminal disc herniation, who did not respond to 20 physiotherapy sessions and had no instability diagnosed on examination of dynamic radiography. The type of blocking, transforaminal or interlaminar, to be performed was determined by draw. Results : We evaluated 40 patients, 17 males, mean age 49 years, average VAS pre-blocking of 8.85, average values in transforaminal technique in 24 hours, 7, 21, and 90 days of 0.71, 1.04, 2.33 and 3.84, respectively; the average VAS post-blocking for interlaminar technique was 0.89, 1.52, 3.63 and 4.88. The techniques differ only in the post-blocking period of 21 days and overall post-blocking, with significance of p=0.022 and p=0.027, respectively. Conclusion : Both techniques are effective in relieving pain and present low complication rate, and the transforaminal technique proved to be the most effective.

  8. Mechanical design and fabrication of a prototype undulator for Indus-2

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Veerabhadhraiah, T.; Sinha, Gautam; Prabhu, S.S.

    2011-01-01

    An Apple II type undulator is proposed for 2.5 GeV SRS. For initial studies of magnetic parameters and manufacturing feasibilities, a 6 periods prototype undulator of period length 72 mm and pole gap 20 mm is under development. Mechanical structure with stringent tolerances is required to achieve the required field quality. Stress analysis has been done to study the deflection under the magnetic forces. The prototype structure along with the magnet block holders has been made and mechanical dimensions and geometric tolerances have been measured. In this paper we present the preliminary mechanical design and assembly of static parts of prototype undulator structure. (author)

  9. Thinking Outside the Block: An Innovative Alternative to 4X4 Block Scheduling.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Frank, Myra

    2002-01-01

    Introduces a 4x1 block scheduling method that was developed as an alternative to 4x4 block scheduling. Schedules Fridays for summer school, test preparation, and enrichment and elective courses. Includes suggestions on how to alleviate drawbacks of the 4x1 block schedule. (YDS)

  10. Complete atrioventricular block in acute coronary syndrome: prevalence, characterisation and implication on outcome.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Aguiar Rosa, Silvia; Timóteo, Ana Teresa; Ferreira, Lurdes; Carvalho, Ramiro; Oliveira, Mario; Cunha, Pedro; Viveiros Monteiro, André; Portugal, Guilherme; Almeida Morais, Luis; Daniel, Pedro; Cruz Ferreira, Rui

    2018-04-01

    The aim was to characterise acute coronary syndrome patients with complete atrioventricular block and to assess the effect on outcome. Patients admitted with acute coronary syndrome were divided according to the presence of complete atrioventricular block: group 1, with complete atrioventricular block; group 2, without complete atrioventricular block. Clinical, electrocardiographic and echocardiographic characteristics and prognosis during one year follow-up were compared between the groups. Among 4799 acute coronary syndrome patients admitted during the study period, 91 (1.9%) presented with complete atrioventricular block. At presentation, group 1 patients presented with lower systolic blood pressure, higher Killip class and incidence of syncope. In group 1, 86.8% presented with ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI), and inferior STEMI was verified in 79.1% of patients in group 1 compared with 21.9% in group 2 ( Pblock was observed in 7.3% in contrast to 2.5% in patients submitted to primary percutaneous coronary intervention ( Pblock was an independent predictor of hospital mortality (odds ratio 3.671; P=0.045). There was no significant difference in mortality at one-year follow-up between the study groups. Complete atrioventricular block conferred a worse outcome during hospitalisation, including a higher incidence of cardiogenic shock, ventricular arrhythmias and death.

  11. Distribution of short block copolymer chains in Binary Blends of Block Copolymers Having Hydrogen Bonding

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kwak, Jongheon; Han, Sunghyun; Kim, Jin Kon

    2014-03-01

    A binary mixture of two block copolymers whose blocks are capable of forming the hydrogen bonding allows one to obtain various microdomains that could not be expected for neat block copolymer. For instance, the binary blend of symmetric polystyrene-block-poly(2-vinylpyridine) copolymer (PS-b-P2VP) and polystyrene-block-polyhydroxystyrene copolymer (PS-b-PHS) blends where the hydrogen bonding occurred between P2VP and PHS showed hexagonally packed (HEX) cylindrical and body centered cubic (BCC) spherical microdomains. To know the exact location of short block copolymer chains at the interface, we synthesized deuterated polystyrene-block-polyhydroxystyrene copolymer (dPS-b-PHS) and prepared a binary mixture with PS-b-P2VP. We investigate, via small angle X-ray scattering (SAXS) and neutron reflectivity (NR), the exact location of shorter dPS block chain near the interface of the microdomains.

  12. Minimum Description Length Block Finder, a Method to Identify Haplotype Blocks and to Compare the Strength of Block Boundaries

    OpenAIRE

    Mannila, H.; Koivisto, M.; Perola, M.; Varilo, T.; Hennah, W.; Ekelund, J.; Lukk, M.; Peltonen, L.; Ukkonen, E.

    2003-01-01

    We describe a new probabilistic method for finding haplotype blocks that is based on the use of the minimum description length (MDL) principle. We give a rigorous definition of the quality of a segmentation of a genomic region into blocks and describe a dynamic programming algorithm for finding the optimal segmentation with respect to this measure. We also describe a method for finding the probability of a block boundary for each pair of adjacent markers: this gives a tool for evaluating the ...

  13. Kinetics of directed self-assembly of block copolymers on chemically patterned substrates

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Müller, Marcus; Li, Weihua; Rey, Juan Carlos Orozco; Welling, Ulrich

    2015-01-01

    Chemically patterned surfaces have been successfully employed to direct the kinetics of self-assembly of block copolymers into dense, periodic morphologies (”chemoepitaxy”). Significant efforts have been directed towards understanding the kinetics of structure formation and, particularly, the formation and annihilation of defects. In the present manuscript we use computer simulations of a soft, coarse-grained polymer model to study the kinetics of structure formation of lamellar-forming block copolymer thin films on a chemical pattern of lines and spaces. The case where the copolymer material replicates the surface pattern and the more subtle scenario of sparse guiding patterns are considered. Our simulation results highlight (1) the importance of the early stages of pattern-directed self-assembly that template the subsequent morphology and (2) the dependence of the free-energy landscape on the incompatibility between the two blocks of the copolymer. (paper)

  14. Short-Block Protograph-Based LDPC Codes

    Science.gov (United States)

    Divsalar, Dariush; Dolinar, Samuel; Jones, Christopher

    2010-01-01

    Short-block low-density parity-check (LDPC) codes of a special type are intended to be especially well suited for potential applications that include transmission of command and control data, cellular telephony, data communications in wireless local area networks, and satellite data communications. [In general, LDPC codes belong to a class of error-correcting codes suitable for use in a variety of wireless data-communication systems that include noisy channels.] The codes of the present special type exhibit low error floors, low bit and frame error rates, and low latency (in comparison with related prior codes). These codes also achieve low maximum rate of undetected errors over all signal-to-noise ratios, without requiring the use of cyclic redundancy checks, which would significantly increase the overhead for short blocks. These codes have protograph representations; this is advantageous in that, for reasons that exceed the scope of this article, the applicability of protograph representations makes it possible to design highspeed iterative decoders that utilize belief- propagation algorithms.

  15. Concepts for operational period panel seal design at the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hansen, F.D.; Lin, M.S.; Van Sambeek, L.L.

    1993-07-01

    Concepts for underground panel or drift seals at the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant are developed to satisfy sealing requirements of the operational period. The concepts are divided into two groups. In the ''NOW'' group, design concepts are considered in which a sleeve structure is installed in the panel access immediately after excavation and before waste is emplaced. In the ''LATER'' group, no special measures are taken during excavation or before waste emplacement; the seal is installed at a later date, perhaps up to 35 years after the drift is excavated. Three concepts are presented in both the NOW and LATER groups. A rigid sleeve, a yielding sleeve, and steel rings with inflatable tubes are proposed as NOW concepts. One steel ring concept and two concrete monoliths are proposed for seals emplaced in older drifts. Advantages and disadvantages are listed for each concept. Based on the available information, it appears most feasible to recommend a LATER concept using a concrete monolith as a preferred seal for the operational period. Each concept includes the potential of remedial grout and/or construction of a chamber that could be used for monitoring leakage from a closed panel during the operational period. Supporting in situ demonstrations of elements of the concepts are recommended

  16. A new bite block for panoramic radiographs of anterior edentulous patients: A technical report.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Park, Jong-Woong; Symkhampha, Khanthaly; Huh, Kyung-Hoe; Yi, Won-Jin; Heo, Min-Suk; Lee, Sam-Sun; Choi, Soon-Chul

    2015-06-01

    Panoramic radiographs taken using conventional chin-support devices have often presented problems with positioning accuracy and reproducibility. The aim of this report was to propose a new bite block for panoramic radiographs of anterior edentulous patients that better addresses these two issues. A new panoramic radiography bite block similar to the bite block for dentulous patients was developed to enable proper positioning stability for edentulous patients. The new bite block was designed and implemented in light of previous studies. The height of the new bite block was 18 mm and to compensate for the horizontal edentulous space, its horizontal width was 7 mm. The panoramic radiographs using the new bite block were compared with those using the conventional chin-support device. Panoramic radiographs taken with the new bite block showed better stability and bilateral symmetry than those taken with the conventional chin-support device. Patients also showed less movement and more stable positioning during panoramic radiography with the new bite block. Conventional errors in panoramic radiographs of edentulous patients could be caused by unreliability of the chin-support device. The newly proposed bite block for panoramic radiographs of edentulous patients showed better reliability. Further study is required to evaluate the image quality and reproducibility of images with the new bite block.

  17. Assessment of Structural Strength of Commercial Sandcrete Blocks in Kano State

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    M. Mohammed

    2014-12-01

    Full Text Available This research was aimed at studying the strength properties of the commercial sandcrete blocks produced in Kano State. A total number of 250 block samples were randomly collected from five local government areas, fifty (50 from each of the local governments and cured for 3, 7, 14, 21 and 28 days. The blocks were subjected to various tests at wet and dry conditions as follow: wet compressive test, drying shrinkage, moisture movement and density all in accordance with established standards in the structural laboratory of Department of Civil Engineering, Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, and the aggregates were subjected to sieve analysis and moisture content determination in the Geotechnical Laboratory of the department. The compressive strength was found to be between 0.25 N/mm2 and 0.92 N/mm2 which are far below the specified values (2.5 N/mm2 to 3.45N/mm2 respectively in the Nigerian Industrial Standard (NIS 87, 2000. It is concluded that the commercially produced sandcrete blocks in Kano State are of lower standard than expected. It is recommended that workshop should be organised periodically to enlighten the producers of sandcrete blocks. The importance of adhering to standard specifications should be emphasised and strict penalties be meted out to erring producers by the Nigerian Industrial Standard Organisation.

  18. Optimum study designs.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gu, C; Rao, D C

    2001-01-01

    Because simplistic designs will lead to prohibitively large sample sizes, the optimization of genetic study designs is critical for successfully mapping genes for complex diseases. Creative designs are necessary for detecting and amplifying the usually weak signals for complex traits. Two important outcomes of a study design--power and resolution--are implicitly tied together by the principle of uncertainty. Overemphasis on either one may lead to suboptimal designs. To achieve optimality for a particular study, therefore, practical measures such as cost-effectiveness must be used to strike a balance between power and resolution. In this light, the myriad of factors involved in study design can be checked for their effects on the ultimate outcomes, and the popular existing designs can be sorted into building blocks that may be useful for particular situations. It is hoped that imaginative construction of novel designs using such building blocks will lead to enhanced efficiency in finding genes for complex human traits.

  19. Nonparametric analysis of blocked ordered categories data: some examples revisited

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    O. Thas

    2006-08-01

    Full Text Available Nonparametric analysis for general block designs can be given by using the Cochran-Mantel-Haenszel (CMH statistics. We demonstrate this with four examples and note that several well-known nonparametric statistics are special cases of CMH statistics.

  20. Programmable Array Logic Design

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Demon Handoyo; Djen Djen Djainal

    2007-01-01

    Good digital circuit design that part of a complex system, often becoming a separate problem. To produce finishing design according to wanted performance is often given on to considerations which each other confuse, hence thereby analyse optimization become important in this case. To realization is made design logic program, the first are determined global diagram block, then are decided contents of these block diagram, and then determined its interconnection in the form of logic expression, continued with election of component. These steps are done to be obtained the design with low price, easy in its interconnection, minimal volume, low power and certainty god work. (author)

  1. Teleradiology system analysis using a discrete event-driven block-oriented network simulator

    Science.gov (United States)

    Stewart, Brent K.; Dwyer, Samuel J., III

    1992-07-01

    Performance evaluation and trade-off analysis are the central issues in the design of communication networks. Simulation plays an important role in computer-aided design and analysis of communication networks and related systems, allowing testing of numerous architectural configurations and fault scenarios. We are using the Block Oriented Network Simulator (BONeS, Comdisco, Foster City, CA) software package to perform discrete, event- driven Monte Carlo simulations in capacity planning, tradeoff analysis and evaluation of alternate architectures for a high-speed, high-resolution teleradiology project. A queuing network model of the teleradiology system has been devise, simulations executed and results analyzed. The wide area network link uses a switched, dial-up N X 56 kbps inverting multiplexer where the number of digital voice-grade lines (N) can vary from one (DS-0) through 24 (DS-1). The proposed goal of such a system is 200 films (2048 X 2048 X 12-bit) transferred between a remote and local site in an eight hour period with a mean delay time less than five minutes. It is found that: (1) the DS-1 service limit is around 100 films per eight hour period with a mean delay time of 412 +/- 39 seconds, short of the goal stipulated above; (2) compressed video teleconferencing can be run simultaneously with image data transfer over the DS-1 wide area network link without impacting the performance of the described teleradiology system; (3) there is little sense in upgrading to a higher bandwidth WAN link like DS-2 or DS-3 for the current system; and (4) the goal of transmitting 200 films in an eight hour period with a mean delay time less than five minutes can be achieved simply if the laser printer interface is updated from the current DR-11W interface to a much faster SCSI interface.

  2. The wild tapered block bootstrap

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Hounyo, Ulrich

    In this paper, a new resampling procedure, called the wild tapered block bootstrap, is introduced as a means of calculating standard errors of estimators and constructing confidence regions for parameters based on dependent heterogeneous data. The method consists in tapering each overlapping block...... of the series first, the applying the standard wild bootstrap for independent and heteroscedastic distrbuted observations to overlapping tapered blocks in an appropriate way. Its perserves the favorable bias and mean squared error properties of the tapered block bootstrap, which is the state-of-the-art block......-order asymptotic validity of the tapered block bootstrap as well as the wild tapered block bootstrap approximation to the actual distribution of the sample mean is also established when data are assumed to satisfy a near epoch dependent condition. The consistency of the bootstrap variance estimator for the sample...

  3. The anti corrosive design of structural metallic elements in buildings with large exploitation period

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Avila Ayon, V.; Rodriguez Quesada, A. L.

    2009-01-01

    The corrosion deterioration in metallic structural elements, with the consistent loss of his physical and mechanical properties, is cause by errors in the design or fabrication, that allows the accumulation of humidity and contaminants in the surfaces, or acceleration zones of the corrosion processes, as the bimetalics pairs. The aggressiveness of the environment and the productive processes that develop in industrial installations, causes the apparition of premature failures that engage the edification use. The identification of design errors is the first step in the conservation of these structures. the elimination and made a project adapted to the proper installations conditions, is essential procedures to prolong the edification useful life with an optimum and rational use of the resources that destined for this end. The investigation is about the results obtained in the diagnostic and the conservation of industrial installment, with large exploitation periods, in which existed evidences of failures by corrosion, specifically to the elimination of errors of design. (Author) 12 refs

  4. Block copolymer-nanoparticle hybrid self-assembly

    KAUST Repository

    Hoheisel, Tobias N.; Hur, Kahyun; Wiesner, Ulrich B.

    2015-01-01

    © 2014 Published by Elsevier Ltd. Polymer-inorganic hybrid materials provide exciting opportunities as they may display favorable properties from both constituents that are desired in applications including catalysis and energy conversion and storage. For the preparation of hybrid materials with well-defined morphologies, block copolymer-directed nanoparticle hybrids present a particularly promising approach. As will be described in this review, once the fundamental characteristics for successful nanostructure formation at or close to the thermodynamic equilibrium of these nanocomposites are identified, the approach can be generalized to various materials classes. In addition to the discussion of recent materials developments based on the use of AB diblock copolymers as well as ABC triblock terpolymers, this review will therefore emphasize progress in the fundamental understanding of the underlying formation mechanisms of such hybrid materials. To this end, critical experiments for, as well as theoretical progress in the description of these nanostructured block copolymer-based hybrid materials will be discussed. Rather than providing a comprehensive overview, the review will emphasize work by the Wiesner group at Cornell University, US, on block copolymer-directed nanoparticle assemblies as well as their use in first potential application areas. The results provide powerful design criteria for wet-chemical synthesis methodologies for the generation of functional nanomaterials for applications ranging from microelectronics to catalysis to energy conversion and storage.

  5. Development of a power-assisted lifting device for construction and periodic inspection

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hayatsu, M.; Yamada, M.; Takasu, H.; Tagawa, Y.; Kajiwara, K.

    2001-01-01

    This study focuses on the control system design and control performance of a power-assisted lifting device. The device consists of several electric chain-blocks, each controlled by force sensors and a CPU. The mechanism is as follows: (1) Force sensors detect any chain tension changes (by human force), (2) The CPU calculates the required output, (3) Electric chain-blocks move the object in the intended direction. The feature of this device is that it does not require any information related to the suspension points of the electric chain-blocks. The controller was designed using the H method, which considers disturbances and aims to provide robust stability under the operation conditions of construction verified through experiments using a 700 kg steel dummy mass (control object) suspended by four electric chain-blocks. In the experiments, the controller, which was designed using the H method, was compared to the PI controller method, and the effectiveness of the H controller was proven. A control object could be moved, translated, and rotated by human force (of less than 10 kg). Positioning performance errors were suppressed to less than 0.5 mm, and operation time was reduced by about 50%. This device will improve working efficiency and rationalize lifting operations in nuclear power plants. (author)

  6. Development of a power-assisted lifting device for construction and periodic inspection

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Hayatsu, M.; Yamada, M.; Takasu, H. [Hitachi Plant Engineering and Construction, Chiba-ken (Japan); Tagawa, Y. [Tokyo Univ. of Agriculture and Technology (Japan); Kajiwara, K. [National Research Institute for Earth Science and Disaster Prevention, Tokyo (Japan)

    2001-07-01

    This study focuses on the control system design and control performance of a power-assisted lifting device. The device consists of several electric chain-blocks, each controlled by force sensors and a CPU. The mechanism is as follows: (1) Force sensors detect any chain tension changes (by human force), (2) The CPU calculates the required output, (3) Electric chain-blocks move the object in the intended direction. The feature of this device is that it does not require any information related to the suspension points of the electric chain-blocks. The controller was designed using the H method, which considers disturbances and aims to provide robust stability under the operation conditions of construction verified through experiments using a 700 kg steel dummy mass (control object) suspended by four electric chain-blocks. In the experiments, the controller, which was designed using the H method, was compared to the PI controller method, and the effectiveness of the H controller was proven. A control object could be moved, translated, and rotated by human force (of less than 10 kg). Positioning performance errors were suppressed to less than 0.5 mm, and operation time was reduced by about 50%. This device will improve working efficiency and rationalize lifting operations in nuclear power plants. (author)

  7. Transversus abdominis plane block in renal allotransplant recipients: A retrospective chart review.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gopwani, S R; Rosenblatt, M A

    2016-01-01

    The efficacy of the transversus abdominis plane (TAP) block appears to vary considerably, depending on the surgical procedure and block technique. This study aims to add to the existing literature and provide a more clear understanding of the TAP blocks role as a postoperative analgesic technique, specifically in renal allotransplant recipients. A retrospective chart review was conducted by querying the intraoperative electronic medical record system of a 1200-bed tertiary academic hospital over a 5 months period, and reviewing anesthetic techniques, as well as postoperative morphine equivalent consumption. Fifty renal allotransplant recipients were identified, 13 of whom received TAP blocks while 37 received no regional analgesic technique. All blocks were performed under ultrasound guidance, with 20 mL of 0.25% bupivacaine injected in the transversus abdominis fascial plane under direct visualization. The primary outcome was postoperative morphine equivalent consumption. Morphine consumption was compared with the two-tailed Mann-Whitney U -test. Continuous variables of patient baseline characteristics were analyzed with unpaired t -test and categorical variables with Fischer Exact Test. A P consumption was found in the group that received the TAP block at 6 h (2.46 mg vs. 7.27 mg, P = 0.0010), 12 h (3.88 mg vs. 10.20 mg, P = 0.0005), 24 h (6.96 mg vs. 14.75 mg, P = 0.0013), and 48 h (11 mg vs. 20.13 mg, P = 0.0092). The TAP block is a beneficial postoperative analgesic, opiate-sparing technique in renal allotransplant recipients.

  8. Synthesis and Characterization of Smart Block Copolymers for Biomineralization and Biomedical Applications

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Kanapathipillai, Mathumai [Iowa State Univ., Ames, IA (United States)

    2008-01-01

    Self-assembly is a powerful tool in forming structures with nanoscale dimensions. Self-assembly of macromolecules provides an efficient and rapid pathway for the formation of structures from the nanometer to micrometer range that are difficult, if not impossible to obtain by conventional lithographic techniques [1]. Depending on the morphologies obtained (size, shape, periodicity, etc.) these self-assembled systems have already been applied or shown to be useful for a number of applications in nanotechnology [2], biomineralization [3, 4], drug delivery [5, 6] and gene therapy [7]. In this respect, amphiphilic block copolymers that self-organize in solution have been found to be very versatile [1]. In recent years, polymer-micellar systems have been designed that are adaptable to their environment and able to respond in a controlled manner to external stimuli. In short, synthesis of 'nanoscale objects' that exhibit 'stimulus-responsive' properties is a topic gathering momentum, because their behavior is reminiscent of that exhibited by proteins [8]. By integrating environmentally sensitive homopolymers into amphiphilic block copolymers, smart block copolymers with self assembled supramolecular structures that exhibit stimuli or environmentally responsive properties can be obtained [1]. Several synthetic polymers are known to have environmentally responsive properties. Changes in the physical, chemical or biochemical environment of these polymers results in modulation of the solubility or chain conformation of the polymer [9]. There are many common schemes of engineering stimuli responsive properties into materials [8, 9]. Polymers exhibiting lower critical solution temperature (LCST) are soluble in solvent below a specific temperature and phase separate from solvent above that temperature while polymers exhibiting upper critical solution temperatures (UCST) phase separate below a certain temperature. The solubility of polymers with ionizable

  9. Creating periodic local strain in monolayer graphene with nanopillars patterned by self-assembled block copolymer

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Mi, Hongyi; Mikael, Solomon; Seo, Jung-Hun; Gui, Gui; Ma, Alice L.; Ma, Zhenqiang, E-mail: nealey@uchicago.edu, E-mail: mazq@engr.wisc.edu [Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of Wisconsin–Madison, Madison, Wisconsin 53706 (United States); Liu, Chi-Chun; Nealey, Paul F., E-mail: nealey@uchicago.edu, E-mail: mazq@engr.wisc.edu [Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, University of Wisconsin–Madison, Madison, Wisconsin 53706 (United States)

    2015-10-05

    A simple and viable method was developed to produce biaxial strain in monolayer graphene on an array of SiO{sub 2} nanopillars. The array of SiO{sub 2} nanopillars (1 cm{sup 2} in area, 80 nm in height, and 40 nm in pitch) was fabricated by employing self-assembled block copolymer through simple dry etching and deposition processes. According to high resolution micro-Raman spectroscopy and atomic force microscopy analyses, 0.9% of maximum biaxial tensile strain and 0.17% of averaged biaxial tensile strain in graphene were created. This technique provides a simple and viable method to form biaxial tensile strain in graphene and offers a practical platform for future studies in graphene strain engineering.

  10. Dynamic swelling of tunable full-color block copolymer photonic gels via counterion exchange.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lim, Ho Sun; Lee, Jae-Hwang; Walish, Joseph J; Thomas, Edwin L

    2012-10-23

    One-dimensionally periodic block copolymer photonic lamellar gels with full-color tunability as a result of a direct exchange of counteranions were fabricated via a two-step procedure comprising the self-assembly of a hydrophobic block-hydrophilic polyelectrolyte block copolymer, polystyrene-b-poly(2-vinyl pyridine) (PS-b-P2VP), followed by sequential quaternization of the P2VP layers in 1-bromoethane solution. Depending on the hydration characteristics of each counteranion, the selective swelling of the block copolymer lamellar structures leads to large tunability of the photonic stop band from blue to red wavelengths. More extensive quaternization of the P2VP block allows the photonic lamellar gels to swell more and red shift to longer wavelength. Here, we investigate the dynamic swelling behavior in the photonic gel films through time-resolved in situ measurement of UV-vis transmission. We model the swelling behavior using the transfer matrix method based on the experimentally observed reflectivity data with substitution of appropriate counterions. These tunable structural color materials may be attractive for numerous applications such as high-contrast displays without using a backlight, color filters, and optical mirrors for flexible lasing.

  11. Runoff on Pavements of Soil-Cement Blocks – an Experimental Boarding

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Zegarra-Tarqui Jorge Luis

    2015-01-01

    Full Text Available The article evaluates the reduction of runoff in pavements constructed with rectangular blocks of soil-cement. The tests were conducted in a pilot pavement built with soil-cement blocks, seated in a metal box of 50 cm × 50 cm (area = 2500 cm2, with declivities of 1%, 3% and 5%. Mean intensities of 76.9 mm / I 117.7 mm / h were used, values close to the intensities calculated by intensity-frequency-duration (i-f- -d equation of the city of Salvador, Brazil, for return periods of 2 and 5 years, respectively. The medium runoff coefficient was C = 0.61, this value is close to the coefficient of pavement with rectangular blocks (C = 0.6 and it has a lower value than the coefficient for concrete block pavement (C = 0.78. On the other hand, considering that areas with more than 2500 cm2 are constituted by coupling of area units of 50 cm × 50 cm, the splash losses are part of the runoff, obtaining the coefficient Csuperficial + splashing, which showed values in the 0.74 to 0.89 range, these values were found close to the coefficient of concrete block pavement (C = 0.78 and below the concrete pavement (C = 0.95, respectively, but factors such as displacement time of runoff on surface, depressions on the surface, roughness of pavement, evaporation and others, should reduce this value. Then, the pavement of soil-cement blocks can be considered in the category of semi-permeable for the area size used.

  12. A supermolecular building approach for the design and construction of metal–organic frameworks

    KAUST Repository

    Guillerm, Vincent; Kim, Dongwook; Eubank, Jarrod F.; Luebke, Ryan; Liu, Xinfang; Adil, Karim; Lah, Myoung Soo; Eddaoudi, Mohamed

    2014-01-01

    In this review, we describe two recently implemented conceptual approaches facilitating the design and deliberate construction of metal–organic frameworks (MOFs), namely supermolecular building block (SBB) and supermolecular building layer (SBL) approaches. Our main objective is to offer an appropriate means to assist/aid chemists and material designers alike to rationally construct desired functional MOF materials, made-to-order MOFs. We introduce the concept of net-coded building units (net-cBUs), where precise embedded geometrical information codes uniquely and matchlessly a selected net, as a compelling route for the rational design of MOFs. This concept is based on employing pre-selected 0-periodic metal–organic polyhedra or 2-periodic metal–organic layers, SBBs or SBLs respectively, as a pathway to access the requisite net-cBUs. In this review, inspired by our success with the original rht-MOF, we extrapolated our strategy to other known MOFs via their deconstruction into more elaborate building units (namely polyhedra or layers) to (i) elucidate the unique relationship between edge-transitive polyhedra or layers and minimal edge-transitive 3-periodic nets, and (ii) illustrate the potential of the SBB and SBL approaches as a rational pathway for the design and construction of 3-periodic MOFs. Using this design strategy, we have also identified several new hypothetical MOFs which are synthetically targetable.

  13. A supermolecular building approach for the design and construction of metal–organic frameworks

    KAUST Repository

    Guillerm, Vincent

    2014-07-10

    In this review, we describe two recently implemented conceptual approaches facilitating the design and deliberate construction of metal–organic frameworks (MOFs), namely supermolecular building block (SBB) and supermolecular building layer (SBL) approaches. Our main objective is to offer an appropriate means to assist/aid chemists and material designers alike to rationally construct desired functional MOF materials, made-to-order MOFs. We introduce the concept of net-coded building units (net-cBUs), where precise embedded geometrical information codes uniquely and matchlessly a selected net, as a compelling route for the rational design of MOFs. This concept is based on employing pre-selected 0-periodic metal–organic polyhedra or 2-periodic metal–organic layers, SBBs or SBLs respectively, as a pathway to access the requisite net-cBUs. In this review, inspired by our success with the original rht-MOF, we extrapolated our strategy to other known MOFs via their deconstruction into more elaborate building units (namely polyhedra or layers) to (i) elucidate the unique relationship between edge-transitive polyhedra or layers and minimal edge-transitive 3-periodic nets, and (ii) illustrate the potential of the SBB and SBL approaches as a rational pathway for the design and construction of 3-periodic MOFs. Using this design strategy, we have also identified several new hypothetical MOFs which are synthetically targetable.

  14. Identifying Effective Design Approaches to Allocate Genotypes in Two-Phase Designs: A Case Study in Pelargonium zonale

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Heike Molenaar

    2018-01-01

    Full Text Available Robust phenotypic data allow adequate statistical analysis and are crucial for any breeding purpose. Such data is obtained from experiments laid out to best control local variation. Additionally, experiments frequently involve two phases, each contributing environmental sources of variation. For example, in a former experiment we conducted to evaluate production related traits in Pelargonium zonale, there were two consecutive phases, each performed in a different greenhouse. Phase one involved the propagation of the breeding strains to obtain the stem cutting count, and phase two involved the assessment of root formation. The evaluation of the former study raised questions regarding options for improving the experimental layout: (i Is there a disadvantage to using exactly the same design in both phases? (ii Instead of generating a separate layout for each phase, can the design be optimized across both phases, such that the mean variance of a pair-wise treatment difference (MVD can be decreased? To answer these questions, alternative approaches were explored to generate two-phase designs either in phase-wise order (Option 1 or across phases (Option 2. In Option 1 we considered the scenarios (i using in both phases the same experimental design and (ii randomizing each phase separately. In Option 2, we considered the scenarios (iii generating a single design with eight replicates and splitting these among the two phases, (iv separating the block structure across phases by dummy coding, and (v design generation with optimal alignment of block units in the two phases. In both options, we considered the same or different block structures in each phase. The designs were evaluated by the MVD obtained by the intra-block analysis and the joint inter-block–intra-block analysis. The smallest MVD was most frequently obtained for designs generated across phases rather than for each phase separately, in particular when both phases of the design were

  15. Second progress report on pre-test calculations for the large block test

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lee, K.H.

    1995-01-01

    The US Department of Energy's (DOE) Yucca Mountain Site Characterization Project (YMP) is investigating the suitability of the Topopah Spring tuff in the thick vadose zone at Yucca Mountain, Nevada, as a host rock for permanent disposal of high-level radioactive waste. As part of the YMP, a group of field tests, called the Large Block Test (LBT), will be conducted on a large electrically heated block of Topopah Spring tuff. The block will be heated by electrical heaters. The goals of the LBT are to gain information on the coupled thermal-mechanical-hydrological-chemical processes that will be active in the near-field environment of a repository; to provide field data for testing and calibrating models; and to help in the development of measurement systems and techniques. In this second progress report, we present results of the final set of numerical modeling calculations performed in support of the LBT design. The results include block temperatures and heat fluxes across the surfaces. The results are applied primarily to the design of guard heaters to enforce adiabatic conditions along the block walls. Conduction-only runs are adequate to estimate the thermal behavior of the system, because earlier calculations showed that heat transfer in the block is expected to be dominated by conduction. In addition, conduction-only runs can be made at substantially shorter execution times than full hydrothermal runs. We also run a two-dimensional, hydrothermal, discrete fracture model, with 200-μm vertical fractures parallel to the heaters and occurring at a uniform spacing of 30 cm. The results show the development of distinct dryout and recondensation zones. The dryout zones are thickest at the fractures and thinnest in the matrix midway between the fractures

  16. US-Guided Femoral and Sciatic Nerve Blocks for Analgesia During Endovenous Laser Ablation

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Yilmaz, Saim; Ceken, Kagan; Alimoglu, Emel; Sindel, Timur

    2013-01-01

    Endovenous laser ablation may be associated with significant pain when performed under standard local tumescent anesthesia. The purpose of this study was to investigate the efficacy of femoral and sciatic nerve blocks for analgesia during endovenous ablation in patients with lower extremity venous insufficiency. During a 28-month period, ultrasound-guided femoral or sciatic nerve blocks were performed to provide analgesia during endovenous laser ablation in 506 legs and 307 patients. The femoral block (n = 402) was performed at the level of the inguinal ligament, and the sciatic block at the posterior midthigh (n = 124), by injecting a diluted lidocaine solution under ultrasound guidance. After the blocks, endovenous laser ablations and other treatments (phlebectomy or foam sclerotherapy) were performed in the standard fashion. After the procedures, a visual analogue pain scale (1–10) was used for pain assessment. After the blocks, pain scores were 0 or 1 (no pain) in 240 legs, 2 or 3 (uncomfortable) in 225 legs, and 4 or 5 (annoying) in 41 legs. Patients never experienced any pain higher than score 5. The statistical analysis revealed no significant difference between the pain scores of the right leg versus the left leg (p = 0.321) and between the pain scores after the femoral versus sciatic block (p = 0.7). Ultrasound-guided femoral and sciatic nerve blocks may provide considerable reduction of pain during endovenous laser and other treatments, such as ambulatory phlebectomy and foam sclerotherapy. They may make these procedures more comfortable for the patient and easier for the operator.

  17. 2-periodic metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) as supermolecular building layers (SBLs) for making targeted 3-periodic MOFs

    KAUST Repository

    Eddaoudi, Mohamed; Eubank, Jarrod F.

    2015-01-01

    Embodiments of the present disclosure provide for chemical assemblies, multidimensional metal-organic frameworks (MOFs), supermolecular building layers (SBLs), inorganic molecular building blocks (MBBs), organic MBBs (designed ligands), methods of making each, and methods of using each, and the like. In an embodiment, the composition can be used in catalysis, separations, gas storage, and drug delivery.

  18. 2-periodic metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) as supermolecular building layers (SBLs) for making targeted 3-periodic MOFs

    KAUST Repository

    Eddaoudi, Mohamed

    2015-09-22

    Embodiments of the present disclosure provide for chemical assemblies, multidimensional metal-organic frameworks (MOFs), supermolecular building layers (SBLs), inorganic molecular building blocks (MBBs), organic MBBs (designed ligands), methods of making each, and methods of using each, and the like. In an embodiment, the composition can be used in catalysis, separations, gas storage, and drug delivery.

  19. Reliability Approach of a Compressor System using Reliability Block ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    pc

    2018-03-05

    Mar 5, 2018 ... This paper presents a reliability analysis of such a system using reliability ... Keywords-compressor system, reliability, reliability block diagram, RBD .... the same structure has been kept with the three subsystems: air flow, oil flow and .... and Safety in Engineering Design", Springer, 2009. [3] P. O'Connor ...

  20. Block volume estimation from the discontinuity spacing measurements of mesozoic limestone quarries, Karaburun Peninsula, Turkey.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Elci, Hakan; Turk, Necdet

    2014-01-01

    Block volumes are generally estimated by analyzing the discontinuity spacing measurements obtained either from the scan lines placed over the rock exposures or the borehole cores. Discontinuity spacing measurements made at the Mesozoic limestone quarries in Karaburun Peninsula were used to estimate the average block volumes that could be produced from them using the suggested methods in the literature. The Block Quality Designation (BQD) ratio method proposed by the authors has been found to have given in the same order of the rock block volume to the volumetric joint count (J(v)) method. Moreover, dimensions of the 2378 blocks produced between the years of 2009 and 2011 in the working quarries have been recorded. Assuming, that each block surfaces is a discontinuity, the mean block volume (V(b)), the mean volumetric joint count (J(vb)) and the mean block shape factor of the blocks are determined and compared with the estimated mean in situ block volumes (V(in)) and volumetric joint count (J(vi)) values estimated from the in situ discontinuity measurements. The established relations are presented as a chart to be used in practice for estimating the mean volume of blocks that can be obtained from a quarry site by analyzing the rock mass discontinuity spacing measurements.

  1. Block Volume Estimation from the Discontinuity Spacing Measurements of Mesozoic Limestone Quarries, Karaburun Peninsula, Turkey

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Hakan Elci

    2014-01-01

    Full Text Available Block volumes are generally estimated by analyzing the discontinuity spacing measurements obtained either from the scan lines placed over the rock exposures or the borehole cores. Discontinuity spacing measurements made at the Mesozoic limestone quarries in Karaburun Peninsula were used to estimate the average block volumes that could be produced from them using the suggested methods in the literature. The Block Quality Designation (BQD ratio method proposed by the authors has been found to have given in the same order of the rock block volume to the volumetric joint count (Jv method. Moreover, dimensions of the 2378 blocks produced between the years of 2009 and 2011 in the working quarries have been recorded. Assuming, that each block surfaces is a discontinuity, the mean block volume (Vb, the mean volumetric joint count (Jvb and the mean block shape factor of the blocks are determined and compared with the estimated mean in situ block volumes (Vin and volumetric joint count (Jvi values estimated from the in situ discontinuity measurements. The established relations are presented as a chart to be used in practice for estimating the mean volume of blocks that can be obtained from a quarry site by analyzing the rock mass discontinuity spacing measurements.

  2. Designing materials for advanced microelectronic patterning applications using controlled polymerization RAFT technology

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sheehan, Michael T.; Farnham, William B.; Chambers, Charles R.; Tran, Hoang V.; Okazaki, Hiroshi; Brun, Yefim; Romberger, Matthew L.; Sounik, James R.

    2011-04-01

    Reversible Addition Fragmentation Chain Transfer (RAFT) polymerization technology enables the production of polymers possessing low polydispersity (PD) in high yield for many applications. RAFT technology also enables control over polymer architecture. With synthetic control over these polymer characteristics, a variety of polymers can be designed and manufactured for use in advanced electronic applications. By matching the specific RAFT reagent and monomer combinations, we can accommodate monomer reactivity and optimize acrylate or methacrylate polymerizations (193 and 193i photoresist polymers) or optimize styrenic monomer systems (248 nm photoresist polymers) to yield polymers with PD as low as 1.05. For 193i lithography, we have used RAFT technology to produce block copolymers comprising of a random "resist" block with composition and size based on conventional dry photoresist materials and a "low surface energy" block The relative block lengths and compositions may be varied to tune solution migration behavior, surface energy, contact angles, and solubility in developer. Directed self assembly is proving to be an interesting and innovative method to make 2- and even 3-dimensional periodic, uniform patterns. Two keys to acceptable performance of directed self assembly from block copolymers are the uniformity and the purity of the materials will be discussed.

  3. Neurologic Outcomes After Low-Volume, Ultrasound-Guided Interscalene Block and Ambulatory Shoulder Surgery.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rajpal, Gaurav; Winger, Daniel G; Cortazzo, Megan; Kentor, Michael L; Orebaugh, Steven L

    2016-01-01

    Postoperative neurologic symptoms after interscalene block and shoulder surgery have been reported to be relatively frequent. Reports of such symptoms after ultrasound-guided block have been variable. We evaluated 300 patients for neurologic symptoms after low-volume, ultrasound-guided interscalene block and arthroscopic shoulder surgery. Patients underwent ultrasound-guided interscalene block with 16 to 20 mL of 0.5% bupivacaine or a mix of 0.2% bupivacaine/1.2% mepivacaine solution, followed by propofol/ketamine sedation for ambulatory arthroscopic shoulder surgery. Patients were called at 10 days for evaluation of neurologic symptoms, and those with persistent symptoms were called again at 30 days, at which point neurologic evaluation was initiated. Details of patient demographics and block characteristics were collected to assess any association with persistent neurologic symptoms. Six of 300 patients reported symptoms at 10 days (2%), with one of these patients having persistent symptoms at 30 days (0.3%). This was significantly lower than rates of neurologic symptoms reported in preultrasound investigations with focused neurologic follow-up and similar to other studies performed in the ultrasound era. There was a modest correlation between the number of needle redirections during the block procedure and the presence of postoperative neurologic symptoms. Ultrasound guidance of interscalene block with 16- to 20-mL volumes of local anesthetic solution results in a lower frequency of postoperative neurologic symptoms at 10 and 30 days as compared with investigations in the preultrasound period.

  4. Hybrid titanium dioxide/PS-b-PEO block copolymer nanocomposites based on sol-gel synthesis

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Gutierrez, J; Tercjak, A; Garcia, I; Peponi, L; Mondragon, I

    2008-01-01

    The poly(styrene)-b-poly(ethylene oxide) (SEO) amphiphilic block copolymer, with two different molecular weights, has been used as a structure directing agent for generating nanocomposites of TiO 2 /SEO via the sol-gel process. SEO amphiphilic block copolymers are designed with a hydrophilic PEO-block which can interact with inorganic molecules, as well as a hydrophobic PS-block which builds the matrix. The addition of different amounts of sol-gel provokes strong variations in the self-assembled morphology of TiO 2 /SEO nanocomposites with respect to the neat block copolymer. As confirmed by atomic force microscopy (AFM), TiO 2 /PEO-block micelles get closer, forming well-ordered spherical domains, in which TiO 2 nanoparticles constitute the core surrounded by a corona of PEO-blocks. Moreover, for 20 vol% sol-gel the generated morphology changes to a hexagonally ordered structure for both block copolymers. The cylindrical structure of these nanocomposites has been confirmed by the two-dimensional Fourier transform power spectrum of the corresponding AFM height images. Affinity between titanium dioxide precursor and PEO-block of SEO allows us to generate hybrid inorganic/organic nanocomposites, which retain the optical properties of TiO 2 , as evaluated by UV-vis spectroscopy

  5. Solution Construction of Multigeometry Nanoparticles and Multicompartment Superstructures from Block Copolymer Mixtures

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhu, Jiahua; Zhang, Shiyi; Wooley, Karen; Pochan, Darrin

    2013-03-01

    Novel soft objects with both compositional and geometric complexity at nanoscale have been constructed through solution supramolecular assembly from block copolymer mixtures due to their non-ergodic character. The mixture is composed of two block copolymers with distinctive hydrophobic blocks but the same poly(acrylic acid) hydrophilic block. First, multigeometry nanoparticles, due to segregation of unlike block copolymer molecules into multiple subdomains trapped within the same micelle-like structures, have been assembled in tetrahydrofuran/water solution. Through carefully designed molecular architecture, mixing ratio and pathway kinetics, both size and shape of subdomains can be controlled to produce a novel class of multigeometry nanoparticles, including sphere-sphere, sphere-cylinder, cylinder-cylinder, cylinder-disk, and sphere-disk hybrid nanoparticles. Second, hierarchical multicompartment superstructures including particle chains, rings and other nano to micro cluster formations, have been built up from pre-formed multigeometry nanoparticles by taking advantage of their surface anisotropy and the controlled particle-particle association. The interparticle association can be achieved via either covalent or non-covalent bindings due to different post-polymerization chemical modifications with hydroxyethyl acrylate or crown ether functionalities, respectively.

  6. Superalloy Lattice Block Developed for Use in Lightweight, High-Temperature Structures

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hebsur, Mohan G.; Whittenberger, J. Daniel; Krause, David L.

    2003-01-01

    Successful development of advanced gas turbine engines for aircraft will require lightweight, high-temperature components. Currently titanium-aluminum- (TiAl) based alloys are envisioned for such applications because of their lower density (4 g/cm3) in comparison to superalloys (8.5 g/cm3), which have been utilized for hot turbine engine parts for over 50 years. However, a recently developed concept (lattice block) by JAMCORP, Inc., of Willmington, Massachusetts, would allow lightweight, high-temperature structures to be directly fabricated from superalloys and, thus, take advantage of their well-known, characterized properties. In its simplest state, lattice block is composed of thin ligaments arranged in a three dimensional triangulated trusslike configuration that forms a structurally rigid panel. Because lattice block can be fabricated by casting, correctly sized hardware is produced with little or no machining; thus very low cost manufacturing is possible. Together, the NASA Glenn Research Center and JAMCORP have extended their lattice block methodology for lower melting materials, such as Al alloys, to demonstrate that investment casting of superalloy lattice block is possible. This effort required advances in lattice block pattern design and assembly, higher temperature mold materials and mold fabrication technology, and foundry practice suitable for superalloys (ref. 1). Lattice block panels have been cast from two different Ni-base superalloys: IN 718, which is the most commonly utilized superalloy and retains its strength up to 650 C; and MAR M247, which possesses excellent mechanical properties to at least 1100 C. In addition to the open-cell lattice block geometry, same-sized lattice block panels containing a thin (1-mm-thick) solid face on one side have also been cast from both superalloys. The elevated-temperature mechanical properties of the open cell and face-sheeted superalloy lattice block panels are currently being examined, and the

  7. Mid-term evaluation of the Climate Change Action Fund: Science, Impacts and Adaptation (SIA) block

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    2001-11-01

    In 1998, the Climate Change Action Fund was established by the Government of Canada. Its budget represented 150 million dollars over a three year period, and was an additional 625 million dollars in the federal budget of February 2000 was allocated for climate change initiatives, of which 150 million dollars were earmarked over a three year period to the Climate Change Action Fund. To provide input for Treasury Board Submissions looking for funding approval in the future, it was necessary to conduct a mid-term evaluation focused on program performance to date. The period covered by the evaluation was September 2000 to the end of January 2001. This report examined the performance of the Science, Impact and Adaptation Block (SIA). Based on a series of interviews with representatives of Block managers, Technical and Executive Policy Committees, successful applicants, unsuccessful applicants and peer reviewers, as well as a review of the documentation maintained by SIA, it addressed the following issues: Block relevance, progress/success to date, and effectiveness in meeting the objectives. It was determined that the objectives displayed relevance to the climate change agenda of the federal government, progress to date was considered satisfactory, and most of the objectives should be met in a timely fashion. A summary of the findings was included in this document along with recommendations pertaining to the findings. 3 tabs., 1 fig

  8. Closed Loop Guidance Trade Study for Space Launch System Block-1B Vehicle

    Science.gov (United States)

    Von der Porten, Paul; Ahmad, Naeem; Hawkins, Matt

    2018-01-01

    NASA is currently building the Space Launch System (SLS) Block-1 launch vehicle for the Exploration Mission 1 (EM-1) test flight. The design of the next evolution of SLS, Block-1B, is well underway. The Block-1B vehicle is more capable overall than Block-1; however, the relatively low thrust-to-weight ratio of the Exploration Upper Stage (EUS) presents a challenge to the Powered Explicit Guidance (PEG) algorithm used by Block-1. To handle the long burn durations (on the order of 1000 seconds) of EUS missions, two algorithms were examined. An alternative algorithm, OPGUID, was introduced, while modifications were made to PEG. A trade study was conducted to select the guidance algorithm for future SLS vehicles. The chosen algorithm needs to support a wide variety of mission operations: ascent burns to LEO, apogee raise burns, trans-lunar injection burns, hyperbolic Earth departure burns, and contingency disposal burns using the Reaction Control System (RCS). Additionally, the algorithm must be able to respond to a single engine failure scenario. Each algorithm was scored based on pre-selected criteria, including insertion accuracy, algorithmic complexity and robustness, extensibility for potential future missions, and flight heritage. Monte Carlo analysis was used to select the final algorithm. This paper covers the design criteria, approach, and results of this trade study, showing impacts and considerations when adapting launch vehicle guidance algorithms to a broader breadth of in-space operations.

  9. Arthroscopic medial meniscus trimming or repair under nerve blocks: Which nerves should be blocked?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Taha, AM; Abd-Elmaksoud, AM

    2016-01-01

    Background: This study aimed to determine the role of the sciatic and obturator nerve blocks (in addition to femoral block) in providing painless arthroscopic medial meniscus trimming/repair. Materials and Methods: One hundred and twenty patients with medial meniscus tear, who had been scheduled to knee arthroscopy, were planned to be included in this controlled prospective double-blind study. The patients were randomly allocated into three equal groups; FSO, FS, and FO. The femoral, sciatic, and obturator nerves were blocked in FSO groups. The femoral and sciatic nerves were blocked in FS group, while the femoral and obturator nerves were blocked in FO group. Intraoperative pain and its causative surgical maneuver were recorded. Results: All the patients (n = 7, 100%) in FO group had intraoperative pain. The research was terminated in this group but completed in FS and FSO groups (40 patients each). During valgus positioning of the knee for surgical management of the medial meniscus tear, the patients in FS group experienced pain more frequently than those in FSO group (P = 0.005). Conclusion: Adding a sciatic nerve block to the femoral nerve block is important for painless knee arthroscopy. Further adding of an obturator nerve block may be needed when a valgus knee position is required to manage the medial meniscus tear. PMID:27375382

  10. BTP: a Block Transfer Protocol for Delay Tolerant Wireless Sensor Networks

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Hansen, Morten Tranberg; Biagioni, Edoardo S.

    2010-01-01

    Wireless sensor networks that are energy-constrained must transmit and receive data as efficiently as possible.  If the transmission is delay tolerant, transferring blocks of accumulated data can be more efficient than transferring each sensed measurement as soon as it is available.  This paper...... proposes a Block Transfer Protocol (BTP) designed for efficient and reliable transmission in wireless sensor networks.  BTP reduces the time it takes to reliably transfer a block of packets compared to conventional link layer protocols, by piggybacking in data packets information about the transfer......, minimizing the number of acknowledgements needed for reliable transmission, and reducing the need for timeouts, which can substantially slow down communication when transmission is unreliable.  In addition, BTP improves reliability by handling false positive acknowledgements and by letting the receivers...

  11. Manipulation robot system based on visual guidance for sealing blocking plate of steam generator

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Duan Xingguang; Wang Yonggui; Li Meng; Kong Xiangzhan; Liu Qingsong

    2016-01-01

    To reduce labor intensity and irradiation exposure time inside the steam generator during the maintenance period of the nuclear power plant, a blocking plate manipulation robot system, including manipulation robot and pneumatic control console, is developed as an automatic remote-control tool to help staff to complete sealing steam generator primary pipes. The manipulation robot for fastening/loosening bolts utilizes visual guidance for target position, and the recognition algorithm is exerted to extract the bolt center coordinate values from image captured by camera in the procedure. The control strategy based on the position and current feedback is proposed for single bolt operation and whole bolts automatic operation. Meanwhile, the virtual interactive interface and remote monitoring are designed to improve the operability and safety. Finally, the relative experiments have verified the work effectiveness and the future work would be discussed. (author)

  12. Gnawing blocks as cage enrichment and dietary supplement for does and fatteners: intake, performance and behaviour

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Luc Maertens

    2013-09-01

    presence of a block did not significantly increase the total number of behavioural transitions, locomotion and intake behaviour were significantly (P<0.05 increased when a gnawing block was available. The observation period influenced the frequency of many behavioural transitions and before parturition was significantly higher than post parturition, respectively 56.1±11.1 vs. 13.7±3.8 (Week 1, P<0.01 and 25.1±5.5 (Week 2, P<0.01. However, a very large variability was observed between does and, moreover, some does were mostly inactive after parturition during the observation period. Based on the consumption pattern and behaviour, these gnawing blocks could be considered as cage enrichment and those with the chicory pulp best fulfilled the objective of a suitable gnawing material.

  13. Competition and critical periods in spring sugar beet cultivation

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Mansilla Martínez José

    2015-12-01

    Full Text Available High yields with low costs require that sugar beets be kept free of weeds, during critical periods, using labor or chemical treatments. Since the critical periods for this crop in Castilla - La Mancha (Spain are unknown, the first goal of this study was to determine the effect of early and late competition on yield. The second goal was to determine the critical periods, while taking into consideration the semiarid climatic conditions of this region. Two irrigation farms located in the province of Albacete are dedicated to sugar beet cultivation. These two farms were chosen to carry out the tests March (140,000-150,000 seeds ∙ ha-1 and harvested in October. Two simultaneous and complementary experiments were carried out in each year and farm. Two scenarios were considered with eight different treatments each. In the first one (With Weeds Until - WWU, plots were infested by weeds up to a certain date. In the second one (Free of Weeds Until - FWU, plots were kept free of weeds up to a certain date. For each test, a randomised experimental blocked field was designed and there were four repetitions, each of them containing eight elemental plots (12 m2. Each plot was weeded by hand or weeds were left to grow till a definite date.The results indicated that a 1% loss of yield was reached in the early competition after 14 days, while a loss of 5% was reached after a period of 41 days after it was infested. The results also indicated that in late competition, if a crop is kept clean for 124 days and it is infested afterwards, a 1% loss is reached. However, the loss increases to 5% if the plot is kept clean for 111 days. For a 1% loss the critical period is 110 days and 70 days for a 5% loss.

  14. Coastal protection using topological interlocking blocks

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pasternak, Elena; Dyskin, Arcady; Pattiaratchi, Charitha; Pelinovsky, Efim

    2013-04-01

    The coastal protection systems mainly rely on the self-weight of armour blocks to ensure its stability. We propose a system of interlocking armour blocks, which form plate-shape assemblies. The shape and the position of the blocks are chosen in such a way as to impose kinematic constraints that prevent the blocks from being removed from the assembly. The topological interlocking shapes include simple convex blocks such as platonic solids, the most practical being tetrahedra, cubes and octahedra. Another class of topological interlocking blocks is so-called osteomorphic blocks, which form plate-like assemblies tolerant to random block removal (almost 25% of blocks need to be removed for the assembly to loose integrity). Both classes require peripheral constraint, which can be provided either by the weight of the blocks or post-tensioned internal cables. The interlocking assemblies provide increased stability because lifting one block involves lifting (and bending) the whole assembly. We model the effect of interlocking by introducing an equivalent additional self-weight of the armour blocks. This additional self-weight is proportional to the critical pressure needed to cause bending of the interlocking assembly when it loses stability. Using beam approximation we find an equivalent stability coefficient for interlocking. It is found to be greater than the stability coefficient of a structure with similar blocks without interlocking. In the case when the peripheral constraint is provided by the weight of the blocks and for the slope angle of 45o, the effective stability coefficient for a structure of 100 blocks is 33% higher than the one for a similar structure without interlocking. Further increase in the stability coefficient can be reached by a specially constructed peripheral constraint system, for instance by using post-tension cables.

  15. Magnetospheric Truncation, Tidal Inspiral, and the Creation of Short-period and Ultra-short-period Planets

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Lee, Eve J.; Chiang, Eugene, E-mail: evelee@berkeley.edu [Department of Astronomy, University of California, Berkeley, CA 94720-3411 (United States)

    2017-06-10

    Sub-Neptunes around FGKM dwarfs are evenly distributed in log orbital period down to ∼10 days, but dwindle in number at shorter periods. Both the break at ∼10 days and the slope of the occurrence rate down to ∼1 day can be attributed to the truncation of protoplanetary disks by their host star magnetospheres at corotation. We demonstrate this by deriving planet occurrence rate profiles from empirical distributions of pre-main-sequence stellar rotation periods. Observed profiles are better reproduced when planets are distributed randomly in disks—as might be expected if planets formed in situ—rather than piled up near disk edges, as would be the case if they migrated in by disk torques. Planets can be brought from disk edges to ultra-short (<1 day) periods by asynchronous equilibrium tides raised on their stars. Tidal migration can account for how ultra-short-period planets are more widely spaced than their longer-period counterparts. Our picture provides a starting point for understanding why the sub-Neptune population drops at ∼10 days regardless of whether the host star is of type FGK or early M. We predict planet occurrence rates around A stars to also break at short periods, but at ∼1 day instead of ∼10 days because A stars rotate faster than stars with lower masses (this prediction presumes that the planetesimal building blocks of planets can drift inside the dust sublimation radius).

  16. Magnetospheric Truncation, Tidal Inspiral, and the Creation of Short-period and Ultra-short-period Planets

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lee, Eve J.; Chiang, Eugene

    2017-01-01

    Sub-Neptunes around FGKM dwarfs are evenly distributed in log orbital period down to ∼10 days, but dwindle in number at shorter periods. Both the break at ∼10 days and the slope of the occurrence rate down to ∼1 day can be attributed to the truncation of protoplanetary disks by their host star magnetospheres at corotation. We demonstrate this by deriving planet occurrence rate profiles from empirical distributions of pre-main-sequence stellar rotation periods. Observed profiles are better reproduced when planets are distributed randomly in disks—as might be expected if planets formed in situ—rather than piled up near disk edges, as would be the case if they migrated in by disk torques. Planets can be brought from disk edges to ultra-short (<1 day) periods by asynchronous equilibrium tides raised on their stars. Tidal migration can account for how ultra-short-period planets are more widely spaced than their longer-period counterparts. Our picture provides a starting point for understanding why the sub-Neptune population drops at ∼10 days regardless of whether the host star is of type FGK or early M. We predict planet occurrence rates around A stars to also break at short periods, but at ∼1 day instead of ∼10 days because A stars rotate faster than stars with lower masses (this prediction presumes that the planetesimal building blocks of planets can drift inside the dust sublimation radius).

  17. Nalbuphine as an adjuvant to 0.25% levobupivacaine in ultrasound-guided supraclavicular block provided prolonged sensory block and similar motor block durations (RCT).

    Science.gov (United States)

    Abdelhamid, Bassant Mohamed; Omar, Heba

    2018-05-28

    Prolonged postoperative analgesia with early motor recovery for early rehabilitation is a challenge in regional block. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the effect of adding 20 mg nalbuphine to 25 ml of 0.25% levobupivacaine in supraclavicular brachial plexus block. One hundred thirty-five (135) patients scheduled for hand and forearm surgeries with supraclavicular block were randomly allocated into three equal groups. Group L received 25 ml of 0.5% levobupivacaine + 1 ml normal saline; group H received 25 ml of 0.25% levobupivacaine + 1 ml normal saline; and group N received 25 ml of 0.25% levobupivacaine + 1 ml (20 mg) nalbuphine. Onset time and duration of sensory and motor block, and time to first analgesic dose were recorded. Sensory block onset was comparable between the three groups. Motor block onset in group L and group N was comparable (13.16 ± 3.07 and 13.84 ± 3.05 min, respectively) and was shorter than that in group H (15.71 ± 2 0.91 min). Sensory block duration in group L and group N was comparable (522.22 ± 69.57 and 533.78 ± 66.03 min, respectively) and was longer than that in group H (342.67 ± 92.80 min). Motor block duration in group N and group H was comparable (272.00 ± 59.45 and 249.78 ± 66.01 min, respectively) and was shorter than that in group L (334.67 ± 57.90 min). Time to first analgesic dose was significantly longer in group N (649.78 ± 114.76 min) than that of group L and group H (575.56 ± 96.85 and 375.56 ± 84.49 min, respectively) and longer in group L when compared to group H. Adding 20 mg nalbuphine to 25 ml of 0.25% levobupivacaine in supraclavicular block provided prolonged duration of sensory block with similar duration of motor block.

  18. No Additional Benefits of Block- Over Evenly-Distributed High-Intensity Interval Training within a Polarized Microcycle.

    Science.gov (United States)

    McGawley, Kerry; Juudas, Elisabeth; Kazior, Zuzanna; Ström, Kristoffer; Blomstrand, Eva; Hansson, Ola; Holmberg, Hans-Christer

    2017-01-01

    Introduction: The current study aimed to investigate the responses to block- versus evenly-distributed high-intensity interval training (HIT) within a polarized microcycle. Methods: Twenty well-trained junior cross-country skiers (10 males, age 17.6 ± 1.5 and 10 females, age 17.3 ± 1.5) completed two, 3-week periods of training (EVEN and BLOCK) in a randomized, crossover-design study. In EVEN, 3 HIT sessions (5 × 4-min of diagonal-stride roller-skiing) were completed at a maximal sustainable intensity each week while low-intensity training (LIT) was distributed evenly around the HIT. In BLOCK, the same 9 HIT sessions were completed in the second week while only LIT was completed in the first and third weeks. Heart rate (HR), session ratings of perceived exertion (sRPE), and perceived recovery (pREC) were recorded for all HIT and LIT sessions, while distance covered was recorded for each HIT interval. The recovery-stress questionnaire for athletes (RESTQ-Sport) was completed weekly. Before and after EVEN and BLOCK, resting saliva and muscle samples were collected and an incremental test and 600-m time-trial (TT) were completed. Results: Pre- to post-testing revealed no significant differences between EVEN and BLOCK for changes in resting salivary cortisol, testosterone, or IgA, or for changes in muscle capillary density, fiber area, fiber composition, enzyme activity (CS, HAD, and PFK) or the protein content of VEGF or PGC-1α. Neither were any differences observed in the changes in skiing economy, [Formula: see text] or 600-m time-trial performance between interventions. These findings were coupled with no significant differences between EVEN and BLOCK for distance covered during HIT, summated HR zone scores, total sRPE training load, overall pREC or overall recovery-stress state. However, 600-m TT performance improved from pre- to post-training, irrespective of intervention ( P = 0.003), and a number of hormonal and muscle biopsy markers were also significantly

  19. Primary Immunization Status In Rural Block Of Kanpur District

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    S K Kaushal

    2009-06-01

    Full Text Available Research question: What is the status of primary immunization of children in the age group of 12-23 month Objective: To assess the status of Primary immunization in age group of 12 to 23 month Children, To compare the primary immunization in intensive and twilight villages, To study the influence of socialfactors affecting immunization & Tofind out reasons for immunization default Study design: cross sectional study Setting and participants: rural block of.Kanpur District and mothers ofchildren in age group of 12-23 months. Study period: July to December 2005 Sample size: 280 mothers of study group children. Study variable: Immunization status, socialfactors, vaccine, reasons for immunization default Results : 32.85% of children were fully immunized. Highest (92.85% covered antigen were found as OPV-1 and lowest (41.78% covered antigen as DPT-3.Literacy and joint family had positive impact on immunization status. The main reasons were observed for immunization default as ignorance (about need/place/person/time and distance factor. Conclusion : Quantity1 wise coverage was quite satisfactory. High dropout rate due to ignorance and distance factors should be taken into

  20. 47 CFR 22.947 - Five year build-out period.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-10-01

    ... authorized in the Gulf of Mexico Exclusive Zone, the licensee of the first cellular system authorized on each channel block in each cellular market is afforded a five year period, beginning on the date the initial authorization for the system is granted, during which it may expand the system within that market. (a) Exclusive...

  1. Reforming residential electricity tariff in China: Block tariffs pricing approach

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Sun, Chuanwang; Lin, Boqiang

    2013-01-01

    The Chinese households that make up approximately a quarter of world households are facing a residential power tariff reform in which a rising block tariff structure will be implemented, and this tariff mechanism is widely used around the world. The basic principle of the structure is to assign a higher price for higher income consumers with low price elasticity of power demand. To capture the non-linear effects of price and income on elasticities, we set up a translog demand model. The empirical findings indicate that the higher income consumers are less sensitive than those with lower income to price changes. We further put forward three proposals of Chinese residential electricity tariffs. Compared to a flat tariff, the reasonable block tariff structure generates more efficient allocation of cross-subsidies, better incentives for raising the efficiency of electricity usage and reducing emissions from power generation, which also supports the living standards of low income households. - Highlights: • We design a rising block tariff structure of residential electricity in China. • We set up a translog demand model to find the non-linear effects on elasticities. • The higher income groups are less sensitive to price changes. • Block tariff structure generates more efficient allocation of cross-subsidies. • Block tariff structure supports the living standards of low income households

  2. COMPARATIVE STUDY OF ROPIVACAINE V/S ROPIVACAINE WITH MAGNESIUM SULPHATE FOR BRACHIAL PLUXUS BLOCK

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Nagarjuna Reddy

    2015-09-01

    Full Text Available BACKGROUND : The prime duty of any anesthesiologist is to relive pain in the perioperative period. Today regional anesthesia is well established as equal to general anesthesia in effectiveness and patient acceptability. Regional anesthesia is blocking of peripheral ner ve conduction in a reversible way using local anesthetic agents. For surgeries on upper extremities, particularly in emergency surgeries, regional anesthesia has many advantages over general anesthesia. The brachial plexus is approached at the level of tru nks and the compact arrangement of trunks at the supraclavicular level gives a high success rate with minimum local anesthetic drug volume and a dense and fast onset of the block. To prolong the duration of analgesia various drugs have been studied as adju vants to the local anesthetics. AIM : To compare the efficacy of Ropivacaine and Ropivacaine with Magnesium Sulphate for Brachial Plexus Block by Supraclavicular technique, for upper limb orthopedic surgeries. DESIGN : A Prospective randomized comparative st udy . METHODS : Sixty adult patients of both sexes in the age group of 20 - 60 years belonging to ASA I/II category posted for various types of upper limb surgeries. The patients were randomly allocated into two groups. Supraclavicular brachial plexus block wa s performed. Group – I (Ropivacaine alone – 30 patients received 29ml of 0.75% Ropiva caine with 1ml of normal saline .Group – II (Ropivacaine+Magnesium – 30 patients received 29ml of 0.75% Ropivacaine with Magnesium Sulphate 250mg (1ml of 500mg drug diluted wi th 1ml of distilled water. The following parameters were observed after performing Supraclavicular Brachial Plexus block in both the groups: 1. Time of onset of block (Sensory and Motor 2. Total Duration of Analgesia 3. Total Duration of Motor Blockade 4 . Dermatomes/Nerves blocked 5. Complications if any. RESULTS : There was no significant difference in onset of sensory blockade between Group I ( 4

  3. Periodization Strategies in Older Adults: Impact on Physical Function and Health.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Conlon, Jenny A; Newton, Robert U; Tufano, James J; Banyard, Harry G; Hopper, Amanda J; Ridge, Ashley J; Haff, G Gregory

    2016-12-01

    This study compared the effect of periodized versus nonperiodized (NP) resistance training (RT) on physical function and health outcomes in older adults. Forty-one apparently healthy untrained older adults (women = 21, men = 20; 70.9 ± 5.1 yr; 166.3 ± 8.2 cm; 72.9 ± 13.4 kg) were recruited and randomly stratified to a NP, block periodized, or daily undulating periodized training group. Outcome measures were assessed at baseline and after a 22-wk × 3 d·wk RT intervention, including; anthropometrics, body composition, blood pressure and biomarkers, maximal strength, functional capacity, balance confidence, and quality of life. Thirty-three subjects satisfied all study requirements and were included in analyses (women = 17, men = 16; 71.3 ± 5.4 yr; 166.3 ± 8.5 cm; 72.5 ± 13.7 kg). The main finding was that all three RT models produced significant improvements in several physical function and physiological health outcomes, including; systolic blood pressure, blood biomarkers, body composition, maximal strength, functional capacity and balance confidence, with no between-group differences. Periodized RT, specifically block periodization and daily undulating periodized, and NP RT are equally effective for promoting significant improvements in physical function and health outcomes among apparently healthy untrained older adults. Therefore, periodization strategies do not appear to be necessary during the initial stages of RT in this population. Practitioners should work toward increasing RT participation in the age via feasible and efficacious interventions targeting long-term adherence in minimally supervised settings.

  4. Liposomal bupivacaine peripheral nerve block for the management of postoperative pain.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hamilton, Thomas W; Athanassoglou, Vassilis; Trivella, Marialena; Strickland, Louise H; Mellon, Stephen; Murray, David; Pandit, Hemant G

    2016-08-25

    evidence using GRADE (Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development and Evaluation). We identified seven studies that met inclusion criteria for this review. Three were recorded as completed (or terminated) but no results were published. Of the remaining four studies (299 participants): two investigated liposomal bupivacaine transversus abdominis plane (TAP) block, one liposomal bupivacaine dorsal penile nerve block, and one ankle block. The study investigating liposomal bupivacaine ankle block was a Phase II dose-escalating/de-escalating trial presenting pooled data that we could not use in our analysis.The studies did not report our primary outcome, cumulative pain score between 0 and 72 hours, and secondary outcomes, mean pain score at 12, 24, 48, 72, or 96 hours. One study reported no difference in mean pain score during the first, second, and third postoperative 24-hour periods in participants receiving liposomal bupivacaine TAP block compared to no TAP block. Two studies, both in people undergoing laparoscopic surgery under TAP block, investigated cumulative postoperative opioid dose, reported opposing findings. One found a lower cumulative opioid consumption between 0 and 72 hours compared to bupivacaine hydrochloride TAP block and one found no difference during the first, second, and third postoperative 24-hour periods compared to no TAP block. No studies reported time to first postoperative opioid or percentage not requiring opioids over the initial 72 hours. No studies reported a health economic analysis or patient-reported outcome measures (outside of pain). The review authors sought data regarding adverse events but none were available, however there were no withdrawals reported to be due to adverse events.Using GRADE, we considered the quality of evidence to be very low with any estimate of effect very uncertain and further research very likely to have an important impact on our confidence in the estimate of effect. All studies were at high risk of bias

  5. Convergence and periodic solutions for the input impedance of a standard ladder network

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ucak, C; Acar, C

    2007-01-01

    The input impedance of an infinite ladder network is computed by using the recursive relation and by assuming that the input impedance does not change when a new block is added to the network. However, this assumption is not true in general and standard textbooks do not always treat these networks correctly. This paper develops a general solution to obtain the input impedance of a standard ladder network of impedances and admittances for any number of blocks. Then, this result is used to provide the convergence condition for the infinite ladder network. The conditions which lead to periodic input impedance are exploited. It is shown that there are infinite numbers of periodic points and no paradoxical behaviour exists in the standard ladder network

  6. Understanding the ordering mechanisms of self-assembled nanostructures of block copolymers during zone annealing

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Cong, Zhinan; Zhang, Liangshun, E-mail: zhangls@ecust.edu.cn, E-mail: jlin@ecust.edu.cn; Wang, Liquan; Lin, Jiaping, E-mail: zhangls@ecust.edu.cn, E-mail: jlin@ecust.edu.cn [Shanghai Key Laboratory of Advanced Polymeric Materials, State Key Laboratory of Bioreactor Engineering, Key Laboratory for Ultrafine Materials of Ministry of Education, School of Materials Science and Engineering, East China University of Science and Technology, Shanghai 200237 (China)

    2016-03-21

    A theoretical method based on dynamic version of self-consistent field theory is extended to investigate directed self-assembly behaviors of block copolymers subjected to zone annealing. The ordering mechanisms and orientation modulation of microphase-separated nanostructures of block copolymers are discussed in terms of sweep velocity, wall preference, and Flory-Huggins interaction parameter. The simulated results demonstrate that the long-range ordered nanopatterns are achieved by lowering the sweep velocity of zone annealing due to the incorporation of templated ordering of block copolymers. The surface enrichment by one of the two polymer species induces the orientation modulation of defect-free nanostructures through finely tuning the composition of block copolymers and the preference of walls. Additionally, the Flory-Huggins interaction parameters of block copolymers in the distinct regions are main factors to design the zone annealing process for creating the highly ordered nanostructures with single orientation.

  7. Dosimetric considerations in treating mediastinal disease with mantle fields: Characterization of the dose under mantle blocks

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Miller, R.W.; Geijn, J. van de; Okunieff, P.

    1995-01-01

    While the rationale for using mantle fields is well understood and the prescription of these fields is straightforward, the underlying complexity of the dose distributions that result is not generally appreciated. This is especially true in the choice of lung block design, which affects the dose to both the target volume as well as to the normal lung tissue. The key to the design of optimal lung blocks is the physician's perception of the complex relationship between the geometric and dosimetric aspects of heavily modified fields, as well as how the physical and anatomical properties of the target volume and the shape of the patient's lungs relate to the images visualized on simulator films. Depth doses and cross-beam profiles of blocks ranging in width from 1 cm to 10 cm were taken using an automated beam scanning system. These data were then converted to open-quotes shadow fields.close quotes Shadow fields behave quite similarly to small, open fields in terms of x-ray-light field congruence, flatness, symmetry, and penumbra. There is a 2-3 mm rim between the edge of the block and the point at which it becomes nominally effective. The dose at the center of a block, which gives the normalization of the shadow fields, is given by a block transmission factor (BTF), which produces results in excellent agreement with measurements over a wide variety of block sizes and tissue depths. The radiation dose under shielding blocks can be considerably higher than expected, and care must be exercised when drawing blocks close to critical structures. The effects of blocks can be described in terms of normalized shadow fields, which behave similar to narrow, open fields, but with a divergence characteristic of their position relative to the radiation source. The normalization value for these fields, which gives the relative dose under the block, can be obtained from a straightforward analytical expression, the BTF. 33 refs., 9 figs., 4 tabs

  8. Universal block diagram based modeling and simulation schemes for fractional-order control systems.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bai, Lu; Xue, Dingyü

    2017-05-08

    Universal block diagram based schemes are proposed for modeling and simulating the fractional-order control systems in this paper. A fractional operator block in Simulink is designed to evaluate the fractional-order derivative and integral. Based on the block, the fractional-order control systems with zero initial conditions can be modeled conveniently. For modeling the system with nonzero initial conditions, the auxiliary signal is constructed in the compensation scheme. Since the compensation scheme is very complicated, therefore the integrator chain scheme is further proposed to simplify the modeling procedures. The accuracy and effectiveness of the schemes are assessed in the examples, the computation results testify the block diagram scheme is efficient for all Caputo fractional-order ordinary differential equations (FODEs) of any complexity, including the implicit Caputo FODEs. Copyright © 2017 ISA. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  9. VLSI design

    CERN Document Server

    Chandrasetty, Vikram Arkalgud

    2011-01-01

    This book provides insight into the practical design of VLSI circuits. It is aimed at novice VLSI designers and other enthusiasts who would like to understand VLSI design flows. Coverage includes key concepts in CMOS digital design, design of DSP and communication blocks on FPGAs, ASIC front end and physical design, and analog and mixed signal design. The approach is designed to focus on practical implementation of key elements of the VLSI design process, in order to make the topic accessible to novices. The design concepts are demonstrated using software from Mathworks, Xilinx, Mentor Graphic

  10. Solving block linear systems with low-rank off-diagonal blocks is easily parallelizable

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Menkov, V. [Indiana Univ., Bloomington, IN (United States)

    1996-12-31

    An easily and efficiently parallelizable direct method is given for solving a block linear system Bx = y, where B = D + Q is the sum of a non-singular block diagonal matrix D and a matrix Q with low-rank blocks. This implicitly defines a new preconditioning method with an operation count close to the cost of calculating a matrix-vector product Qw for some w, plus at most twice the cost of calculating Qw for some w. When implemented on a parallel machine the processor utilization can be as good as that of those operations. Order estimates are given for the general case, and an implementation is compared to block SSOR preconditioning.

  11. Rolling block mazes are PSPACE-complete

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Buchin, K.; Buchin, M.

    2012-01-01

    In a rolling block maze, one or more blocks lie on a rectangular board with square cells. In most mazes, the blocks have size k × m × n where k, m, n are integers that determine the size of the block in terms of units of the size of the board cells. The task of a rolling block maze is to roll a

  12. Evaluation of pedestrian mid-block road crossing behaviour using artificial neural network

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    B. Raghuram Kadali

    2014-04-01

    Full Text Available Pedestrians usually cross the road at mid-block locations in India because of the ease and convenience to reach their destination as compared to intersection locations. It is important to evaluate the pedestrian gap acceptance behavior at mid-block locations because of inadequate vehicular gaps under mixed traffic condition, which translates into the pedestrian road crossing behavior. The present study examines the pedestrian gap acceptance behaviour by employing an artificial neural network (ANN model for understanding the decision making process of pedestrians, i.e., acceptance or rejection of vehicular gaps at a mid-block location. From the results it has been found that the pedestrian rolling gap, frequency of attempt, vehicular gap size, pedestrian speed change condition and vehicle speed have major role in pedestrian gap acceptance. These results can lead to a better design of pedestrian crossing facilities where adequate gaps are not available in vehicular flow at mid-block crosswalk locations.

  13. Solvothermal Vapor Annealing of Lamellar Poly(styrene)-block-poly(d,l-lactide) Block Copolymer Thin Films for Directed Self-Assembly Application.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cummins, Cian; Mokarian-Tabari, Parvaneh; Andreazza, Pascal; Sinturel, Christophe; Morris, Michael A

    2016-03-01

    Solvothermal vapor annealing (STVA) was employed to induce microphase separation in a lamellar forming block copolymer (BCP) thin film containing a readily degradable block. Directed self-assembly of poly(styrene)-block-poly(d,l-lactide) (PS-b-PLA) BCP films using topographically patterned silicon nitride was demonstrated with alignment over macroscopic areas. Interestingly, we observed lamellar patterns aligned parallel as well as perpendicular (perpendicular microdomains to substrate in both cases) to the topography of the graphoepitaxial guiding patterns. PS-b-PLA BCP microphase separated with a high degree of order in an atmosphere of tetrahydrofuran (THF) at an elevated vapor pressure (at approximately 40-60 °C). Grazing incidence small-angle X-ray scattering (GISAXS) measurements of PS-b-PLA films reveal the through-film uniformity of perpendicular microdomains after STVA. Perpendicular lamellar orientation was observed on both hydrophilic and relatively hydrophobic surfaces with a domain spacing (L0) of ∼32.5 nm. The rapid removal of the PLA microdomains is demonstrated using a mild basic solution for the development of a well-defined PS mask template. GISAXS data reveal the through-film uniformity is retained following wet etching. The experimental results in this article demonstrate highly oriented PS-b-PLA microdomains after a short annealing period and facile PLA removal to form porous on-chip etch masks for nanolithography application.

  14. A PMT-Block test bench

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Adragna, P.; Antonaki, A.

    2006-01-01

    The front-end electronics of the ATLAS hadronic calorimeter (Tile Cal) is housed in a unit, called PMT-Block. The PMT-Block is a compact instrument comprising a light mixer, a PMT together with its divider and a 3-in-1 card, which provides shaping, amplification and integration for the signals. This instrument needs to be qualified before being assembled on the detector. A PMT-Block test bench has been developed for this purpose. This test bench is a system which allows fast, albeit accurate enough, measurements of the main properties of a complete PMT-Block. The system, both hardware and software, and the protocol used for the PMT-Blocks characterization are described in detail in this report. The results obtained in the test of about 10 000 PMT-Blocks needed for the instrumentation of the ATLAS (LHC-CERN) hadronic Tile Calorimeter are also reported

  15. A PMT-Block test bench

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Adragna, P [Dipartimento di Fisica ' E.Fermi' , Universita di Pisa and Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare, Sezione di Pisa, Largo B. Pontecorvo 3, Pisa 56127 (Italy); Universita degli studi di Siena, via Roma 56, 53100 Siena (Italy); Antonaki, A [Institute of Accelerating Systems and Applications, P.O. Box 17214, Athens 10024 (Greece); National Capodistrian University of Athens, 30 Panepistimiou st., Athens 10679 (Greece)] (and others)

    2006-08-01

    The front-end electronics of the ATLAS hadronic calorimeter (Tile Cal) is housed in a unit, called PMT-Block. The PMT-Block is a compact instrument comprising a light mixer, a PMT together with its divider and a 3-in-1 card, which provides shaping, amplification and integration for the signals. This instrument needs to be qualified before being assembled on the detector. A PMT-Block test bench has been developed for this purpose. This test bench is a system which allows fast, albeit accurate enough, measurements of the main properties of a complete PMT-Block. The system, both hardware and software, and the protocol used for the PMT-Blocks characterization are described in detail in this report. The results obtained in the test of about 10 000 PMT-Blocks needed for the instrumentation of the ATLAS (LHC-CERN) hadronic Tile Calorimeter are also reported.

  16. Masquerading bundle branch block as a presenting manifestation of complete atrioventricular block that caused syncope.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jiao, Zhenyu; Tian, Ying; Yang, Xinchun; Liu, Xingpeng

    2017-10-01

    A 59-year-old male patient was admitted with the main complaints of stuffiness and shortness of breath. An ECG from precordial leads on admission showed masquerading bundle branch block. Syncope frequently occurred after admission. During syncope episodes, ECG telemetry showed that the syncope was caused by intermittent complete atrioventricular block, with the longest RR interval lasting for 4.36 s. At the gap of syncope, ECG showed complete right bundle branch block accompanied by alternation of left anterior fascicular block and left posterior fascicular block. The patient was implanted with a dual-chamber permanent pacemaker. Follow-up of 9 months showed no reoccurrence of syncope.

  17. Recent advances in neuromuscular block during anesthesia [version 1; referees: 4 approved

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Martijn Boon

    2018-02-01

    Full Text Available Muscle relaxation is a routine part of anesthesia and has important advantages. However, the lingering effects of muscle relaxants in the postoperative period have historically been associated with postoperative adverse events. Neuromuscular reversal, together with neuromuscular monitoring, is a recognized strategy to reduce the rate of postoperative residual relaxation but has only marginally improved outcome in the past few decades. Sugammadex, a novel reversal agent with unique encapsulating properties, has changed the landscape of neuromuscular reversal and opened up new opportunities to improve patient care. By quickly and completely reversing any depth of neuromuscular block, it may reduce the rate of residual relaxation and improve respiratory recovery. In addition, sugammadex has made the use of deep neuromuscular block possible during surgery. Deep neuromuscular block may improve surgical working conditions and allow for a reduction in insufflation pressures during selected laparoscopic procedures. However, whether and how this may impact outcomes is not well established.

  18. Backfilling of deposition tunnels, block alternative

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Keto, P.; Roennqvist, P.-E.

    2007-03-01

    This report presents a preliminary process description of backfilling the deposition tunnels with pre-compacted blocks consisting of a mixture of bentonite and ballast (30:70). The process was modified for the Finnish KBS-3V type repository assuming that the amount of spent fuel canisters disposed of yearly is 40. Backfilling blocks (400 x 300 x 300 mm) are prepared in a block production plant with a hydraulic press with an estimated production capacity of 840 blocks per day. Some of the blocks are modified further to fit the profile of the tunnel roof. Prior to the installation of the blocks, the deposition tunnel floor is levelled with a mixture of bentonite and ballast (15:85). The blocks are placed in the tunnel with a modified reach truck. Centrifugal pellet throwing equipment is used to fill the gap between the blocks and the rock surface with bentonite pellets. Based on a preliminary assessment, the average dry density achieved with block backfill is sufficient to fulfil the criteria set for the backfill in order to ensure long-term safety and radiation protection. However, there are uncertainties concerning saturation, homogenisation, erosion, piping and self-healing of the block backfill that need to be studied further with laboratory and field tests. In addition, development efforts and testing concerning block manufacturing and installation are required to verify the technical feasibility of the concept. (orig.)

  19. Insights of the periodic reviews regarding the physical protection of nuclear power plants designed to earlier standards

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hagemann, A.

    2001-01-01

    Among other prerequisites for licensing a nuclear activity, the German Atomic Energy Act stipulates that the necessary physical protection against malevolent acts has to be approved before granting a license. This is required for nuclear power plants in paragraph 7 of the Atomic Energy Act. The licenses for nuclear power plants designed to earlier standards were granted about 20 years ago and more. All NPPs are under the supervision of the Supervisory Authority in order to ensure that all conditions of the license are met during the whole plant operation period. The 'Periodic Safety Review', PSR, is designated to provide the Supervisory Authority with additional information on the safety status. One part of the PSR is the 'Deterministic Security Analysis', DSA. The subject of the DSA is the actual physical protection of a NPP. The following document outlines the experiences gained during the evaluation of DSA reports by GRS as an external expert organisation under contract of the Supervisory Authorities. (author)

  20. Insights of the periodic reviews regarding the physical protection of nuclear power plants designed to earlier standards

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Hagemann, A. [Gesellschaft fuer Anlagen- und Reaktorsicherheit (GRS) mbH, Cologne (Germany)

    2001-07-01

    Among other prerequisites for licensing a nuclear activity, the German Atomic Energy Act stipulates that the necessary physical protection against malevolent acts has to be approved before granting a license. This is required for nuclear power plants in paragraph 7 of the Atomic Energy Act. The licenses for nuclear power plants designed to earlier standards were granted about 20 years ago and more. All NPPs are under the supervision of the Supervisory Authority in order to ensure that all conditions of the license are met during the whole plant operation period. The 'Periodic Safety Review', PSR, is designated to provide the Supervisory Authority with additional information on the safety status. One part of the PSR is the 'Deterministic Security Analysis', DSA. The subject of the DSA is the actual physical protection of a NPP. The following document outlines the experiences gained during the evaluation of DSA reports by GRS as an external expert organisation under contract of the Supervisory Authorities. (author)

  1. Emplacement of small and large buffer blocks

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Saari, H.; Nikula, M.; Suikki, M.

    2010-05-01

    The report describes emplacement of a buffer structure encircling a spent fuel canister to be deposited in a vertical hole. The report deals with installability of various size blocks and with an emplacement gear, as well as evaluates the achieved quality of emplacement and the time needed for installing the buffer. Two block assembly of unequal size were chosen for examination. A first option involved small blocks, the use of which resulted in a buffer structure consisting of small sector blocks 200 mm in height. A second option involved large blocks, resulting in a buffer structure which consists of eight blocks. In these tests, the material chosen for both block options was concrete instead of bentonite. The emplacement test was a three-phase process. A first phase included stacking a two meter high buffer structure with small blocks for ensuring the operation of test equipment and blocks. A second phase included installing buffer structures with both block options to a height matching that of a canister-encircling cylindrical component. A third phase included testing also the installability of blocks to be placed above the canister by using small blocks. In emplacement tests, special attention was paid to the installability of blocks as well as to the time required for emplacement. Lifters for both blocks worked well. Due to the mass to be lifted, the lifter for large blocks had a more heavy-duty frame structure (and other lifting gear). The employed lifters were suspended in the tests on a single steel wire rope. Stacking was managed with both block sizes at adequate precision and stacked-up towers were steady. The stacking of large blocks was considerably faster. Therefore it is probably that the overall handling of the large blocks will be more convenient at a final disposal site. From the standpoint of reliability in lifting, the small blocks were safer to install above the canister. In large blocks, there are strict shape-related requirements which are

  2. Vehicular engine design

    CERN Document Server

    Hoag, Kevin

    2016-01-01

    This book provides an introduction to the design and mechanical development of reciprocating piston engines for vehicular applications. Beginning from the determination of required displacement and performance, coverage moves into engine configuration and architecture. Critical layout dimensions and design trade-offs are then presented for pistons, crankshafts, engine blocks, camshafts, valves, and manifolds.  Coverage continues with material strength and casting process selection for the cylinder block and cylinder heads. Each major engine component and sub-system is then taken up in turn, from lubrication system, to cooling system, to intake and exhaust systems, to NVH. For this second edition latest findings and design practices are included, with the addition of over sixty new pictures and many new equations.

  3. Comparative study between ultrasound guided tap block and paravertebral block in upper abdominal surgeries. Randomized controlled trial

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ruqaya M. Elsayed

    2017-01-01

    Conclusion: We concluded that ultrasound guided transversus abdominis plane block and thoracic paravertebral block were safe and effective anesthetic technique for upper abdominal surgery with longer and potent postoperative analgesia in thoracic paravertebral block than transversus abdominis block.

  4. The experimental design of the Missouri Ozark Forest Ecosystem Project

    Science.gov (United States)

    Steven L. Sheriff; Shuoqiong. He

    1997-01-01

    The Missouri Ozark Forest Ecosystem Project (MOFEP) is an experiment that examines the effects of three forest management practices on the forest community. MOFEP is designed as a randomized complete block design using nine sites divided into three blocks. Treatments of uneven-aged, even-aged, and no-harvest management were randomly assigned to sites within each block...

  5. Stress concentration factors for pressurized elliptic crossbores in blocks

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Badr, Elie A.

    2006-01-01

    Intersecting bore geometries are used in a number of industrial applications including heavy-walled pressure vessels containing oil holes for lubrication, ports for valves and fluid ends of reciprocating pumps. The bore intersection location is a stress concentration point where the maximum hoop stress can be many times the fluid pressure in the bores. Intersecting circular holes in heavy-walled cylinders and rectangular blocks have been extensively investigated. Specifically, stress/pressure concentration curves for intersecting circular bores in rectangular blocks were presented by Sorem et al. [Sorem JR, Shadley JR, Tipton SM. Design curves for maximum stresses in blocks containing pressurized bore intersections. ASME J Mech Des 1990; 113: 427-31.]. However, stress/pressure concentrations due to intersecting elliptic bores have not been broadly investigated. With the availability of computer numerical control (CNC) machinery, bores with elliptic crosssection can be produced with relative ease. In this paper, hoop stress concentration ratios are developed for elliptic crossbores in rectangular blocks. Results indicate that introducing elliptic crossbores, rather than circular ones, significantly reduces the hoop stress concentration factor at the crossbore intersection. Also, the presence of intersecting crossbores has a major effect on the fatigue life of pressure vessels [Badr EA, Sorem JR, Jr Tipton SM. Evaluation of the autofrettage effect on fatigue lives of steel blocks with crossbores using a statistical and a strain-based method. ASTM J Test Eval 2000; 28: 181-8.] and the reduction of hoop stress concentration is expected to enhance the fatigue life of pressure vessels containing crossbores

  6. Thorium utilisation in a small long-life HTR. Part III: Composite-rod fuel blocks

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Verrue, Jacques, E-mail: jacques.verrue@polytechnique.org [Delft University of Technology, Reactor Institute Delft, Mekelweg 15, 2629 JB Delft (Netherlands); École Polytechnique (Member of ParisTech), 91128 Palaiseau Cedex (France); Ding, Ming, E-mail: dingm2005@gmail.com [Delft University of Technology, Reactor Institute Delft, Mekelweg 15, 2629 JB Delft (Netherlands); Harbin Engineering University, Nantong Street 145, 150001 Harbin (China); Kloosterman, Jan Leen, E-mail: j.l.kloosterman@tudelft.nl [Delft University of Technology, Reactor Institute Delft, Mekelweg 15, 2629 JB Delft (Netherlands)

    2014-02-15

    Highlights: • Composite-rod fuel blocks are proposed for a small block-type HTR. • An axial separation of fuel compacts is the most important feature. • Three patterns are presented to analyse the effects of the spatial distribution. • The spatial distribution has a large influence on the neutron spectrum. • Composite-rod fuel blocks reach a reactivity swing less than 4%. - Abstract: The U-Battery is a small long-life high temperature gas-cooled reactor (HTR) with power of 20 MWth. In order to increase its lifetime and diminish its reactivity swing, the concept of composite-rod fuel blocks with uranium and thorium was investigated. Composite-rod fuel blocks feature a specific axial separation between UO{sub 2} and ThO{sub 2} compacts in fuel rods. The design parameters, investigated by SCALE 6, include the number and spatial distribution of fuel compacts within the rods, the enrichment of uranium, the radii of fuel kernels and fuel compacts, and the packing fractions of uranium and thorium TRISO particles. The analysis shows that a lower moderation ratio and a larger inventory of heavy metals results in a lower reactivity swing. The optimal atomic carbon-to-heavy metal ratio depends on the mass fraction of U-235 and is commonly in the 160–200 range. The spatial distribution of the fuel compacts within the fuel rods has a large influence on the energy spectrum in each fuel compact and thus on the beginning-of-life reactivity and the reactivity swing. At end-of-life, the differences caused by the spatial distribution of the fuel compacts are smaller due to the fissions of U-233 in the ThO{sub 2} fuel compacts. This phenomenon enables to design fuel blocks with a very low reactivity swing, down to less than 4% in a 10-year lifetime. Among three types of thorium fuelled U-Battery blocks, the composite-rod fuel block achieves the highest end-of-life reactivity and the lowest reactivity swing.

  7. Demand Response Technology Readiness Levels for Energy Management in Blocks of Buildings

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Tracey Crosbie

    2018-01-01

    Full Text Available Fossil fuels deliver most of the flexibility in contemporary electricity systems. The pressing need to reduce CO2 emissions requires new methods to provide this flexibility. Demand response (DR offers consumers a significant role in the delivery of flexibility by reducing or shifting their electricity usage during periods of stress or constraint. Blocks of buildings offer more flexibility in the timing and use of energy than single buildings, however, and a lack of relevant scalable ICT tools hampers DR in blocks of buildings. To ameliorate this problem, a current innovation project called “Demand Response in Blocks of Buildings” (DR-BoB: www.dr-bob.eu has integrated existing technologies into a scalable cloud-based solution for DR in blocks of buildings. The degree to which the DR-BoB energy management solution can increase the ability of any given site to participate in DR is dependent upon its current energy systems, i.e., the energy metering, the telemetry and control technologies in building management systems, and the existence/capacity of local power generation and storage plants. To encourage the owners and managers of blocks of buildings to participate in DR, a method of assessing and validating the technological readiness to participate in DR energy management solutions at any given site is required. This paper describes the DR-BoB energy management solution and outlines what we have called the demand response technology readiness levels (DRTRLs for the implementation of such a solution in blocks of buildings.

  8. Magnesium sulfate in femoral nerve block, does postoperative analgesia differ? A comparative study

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Hossam A. ELShamaa

    2014-04-01

    Conclusion: The current study concluded that the admixture of magnesium to bupivacaine provides a profound prolongation of the femoral nerve block, in addition to a significant decrease in postoperative pain scores and total dose of rescue analgesia, with a longer bearable pain periods in the first postoperative day.

  9. Wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome type B and left bundle-branch block: electrophysiologic and radionuclide study

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Rakovec, P.; Kranjec, I.; Fettich, J.J.; Jakopin, J.; Fidler, V.; Turk, J.

    1985-01-01

    Coinciding left bundle-branch block and Wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome type B, a very rare electrocardiographic occurrence, was found in a patient with dilated cardiomyopathy. Electrophysiologic study revealed eccentric retrograde atrial activation during ventricular pacing, suggesting right-sided accessory pathway. At programmed atrial pacing, effective refractory period of the accessory pathway was 310 ms; at shorter pacing coupling intervals, normal atrioventricular conduction with left bundle-branch block was seen. Left bundle-branch block was seen also with His bundle pacing. Radionuclide phase imaging demonstrated right ventricular phase advance and left ventricular phase delay; both right and left ventricular phase images revealed broad phase distribution histograms. Combined electrophysiologic and radionuclide investigations are useful to disclose complex conduction abnormalities and their mechanical correlates.

  10. Wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome type B and left bundle-branch block: electrophysiologic and radionuclide study

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Rakovec, P.; Kranjec, I.; Fettich, J.J.; Jakopin, J.; Fidler, V.; Turk, J.

    1985-01-01

    Coinciding left bundle-branch block and Wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome type B, a very rare electrocardiographic occurrence, was found in a patient with dilated cardiomyopathy. Electrophysiologic study revealed eccentric retrograde atrial activation during ventricular pacing, suggesting right-sided accessory pathway. At programmed atrial pacing, effective refractory period of the accessory pathway was 310 ms; at shorter pacing coupling intervals, normal atrioventricular conduction with left bundle-branch block was seen. Left bundle-branch block was seen also with His bundle pacing. Radionuclide phase imaging demonstrated right ventricular phase advance and left ventricular phase delay; both right and left ventricular phase images revealed broad phase distribution histograms. Combined electrophysiologic and radionuclide investigations are useful to disclose complex conduction abnormalities and their mechanical correlates

  11. The block transfer system

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Bradish, G.J. III; Reid, A.E.

    1986-01-01

    The central instrumentation control and data acquisition (CICADA) computer system is comprised of a functionally distributed hierarchical network of thirteen (13) 32-bit mini-computers that are the heart of the control, monitoring, data collection and data analysis for the tokamak fusion test reactor (TFTR). The CICADA system was designed with the goal of providing complete control, monitoring, and data acquisition for TFTR, which includes the acquisition and storage of 20M points of data within a five-minute shot cycle. It was realized early in the system design that in order to meet this goal an ancillary system would have to be provided to supplement the subsystem CAMAC systems that, due to the relatively slow throughput of the serial highways and the overhead of relaying data to the central facilities within a star network, would not provide the necessary throughput. The authors discuss how the block transfer system provided a means of moving data directly from the CAMAC crate to the application running on the central facility computers

  12. Cue-it? We say: Block-it!

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Cooreman, Bart; Wiegand, Iris Michaela; Petersen, Anders

    2015-01-01

    A bilateral change detection paradigm is often used to measure lateralized ERP-components, such as the Contralateral Delay Activity (CDA), believed to be associated with visual short-term memory (e.g. Vogel and Machizawa, 2004; Alvarez and Cavanagh, 2004; McCollough et al., 2007 ). Recently......, Wiegand et al. (2014) developed a similar whole report paradigm in which participants reported the identity of four letters, presented in a pre-cued hemifield, showing a correlation between CDA amplitude and visual short-term memory capacity when modeled using Bundesen' s Theory of Visual Attention (TVA...... modelled by TVA, providing an estimate of perceptual threshold, processing speed, and visual short-term memory capacity for each participant. Our results show that the blocked design compared with the intermixed pre-cued design provided an equally good estimate of participants' TVA...

  13. Book Reviews in Periodicals.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ettelt, Harold J.

    All recent issues of periodicals found which contain indexed book reviews are listed in this compilation from Drake Memorial Library at the New York State University at Brockport. The periodicals are listed by 29 subject headings in this informal guide designed to be used at Drake Library. The number of reviews in the periodical in a recent year…

  14. Effect of the Critical Period of Weed Interference on Optimum ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    A field study was carried out at the National Root Crop Research Institute experimental farm to determine the critical period of weed interference and magnitude of yield loss caused by weed on turmeric in 2008 and 2009 cropping season. Turmeric was subjected to 13 weeding regimes using randomized complete block ...

  15. Seismic response of high temperature gas-cooled reactor core with block-type fuel, (2)

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ikushima, Takeshi; Honma, Toshiaki.

    1980-01-01

    For the aseismic design of a high temperature gas-cooled reactor (HTGR) with block-type fuel, it is necessary to predict the motion and force of core columns and blocks. To reveal column vibration characteristics in three-dimensional space and impact response, column vibration tests were carried out with a scale model of a one-region section (seven columns) of the HTGR core. The results are as follows: (1) the column has a soft spring characteristic based on stacked blocks connected with loose pins, (2) the column has whirling phenomena, (3) the compression spring force simulating the gas pressure has the effect of raising the column resonance frequency, and (4) the vibration behavior of the stacked block column and impact response of the surrounding columns show agreement between experiment and analysis. (author)

  16. Ionization of amphiphilic acidic block copolymers.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Colombani, Olivier; Lejeune, Elise; Charbonneau, Céline; Chassenieux, Christophe; Nicolai, Taco

    2012-06-28

    The ionization behavior of an amphiphilic diblock copolymer poly(n-butyl acrylate(50%)-stat-acrylic acid(50%))(100)-block-poly(acrylic acid)(100) (P(nBA(50%)-stat-AA(50%))(100)-b-PAA(100), DH50) and of its equivalent triblock copolymer P(nBA(50%)-stat-AA(50%))(100)-b-PAA(200)-b-P(nBA(50%)-stat-AA(50%))(100) (TH50) were studied by potentiometric titration either in pure water or in 0.5 M NaCl. These polymers consist of a hydrophilic acidic block (PAA) connected to a hydrophobic block, P(nBA(50%)-stat-AA(50%))(100), whose hydrophobic character has been mitigated by copolymerization with hydrophilic units. We show that all AA units, even those in the hydrophobic block could be ionized. However, the AA units within the hydrophobic block were less acidic than those in the hydrophilic block, resulting in the preferential ionization of the latter block. The preferential ionization of PAA over that of P(nBA(50%)-stat-AA(50%))(100) was stronger at higher ionic strength. Remarkably, the covalent bonds between the PAA and P(nBA(50%)-stat-AA(50%))(100) blocks in the diblock or the triblock did not affect the ionization of each block, although the self-association of the block copolymers into spherical aggregates modified the environment of the PAA blocks compared to when PAA was molecularly dispersed.

  17. Temporary persistence of conduction block after prolonged kilohertz frequency alternating current on rat sciatic nerve

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bhadra, Narendra; Foldes, Emily; Vrabec, Tina; Kilgore, Kevin; Bhadra, Niloy

    2018-02-01

    Objective. Application of kilohertz frequency alternating current (KHFAC) waveforms can result in nerve conduction block that is induced in less than a second. Conduction recovers within seconds when KHFAC is applied for about 5-10 min. This study investigated the effect of repeated and prolonged application of KHFAC on rat sciatic nerve with bipolar platinum electrodes. Approach. Varying durations of KHFAC at signal amplitudes for conduction block with intervals of no stimulus were studied. Nerve conduction was monitored by recording peak Gastrocnemius muscle force utilizing stimulation electrodes proximal (PS) and distal (DS) to a blocking electrode. The PS signal traveled through the block zone on the nerve, while the DS went directly to the motor end-plate junction. The PS/DS force ratio provided a measure of conduction patency of the nerve in the block zone. Main results. Conduction recovery times were found to be significantly affected by the cumulative duration of KHFAC application. Peak stimulated muscle force returned to pre-block levels immediately after cessation of KHFAC delivery when it was applied for less than about 15 min. They fell significantly but recovered to near pre-block levels for cumulative stimulus of 50  ±  20 min, for the tested On/Off times and frequencies. Conduction recovered in two phases, an initial fast one (60-80% recovery), followed by a slower phase. No permanent conduction block was seen at the end of the observation period during any experiment. Significance. This carry-over block effect may be exploited to provide continuous conduction block in peripheral nerves without continuous application of KHFAC.

  18. Integral-fuel blocks

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Cunningham, C.; Simpkin, S.D.

    1975-01-01

    A prismatic moderator block is described which has fuel-containing channels and coolant channels disposed parallel to each other and to edge faces of the block. The coolant channels are arranged in rows on an equilateral triangular lattice pattern and the fuel-containing channels are disposed in a regular lattice pattern with one fuel-containing channel between and equidistant from each of the coolant channels in each group of three mutually adjacent coolant channels. The edge faces of the block are parallel to the rows of coolant channels and the channels nearest to each edge face are disposed in two rows parallel thereto, with one of the rows containing only coolant channels and the other row containing only fuel-containing channels. (Official Gazette)

  19. Excitation block in a nerve fibre model owing to potassium-dependent changes in myelin resistance.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Brazhe, A R; Maksimov, G V; Mosekilde, E; Sosnovtseva, O V

    2011-02-06

    The myelinated nerve fibre is formed by an axon and Schwann cells or oligodendrocytes that sheath the axon by winding around it in tight myelin layers. Repetitive stimulation of a fibre is known to result in accumulation of extracellular potassium ions, especially between the axon and the myelin. Uptake of potassium leads to Schwann cell swelling and myelin restructuring that impacts the electrical properties of the myelin. In order to further understand the dynamic interaction that takes place between the myelin and the axon, we have modelled submyelin potassium accumulation and related changes in myelin resistance during prolonged high-frequency stimulation. We predict that potassium-mediated decrease in myelin resistance leads to a functional excitation block with various patterns of altered spike trains. The patterns are found to depend on stimulation frequency and amplitude and to range from no block (less than 100 Hz) to a complete block (greater than 500 Hz). The transitional patterns include intermittent periodic block with interleaved spiking and non-spiking intervals of different relative duration as well as an unstable regime with chaotic switching between the spiking and non-spiking states. Intermittent conduction blocks are accompanied by oscillations of extracellular potassium. The mechanism of conductance block based on myelin restructuring complements the already known and modelled block via hyperpolarization mediated by the axonal sodium pump and potassium depolarization.

  20. Formation of nanophases in epoxy thermosets containing amphiphilic block copolymers with linear and star-like topologies.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wang, Lei; Zhang, Chongyin; Cong, Houluo; Li, Lei; Zheng, Sixun; Li, Xiuhong; Wang, Jie

    2013-07-11

    In this work, we investigated the effect of topological structures of block copolymers on the formation of the nanophase in epoxy thermosets containing amphiphilic block copolymers. Two block copolymers composed of poly(ε-caprolactone) (PCL) and poly(2,2,2-trifluoroethyl acrylate) (PTFEA) blocks were synthesized to possess linear and star-shaped topologies. The star-shaped block copolymer composed a polyhedral oligomeric silsesquioxane (POSS) core and eight poly(ε-caprolactone)-block-poly(2,2,2-trifluoroethyl acrylate) (PCL-b-PTFEA) diblock copolymer arms. Both block copolymers were synthesized via the combination of ring-opening polymerization and reversible addition-fragmentation chain transfer/macromolecular design via the interchange of xanthate (RAFT/MADIX) process; they were controlled to have identical compositions of copolymerization and lengths of blocks. Upon incorporating both block copolymers into epoxy thermosets, the spherical PTFEA nanophases were formed in all the cases. However, the sizes of PTFEA nanophases from the star-like block copolymer were significantly lower than those from the linear diblock copolymer. The difference in the nanostructures gave rise to the different glass transition behavior of the nanostructured thermosets. The dependence of PTFEA nanophases on the topologies of block copolymers is interpreted in terms of the conformation of the miscible subchain (viz. PCL) at the surface of PTFEA microdomains and the restriction of POSS cages on the demixing of the thermoset-philic block (viz. PCL).

  1. Field-theoretic simulations of block copolymer nanocomposites in a constant interfacial tension ensemble.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Koski, Jason P; Riggleman, Robert A

    2017-04-28

    Block copolymers, due to their ability to self-assemble into periodic structures with long range order, are appealing candidates to control the ordering of functionalized nanoparticles where it is well-accepted that the spatial distribution of nanoparticles in a polymer matrix dictates the resulting material properties. The large parameter space associated with block copolymer nanocomposites makes theory and simulation tools appealing to guide experiments and effectively isolate parameters of interest. We demonstrate a method for performing field-theoretic simulations in a constant volume-constant interfacial tension ensemble (nVγT) that enables the determination of the equilibrium properties of block copolymer nanocomposites, including when the composites are placed under tensile or compressive loads. Our approach is compatible with the complex Langevin simulation framework, which allows us to go beyond the mean-field approximation. We validate our approach by comparing our nVγT approach with free energy calculations to determine the ideal domain spacing and modulus of a symmetric block copolymer melt. We analyze the effect of numerical and thermodynamic parameters on the efficiency of the nVγT ensemble and subsequently use our method to investigate the ideal domain spacing, modulus, and nanoparticle distribution of a lamellar forming block copolymer nanocomposite. We find that the nanoparticle distribution is directly linked to the resultant domain spacing and is dependent on polymer chain density, nanoparticle size, and nanoparticle chemistry. Furthermore, placing the system under tension or compression can qualitatively alter the nanoparticle distribution within the block copolymer.

  2. Comparison of the Effect of Continuous Femoral Nerve Block and Adductor Canal Block after Primary Total Knee Arthroplasty.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Seo, Seung Suk; Kim, Ok Gul; Seo, Jin Hyeok; Kim, Do Hoon; Kim, Youn Gu; Park, Beyoung Yun

    2017-09-01

    This study aimed to compare the effects of femoral nerve block and adductor canal block on postoperative pain, quadriceps strength, and walking ability after primary total knee arthroplasty. Between November 2014 and February 2015, 60 patients underwent primary total knee arthroplasty. Thirty patients received femoral nerve block and the other 30 received adductor canal block for postoperative pain control. Before spinal anesthesia, the patients received nerve block via a catheter (20 mL 0.75% ropivacaine was administered initially, followed by intermittent bolus injection of 10 mL 0.2% ropivacaine every 6 hours for 3 days). The catheters were maintained in the exact location of nerve block in 24 patients in the femoral nerve block group and in 19 patients in the adductor canal block group. Data collection was carried out from these 43 patients. To evaluate postoperative pain control, the numerical rating scale scores at rest and 45° flexion of the knee were recorded. To evaluate quadriceps strength, manual muscle testing was performed. Walking ability was assessed using the Timed Up and Go test. We also evaluated analgesic consumption and complications of peripheral nerve block. No significant intergroup difference was observed in the numerical rating scale scores at rest and 45° flexion of the knee on postoperative days 1, 2, 3, and 7. The adductor canal block group had significantly greater quadriceps strength than did the femoral nerve block group, as assessed by manual muscle testing on postoperative days 1, 2, and 3. The 2 groups showed no difference in walking ability on postoperative day 1, but on postoperative days 2, 3, walking ability was significantly better in the adductor canal block group than in the femoral nerve block group. No significant intergroup difference was observed in analgesic consumption. The groups showed no difference in postoperative pain control. Adductor canal block was superior to femoral nerve block in preserving quadriceps

  3. Periodically driven random quantum spin chains: real-space renormalization for Floquet localized phases

    Science.gov (United States)

    Monthus, Cécile

    2017-07-01

    When random quantum spin chains are submitted to some periodic Floquet driving, the eigenstates of the time-evolution operator over one period can be localized in real space. For the case of periodic quenches between two Hamiltonians (or periodic kicks), where the time-evolution operator over one period reduces to the product of two simple transfer matrices, we propose a block-self-dual renormalization procedure to construct the localized eigenstates of the Floquet dynamics. We also discuss the corresponding strong disorder renormalization procedure, that generalizes the RSRG-X procedure to construct the localized eigenstates of time-independent Hamiltonians.

  4. Computing return times or return periods with rare event algorithms

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lestang, Thibault; Ragone, Francesco; Bréhier, Charles-Edouard; Herbert, Corentin; Bouchet, Freddy

    2018-04-01

    The average time between two occurrences of the same event, referred to as its return time (or return period), is a useful statistical concept for practical applications. For instance insurances or public agencies may be interested by the return time of a 10 m flood of the Seine river in Paris. However, due to their scarcity, reliably estimating return times for rare events is very difficult using either observational data or direct numerical simulations. For rare events, an estimator for return times can be built from the extrema of the observable on trajectory blocks. Here, we show that this estimator can be improved to remain accurate for return times of the order of the block size. More importantly, we show that this approach can be generalised to estimate return times from numerical algorithms specifically designed to sample rare events. So far those algorithms often compute probabilities, rather than return times. The approach we propose provides a computationally extremely efficient way to estimate numerically the return times of rare events for a dynamical system, gaining several orders of magnitude of computational costs. We illustrate the method on two kinds of observables, instantaneous and time-averaged, using two different rare event algorithms, for a simple stochastic process, the Ornstein–Uhlenbeck process. As an example of realistic applications to complex systems, we finally discuss extreme values of the drag on an object in a turbulent flow.

  5. Building Curriculum during Block Play

    Science.gov (United States)

    Andrews, Nicole

    2015-01-01

    Blocks are not just for play! In this article, Nicole Andrews describes observing the interactions of three young boys enthusiastically engaged in the kindergarten block center of their classroom, using blocks in a building project that displayed their ability to use critical thinking skills, physics exploration, and the development of language…

  6. Designing Software-Based Interactive Installations

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Andreasen, Troels; Juul, Niels Christian; Rosendahl, Mads

    2014-01-01

    of the installation using tools like sketching or storyboarding. The design involves a clarification of available and appropriate building blocks, as well as the linking of these blocks to provide an architectural framework comprising the intended external behavior. The construction phase takes a component...

  7. 3D Reasoning from Blocks to Stability.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhaoyin Jia; Gallagher, Andrew C; Saxena, Ashutosh; Chen, Tsuhan

    2015-05-01

    Objects occupy physical space and obey physical laws. To truly understand a scene, we must reason about the space that objects in it occupy, and how each objects is supported stably by each other. In other words, we seek to understand which objects would, if moved, cause other objects to fall. This 3D volumetric reasoning is important for many scene understanding tasks, ranging from segmentation of objects to perception of a rich 3D, physically well-founded, interpretations of the scene. In this paper, we propose a new algorithm to parse a single RGB-D image with 3D block units while jointly reasoning about the segments, volumes, supporting relationships, and object stability. Our algorithm is based on the intuition that a good 3D representation of the scene is one that fits the depth data well, and is a stable, self-supporting arrangement of objects (i.e., one that does not topple). We design an energy function for representing the quality of the block representation based on these properties. Our algorithm fits 3D blocks to the depth values corresponding to image segments, and iteratively optimizes the energy function. Our proposed algorithm is the first to consider stability of objects in complex arrangements for reasoning about the underlying structure of the scene. Experimental results show that our stability-reasoning framework improves RGB-D segmentation and scene volumetric representation.

  8. Various semiclassical limits of torus conformal blocks

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Alkalaev, Konstantin [I.E. Tamm Department of Theoretical Physics, P.N. Lebedev Physical Institute,Leninsky ave. 53, Moscow, 119991 (Russian Federation); Department of General and Applied Physics, Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology,Institutskiy per. 7, Dolgoprudnyi, Moscow region, 141700 (Russian Federation); Geiko, Roman [Mathematics Department, National Research University Higher School of Economics,Usacheva str. 6, Moscow, 119048 (Russian Federation); Rappoport, Vladimir [I.E. Tamm Department of Theoretical Physics, P.N. Lebedev Physical Institute,Leninsky ave. 53, Moscow, 119991 (Russian Federation); Department of Quantum Physics, Institute for Information Transmission Problems,Bolshoy Karetny per. 19, Moscow, 127994 (Russian Federation)

    2017-04-12

    We study four types of one-point torus blocks arising in the large central charge regime. There are the global block, the light block, the heavy-light block, and the linearized classical block, according to different regimes of conformal dimensions. It is shown that the blocks are not independent being connected to each other by various links. We find that the global, light, and heavy-light blocks correspond to three different contractions of the Virasoro algebra. Also, we formulate the c-recursive representation of the one-point torus blocks which is relevant in the semiclassical approximation.

  9. Coherent Multidecadal Atmospheric and Oceanic Variability in the North Atlantic: Blocking Corresponds with Warm Subpolar Ocean

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hakkinen, Sirpa M.; Rhines, P. B.; Worthen, D. L.

    2012-01-01

    Winters with frequent atmospheric blocking, in a band of latitudes from Greenland to Western Europe, are found to persist over several decades and correspond to a warm North Atlantic Ocean. This is evident in atmospheric reanalysis data, both modern and for the full 20th century. Blocking is approximately in phase with Atlantic multidecadal ocean variability (AMV). Wintertime atmospheric blocking involves a highly distorted jetstream, isolating large regions of air from the westerly circulation. It influences the ocean through windstress-curl and associated air/sea heat flux. While blocking is a relatively high-frequency phenomenon, it is strongly modulated over decadal timescales. The blocked regime (weaker ocean gyres, weaker air-sea heat flux, paradoxically increased transport of warm subtropical waters poleward) contributes to the warm phase of AMV. Atmospheric blocking better describes the early 20thC warming and 1996-2010 warm period than does the NAO index. It has roots in the hemispheric circulation and jet stream dynamics. Subpolar Atlantic variability covaries with distant AMOC fields: both these connections may express the global influence of the subpolar North Atlantic ocean on the global climate system.

  10. Design and Preparation of Nano-Lignin Peroxidase (NanoLiP by Protein Block Copolymerization Approach

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Turgay Tay

    2016-06-01

    Full Text Available This study describes the preparation of nanoprotein particles having lignin peroxidase (LiP using a photosensitive microemulsion polymerization technique. The protein-based nano block polymer was synthesized by cross-linking of ligninase enzyme with ruthenium-based aminoacid monomers. This type polymerization process brought stability in different reaction conditions, reusability and functionality to the protein-based nano block polymer system when compared the traditional methods. After characterization of the prepared LiP copolymer nanoparticles, enzymatic activity studies of the nanoenzymes were carried out using tetramethylbenzidine (TMB as the substrate. The parameters such as pH, temperature and initial enzyme concentration that affect the activity, were investigated by using prepared nanoLip particles and compared to free LiP. The reusability of the nano-LiP particles was also investigated and the obtained results showed that the nano-LiP particles exhibited admirable potential as a reusable catalyst.

  11. Common blocks for ASQS(12

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Lorenzo Milazzo

    1997-05-01

    Full Text Available An ASQS(v is a particular Steiner system featuring a set of v vertices and two separate families of blocks, B and G, whose elements have a respective cardinality of 4 and 6. It has the property that any three vertices of X belong either to a B-block or to a G-block. The parameter cb is the number of common blocks in two separate ASQSs, both defined on the same set of vertices X . In this paper it is shown that cb ≤ 29 for any pair of ASQSs(12.

  12. NeuroBlocks – Visual Tracking of Segmentation and Proofreading for Large Connectomics Projects

    KAUST Repository

    Al-Awami, Ali

    2015-08-12

    In the field of connectomics, neuroscientists acquire electron microscopy volumes at nanometer resolution in order to reconstruct a detailed wiring diagram of the neurons in the brain. The resulting image volumes, which often are hundreds of terabytes in size, need to be segmented to identify cell boundaries, synapses, and important cell organelles. However, the segmentation process of a single volume is very complex, time-intensive, and usually performed using a diverse set of tools and many users. To tackle the associated challenges, this paper presents NeuroBlocks, which is a novel visualization system for tracking the state, progress, and evolution of very large volumetric segmentation data in neuroscience. NeuroBlocks is a multi-user web-based application that seamlessly integrates the diverse set of tools that neuroscientists currently use for manual and semi-automatic segmentation, proofreading, visualization, and analysis. NeuroBlocks is the first system that integrates this heterogeneous tool set, providing crucial support for the management, provenance, accountability, and auditing of large-scale segmentations. We describe the design of NeuroBlocks, starting with an analysis of the domain-specific tasks, their inherent challenges, and our subsequent task abstraction and visual representation. We demonstrate the utility of our design based on two case studies that focus on different user roles and their respective requirements for performing and tracking the progress of segmentation and proofreading in a large real-world connectomics project.

  13. Age related differences in the strategies used by middle aged adults to solve a block design task.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rozencwajg, P; Cherfi, M; Ferrandez, A M; Lautrey, J; Lemoine, C; Loarer, E

    2005-01-01

    In the present study, it was proposed to investigate the effects of aging on the strategies used to solve a block design task and to establish whether these strategies may be associated with differential patterns of ability. Two groups of subjects, 30 young adults (aged 20-35 years) and 30 middle-aged adults (aged 45-60 years) were set a computer version of the Kohs task and a battery of tests. An age-related decrease in fluid intelligence (Gf) and visual-spatial ability (Gv) was observed, along with the fact that most of the older subjects used a global strategy rather than a synthetic one. On the other hand, while continuing to use strategies of the analytic type, the older subjects looked more frequently at the model and scored high on crystallized intelligence (Gc). These findings are discussed from two different points of view: the theory of hierarchical stimuli and the hypothesis that metacognitive ability, which is thought to rely on Gc, may increase with age, and thus compensate for the loss of Gf and Gv.

  14. The SKINNY Family of Block Ciphers and Its Low-Latency Variant MANTIS

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Beierle, Christof; Jean, Jérémy; Kölbl, Stefan

    2016-01-01

    We present a new tweakable block cipher family SKINNY, whose goal is to compete with NSA recent design SIMON in terms of hardware/ software performances, while proving in addition much stronger security guarantees with regards to differential/linear attacks. In particular, unlike SIMON, we are able...... to provide strong bounds for all versions, and not only in the single-key model, but also in the related-key or related-tweak model. SKINNY has flexible block/key/tweak sizes and can also benefit from very efficient threshold implementations for sidechannel protection. Regarding performances, it outperforms...

  15. Pectoral nerve block (Pecs block) with sedation for breast conserving surgery without general anesthesia.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Moon, Eun-Jin; Kim, Seung-Beom; Chung, Jun-Young; Song, Jeong-Yoon; Yi, Jae-Woo

    2017-09-01

    Most regional anesthesia in breast surgeries is performed as postoperative pain management under general anesthesia, and not as the primary anesthesia. Regional anesthesia has very few cardiovascular or pulmonary side-effects, as compared with general anesthesia. Pectoral nerve block is a relatively new technique, with fewer complications than other regional anesthesia. We performed Pecs I and Pec II block simultaneously as primary anesthesia under moderate sedation with dexmedetomidine for breast conserving surgery in a 49-year-old female patient with invasive ductal carcinoma. Block was uneventful and showed no complications. Thus, Pecs block with sedation could be an alternative to general anesthesia for breast surgeries.

  16. 49 CFR 236.708 - Block.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-10-01

    ... 49 Transportation 4 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 false Block. 236.708 Section 236.708 Transportation... OF SIGNAL AND TRAIN CONTROL SYSTEMS, DEVICES, AND APPLIANCES Definitions § 236.708 Block. A length of track of defined limits, the use of which by trains is governed by block signals, cab signals, or both. ...

  17. Thorium utilization in a small long-life HTR. Part I: Th/U MOX fuel blocks

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Ding, Ming, E-mail: dingm2005@gmail.com [Delft University of Technology, Reactor Institute Delft, Mekelweg 15, 2629 JB, Delft (Netherlands); Harbin Engineering University, Nantong Street 145, 150001 Harbin (China); Kloosterman, Jan Leen, E-mail: j.l.kloosterman@tudelft.nl [Delft University of Technology, Reactor Institute Delft, Mekelweg 15, 2629 JB, Delft (Netherlands)

    2014-02-15

    Highlights: • We propose thorium MOX (TMOX) fuel blocks for a small block-type HTR. • The TMOX fuel blocks with low-enriched uranium are recommended. • More thorium decreases the reactivity swing of the TMOX fuel blocks. • Thorium reduces the negative temperature coefficient of the TMOX fuel blocks. • Thorium increases the conversion ratio of the TMOX fuel blocks. - Abstract: The U-Battery is a small, long-life and transportable high temperature gas-cooled reactor (HTR). The neutronic features of a typical fuel block with uranium and thorium have been investigated for a application of the U-Battery, by parametrically analyzing the composition and geometric parameters. The type of fuel block is defined as Th/U MOX fuel block because uranium and thorium are assumed to be mixed in each fuel kernel as a form of (Th,U)O{sub 2}. If the initially loaded mass of U-235 is mostly consumed in the early period of the lifetime of Th/U MOX fuel block, low-enriched uranium (LEU) as ignited fuel will not largely reduce the neutronic performance of the Th/U MOX fuel block, compared with high-enriched uranium. The radii of fuel kernels and fuel compacts and packing fraction of TRISO particles determine the atomic ratio of the carbon to heavy metal. When the ratio is smaller than 400, the difference among them due to double heterogeneous effects can be neglected for the Th/U MOX fuel block. In the range between 200 and 400, the reactivity swing of the Th/U MOX fuel block during 10 years is sufficiently small. The magnitude of the negative reactivity temperature coefficients of the Th/U MOX fuel block decreases by 20–45%, which is positive to reduce temperature defect of the Th/U MOX fuel block. The conversion ratio (CR) of the fuel increases from 0.48 (typical CR of the LEU-fueled U-Battery) to 0.78. The larger conversion ratio of the Th/U MOX fuel block reduces the reactivity swing during 10 years for the U-Battery.

  18. Ultrasound-Guided Single-Injection Infraclavicular Block Versus Ultrasound-Guided Double-Injection Axillary Block: A Noninferiority Randomized Controlled Trial.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Boivin, Ariane; Nadeau, Marie-Josée; Dion, Nicolas; Lévesque, Simon; Nicole, Pierre C; Turgeon, Alexis F

    2016-01-01

    Single-injection ultrasound-guided infraclavicular block is a simple, reliable, and effective technique. A simplified double-injection ultrasound-guided axillary block technique with a high success rate recently has been described. It has the advantage of being performed in a superficial and compressible location, with a potentially improved safety profile. However, its effectiveness in comparison with single-injection infraclavicular block has not been established. We hypothesized that the double-injection ultrasound-guided axillary block would show rates of complete sensory block at 30 minutes noninferior to the single-injection ultrasound-guided infraclavicular block. After approval by our research ethics committee and written informed consent, adults undergoing distal upper arm surgery were randomized to either group I, ultrasound-guided single-injection infraclavicular block, or group A, ultrasound-guided double-injection axillary block. In group I, 30 mL of 1.5% mepivacaine was injected posterior to the axillary artery. In group A, 25 mL of 1.5% mepivacaine was injected posteromedial to the axillary artery, after which 5 mL was injected around the musculocutaneous nerve. Primary outcome was the rate of complete sensory block at 30 minutes. Secondary outcomes were the onset of sensory and motor blocks, surgical success rates, performance times, and incidence of complications. All outcomes were assessed by a blinded investigator. The noninferiority of the double-injection ultrasound-guided axillary block was considered if the limits of the 90% confidence intervals (CIs) were within a 10% margin of the rate of complete sensory block of the infraclavicular block. At 30 minutes, the rate of complete sensory block was 79% in group A (90% CI, 71%-85%) compared with 91% in group I (90% CI, 85%-95%); the upper limit of CI of group A is thus included in the established noninferiority margin of 10%. The rate of complete sensory block was lower in group A (proportion

  19. Block copolymer battery separator

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wong, David; Balsara, Nitash Pervez

    2016-04-26

    The invention herein described is the use of a block copolymer/homopolymer blend for creating nanoporous materials for transport applications. Specifically, this is demonstrated by using the block copolymer poly(styrene-block-ethylene-block-styrene) (SES) and blending it with homopolymer polystyrene (PS). After blending the polymers, a film is cast, and the film is submerged in tetrahydrofuran, which removes the PS. This creates a nanoporous polymer film, whereby the holes are lined with PS. Control of morphology of the system is achieved by manipulating the amount of PS added and the relative size of the PS added. The porous nature of these films was demonstrated by measuring the ionic conductivity in a traditional battery electrolyte, 1M LiPF.sub.6 in EC/DEC (1:1 v/v) using AC impedance spectroscopy and comparing these results to commercially available battery separators.

  20. Fluorinated building blocks for next-generation polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cells

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Wadekar, M.N.

    2012-01-01

    The purpose of this thesis is to design, create and study basic building blocks for the construction of self-assembled nanostructured electrodes and membranes for PEMFC. The research described deals with the synthesis of polymerizable fluorosurfactant (1) and its non-polymerizable analogue (2) and