UHE point source survey at Cygnus experiment

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lu, X.; Yodh, G.B.; Alexandreas, D.E.; Allen, R.C.; Berley, D.; Biller, S.D.; Burman, R.L.; Cady, R.; Chang, C.Y.; Dingus, B.L.; Dion, G.M.; Ellsworth, R.W.; Gilra, M.K.; Goodman, J.A.; Haines, T.J.; Hoffman, C.M.; Kwok, P.; Lloyd-Evans, J.; Nagle, D.E.; Potter, M.E.; Sandberg, V.D.; Stark, M.J.; Talaga, R.L.; Vishwanath, P.R.; Zhang, W.

1991-01-01

A new method of searching for UHE point source has been developed. With a data sample of 150 million events, we have surveyed the sky for point sources over 3314 locations (1.4 degree <δ<70.4 degree). It was found that their distribution is consistent with a random fluctuation. In addition, fifty two known potential sources, including pulsars and binary x-ray sources, were studied. The source with the largest positive excess is the Crab Nebula. An excess of 2.5 sigma above the background is observed in a bin of 2.3 degree by 2.5 degree in declination and right ascension respectively

EPA Region 1 Environmentally Sensitive Areas (Points)

Data.gov (United States)

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency — This coverage represents point equivalents of environmentally sensitive areas in EPA New England. This coverage represents polygon equivalents of environmentally...

Point source reconstruction principle of linear inverse problems

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Terazono, Yasushi; Matani, Ayumu; Fujimaki, Norio; Murata, Tsutomu

2010-01-01

Exact point source reconstruction for underdetermined linear inverse problems with a block-wise structure was studied. In a block-wise problem, elements of a source vector are partitioned into blocks. Accordingly, a leadfield matrix, which represents the forward observation process, is also partitioned into blocks. A point source is a source having only one nonzero block. An example of such a problem is current distribution estimation in electroencephalography and magnetoencephalography, where a source vector represents a vector field and a point source represents a single current dipole. In this study, the block-wise norm, a block-wise extension of the l p -norm, was defined as the family of cost functions of the inverse method. The main result is that a set of three conditions was found to be necessary and sufficient for block-wise norm minimization to ensure exact point source reconstruction for any leadfield matrix that admit such reconstruction. The block-wise norm that satisfies the conditions is the sum of the cost of all the observations of source blocks, or in other words, the block-wisely extended leadfield-weighted l 1 -norm. Additional results are that minimization of such a norm always provides block-wisely sparse solutions and that its solutions form cones in source space

X pinch a point x-ray source

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Garg, A.B.; Rout, R.K.; Shyam, A.; Srinivasan, M.

1993-01-01

X ray emission from an X pinch, a point x-ray source has been studied using a pin-hole camera by a 30 kV, 7.2 μ F capacitor bank. The wires of different material like W, Mo, Cu, S.S.(stainless steel) and Ti were used. Molybdenum pinch gives the most intense x-rays and stainless steel gives the minimum intensity x-rays for same bank energy (∼ 3.2 kJ). Point x-ray source of size (≤ 0.5 mm) was observed using pin hole camera. The size of the source is limited by the size of the pin hole camera. The peak current in the load is approximately 150 kA. The point x-ray source could be useful in many fields like micro lithography, medicine and to study the basic physics of high Z plasmas. (author). 4 refs., 3 figs

The MAGIC Touch: Combining MAGIC-Pointing with a Touch-Sensitive Mouse

Science.gov (United States)

Drewes, Heiko; Schmidt, Albrecht

In this paper, we show how to use the combination of eye-gaze and a touch-sensitive mouse to ease pointing tasks in graphical user interfaces. A touch of the mouse positions the mouse pointer at the current gaze position of the user. Thus, the pointer is always at the position where the user expects it on the screen. This approach changes the user experience in tasks that include frequent switching between keyboard and mouse input (e.g. working with spreadsheets). In a user study, we compared the touch-sensitive mouse with a traditional mouse and observed speed improvements for pointing tasks on complex backgrounds. For pointing task on plain backgrounds, performances with both devices were similar, but users perceived the gaze-sensitive interaction of the touch-sensitive mouse as being faster and more convenient. Our results show that using a touch-sensitive mouse that positions the pointer on the user’s gaze position reduces the need for mouse movements in pointing tasks enormously.

Unidentified point sources in the IRAS minisurvey

Science.gov (United States)

Houck, J. R.; Soifer, B. T.; Neugebauer, G.; Beichman, C. A.; Aumann, H. H.; Clegg, P. E.; Gillett, F. C.; Habing, H. J.; Hauser, M. G.; Low, F. J.

1984-01-01

Nine bright, point-like 60 micron sources have been selected from the sample of 8709 sources in the IRAS minisurvey. These sources have no counterparts in a variety of catalogs of nonstellar objects. Four objects have no visible counterparts, while five have faint stellar objects visible in the error ellipse. These sources do not resemble objects previously known to be bright infrared sources.

2011 Radioactive Materials Usage Survey for Unmonitored Point Sources

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Sturgeon, Richard W. [Los Alamos National Laboratory

2012-06-27

This report provides the results of the 2011 Radioactive Materials Usage Survey for Unmonitored Point Sources (RMUS), which was updated by the Environmental Protection (ENV) Division's Environmental Stewardship (ES) at Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL). ES classifies LANL emission sources into one of four Tiers, based on the potential effective dose equivalent (PEDE) calculated for each point source. Detailed descriptions of these tiers are provided in Section 3. The usage survey is conducted annually; in odd-numbered years the survey addresses all monitored and unmonitored point sources and in even-numbered years it addresses all Tier III and various selected other sources. This graded approach was designed to ensure that the appropriate emphasis is placed on point sources that have higher potential emissions to the environment. For calendar year (CY) 2011, ES has divided the usage survey into two distinct reports, one covering the monitored point sources (to be completed later this year) and this report covering all unmonitored point sources. This usage survey includes the following release points: (1) all unmonitored sources identified in the 2010 usage survey, (2) any new release points identified through the new project review (NPR) process, and (3) other release points as designated by the Rad-NESHAP Team Leader. Data for all unmonitored point sources at LANL is stored in the survey files at ES. LANL uses this survey data to help demonstrate compliance with Clean Air Act radioactive air emissions regulations (40 CFR 61, Subpart H). The remainder of this introduction provides a brief description of the information contained in each section. Section 2 of this report describes the methods that were employed for gathering usage survey data and for calculating usage, emissions, and dose for these point sources. It also references the appropriate ES procedures for further information. Section 3 describes the RMUS and explains how the survey results are

Local sensitivity of per-recruit fishing mortality reference points.

Science.gov (United States)

Cadigan, N G; Wang, S

2016-12-01

We study the sensitivity of fishery management per-recruit harvest rates which may be part of a quantitative harvest strategy designed to achieve some objective for catch or population size. We use a local influence sensitivity analysis to derive equations that describe how these reference harvest rates are affected by perturbations to productivity processes. These equations give a basic theoretical understanding of sensitivity that can be used to predict what the likely impacts of future changes in productivity will be. Our results indicate that per-recruit reference harvest rates are more sensitive to perturbations when the equilibrium catch or population size per recruit, as functions of the harvest rate, have less curvature near the reference point. Overall our results suggest that per recruit reference points will, with some exceptions, usually increase if (1) growth rates increase, (2) natural mortality rates increase, or (3) fishery selectivity increases to an older age.

[A landscape ecological approach for urban non-point source pollution control].

Science.gov (United States)

Guo, Qinghai; Ma, Keming; Zhao, Jingzhu; Yang, Liu; Yin, Chengqing

2005-05-01

Urban non-point source pollution is a new problem appeared with the speeding development of urbanization. The particularity of urban land use and the increase of impervious surface area make urban non-point source pollution differ from agricultural non-point source pollution, and more difficult to control. Best Management Practices (BMPs) are the effective practices commonly applied in controlling urban non-point source pollution, mainly adopting local repairing practices to control the pollutants in surface runoff. Because of the close relationship between urban land use patterns and non-point source pollution, it would be rational to combine the landscape ecological planning with local BMPs to control the urban non-point source pollution, which needs, firstly, analyzing and evaluating the influence of landscape structure on water-bodies, pollution sources and pollutant removal processes to define the relationships between landscape spatial pattern and non-point source pollution and to decide the key polluted fields, and secondly, adjusting inherent landscape structures or/and joining new landscape factors to form new landscape pattern, and combining landscape planning and management through applying BMPs into planning to improve urban landscape heterogeneity and to control urban non-point source pollution.

On the point-source approximation of earthquake dynamics

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Andrea Bizzarri

2014-06-01

Full Text Available The focus on the present study is on the point-source approximation of a seismic source. First, we compare the synthetic motions on the free surface resulting from different analytical evolutions of the seismic source (the Gabor signal (G, the Bouchon ramp (B, the Cotton and Campillo ramp (CC, the Yoffe function (Y and the Liu and Archuleta function (LA. Our numerical experiments indicate that the CC and the Y functions produce synthetics with larger oscillations and correspondingly they have a higher frequency content. Moreover, the CC and the Y functions tend to produce higher peaks in the ground velocity (roughly of a factor of two. We have also found that the falloff at high frequencies is quite different: it roughly follows ω−2 in the case of G and LA functions, it decays more faster than ω−2 for the B function, while it is slow than ω−1 for both the CC and the Y solutions. Then we perform a comparison of seismic waves resulting from 3-D extended ruptures (both supershear and subshear obeying to different governing laws against those from a single point-source having the same features. It is shown that the point-source models tend to overestimate the ground motions and that they completely miss the Mach fronts emerging from the supershear transition process. When we compare the extended fault solutions against a multiple point-sources model the agreement becomes more significant, although relevant discrepancies still persist. Our results confirm that, and more importantly quantify how, the point-source approximation is unable to adequately describe the radiation emitted during a real world earthquake, even in the most idealized case of planar fault with homogeneous properties and embedded in a homogeneous, perfectly elastic medium.

Sensitivity of Coastal Environments and Wildlife to Spilled Oil: Hudson River: SENSITIV (Sensitive Area Points)

Data.gov (United States)

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce — This data set contains human-use resource data for sensitive areas along the Hudson River. Vector points in this data set represent sensitive areas. This data set...

Internal noise sources limiting contrast sensitivity.

Science.gov (United States)

Silvestre, Daphné; Arleo, Angelo; Allard, Rémy

2018-02-07

Contrast sensitivity varies substantially as a function of spatial frequency and luminance intensity. The variation as a function of luminance intensity is well known and characterized by three laws that can be attributed to the impact of three internal noise sources: early spontaneous neural activity limiting contrast sensitivity at low luminance intensities (i.e. early noise responsible for the linear law), probabilistic photon absorption at intermediate luminance intensities (i.e. photon noise responsible for de Vries-Rose law) and late spontaneous neural activity at high luminance intensities (i.e. late noise responsible for Weber's law). The aim of this study was to characterize how the impact of these three internal noise sources vary with spatial frequency and determine which one is limiting contrast sensitivity as a function of luminance intensity and spatial frequency. To estimate the impact of the different internal noise sources, the current study used an external noise paradigm to factorize contrast sensitivity into equivalent input noise and calculation efficiency over a wide range of luminance intensities and spatial frequencies. The impact of early and late noise was found to drop linearly with spatial frequency, whereas the impact of photon noise rose with spatial frequency due to ocular factors.

The Development and Application of Spatiotemporal Metrics for the Characterization of Point Source FFCO2 Emissions and Dispersion

Science.gov (United States)

Roten, D.; Hogue, S.; Spell, P.; Marland, E.; Marland, G.

2017-12-01

There is an increasing role for high resolution, CO2 emissions inventories across multiple arenas. The breadth of the applicability of high-resolution data is apparent from their use in atmospheric CO2 modeling, their potential for validation of space-based atmospheric CO2 remote-sensing, and the development of climate change policy. This work focuses on increasing our understanding of the uncertainty in these inventories and the implications on their downstream use. The industrial point sources of emissions (power generating stations, cement manufacturing plants, paper mills, etc.) used in the creation of these inventories often have robust emissions characteristics, beyond just their geographic location. Physical parameters of the emission sources such as number of exhaust stacks, stack heights, stack diameters, exhaust temperatures, and exhaust velocities, as well as temporal variability and climatic influences can be important in characterizing emissions. Emissions from large point sources can behave much differently than emissions from areal sources such as automobiles. For many applications geographic location is not an adequate characterization of emissions. This work demonstrates the sensitivities of atmospheric models to the physical parameters of large point sources and provides a methodology for quantifying parameter impacts at multiple locations across the United States. The sensitivities highlight the importance of location and timing and help to highlight potential aspects that can guide efforts to reduce uncertainty in emissions inventories and increase the utility of the models.

Rainfall Deduction Method for Estimating Non-Point Source Pollution Load for Watershed

OpenAIRE

Cai, Ming; Li, Huai-en; KAWAKAMI, Yoji

2004-01-01

The water pollution can be divided into point source pollution (PSP) and non-point source pollution (NSP). Since the point source pollution has been controlled, the non-point source pollution is becoming the main pollution source. The prediction of NSP load is being increasingly important in water pollution controlling and planning in watershed. Considering the monitoring data shortage of NPS in China, a practical estimation method of non-point source pollution load --- rainfall deduction met...

Very Luminous X-ray Point Sources in Starburst Galaxies

Science.gov (United States)

Colbert, E.; Heckman, T.; Ptak, A.; Weaver, K. A.; Strickland, D.

Extranuclear X-ray point sources in external galaxies with luminosities above 1039.0 erg/s are quite common in elliptical, disk and dwarf galaxies, with an average of ~ 0.5 and dwarf galaxies, with an average of ~0.5 sources per galaxy. These objects may be a new class of object, perhaps accreting intermediate-mass black holes, or beamed stellar mass black hole binaries. Starburst galaxies tend to have a larger number of these intermediate-luminosity X-ray objects (IXOs), as well as a large number of lower-luminosity (1037 - 1039 erg/s) point sources. These point sources dominate the total hard X-ray emission in starburst galaxies. We present a review of both types of objects and discuss possible schemes for their formation.

A method for untriggered time-dependent searches for multiple flares from neutrino point sources

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gora, D.; Bernardini, E.; Cruz Silva, A.H.

2011-04-01

A method for a time-dependent search for flaring astrophysical sources which can be potentially detected by large neutrino experiments is presented. The method uses a time-clustering algorithm combined with an unbinned likelihood procedure. By including in the likelihood function a signal term which describes the contribution of many small clusters of signal-like events, this method provides an effective way for looking for weak neutrino flares over different time-scales. The method is sensitive to an overall excess of events distributed over several flares which are not individually detectable. For standard cases (one flare) the discovery potential of the method is worse than a standard time-dependent point source analysis with unknown duration of the flare by a factor depending on the signal-to-background level. However, for flares sufficiently shorter than the total observation period, the method is more sensitive than a time-integrated analysis. (orig.)

A method for untriggered time-dependent searches for multiple flares from neutrino point sources

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Gora, D. [Deutsches Elektronen-Synchrotron (DESY), Zeuthen (Germany); Institute of Nuclear Physics PAN, Cracow (Poland); Bernardini, E.; Cruz Silva, A.H. [Institute of Nuclear Physics PAN, Cracow (Poland)

2011-04-15

A method for a time-dependent search for flaring astrophysical sources which can be potentially detected by large neutrino experiments is presented. The method uses a time-clustering algorithm combined with an unbinned likelihood procedure. By including in the likelihood function a signal term which describes the contribution of many small clusters of signal-like events, this method provides an effective way for looking for weak neutrino flares over different time-scales. The method is sensitive to an overall excess of events distributed over several flares which are not individually detectable. For standard cases (one flare) the discovery potential of the method is worse than a standard time-dependent point source analysis with unknown duration of the flare by a factor depending on the signal-to-background level. However, for flares sufficiently shorter than the total observation period, the method is more sensitive than a time-integrated analysis. (orig.)

Stochastic sensitivity analysis of nitrogen pollution to climate change in a river basin with complex pollution sources.

Science.gov (United States)

Yang, Xiaoying; Tan, Lit; He, Ruimin; Fu, Guangtao; Ye, Jinyin; Liu, Qun; Wang, Guoqing

2017-12-01

It is increasingly recognized that climate change could impose both direct and indirect impacts on the quality of the water environment. Previous studies have mostly concentrated on evaluating the impacts of climate change on non-point source pollution in agricultural watersheds. Few studies have assessed the impacts of climate change on the water quality of river basins with complex point and non-point pollution sources. In view of the gap, this paper aims to establish a framework for stochastic assessment of the sensitivity of water quality to future climate change in a river basin with complex pollution sources. A sub-daily soil and water assessment tool (SWAT) model was developed to simulate the discharge, transport, and transformation of nitrogen from multiple point and non-point pollution sources in the upper Huai River basin of China. A weather generator was used to produce 50 years of synthetic daily weather data series for all 25 combinations of precipitation (changes by - 10, 0, 10, 20, and 30%) and temperature change (increases by 0, 1, 2, 3, and 4 °C) scenarios. The generated daily rainfall series was disaggregated into the hourly scale and then used to drive the sub-daily SWAT model to simulate the nitrogen cycle under different climate change scenarios. Our results in the study region have indicated that (1) both total nitrogen (TN) loads and concentrations are insensitive to temperature change; (2) TN loads are highly sensitive to precipitation change, while TN concentrations are moderately sensitive; (3) the impacts of climate change on TN concentrations are more spatiotemporally variable than its impacts on TN loads; and (4) wide distributions of TN loads and TN concentrations under individual climate change scenario illustrate the important role of climatic variability in affecting water quality conditions. In summary, the large variability in SWAT simulation results within and between each climate change scenario highlights the uncertainty of

Search for neutrino point sources with an all-sky autocorrelation analysis in IceCube

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Turcati, Andrea; Bernhard, Anna; Coenders, Stefan [TU, Munich (Germany); Collaboration: IceCube-Collaboration

2016-07-01

The IceCube Neutrino Observatory is a cubic kilometre scale neutrino telescope located in the Antarctic ice. Its full-sky field of view gives unique opportunities to study the neutrino emission from the Galactic and extragalactic sky. Recently, IceCube found the first signal of astrophysical neutrinos with energies up to the PeV scale, but the origin of these particles still remains unresolved. Given the observed flux, the absence of observations of bright point-sources is explainable with the presence of numerous weak sources. This scenario can be tested using autocorrelation methods. We present here the sensitivities and discovery potentials of a two-point angular correlation analysis performed on seven years of IceCube data, taken between 2008 and 2015. The test is applied on the northern and southern skies separately, using the neutrino energy information to improve the effectiveness of the method.

A Targeted Search for Point Sources of EeV Photons with the Pierre Auger Observatory

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Aab, A. [Institute for Mathematics, Astrophysics and Particle Physics (IMAPP), Radboud Universiteit, Nijmegen (Netherlands); Abreu, P. [Laboratório de Instrumentação e Física Experimental de Partículas—LIP and Instituto Superior Técnico—IST, Universidade de Lisboa—UL, Lisbon (Portugal); Aglietta, M. [INFN, Sezione di Torino, Torino (Italy); Samarai, I. Al [Laboratoire de Physique Nucléaire et de Hautes Energies (LPNHE), Universités Paris 6 et Paris 7, CNRS-IN2P3, Paris (France); Albuquerque, I. F. M. [Universidade de São Paulo, Inst. de Física, São Paulo (Brazil); Allekotte, I. [Centro Atómico Bariloche and Instituto Balseiro (CNEA-UNCuyo-CONICET), San Carlos de Bariloche (Argentina); Almela, A. [Instituto de Tecnologías en Detección y Astropartículas (CNEA, CONICET, UNSAM), Centro Atómico Constituyentes, Comisión Nacional de Energía Atómica, Buenos Aires (Argentina); Castillo, J. Alvarez [Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, México, D. F., México (Mexico); Alvarez-Muñiz, J. [Universidad de Santiago de Compostela, La Coruña (Spain); Anastasi, G. A. [Gran Sasso Science Institute (INFN), L’Aquila (Italy); and others

2017-03-10

Simultaneous measurements of air showers with the fluorescence and surface detectors of the Pierre Auger Observatory allow a sensitive search for EeV photon point sources. Several Galactic and extragalactic candidate objects are grouped in classes to reduce the statistical penalty of many trials from that of a blind search and are analyzed for a significant excess above the background expectation. The presented search does not find any evidence for photon emission at candidate sources, and combined p -values for every class are reported. Particle and energy flux upper limits are given for selected candidate sources. These limits significantly constrain predictions of EeV proton emission models from non-transient Galactic and nearby extragalactic sources, as illustrated for the particular case of the Galactic center region.

Family of Quantum Sources for Improving Near Field Accuracy in Transducer Modeling by the Distributed Point Source Method

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Dominique Placko

2016-10-01

Full Text Available The distributed point source method, or DPSM, developed in the last decade has been used for solving various engineering problems—such as elastic and electromagnetic wave propagation, electrostatic, and fluid flow problems. Based on a semi-analytical formulation, the DPSM solution is generally built by superimposing the point source solutions or Green’s functions. However, the DPSM solution can be also obtained by superimposing elemental solutions of volume sources having some source density called the equivalent source density (ESD. In earlier works mostly point sources were used. In this paper the DPSM formulation is modified to introduce a new kind of ESD, replacing the classical single point source by a family of point sources that are referred to as quantum sources. The proposed formulation with these quantum sources do not change the dimension of the global matrix to be inverted to solve the problem when compared with the classical point source-based DPSM formulation. To assess the performance of this new formulation, the ultrasonic field generated by a circular planer transducer was compared with the classical DPSM formulation and analytical solution. The results show a significant improvement in the near field computation.

Calculation of dose for β point and sphere sources in soft tissue

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sun Fuyin; Yuan Shuyu; Tan Jian

1999-01-01

Objective: To compare the results of the distribution of dose rate calculated by three typical methods for point source and sphere source of β nuclide. Methods: Calculating and comparing the distributions of dose rate from 32 P β point and sphere sources in soft tissue calculated by the three methods published in references, [1]. [2] and [3], respectively. Results: For the point source of 3.7 x 10 7 Bq (1mCi), the variations of the calculation results of the three formulas are within 10% if r≤0.35 g/cm 2 , r being the distance from source, and larger than 10% if r > 0.35 g/cm 2 . For the sphere source whose volume is 50 μl and activity is 3.7 x 10 7 Bq(1 mCi), the variations are within 10% if z≤0.15 g/cm 2 , z being the distance from the surface of the sphere source to a point outside the sphere. Conclusion: The agreement of the distributions of the dose rate calculated by the three methods mentioned above for point and sphere β source are good if the distances from point source or the surface of sphere source to the points observed are small, and poor if they are large

Measurement of home-made LaCl3 : Ce scintillation detector sensitivity with different energy points in range of fission energy

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hu Mengchun; Li Rurong; Si Fenni

2010-01-01

Gamma rays of different energy were obtained in the range of fission energy by Compton scattering in intense 60 Co gamma source and the standard isotopic gamma sources which are 0.67 MeV 137 Cs and l.25 MeV 60 Co sources of point form. Sensitivity of LaCl 3 : Ce scintillator was measured in these gamma ray energy by a fast response scintillation detector with the home-made LaCl 3 : Ce scintillator. Results were normalized by the sensitivity to 0.67 MeV gamma ray. Sensitivity of LaCl 3 : Ce to 1.25 MeV gamma ray is about l.28. For ø40 mm × 2 mm LaCl 3 : Ce scintillator, the biggest sensitivity is l.18 and the smallest is 0.96 with gamma ray from 0.39 to 0.78 MeV. And for ø40 mm × 10 mm LaCl 3 : Ce scintillator, the biggest sensitivity is l.06 and the smallest is 0.98. The experimental results can provide references for theoretical study of the LaCl 3 : Ce scintillator and data to obtain the compounded sensitivity of LaCl 3 : Ce scintillator in the range of fission energy. (authors)

X-ray Point Source Populations in Spiral and Elliptical Galaxies

Science.gov (United States)

Colbert, E.; Heckman, T.; Weaver, K.; Strickland, D.

2002-01-01

The hard-X-ray luminosity of non-active galaxies has been known to be fairly well correlated with the total blue luminosity since the days of the Einstein satellite. However, the origin of this hard component was not well understood. Some possibilities that were considered included X-ray binaries, extended upscattered far-infrared light via the inverse-Compton process, extended hot 107 K gas (especially in ellipitical galaxies), or even an active nucleus. Chandra images of normal, elliptical and starburst galaxies now show that a significant amount of the total hard X-ray emission comes from individual point sources. We present here spatial and spectral analyses of the point sources in a small sample of Chandra obervations of starburst galaxies, and compare with Chandra point source analyses from comparison galaxies (elliptical, Seyfert and normal galaxies). We discuss possible relationships between the number and total hard luminosity of the X-ray point sources and various measures of the galaxy star formation rate, and discuss possible options for the numerous compact sources that are observed.

Trans-Z-source Neutral Point Clamped inverter

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Mo, W.; Loh, P. C.; Li, D.

2012-01-01

Transformer based Z-source (trans-Z-source) inverters are recently proposed by extending the traditional Z-source inverter with higher buck-boost capability as well as reducing the passive components at the same time. Multi-Level Z-source inverters are single-stage topological solutions used...... for buck-boost energy conversion with all the favourable advantages of multi-level switching retained. This paper presents three-level trans-Z-source Neutral Point Clamped (NPC) inverter topology, which achieves both the advantages of trans-Z-source and three-level NPC inverter configuration. With proper...... modulation scheme, the three-level trans-Z-source inverter can function with minimum of six device commutations per half carrier cycle (same as the traditional buck NPC inverter), while maintaining to produce the designed volt-sec average and inductive voltage boosting at ac output terminals. The designed...

Determination of disintegration rates of a 60Co point source and volume sources by the sum-peak method

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kawano, Takao; Ebihara, Hiroshi

1990-01-01

The disintegration rates of 60 Co as a point source (<2 mm in diameter on a thin plastic disc) and volume sources (10-100 mL solutions in a polyethylene bottle) are determined by the sum-peak method. The sum-peak formula gives the exact disintegration rate for the point source at different positions from the detector. However, increasing the volume of the solution results in enlarged deviations from the true disintegration rate. Extended sources must be treated as an amalgam of many point sources. (author)

Sensitivity Analysis of Deviation Source for Fast Assembly Precision Optimization

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jianjun Tang

2014-01-01

Full Text Available Assembly precision optimization of complex product has a huge benefit in improving the quality of our products. Due to the impact of a variety of deviation source coupling phenomena, the goal of assembly precision optimization is difficult to be confirmed accurately. In order to achieve optimization of assembly precision accurately and rapidly, sensitivity analysis of deviation source is proposed. First, deviation source sensitivity is defined as the ratio of assembly dimension variation and deviation source dimension variation. Second, according to assembly constraint relations, assembly sequences and locating, deviation transmission paths are established by locating the joints between the adjacent parts, and establishing each part’s datum reference frame. Third, assembly multidimensional vector loops are created using deviation transmission paths, and the corresponding scalar equations of each dimension are established. Then, assembly deviation source sensitivity is calculated by using a first-order Taylor expansion and matrix transformation method. Finally, taking assembly precision optimization of wing flap rocker as an example, the effectiveness and efficiency of the deviation source sensitivity analysis method are verified.

Concept for Risk-based Prioritisation of Point Sources

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Overheu, N.D.; Troldborg, Mads; Tuxen, N.

2010-01-01

estimates on a local scale from all the sources, and 3D catchment-scale fate and transport modelling. It handles point sources at various knowledge levels and accounts for uncertainties. The tool estimates the impacts on the water supply in the catchment and provides an overall prioritisation of the sites...

A scanning point source for quality control of FOV uniformity in GC-PET imaging

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bergmann, H.; Minear, G.; Dobrozemsky, G.; Nowotny, R.; Koenig, B.

2002-01-01

Aim: PET imaging with coincidence cameras (GC-PET) requires additional quality control procedures to check the function of coincidence circuitry and detector zoning. In particular, the uniformity response over the field of view needs special attention since it is known that coincidence counting mode may suffer from non-uniformity effects not present in single photon mode. Materials and methods: An inexpensive linear scanner with a stepper motor and a digital interface to a PC with software allowing versatile scanning modes was developed. The scanner is used with a source holder containing a Sodium-22 point source. While moving the source along the axis of rotation of the GC-PET system, a tomographic acquisition takes place. The scan covers the full axial field of view of the 2-D or 3-D scatter frame. Depending on the acquisition software, point source scanning takes place continuously while only one projection is acquired or is done in step-and-shoot mode with the number of positions equal to the number of gantry steps. Special software was developed to analyse the resulting list mode acquisition files and to produce an image of the recorded coincidence events of each head. Results: Uniformity images of coincidence events were obtained after further correction for systematic sensitivity variations caused by acquisition geometry. The resulting images are analysed visually and by calculating NEMA uniformity indices as for a planar flood field. The method has been applied successfully to two different brands of GC-PET capable gamma cameras. Conclusion: Uniformity of GC-PET can be tested quickly and accurately with a routine QC procedure, using a Sodium-22 scanning point source and an inexpensive mechanical scanning device. The method can be used for both 2-D and 3-D acquisition modes and fills an important gap in the quality control system for GC-PET

Search for cosmic γ-point sources above 20 TeV with the HEGRA detector fields

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Prahl, J.

1999-01-01

The topic of this thesis is the search for point sources of high energy γ-rays (above 20 TeV) during the time interval from December 1993 until September 1995 with the HEGRA scintillator and AIROBICC arrays. The main aim is to exploit the available data as complete as possible in order to achieve a maximum in sensitivity. A thorough MtCarlo simulation of the registered events from the cosmic-ray-induced air showers allows for the use of all acquired events [de

A method to analyze "source-sink" structure of non-point source pollution based on remote sensing technology.

Science.gov (United States)

Jiang, Mengzhen; Chen, Haiying; Chen, Qinghui

2013-11-01

With the purpose of providing scientific basis for environmental planning about non-point source pollution prevention and control, and improving the pollution regulating efficiency, this paper established the Grid Landscape Contrast Index based on Location-weighted Landscape Contrast Index according to the "source-sink" theory. The spatial distribution of non-point source pollution caused by Jiulongjiang Estuary could be worked out by utilizing high resolution remote sensing images. The results showed that, the area of "source" of nitrogen and phosphorus in Jiulongjiang Estuary was 534.42 km(2) in 2008, and the "sink" was 172.06 km(2). The "source" of non-point source pollution was distributed mainly over Xiamen island, most of Haicang, east of Jiaomei and river bank of Gangwei and Shima; and the "sink" was distributed over southwest of Xiamen island and west of Shima. Generally speaking, the intensity of "source" gets weaker along with the distance from the seas boundary increase, while "sink" gets stronger. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Trans-Z-source and Γ-Z-source neutral-point-clamped inverters

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Wei, Mo; Loh, Poh Chiang; Blaabjerg, Frede

2015-01-01

Z-source neutral-point-clamped (NPC) inverters are earlier proposed for obtaining voltage buck-boost and three-level switching simultaneously. Their performances are, however, constrained by a trade-off between their input-to-output gain and modulation ratio. This trade-off can lead to high...

Source apportionment and sensitivity analysis: two methodologies with two different purposes

Science.gov (United States)

Clappier, Alain; Belis, Claudio A.; Pernigotti, Denise; Thunis, Philippe

2017-11-01

This work reviews the existing methodologies for source apportionment and sensitivity analysis to identify key differences and stress their implicit limitations. The emphasis is laid on the differences between source impacts (sensitivity analysis) and contributions (source apportionment) obtained by using four different methodologies: brute-force top-down, brute-force bottom-up, tagged species and decoupled direct method (DDM). A simple theoretical example to compare these approaches is used highlighting differences and potential implications for policy. When the relationships between concentration and emissions are linear, impacts and contributions are equivalent concepts. In this case, source apportionment and sensitivity analysis may be used indifferently for both air quality planning purposes and quantifying source contributions. However, this study demonstrates that when the relationship between emissions and concentrations is nonlinear, sensitivity approaches are not suitable to retrieve source contributions and source apportionment methods are not appropriate to evaluate the impact of abatement strategies. A quantification of the potential nonlinearities should therefore be the first step prior to source apportionment or planning applications, to prevent any limitations in their use. When nonlinearity is mild, these limitations may, however, be acceptable in the context of the other uncertainties inherent to complex models. Moreover, when using sensitivity analysis for planning, it is important to note that, under nonlinear circumstances, the calculated impacts will only provide information for the exact conditions (e.g. emission reduction share) that are simulated.

BEAMLINE-CONTROLLED STEERING OF SOURCE-POINT ANGLE AT THE ADVANCED PHOTON SOURCE

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Emery, L.; Fystro, G.; Shang, H.; Smith, M.

2017-06-25

An EPICS-based steering software system has been implemented for beamline personnel to directly steer the angle of the synchrotron radiation sources at the Advanced Photon Source. A script running on a workstation monitors "start steering" beamline EPICS records, and effects a steering given by the value of the "angle request" EPICS record. The new system makes the steering process much faster than before, although the older steering protocols can still be used. The robustness features of the original steering remain. Feedback messages are provided to the beamlines and the accelerator operators. Underpinning this new steering protocol is the recent refinement of the global orbit feedback process whereby feedforward of dipole corrector set points and orbit set points are used to create a local steering bump in a rapid and seamless way.

Isotropic irradiation of detectors from point sources

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Aage, Helle Karina

1997-01-01

NaI(Tl) scintillator detectors have been exposed to gamma rays from 8 different point sources from different directions. Background and backscatter of gamma-rays from the surroundings have been subtracted in order to produce clean spectra. By adding spectra obtained from exposures from different ...

Chronic whiplash and central sensitization; an evaluation of the role of a myofascial trigger points in pain modulation

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Freeman Michael D

2009-04-01

Full Text Available Abstract Objective it has been established that chronic neck pain following whiplash is associated with the phenomenon of central sensitization, in which injured and uninjured parts of the body exhibit lowered pain thresholds due to an alteration in central pain processing. it has furthermore been hypothesized that peripheral sources of nociception in the muscles may perpetuate central sensitization in chronic whiplash. the hypothesis explored in the present study was whether myofascial trigger points serve as a modulator of central sensitization in subjects with chronic neck pain. Design controlled case series. Setting outpatient chronic pain clinic. Subjects seventeen patients with chronic and intractable neck pain and 10 healthy controls without complaints of neck pain. Intervention symptomatic subjects received anesthetic infiltration of myofascial trigger points in the upper trapezius muscles and controls received the anesthetic in the thigh. Outcome measures: pre and post injection cervical range of motion, pressure pain thresholds (ppt over the infraspinatus, wrist extensor, and tibialis anterior muscles. sensitivity to light (photophobia and subjects' perception of pain using a visual analog scale (vas were also evaluated before and after injections. only the ppt was evaluated in the asymptomatic controls. Results immediate (within 1 minute alterations in cervical range of motion and pressure pain thresholds were observed following an average of 3.8 injections with 1–2 cc of 1% lidocaine into carefully identified trigger points. cervical range of motion increased by an average of 49% (p = 0.000 in flexion and 44% (p = 0.001 in extension, 47% (p = 0.000 and 28% (p Conclusion the present data suggest that myofascial trigger points serve to perpetuate lowered pain thresholds in uninjured tissues. additionally, it appears that lowered pain thresholds associated with central sensitization can be immediately reversed, even when associated

Thermal Analysis of a Cracked Half-plane under Moving Point Heat Source

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

He Kuanfang

2017-09-01

Full Text Available The heat conduction in half-plane with an insulated crack subjected to moving point heat source is investigated. The analytical solution and the numerical means are combined to analyze the transient temperature distribution of a cracked half-plane under moving point heat source. The transient temperature distribution of the half plane structure under moving point heat source is obtained by the moving coordinate method firstly, then the heat conduction equation with thermal boundary of an insulated crack face is changed to singular integral equation by applying Fourier transforms and solved by the numerical method. The numerical examples of the temperature distribution on the cracked half-plane structure under moving point heat source are presented and discussed in detail.

Geographic Response Plan (GRP) Sensitive Site Points (Editable), Guam, 2016, US EPA Region 9

Data.gov (United States)

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency — This is an editable point feature data set with points over Apra Harbor in Guam. These points represent sensitive sites such as access points for public use and...

Multi-angle Indicators System of Non-point Pollution Source Assessment in Rural Areas: A Case Study Near Taihu Lake

Science.gov (United States)

Huang, Lei; Ban, Jie; Han, Yu Ting; Yang, Jie; Bi, Jun

2013-04-01

This study aims to identify key environmental risk sources contributing to water eutrophication and to suggest certain risk management strategies for rural areas. The multi-angle indicators included in the risk source assessment system were non-point source pollution, deficient waste treatment, and public awareness of environmental risk, which combined psychometric paradigm methods, the contingent valuation method, and personal interviews to describe the environmental sensitivity of local residents. Total risk values of different villages near Taihu Lake were calculated in the case study, which resulted in a geographic risk map showing which village was the critical risk source of Taihu eutrophication. The increased application of phosphorus (P) and nitrogen (N), loss vulnerability of pollutant, and a lack of environmental risk awareness led to more serious non-point pollution, especially in rural China. Interesting results revealed by the quotient between the scores of objective risk sources and subjective risk sources showed what should be improved for each study village. More environmental investments, control of agricultural activities, and promotion of environmental education are critical considerations for rural environmental management. These findings are helpful for developing targeted and effective risk management strategies in rural areas.

Search for high energy cosmic neutrino point sources with ANTARES

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Halladjian, G.

2010-01-01

The aim of this thesis is the search for high energy cosmic neutrinos emitted by point sources with the ANTARES neutrino telescope. The detection of high energy cosmic neutrinos can bring answers to important questions such as the origin of cosmic rays and the γ-rays emission processes. In the first part of the thesis, the neutrino flux emitted by galactic and extragalactic sources and the number of events which can be detected by ANTARES are estimated. This study uses the measured γ-ray spectra of known sources taking into account the γ-ray absorption by the extragalactic background light. In the second part of the thesis, the absolute pointing of the ANTARES telescope is evaluated. Being located at a depth of 2475 m in sea water, the orientation of the detector is determined by an acoustic positioning system which relies on low and high frequency acoustic waves measurements between the sea surface and the bottom. The third part of the thesis is a search for neutrino point sources in the ANTARES data. The search algorithm is based on a likelihood ratio maximization method. It is used in two search strategies; 'the candidate sources list strategy' and 'the all sky search strategy'. Analysing 2007+2008 data, no discovery is made and the world's best upper limits on neutrino fluxes from various sources in the Southern sky are established. (author)

Nomogram for Determining Shield Thickness for Point and Line Sources of Gamma Rays

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Joenemalm, C; Malen, K

1966-10-15

A set of nomograms is given for the determination of the required shield thickness against gamma radiation. The sources handled are point and infinite line sources with shields of Pb, Fe, magnetite concrete (p = 3.6), ordinary concrete (p = 2.3) or water. The gamma energy range covered is 0.5 - 10 MeV. The nomograms are directly applicable for source and dose points on the surfaces of the shield. They can easily be extended to source and dose points in other positions by applying a geometrical correction. Also included are data for calculation of the source strength for the most common materials and for fission product sources.

Nomogram for Determining Shield Thickness for Point and Line Sources of Gamma Rays

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Joenemalm, C.; Malen, K

1966-10-01

A set of nomograms is given for the determination of the required shield thickness against gamma radiation. The sources handled are point and infinite line sources with shields of Pb, Fe, magnetite concrete (p = 3.6), ordinary concrete (p = 2.3) or water. The gamma energy range covered is 0.5 - 10 MeV. The nomograms are directly applicable for source and dose points on the surfaces of the shield. They can easily be extended to source and dose points in other positions by applying a geometrical correction. Also included are data for calculation of the source strength for the most common materials and for fission product sources

Open-Source Automated Mapping Four-Point Probe

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Handy Chandra

2017-01-01

Full Text Available Scientists have begun using self-replicating rapid prototyper (RepRap 3-D printers to manufacture open source digital designs of scientific equipment. This approach is refined here to develop a novel instrument capable of performing automated large-area four-point probe measurements. The designs for conversion of a RepRap 3-D printer to a 2-D open source four-point probe (OS4PP measurement device are detailed for the mechanical and electrical systems. Free and open source software and firmware are developed to operate the tool. The OS4PP was validated against a wide range of discrete resistors and indium tin oxide (ITO samples of different thicknesses both pre- and post-annealing. The OS4PP was then compared to two commercial proprietary systems. Results of resistors from 10 to 1 MΩ show errors of less than 1% for the OS4PP. The 3-D mapping of sheet resistance of ITO samples successfully demonstrated the automated capability to measure non-uniformities in large-area samples. The results indicate that all measured values are within the same order of magnitude when compared to two proprietary measurement systems. In conclusion, the OS4PP system, which costs less than 70% of manual proprietary systems, is comparable electrically while offering automated 100 micron positional accuracy for measuring sheet resistance over larger areas.

Open-Source Automated Mapping Four-Point Probe.

Science.gov (United States)

Chandra, Handy; Allen, Spencer W; Oberloier, Shane W; Bihari, Nupur; Gwamuri, Jephias; Pearce, Joshua M

2017-01-26

Scientists have begun using self-replicating rapid prototyper (RepRap) 3-D printers to manufacture open source digital designs of scientific equipment. This approach is refined here to develop a novel instrument capable of performing automated large-area four-point probe measurements. The designs for conversion of a RepRap 3-D printer to a 2-D open source four-point probe (OS4PP) measurement device are detailed for the mechanical and electrical systems. Free and open source software and firmware are developed to operate the tool. The OS4PP was validated against a wide range of discrete resistors and indium tin oxide (ITO) samples of different thicknesses both pre- and post-annealing. The OS4PP was then compared to two commercial proprietary systems. Results of resistors from 10 to 1 MΩ show errors of less than 1% for the OS4PP. The 3-D mapping of sheet resistance of ITO samples successfully demonstrated the automated capability to measure non-uniformities in large-area samples. The results indicate that all measured values are within the same order of magnitude when compared to two proprietary measurement systems. In conclusion, the OS4PP system, which costs less than 70% of manual proprietary systems, is comparable electrically while offering automated 100 micron positional accuracy for measuring sheet resistance over larger areas.

Scattering and absorption of particles emitted by a point source in a cluster of point scatterers

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Liljequist, D.

2012-01-01

A theory for the scattering and absorption of particles isotropically emitted by a point source in a cluster of point scatterers is described and related to the theory for the scattering of an incident particle beam. The quantum mechanical probability of escape from the cluster in different directions is calculated, as well as the spatial distribution of absorption events within the cluster. A source strength renormalization procedure is required. The average quantum scattering in clusters with randomly shifting scatterer positions is compared to trajectory simulation with the aim of studying the validity of the trajectory method. Differences between the results of the quantum and trajectory methods are found primarily for wavelengths larger than the average distance between nearest neighbour scatterers. The average quantum results include, for example, a local minimum in the number of absorption events at the location of the point source and interference patterns in the angle-dependent escape probability as well as in the distribution of absorption events. The relative error of the trajectory method is in general, though not generally, of similar magnitude as that obtained for beam scattering.

OH masers associated with IRAS point sources

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Masheder, MRW; Cohen, RJ; Martin-Hernandez, NL; Migenes,; Reid, MJ

2002-01-01

We report a search for masers from the Lambda-doublet of the ground-state of OH at 18cm, carried out with the Jodrell Bank Lovell Telescope and with the 25m Dwingeloo telescope. All objects north of delta = -20degrees which appear in the IRAS Point Source Catalog with fluxes > 1000 Jy at 60mum and

Low energy electron point source microscopy: beyond imaging

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Beyer, Andre; Goelzhaeuser, Armin [Physics of Supramolecular Systems and Surfaces, University of Bielefeld, Postfach 100131, 33501 Bielefeld (Germany)

2010-09-01

Low energy electron point source (LEEPS) microscopy has the capability to record in-line holograms at very high magnifications with a fairly simple set-up. After the holograms are numerically reconstructed, structural features with the size of about 2 nm can be resolved. The achievement of an even higher resolution has been predicted. However, a number of obstacles are known to impede the realization of this goal, for example the presence of electric fields around the imaged object, electrostatic charging or radiation induced processes. This topical review gives an overview of the achievements as well as the difficulties in the efforts to shift the resolution limit of LEEPS microscopy towards the atomic level. A special emphasis is laid on the high sensitivity of low energy electrons to electrical fields, which limits the structural determination of the imaged objects. On the other hand, the investigation of the electrical field around objects of known structure is very useful for other tasks and LEEPS microscopy can be extended beyond the task of imaging. The determination of the electrical resistance of individual nanowires can be achieved by a proper analysis of the corresponding LEEPS micrographs. This conductivity imaging may be a very useful application for LEEPS microscopes. (topical review)

Resolution of point sources of light as analyzed by quantum detection theory.

Science.gov (United States)

Helstrom, C. W.

1973-01-01

The resolvability of point sources of incoherent thermal light is analyzed by quantum detection theory in terms of two hypothesis-testing problems. In the first, the observer must decide whether there are two sources of equal radiant power at given locations, or whether there is only one source of twice the power located midway between them. In the second problem, either one, but not both, of two point sources is radiating, and the observer must decide which it is. The decisions are based on optimum processing of the electromagnetic field at the aperture of an optical instrument. In both problems the density operators of the field under the two hypotheses do not commute. The error probabilities, determined as functions of the separation of the points and the mean number of received photons, characterize the ultimate resolvability of the sources.

Mapping correlation of a simulated dark matter source and a point source in the gamma-ray sky - Oral Presentation

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Gibson, Alexander [SLAC National Accelerator Lab., Menlo Park, CA (United States)

2015-08-23

In my research, I analyzed how two gamma-ray source models interact with one another when optimizing to fit data. This is important because it becomes hard to distinguish between the two point sources when they are close together or looking at low energy photons. The reason for the first is obvious, the reason why they become harder to distinguish at lower photon energies is the resolving power of the Fermi Gamma-Ray Space Telescope gets worse at lower energies. When the two point sources are highly correlated (hard to distinguish between), we need to change our method of statistical analysis. What I did was show that highly correlated sources have larger uncertainties associated with them, caused by an optimizer not knowing which point source’s parameters to optimize. I also mapped out where their is high correlation for 2 different theoretical mass dark matter point sources so that people analyzing them in the future knew where they had to use more sophisticated statistical analysis.

A TOUCH-SENSITIVE DEVICE

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

2009-01-01

The present invention relates to an optical touch-sensitive device and a method of determining a position and determining a position change of an object contacting an optical touch sensitive device. In particular, the present invention relates to an optical touch pad and a method of determining...... a position and determining a position change of an object contacting an optical touch pad. A touch-sensitive device, according to the present invention may comprise a light source, a touch- sensitive waveguide, a detector array, and a first light redirecting member, wherein at least a part of the light...... propagating towards a specific point of the detector array is prevented from being incident upon the specific point of the detector array when an object contacts a touch-sensitive surface of the touch-sensitive waveguide at a corresponding specific contact point....

Localization of Point Sources for Poisson Equation using State Observers

KAUST Repository

Majeed, Muhammad Usman

2016-08-09

A method based On iterative observer design is presented to solve point source localization problem for Poisson equation with riven boundary data. The procedure involves solution of multiple boundary estimation sub problems using the available Dirichlet and Neumann data from different parts of the boundary. A weighted sum of these solution profiles of sub-problems localizes point sources inside the domain. Method to compute these weights is also provided. Numerical results are presented using finite differences in a rectangular domain. (C) 2016, IFAC (International Federation of Automatic Control) Hosting by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Localization of Point Sources for Poisson Equation using State Observers

KAUST Repository

Majeed, Muhammad Usman; Laleg-Kirati, Taous-Meriem

2016-01-01

A method based On iterative observer design is presented to solve point source localization problem for Poisson equation with riven boundary data. The procedure involves solution of multiple boundary estimation sub problems using the available Dirichlet and Neumann data from different parts of the boundary. A weighted sum of these solution profiles of sub-problems localizes point sources inside the domain. Method to compute these weights is also provided. Numerical results are presented using finite differences in a rectangular domain. (C) 2016, IFAC (International Federation of Automatic Control) Hosting by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Point sources and multipoles in inverse scattering theory

CERN Document Server

Potthast, Roland

2001-01-01

Over the last twenty years, the growing availability of computing power has had an enormous impact on the classical fields of direct and inverse scattering. The study of inverse scattering, in particular, has developed rapidly with the ability to perform computational simulations of scattering processes and led to remarkable advances in a range of applications, from medical imaging and radar to remote sensing and seismic exploration. Point Sources and Multipoles in Inverse Scattering Theory provides a survey of recent developments in inverse acoustic and electromagnetic scattering theory. Focusing on methods developed over the last six years by Colton, Kirsch, and the author, this treatment uses point sources combined with several far-reaching techniques to obtain qualitative reconstruction methods. The author addresses questions of uniqueness, stability, and reconstructions for both two-and three-dimensional problems.With interest in extracting information about an object through scattered waves at an all-ti...

The peak efficiency calibration of volume source using 152Eu point source in computer

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Shen Tingyun; Qian Jianfu; Nan Qinliang; Zhou Yanguo

1997-01-01

The author describes the method of the peak efficiency calibration of volume source by means of 152 Eu point source for HPGe γ spectrometer. The peak efficiency can be computed by Monte Carlo simulation, after inputting parameter of detector. The computation results are in agreement with the experimental results with an error of +-3.8%, with an exception one is about +-7.4%

Optical identifications of IRAS point sources: the Fornax, Hydra I and Coma clusters

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wang, G.; Leggett, S.K.; Savage, A.

1991-01-01

We present optical identifications for 66 IRAS point sources in the region of the Fornax cluster of galaxies, 106 IRAS point sources in the region of the Hydra I cluster of galaxies (Abell 1060) and 59 IRAS point sources in the region of the Coma cluster of galaxies (Abell 1656). Eight other sources in Hydra I do not have optical counterparts and are very probably due to infrared cirrus. Twenty-three (35 per cent) of the Fornax sources are associated with stars and 43 (65 per cent) with galaxies; 48 (42 per cent) of the Hydra I sources are associated with stars and 58 (51 per cent) with galaxies; 18 (31 per cent) of the Coma sources are associated with stars and 41 (69 per cent) with galaxies. The stellar and infrared cirrus surface density is consistent with the galactic latitude of each field. (author)

Applicability of low-melting-point microcrystalline wax to develop temperature-sensitive formulations.

Science.gov (United States)

Matsumoto, Kohei; Kimura, Shin-Ichiro; Iwao, Yasunori; Itai, Shigeru

2017-10-30

Low-melting-point substances are widely used to develop temperature-sensitive formulations. In this study, we focused on microcrystalline wax (MCW) as a low-melting-point substance. We evaluated the drug release behavior of wax matrix (WM) particles using various MCW under various temperature conditions. WM particles containing acetaminophen were prepared using a spray congealing technique. In the dissolution test at 37°C, WM particles containing low-melting-point MCWs whose melting was starting at approx. 40°C (Hi-Mic-1045 or 1070) released the drug initially followed by the release of only a small amount. On the other hand, in the dissolution test at 20 and 25°C for WM particles containing Hi-Mic-1045 and at 20, 25, and 30°C for that containing Hi-Mic-1070, both WM particles showed faster drug release than at 37°C. The characteristic drug release suppression of WM particles containing low-melting-point MCWs at 37°C was thought attributable to MCW melting, as evidenced by differential scanning calorimetry analysis and powder X-ray diffraction analysis. Taken together, low-melting-point MCWs may be applicable to develop implantable temperature-sensitive formulations that drug release is accelerated by cooling at administered site. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Search for atmospheric muon-neutrinos and extraterrestric neutrino point sources in the 1997 AMANDA-B10 data

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Biron von Curland, A.

2002-07-01

The young field of high energy neutrino astronomy can be motivated by the search for the origin of the charged cosmic rays. Large astrophysical objects like AGNs or supernova remnants are candidates to accelerate hadrons which then can interact to eventually produce high energy neutrinos. Neutrino-induced muons can be detected via their emission of Cherenkov light in large neutrino telescopes like AMANDA. More than 10 9 atmospheric muon events and approximately 5000 atmospheric neutrino events were registered by AMANDA-B10 in 1997. Out of these, 223 atmospheric neutrino candidate events have been extracted. This data set contains approximately 15 background events. It allows to confirm the expected sensitivity of the detector towards neutrino events. A second set containing 369 (approximately 270 atmospheric neutrino events and 100 atmospheric muon events) was used to search for extraterrestrial neutrino point sources. Neither a binned search, nor a cluster search, nor a search for preselected sources gave indications for the existence of a strong neutrino point source. Based on this result, flux limits were derived. Assuming E ν -2 spectra, typical flux limits for selected sources of the order of Φ μ limit ∝ 10 -14 cm -2 s -1 for muons and Φ ν limit ∝ 10 -7 cm -2 s -1 for neutrinos have been obtained. (orig.)

Tackling non-point source water pollution in British Columbia: An action plan

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

1998-01-01

Efforts to protect British Columbia water quality by regulating point discharges from municipal and industrial sources have generally been successful, and it is recognized that the major remaining cause of water pollution in the province is from non-point sources. These sources are largely unregulated and associated with urbanization, agriculture, and other forms of land development. The first part of this report reviews the provincial commitment to clean water, the effects of non-point-source (NPS) pollution, and the management of NPS in the province. Part 2 describes the main causes of NPS in British Columbia: Land development, agriculture, stormwater runoff, on-site sewage systems, forestry and range activities, atmospheric deposition, and boating/marine activities. Finally, it presents key components of the province's NPS action plan: Education and training, prevention at site, land use planning and co-ordination, assessment and reporting, economic incentives, legislation and regulation, and implementation.

Epidemiology, public health, and health surveillance around point sources of pollution

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Stebbings, J.H. Jr.

1981-01-01

In industrial society a large number of point sources of pollution exist, such as chemical plants, smelters, and nuclear power plants. Public concern has forced the practising epidemiologist to undertake health surveillance of the usually small populations living around point sources. Although not justifiable as research, such epidemiologic surveillance activities are becoming a routine part of public health practice, and this trend will continue. This introduction reviews concepts of epidemiologic surveillance, and institutional problems relating to the quality of such applied research

The resolution of point sources of light as analyzed by quantum detection theory

Science.gov (United States)

Helstrom, C. W.

1972-01-01

The resolvability of point sources of incoherent light is analyzed by quantum detection theory in terms of two hypothesis-testing problems. In the first, the observer must decide whether there are two sources of equal radiant power at given locations, or whether there is only one source of twice the power located midway between them. In the second problem, either one, but not both, of two point sources is radiating, and the observer must decide which it is. The decisions are based on optimum processing of the electromagnetic field at the aperture of an optical instrument. In both problems the density operators of the field under the two hypotheses do not commute. The error probabilities, determined as functions of the separation of the points and the mean number of received photons, characterize the ultimate resolvability of the sources.

Interferometry with flexible point source array for measuring complex freeform surface and its design algorithm

Science.gov (United States)

Li, Jia; Shen, Hua; Zhu, Rihong; Gao, Jinming; Sun, Yue; Wang, Jinsong; Li, Bo

2018-06-01

The precision of the measurements of aspheric and freeform surfaces remains the primary factor restrict their manufacture and application. One effective means of measuring such surfaces involves using reference or probe beams with angle modulation, such as tilted-wave-interferometer (TWI). It is necessary to improve the measurement efficiency by obtaining the optimum point source array for different pieces before TWI measurements. For purpose of forming a point source array based on the gradients of different surfaces under test, we established a mathematical model describing the relationship between the point source array and the test surface. However, the optimal point sources are irregularly distributed. In order to achieve a flexible point source array according to the gradient of test surface, a novel interference setup using fiber array is proposed in which every point source can be independently controlled on and off. Simulations and the actual measurement examples of two different surfaces are given in this paper to verify the mathematical model. Finally, we performed an experiment of testing an off-axis ellipsoidal surface that proved the validity of the proposed interference system.

Model Predictive Control of Z-source Neutral Point Clamped Inverter

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Mo, Wei; Loh, Poh Chiang; Blaabjerg, Frede

2011-01-01

This paper presents Model Predictive Control (MPC) of Z-source Neutral Point Clamped (NPC) inverter. For illustration, current control of Z-source NPC grid-connected inverter is analyzed and simulated. With MPC’s advantage of easily including system constraints, load current, impedance network...... response are obtained at the same time with a formulated Z-source NPC inverter network model. Operation steady state and transient state simulation results of MPC are going to be presented, which shows good reference tracking ability of this method. It provides new control method for Z-source NPC inverter...

Methyl bromide: ocean sources, ocean sinks, and climate sensitivity.

Science.gov (United States)

Anbar, A D; Yung, Y L; Chavez, F P

1996-03-01

The oceans play an important role in the geochemical cycle of methyl bromide (CH3Br), the major carrier of O3-destroying bromine to the stratosphere. The quantity of CH3Br produced annually in seawater is comparable to the amount entering the atmosphere each year from natural and anthropogenic sources. The production mechanism is unknown but may be biological. Most of this CH3Br is consumed in situ by hydrolysis or reaction with chloride. The size of the fraction which escapes to the atmosphere is poorly constrained; measurements in seawater and the atmosphere have been used to justify both a large oceanic CH3Br flux to the atmosphere and a small net ocean sink. Since the consumption reactions are extremely temperature-sensitive, small temperature variations have large effects on the CH3Br concentration in seawater, and therefore on the exchange between the atmosphere and the ocean. The net CH3Br flux is also sensitive to variations in the rate of CH3Br production. We have quantified these effects using a simple steady state mass balance model. When CH3Br production rates are linearly scaled with seawater chlorophyll content, this model reproduces the latitudinal variations in marine CH3Br concentrations observed in the east Pacific Ocean by Singh et al. [1983] and by Lobert et al. [1995]. The apparent correlation of CH3Br production with primary production explains the discrepancies between the two observational studies, strengthening recent suggestions that the open ocean is a small net sink for atmospheric CH3Br, rather than a large net source. The Southern Ocean is implicated as a possible large net source of CH3Br to the atmosphere. Since our model indicates that both the direction and magnitude of CH3Br exchange between the atmosphere and ocean are extremely sensitive to temperature and marine productivity, and since the rate of CH3Br production in the oceans is comparable to the rate at which this compound is introduced to the atmosphere, even small

Development of uniform hazard response spectra for rock sites considering line and point sources of earthquakes

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ghosh, A.K.; Kushwaha, H.S.

2001-12-01

Traditionally, the seismic design basis ground motion has been specified by normalised response spectral shapes and peak ground acceleration (PGA). The mean recurrence interval (MRI) used to computed for PGA only. It is shown that the MRI associated with such response spectra are not the same at all frequencies. The present work develops uniform hazard response spectra i.e. spectra having the same MRI at all frequencies for line and point sources of earthquakes by using a large number of strong motion accelerograms recorded on rock sites. Sensitivity of the number of the results to the changes in various parameters has also been presented. This work is an extension of an earlier work for aerial sources of earthquakes. These results will help to determine the seismic hazard at a given site and the associated uncertainities. (author)

Pulsewidth-modulated 2-source neutral-point-clamped inverter

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Blaabjerg, Frede; Loh, Poh Chang; Gao, Feng

2007-01-01

This paper presents the careful integration of a newly proposed Z-source topological concept to the basic neutral-point-clamped (NPC) inverter topology for designing a three-level inverter with both voltage-buck and voltage-boost capabilities. The designed Z-source NPC inverter uses two unique X......-shaped inductance-capacitance (LC) impedance networks that are connected between two isolated dc input power sources and its inverter circuitry for boosting its AC output voltage. Through the design of an appropriate pulsewidth-modulation (PWM) algorithm, the two impedance networks can be short......-circuited sequentially (without shooting through the inverter full DC link) for implementing the ldquonearest-three-vectorrdquo modulation principle with minimized harmonic distortion and device commutations per half carrier cycle while performing voltage boosting. With only a slight modification to the inverter PWM...

Sensitivity analysis of the relationship between disease occurrence and distance from a putative source of pollution

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Emanuela Dreassi

2008-05-01

Full Text Available The relation between disease risk and a point source of pollution is usually investigated using distance from the source as a proxy of exposure. The analysis may be based on case-control data or on aggregated data. The definition of the function relating risk of disease and distance is critical, both in a classical and in a Bayesian framework, because the likelihood is usually very flat, even with large amounts of data. In this paper we investigate how the specification of the function relating risk of disease with distance from the source and of the prior distributions on the parameters of the function affects the results when case-control data and Bayesian methods are used. We consider different popular parametric models for the risk distance function in a Bayesian approach, comparing estimates with those derived by maximum likelihood. As an example we have analyzed the relationship between a putative source of environmental pollution (an asbestos cement plant and the occurrence of pleural malignant mesothelioma in the area of Casale Monferrato (Italy in 1987-1993. Risk of pleural malignant mesothelioma turns out to be strongly related to distance from the asbestos cement plant. However, as the models appeared to be sensitive to modeling choices, we suggest that any analysis of disease risk around a putative source should be integrated with a careful sensitivity analysis and possibly with prior knowledge. The choice of prior distribution is extremely important and should be based on epidemiological considerations.

Polarized point sources in the LOFAR Two-meter Sky Survey: A preliminary catalog

Science.gov (United States)

Van Eck, C. L.; Haverkorn, M.; Alves, M. I. R.; Beck, R.; Best, P.; Carretti, E.; Chyży, K. T.; Farnes, J. S.; Ferrière, K.; Hardcastle, M. J.; Heald, G.; Horellou, C.; Iacobelli, M.; Jelić, V.; Mulcahy, D. D.; O'Sullivan, S. P.; Polderman, I. M.; Reich, W.; Riseley, C. J.; Röttgering, H.; Schnitzeler, D. H. F. M.; Shimwell, T. W.; Vacca, V.; Vink, J.; White, G. J.

2018-06-01

The polarization properties of radio sources at very low frequencies (right ascension, 45°-57° declination, 570 square degrees). We have produced a catalog of 92 polarized radio sources at 150 MHz at 4.'3 resolution and 1 mJy rms sensitivity, which is the largest catalog of polarized sources at such low frequencies. We estimate a lower limit to the polarized source surface density at 150 MHz, with our resolution and sensitivity, of 1 source per 6.2 square degrees. We find that our Faraday depth measurements are in agreement with previous measurements and have significantly smaller errors. Most of our sources show significant depolarization compared to 1.4 GHz, but there is a small population of sources with low depolarization indicating that their polarized emission is highly localized in Faraday depth. We predict that an extension of this work to the full LOTSS data would detect at least 3400 polarized sources using the same methods, and probably considerably more with improved data processing.

High-sensitivity detection of cardiac troponin I with UV LED excitation for use in point-of-care immunoassay.

Science.gov (United States)

Rodenko, Olga; Eriksson, Susann; Tidemand-Lichtenberg, Peter; Troldborg, Carl Peder; Fodgaard, Henrik; van Os, Sylvana; Pedersen, Christian

2017-08-01

High-sensitivity cardiac troponin assay development enables determination of biological variation in healthy populations, more accurate interpretation of clinical results and points towards earlier diagnosis and rule-out of acute myocardial infarction. In this paper, we report on preliminary tests of an immunoassay analyzer employing an optimized LED excitation to measure on a standard troponin I and a novel research high-sensitivity troponin I assay. The limit of detection is improved by factor of 5 for standard troponin I and by factor of 3 for a research high-sensitivity troponin I assay, compared to the flash lamp excitation. The obtained limit of detection was 0.22 ng/L measured on plasma with the research high-sensitivity troponin I assay and 1.9 ng/L measured on tris-saline-azide buffer containing bovine serum albumin with the standard troponin I assay. We discuss the optimization of time-resolved detection of lanthanide fluorescence based on the time constants of the system and analyze the background and noise sources in a heterogeneous fluoroimmunoassay. We determine the limiting factors and their impact on the measurement performance. The suggested model can be generally applied to fluoroimmunoassays employing the dry-cup concept.

Clinical Validation of Point-Source Corneal Topography in Keratoplasty

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Vrijling, A C L; Braaf, B.; Snellenburg, J.J.; de Lange, F.; Zaal, M.J.W.; van der Heijde, G.L.; Sicam, V.A.D.P.

2011-01-01

Purpose. To validate the clinical performance of point-source corneal topography (PCT) in postpenetrating keratoplasty (PKP) eyes and to compare it with conventional Placido-based topography. Methods. Corneal elevation maps of the anterior corneal surface were obtained from 20 post-PKP corneas using

Characteristics of a multi-keV monochromatic point x-ray source

Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

Temporal, spatial and spectral characteristics of a multi-keV monochromatic point x-ray source based on vacuum diode with laser-produced plasma as cathode are presented. Electrons from a laser-produced aluminium plasma were accelerated towards a conical point tip titanium anode to generate K-shell x-ray radiation.

Point source identification in nonlinear advection–diffusion–reaction systems

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mamonov, A V; Tsai, Y-H R

2013-01-01

We consider a problem of identification of point sources in time-dependent advection–diffusion systems with a nonlinear reaction term. The linear counterpart of the problem in question can be reduced to solving a system of nonlinear algebraic equations via the use of adjoint equations. We extend this approach by constructing an algorithm that solves the problem iteratively to account for the nonlinearity of the reaction term. We study the question of improving the quality of source identification by adding more measurements adaptively using the solution obtained previously with a smaller number of measurements. (paper)

Detection of Point Sources on Two-Dimensional Images Based on Peaks

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

R. B. Barreiro

2005-09-01

Full Text Available This paper considers the detection of point sources in two-dimensional astronomical images. The detection scheme we propose is based on peak statistics. We discuss the example of the detection of far galaxies in cosmic microwave background experiments throughout the paper, although the method we present is totally general and can be used in many other fields of data analysis. We consider sources with a Gaussian profile—that is, a fair approximation of the profile of a point source convolved with the detector beam in microwave experiments—on a background modeled by a homogeneous and isotropic Gaussian random field characterized by a scale-free power spectrum. Point sources are enhanced with respect to the background by means of linear filters. After filtering, we identify local maxima and apply our detection scheme, a Neyman-Pearson detector that defines our region of acceptance based on the a priori pdf of the sources and the ratio of number densities. We study the different performances of some linear filters that have been used in this context in the literature: the Mexican hat wavelet, the matched filter, and the scale-adaptive filter. We consider as well an extension to two dimensions of the biparametric scale-adaptive filter (BSAF. The BSAF depends on two parameters which are determined by maximizing the number density of real detections while fixing the number density of spurious detections. For our detection criterion the BSAF outperforms the other filters in the interesting case of white noise.

Assessment of the impact of point source pollution from the ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Assessment of the impact of point source pollution from the Keiskammahoek Sewage ... Water SA. Journal Home · ABOUT THIS JOURNAL · Advanced Search ... Also, significant pollution of the receiving Keiskamma River was indicated for ...

Tackling non-point source water pollution in British Columbia : an action plan

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

1999-03-01

British Columbia`s approach to water quality management is discussed. The BC efforts include regulating `end of pipe` point discharges from industrial and municipal outfalls. The major remaining cause of water pollution is from non-point sources (NPS). NPS water pollution is caused by the release of pollutants from different and diffuse sources, mostly unregulated and associated with urbanization, agriculture and other forms of land development. The importance of dealing with such problems on an immediate basis to avoid a decline in water quality in the province is emphasized. Major sources of water pollution in British Columbia include: land development, agriculture, storm water runoff, onsite sewage systems, forestry, atmospheric deposition, and marine activities. 3 tabs.

Guaranteed Unresolved Point Source Emission and the Gamma-ray Background

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Pavlidou, Vasiliki; Siegal-Gaskins, Jennifer M.; Brown, Carolyn; Fields, Brian D.; Olinto, Angela V.

2007-01-01

The large majority of EGRET point sources remain without an identified low-energy counterpart, and a large fraction of these sources are most likely extragalactic. Whatever the nature of the extragalactic EGRET unidentified sources, faint unresolved objects of the same class must have a contribution to the diffuse extragalactic gamma-ray background (EGRB). Understanding this component of the EGRB, along with other guaranteed contributions from known sources (blazars and normal galaxies), is essential if we are to use this emission to constrain exotic high-energy physics. Here, we follow an empirical approach to estimate whether the contribution of unresolved unidentified sources to the EGRB is likely to be important. Additionally, we discuss how upcoming GLAST observations of EGRET unidentified sources, their fainter counterparts, and the Galactic and extragalactic diffuse backgrounds, will shed light on the nature of the EGRET unidentified sources even without any positional association of such sources with low-energy counterparts

Evaluation of the Agricultural Non-point Source Pollution in Chongqing Based on PSR Model

Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

Hanwen; ZHANG; Xinli; MOU; Hui; XIE; Hong; LU; Xingyun; YAN

2014-01-01

Through a series of exploration based on PSR framework model,for the purpose of building a suitable Chongqing agricultural nonpoint source pollution evaluation index system model framework,combined with the presence of Chongqing specific agro-environmental issues,we build a agricultural non-point source pollution assessment index system,and then study the agricultural system pressure,agro-environmental status and human response in total 3 major categories,develope an agricultural non-point source pollution evaluation index consisting of 3 criteria indicators and 19 indicators. As can be seen from the analysis,pressures and responses tend to increase and decrease linearly,state and complex have large fluctuations,and their fluctuations are similar mainly due to the elimination of pressures and impact,increasing the impact for agricultural non-point source pollution.

A modified likelihood-method to search for point-sources in the diffuse astrophysical neutrino-flux in IceCube

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Reimann, Rene; Haack, Christian; Leuermann, Martin; Raedel, Leif; Schoenen, Sebastian; Schimp, Michael; Wiebusch, Christopher [III. Physikalisches Institut, RWTH Aachen (Germany); Collaboration: IceCube-Collaboration

2015-07-01

IceCube, a cubic-kilometer sized neutrino detector at the geographical South Pole, has recently measured a flux of high-energy astrophysical neutrinos. Although this flux has now been observed in multiple analyses, no point sources or source classes could be identified yet. Standard point source searches test many points in the sky for a point source of astrophysical neutrinos individually and therefore produce many trials. Our approach is to additionally use the measured diffuse spectrum to constrain the number of possible point sources and their properties. Initial studies of the method performance are shown.

Diffusion from a Ground Level Point Source Experiment with Thermoluminescence Dosimeters and Kr 85 as Tracer Substance

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Gyllander, Ch; Hollman, S; Widemo, U

1969-04-15

Within the framework of the IRIS-project (Iodine Research in Safety Project) an experiment to study diffusion at near-ground level was carried out on 19 December 1967 using {sup 85}Kr as the tracer element. The object of the experiment was a) to test the method using |3-sensitive thermoluminescence dosimeters under actual field conditions. b) to study the initial dilution from a ground level point source. The test area chosen was the Tranvik valley just south of Trobbofjaerden, an inland bay of the Baltic. Dose distributions have been studied at two sections, 50 and 200 m respectively, from the release point. At each level various dispersion parameters have been experimentally determined and their conformity to normal distribution have been calculated. Dilution factors valid for the centre of the plume are related to the values reported in the literature. The experiment was made under ideal weather conditions above snow-free ground. Results of the next experiment, a point release at ground level from a building at Studsvik, are expected to yield valuable information concerning the effect of buildings on the diffusion pattern.

Diffusion from a Ground Level Point Source Experiment with Thermoluminescence Dosimeters and Kr 85 as Tracer Substance

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gyllander, Ch.; Hollman, S.; Widemo, U.

1969-04-01

Within the framework of the IRIS-project (Iodine Research in Safety Project) an experiment to study diffusion at near-ground level was carried out on 19 December 1967 using 85 Kr as the tracer element. The object of the experiment was a) to test the method using |3-sensitive thermoluminescence dosimeters under actual field conditions. b) to study the initial dilution from a ground level point source. The test area chosen was the Tranvik valley just south of Trobbofjaerden, an inland bay of the Baltic. Dose distributions have been studied at two sections, 50 and 200 m respectively, from the release point. At each level various dispersion parameters have been experimentally determined and their conformity to normal distribution have been calculated. Dilution factors valid for the centre of the plume are related to the values reported in the literature. The experiment was made under ideal weather conditions above snow-free ground. Results of the next experiment, a point release at ground level from a building at Studsvik, are expected to yield valuable information concerning the effect of buildings on the diffusion pattern

Nonpoint and Point Sources of Nitrogen in Major Watersheds of the United States

Science.gov (United States)

Puckett, Larry J.

1994-01-01

Estimates of nonpoint and point sources of nitrogen were made for 107 watersheds located in the U.S. Geological Survey's National Water-Quality Assessment Program study units throughout the conterminous United States. The proportions of nitrogen originating from fertilizer, manure, atmospheric deposition, sewage, and industrial sources were found to vary with climate, hydrologic conditions, land use, population, and physiography. Fertilizer sources of nitrogen are proportionally greater in agricultural areas of the West and the Midwest than in other parts of the Nation. Animal manure contributes large proportions of nitrogen in the South and parts of the Northeast. Atmospheric deposition of nitrogen is generally greatest in areas of greatest precipitation, such as the Northeast. Point sources (sewage and industrial) generally are predominant in watersheds near cities, where they may account for large proportions of the nitrogen in streams. The transport of nitrogen in streams increases as amounts of precipitation and runoff increase and is greatest in the Northeastern United States. Because no single nonpoint nitrogen source is dominant everywhere, approaches to control nitrogen must vary throughout the Nation. Watershed-based approaches to understanding nonpoint and point sources of contamination, as used by the National Water-Quality Assessment Program, will aid water-quality and environmental managers to devise methods to reduce nitrogen pollution.

Effect of point source and heterogeneity on the propagation of ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

user

propagation of Love waves due to point source in a homogeneous layer overlying a ...... The dispersion equation of SH waves will be obtained by equating to zero the ..... He was Awarded Atomic Energy Fellowship by the Government of India.

Sensitivity of Coastal Environments and Wildlife to Spilled Oil: Mississippi: NESTS (Nest Points)

Data.gov (United States)

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce — This data set contains sensitive biological resource data for gulls and terns in Mississippi. Vector points in this data set represent bird nesting sites. Species...

Spatiotemporal patterns of non-point source nitrogen loss in an agricultural catchment

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jian-feng Xu

2016-04-01

Full Text Available Non-point source nitrogen loss poses a risk to sustainable aquatic ecosystems. However, non-point sources, as well as impaired river segments with high nitrogen concentrations, are difficult to monitor and regulate because of their diffusive nature, budget constraints, and resource deficiencies. For the purpose of catchment management, the Bayesian maximum entropy approach and spatial regression models have been used to explore the spatiotemporal patterns of non-point source nitrogen loss. In this study, a total of 18 sampling sites were selected along the river network in the Hujiashan Catchment. Over the time period of 2008–2012, water samples were collected 116 times at each site and analyzed for non-point source nitrogen loss. The morphometric variables and soil drainage of different land cover types were studied and considered potential factors affecting nitrogen loss. The results revealed that, compared with the approach using the Euclidean distance, the Bayesian maximum entropy approach using the river distance led to an appreciable 10.1% reduction in the estimation error, and more than 53.3% and 44.7% of the river network in the dry and wet seasons, respectively, had a probability of non-point source nitrogen impairment. The proportion of the impaired river segments exhibited an overall decreasing trend in the study catchment from 2008 to 2012, and the reduction in the wet seasons was greater than that in the dry seasons. High nitrogen concentrations were primarily found in the downstream reaches and river segments close to the residential lands. Croplands and residential lands were the dominant factors affecting non-point source nitrogen loss, and explained up to 70.7% of total nitrogen in the dry seasons and 54.7% in the wet seasons. A thorough understanding of the location of impaired river segments and the dominant factors affecting total nitrogen concentration would have considerable importance for catchment management.

IceCube point source searches using through-going muon tracks

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Coenders, Stefan [TU Muenchen, Physik-Department, Excellence Cluster Universe, Boltzmannstr. 2, 85748 Garching (Germany); Collaboration: IceCube-Collaboration

2015-07-01

The IceCube neutrino observatory located at the South Pole is the current largest neutrino telescope. Using through-going muon tracks, IceCube records approximately 130,000 events per year with reconstruction accuracy as low as 0.7 deg for energies of 10 TeV. Having analysed an integrated time-scale of 4 years, no sources of neutrinos have yet been observed. This talk deals with the current progress in point-source searches, adding another two years of data recorded in the years 2012 and 2013. In a combined search with starting events, sources of hard and soft spectra with- and with-out cut-offs are characterised.

Broadband integrated mid infrared light sources as enabling technology for point of care mid-infrared spectroscopy

Science.gov (United States)

2017-08-20

AFRL-AFOSR-JP-TR-2017-0061 Broadband integrated mid-infrared light sources as enabling technology for point-of-care mid- infrared spectroscopy Alex...mid-infrared light sources as enabling technology for point-of-care mid-infrared spectroscopy 5a.  CONTRACT NUMBER 5b.  GRANT NUMBER FA2386-16-1-4037...Broadband integrated mid-infrared light sources as enabling technology for point-of-care mid- infrared spectroscopy ” Date: 16th August 2017 Name

Evaluation of spatial dependence of point spread function-based PET reconstruction using a traceable point-like 22Na source

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Taisuke Murata

2016-10-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background The point spread function (PSF of positron emission tomography (PET depends on the position across the field of view (FOV. Reconstruction based on PSF improves spatial resolution and quantitative accuracy. The present study aimed to quantify the effects of PSF correction as a function of the position of a traceable point-like 22Na source over the FOV on two PET scanners with a different detector design. Methods We used Discovery 600 and Discovery 710 (GE Healthcare PET scanners and traceable point-like 22Na sources (<1 MBq with a spherical absorber design that assures uniform angular distribution of the emitted annihilation photons. The source was moved in three directions at intervals of 1 cm from the center towards the peripheral FOV using a three-dimensional (3D-positioning robot, and data were acquired over a period of 2 min per point. The PET data were reconstructed by filtered back projection (FBP, the ordered subset expectation maximization (OSEM, OSEM + PSF, and OSEM + PSF + time-of-flight (TOF. Full width at half maximum (FWHM was determined according to the NEMA method, and total counts in regions of interest (ROI for each reconstruction were quantified. Results The radial FWHM of FBP and OSEM increased towards the peripheral FOV, whereas PSF-based reconstruction recovered the FWHM at all points in the FOV of both scanners. The radial FWHM for PSF was 30–50 % lower than that of OSEM at the center of the FOV. The accuracy of PSF correction was independent of detector design. Quantitative values were stable across the FOV in all reconstruction methods. The effect of TOF on spatial resolution and quantitation accuracy was less noticeable. Conclusions The traceable 22Na point-like source allowed the evaluation of spatial resolution and quantitative accuracy across the FOV using different reconstruction methods and scanners. PSF-based reconstruction reduces dependence of the spatial resolution on the

Diffusion of dust particles from a point-source above ground level

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hassan, M.H.A.; Eltayeb, I.A.

1998-10-01

A pollutant of small particles is emitted by a point source at a height h above ground level in an atmosphere in which a uni-directional wind speed, U, is prevailing. The pollutant is subjected to diffusion in all directions in the presence of advection and settling due to gravity. The equation governing the concentration of the pollutant is studied with the wind speed and the different components of diffusion tensor are proportional to the distance above ground level and the source has a uniform strength. Adopting a Cartesian system of coordinates in which the x-axis lies along the direction of the wind velocity, the z-axis is vertically upwards and the y-axis completes the right-hand triad, the solution for the concentration c(x,y,z) is obtained in closed form. The relative importance of the components of diffusion along the three axes is discussed. It is found that for any plane y=constant (=A), c(x,y,z) is concentrated along a curve of ''extensive pollution''. In the plane A=0, the concentration decreases along the line of extensive pollution as we move away from the source. However, for planes A≅0, the line of extensive pollution possesses a point of accumulation, which lies at a nonzero value of x. As we move away from the plane A=0, the point of accumulation moves laterally away from the plane x=0 and towards the plane z=0. The presence of the point of accumulation is entirely due to the presence of lateral diffusion. (author)

Simultaneous Determination of Source Wavelet and Velocity Profile Using Impulsive Point-Source Reflections from a Layered Fluid

National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

Bube, K; Lailly, P; Sacks, P; Santosa, F; Symes, W. W

1987-01-01

.... We show that a quasi-impulsive, isotropic point source may be recovered simultaneously with the velocity profile from reflection data over a layered fluid, in linear (perturbation) approximation...

Radio identifications of IRAS point sources with b greater than 30 deg

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Condon, J.J.; Broderick, J.J.; Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State Univ., Blacksburg)

1986-01-01

The present radio identifications of IRAS point sources on the basis of Green Bank 1400 MHz survey maps notes that 365 hot IR sources are not detectable radio sources, and that nearly all cool high latitude IRAS sources are extragalactic. The fainter IR-source identifications encompass optically bright quasars, BL Lac objects, Seyfert galaxies, and elliptical galaxies. No IRAS sources could be identified with distant elliptical radio galaxies, so that although the radio and IR fluxes of most IRAS extragalactic sources are tightly correlated, complete samples of strong radio and IR sources are almost completely disjoint; no more than 1 percent of the IR sources are radio sources and less than 1 percent of the radio sources are IR ones. 35 references

Miniature x-ray point source for alignment and calibration of x-ray optics

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Price, R.H.; Boyle, M.J.; Glaros, S.S.

1977-01-01

A miniature x-ray point source of high brightness similar to that of Rovinsky, et al. is described. One version of the x-ray source is used to align the x-ray optics on the Argus and Shiva laser systems. A second version is used to determine the spatial and spectral transmission functions of the x-ray optics. The spatial and spectral characteristics of the x-ray emission from the x-ray point source are described. The physical constraints including size, intensity and thermal limitations, and useful lifetime are discussed. The alignment and calibration techniques for various x-ray optics and detector combinations are described

Strategies for satellite-based monitoring of CO2 from distributed area and point sources

Science.gov (United States)

Schwandner, Florian M.; Miller, Charles E.; Duren, Riley M.; Natraj, Vijay; Eldering, Annmarie; Gunson, Michael R.; Crisp, David

2014-05-01

Atmospheric CO2 budgets are controlled by the strengths, as well as the spatial and temporal variabilities of CO2 sources and sinks. Natural CO2 sources and sinks are dominated by the vast areas of the oceans and the terrestrial biosphere. In contrast, anthropogenic and geogenic CO2 sources are dominated by distributed area and point sources, which may constitute as much as 70% of anthropogenic (e.g., Duren & Miller, 2012), and over 80% of geogenic emissions (Burton et al., 2013). Comprehensive assessments of CO2 budgets necessitate robust and highly accurate satellite remote sensing strategies that address the competing and often conflicting requirements for sampling over disparate space and time scales. Spatial variability: The spatial distribution of anthropogenic sources is dominated by patterns of production, storage, transport and use. In contrast, geogenic variability is almost entirely controlled by endogenic geological processes, except where surface gas permeability is modulated by soil moisture. Satellite remote sensing solutions will thus have to vary greatly in spatial coverage and resolution to address distributed area sources and point sources alike. Temporal variability: While biogenic sources are dominated by diurnal and seasonal patterns, anthropogenic sources fluctuate over a greater variety of time scales from diurnal, weekly and seasonal cycles, driven by both economic and climatic factors. Geogenic sources typically vary in time scales of days to months (geogenic sources sensu stricto are not fossil fuels but volcanoes, hydrothermal and metamorphic sources). Current ground-based monitoring networks for anthropogenic and geogenic sources record data on minute- to weekly temporal scales. Satellite remote sensing solutions would have to capture temporal variability through revisit frequency or point-and-stare strategies. Space-based remote sensing offers the potential of global coverage by a single sensor. However, no single combination of orbit

Climate Sensitivity

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Lindzen, Richard [M.I.T.

2011-11-09

Warming observed thus far is entirely consistent with low climate sensitivity. However, the result is ambiguous because the sources of climate change are numerous and poorly specified. Model predictions of substantial warming aredependent on positive feedbacks associated with upper level water vapor and clouds, but models are notably inadequate in dealing with clouds and the impacts of clouds and water vapor are intimately intertwined. Various approaches to measuring sensitivity based on the physics of the feedbacks will be described. The results thus far point to negative feedbacks. Problems with these approaches as well as problems with the concept of climate sensitivity will be described.

Individual Test Point Fluctuations of Macular Sensitivity in Healthy Eyes and Eyes With Age-Related Macular Degeneration Measured With Microperimetry.

Science.gov (United States)

Barboni, Mirella Telles Salgueiro; Szepessy, Zsuzsanna; Ventura, Dora Fix; Németh, János

2018-04-01

To establish fluctuation limits, it was considered that not only overall macular sensitivity but also fluctuations of individual test points in the macula might have clinical value. Three repeated measurements of microperimetry were performed using the Standard Expert test of Macular Integrity Assessment (MAIA) in healthy subjects ( N = 12, age = 23.8 ± 1.5 years old) and in patients with age-related macular degeneration (AMD) ( N = 11, age = 68.5 ± 7.4 years old). A total of 37 macular points arranged in four concentric rings and in four quadrants were analyzed individually and in groups. The data show low fluctuation of macular sensitivity of individual test points in healthy subjects (average = 1.38 ± 0.28 dB) and AMD patients (average = 2.12 ± 0.60 dB). Lower sensitivity points are more related to higher fluctuation than to the distance from the central point. Fixation stability showed no effect on the sensitivity fluctuation. The 95th percentile of the standard deviations of healthy subjects was, on average, 2.7 dB, ranging from 1.2 to 4 dB, depending on the point tested. Point analysis and regional analysis might be considered prior to evaluating macular sensitivity fluctuation in order to distinguish between normal variation and a clinical change. S tatistical methods were used to compare repeated microperimetry measurements and to establish fluctuation limits of the macular sensitivity. This analysis could add information regarding the integrity of different macular areas and provide new insights into fixation points prior to the biofeedback fixation training.

PSFGAN: a generative adversarial network system for separating quasar point sources and host galaxy light

Science.gov (United States)

Stark, Dominic; Launet, Barthelemy; Schawinski, Kevin; Zhang, Ce; Koss, Michael; Turp, M. Dennis; Sartori, Lia F.; Zhang, Hantian; Chen, Yiru; Weigel, Anna K.

2018-06-01

The study of unobscured active galactic nuclei (AGN) and quasars depends on the reliable decomposition of the light from the AGN point source and the extended host galaxy light. The problem is typically approached using parametric fitting routines using separate models for the host galaxy and the point spread function (PSF). We present a new approach using a Generative Adversarial Network (GAN) trained on galaxy images. We test the method using Sloan Digital Sky Survey r-band images with artificial AGN point sources added that are then removed using the GAN and with parametric methods using GALFIT. When the AGN point source is more than twice as bright as the host galaxy, we find that our method, PSFGAN, can recover point source and host galaxy magnitudes with smaller systematic error and a lower average scatter (49 per cent). PSFGAN is more tolerant to poor knowledge of the PSF than parametric methods. Our tests show that PSFGAN is robust against a broadening in the PSF width of ± 50 per cent if it is trained on multiple PSFs. We demonstrate that while a matched training set does improve performance, we can still subtract point sources using a PSFGAN trained on non-astronomical images. While initial training is computationally expensive, evaluating PSFGAN on data is more than 40 times faster than GALFIT fitting two components. Finally, PSFGAN is more robust and easy to use than parametric methods as it requires no input parameters.

Is a wind turbine a point source? (L).

Science.gov (United States)

Makarewicz, Rufin

2011-02-01

Measurements show that practically all noise of wind turbine noise is produced by turbine blades, sometimes a few tens of meters long, despite that the model of a point source located at the hub height is commonly used. The plane of rotating blades is the critical location of the receiver because the distances to the blades are the shortest. It is shown that such location requires certain condition to be met. The model is valid far away from the wind turbine as well.

Coupling aerosol-cloud-radiative processes in the WRF-Chem model: Investigating the radiative impact of elevated point sources

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

E. G. Chapman

2009-02-01

Full Text Available The local and regional influence of elevated point sources on summertime aerosol forcing and cloud-aerosol interactions in northeastern North America was investigated using the WRF-Chem community model. The direct effects of aerosols on incoming solar radiation were simulated using existing modules to relate aerosol sizes and chemical composition to aerosol optical properties. Indirect effects were simulated by adding a prognostic treatment of cloud droplet number and adding modules that activate aerosol particles to form cloud droplets, simulate aqueous-phase chemistry, and tie a two-moment treatment of cloud water (cloud water mass and cloud droplet number to precipitation and an existing radiation scheme. Fully interactive feedbacks thus were created within the modified model, with aerosols affecting cloud droplet number and cloud radiative properties, and clouds altering aerosol size and composition via aqueous processes, wet scavenging, and gas-phase-related photolytic processes. Comparisons of a baseline simulation with observations show that the model captured the general temporal cycle of aerosol optical depths (AODs and produced clouds of comparable thickness to observations at approximately the proper times and places. The model overpredicted SO₂ mixing ratios and PM_2.5 mass, but reproduced the range of observed SO₂ to sulfate aerosol ratios, suggesting that atmospheric oxidation processes leading to aerosol sulfate formation are captured in the model. The baseline simulation was compared to a sensitivity simulation in which all emissions at model levels above the surface layer were set to zero, thus removing stack emissions. Instantaneous, site-specific differences for aerosol and cloud related properties between the two simulations could be quite large, as removing above-surface emission sources influenced when and where clouds formed within the modeling domain. When summed spatially over the finest

Sensitivity of fluvial sediment source apportionment to mixing model assumptions: A Bayesian model comparison.

Science.gov (United States)

Cooper, Richard J; Krueger, Tobias; Hiscock, Kevin M; Rawlins, Barry G

2014-11-01

Mixing models have become increasingly common tools for apportioning fluvial sediment load to various sediment sources across catchments using a wide variety of Bayesian and frequentist modeling approaches. In this study, we demonstrate how different model setups can impact upon resulting source apportionment estimates in a Bayesian framework via a one-factor-at-a-time (OFAT) sensitivity analysis. We formulate 13 versions of a mixing model, each with different error assumptions and model structural choices, and apply them to sediment geochemistry data from the River Blackwater, Norfolk, UK, to apportion suspended particulate matter (SPM) contributions from three sources (arable topsoils, road verges, and subsurface material) under base flow conditions between August 2012 and August 2013. Whilst all 13 models estimate subsurface sources to be the largest contributor of SPM (median ∼76%), comparison of apportionment estimates reveal varying degrees of sensitivity to changing priors, inclusion of covariance terms, incorporation of time-variant distributions, and methods of proportion characterization. We also demonstrate differences in apportionment results between a full and an empirical Bayesian setup, and between a Bayesian and a frequentist optimization approach. This OFAT sensitivity analysis reveals that mixing model structural choices and error assumptions can significantly impact upon sediment source apportionment results, with estimated median contributions in this study varying by up to 21% between model versions. Users of mixing models are therefore strongly advised to carefully consider and justify their choice of model structure prior to conducting sediment source apportionment investigations. An OFAT sensitivity analysis of sediment fingerprinting mixing models is conductedBayesian models display high sensitivity to error assumptions and structural choicesSource apportionment results differ between Bayesian and frequentist approaches.

Double point source W-phase inversion: Real-time implementation and automated model selection

Science.gov (United States)

Nealy, Jennifer; Hayes, Gavin

2015-01-01

Rapid and accurate characterization of an earthquake source is an extremely important and ever evolving field of research. Within this field, source inversion of the W-phase has recently been shown to be an effective technique, which can be efficiently implemented in real-time. An extension to the W-phase source inversion is presented in which two point sources are derived to better characterize complex earthquakes. A single source inversion followed by a double point source inversion with centroid locations fixed at the single source solution location can be efficiently run as part of earthquake monitoring network operational procedures. In order to determine the most appropriate solution, i.e., whether an earthquake is most appropriately described by a single source or a double source, an Akaike information criterion (AIC) test is performed. Analyses of all earthquakes of magnitude 7.5 and greater occurring since January 2000 were performed with extended analyses of the September 29, 2009 magnitude 8.1 Samoa earthquake and the April 19, 2014 magnitude 7.5 Papua New Guinea earthquake. The AIC test is shown to be able to accurately select the most appropriate model and the selected W-phase inversion is shown to yield reliable solutions that match published analyses of the same events.

Sensitivity of numerical dispersion modeling to explosive source parameters

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Baskett, R.L.; Cederwall, R.T.

1991-01-01

The calculation of downwind concentrations from non-traditional sources, such as explosions, provides unique challenges to dispersion models. The US Department of Energy has assigned the Atmospheric Release Advisory Capability (ARAC) at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) the task of estimating the impact of accidental radiological releases to the atmosphere anywhere in the world. Our experience includes responses to over 25 incidents in the past 16 years, and about 150 exercises a year. Examples of responses to explosive accidents include the 1980 Titan 2 missile fuel explosion near Damascus, Arkansas and the hydrogen gas explosion in the 1986 Chernobyl nuclear power plant accident. Based on judgment and experience, we frequently estimate the source geometry and the amount of toxic material aerosolized as well as its particle size distribution. To expedite our real-time response, we developed some automated algorithms and default assumptions about several potential sources. It is useful to know how well these algorithms perform against real-world measurements and how sensitive our dispersion model is to the potential range of input values. In this paper we present the algorithms we use to simulate explosive events, compare these methods with limited field data measurements, and analyze their sensitivity to input parameters. 14 refs., 7 figs., 2 tabs

Temperature Effects of Point Sources, Riparian Shading, and Dam Operations on the Willamette River, Oregon

Science.gov (United States)

Rounds, Stewart A.

2007-01-01

Water temperature is an important factor influencing the migration, rearing, and spawning of several important fish species in rivers of the Pacific Northwest. To protect these fish populations and to fulfill its responsibilities under the Federal Clean Water Act, the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality set a water temperature Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) in 2006 for the Willamette River and the lower reaches of its largest tributaries in northwestern Oregon. As a result, the thermal discharges of the largest point sources of heat to the Willamette River now are limited at certain times of the year, riparian vegetation has been targeted for restoration, and upstream dams are recognized as important influences on downstream temperatures. Many of the prescribed point-source heat-load allocations are sufficiently restrictive that management agencies may need to expend considerable resources to meet those allocations. Trading heat allocations among point-source dischargers may be a more economical and efficient means of meeting the cumulative point-source temperature limits set by the TMDL. The cumulative nature of these limits, however, precludes simple one-to-one trades of heat from one point source to another; a more detailed spatial analysis is needed. In this investigation, the flow and temperature models that formed the basis of the Willamette temperature TMDL were used to determine a spatially indexed 'heating signature' for each of the modeled point sources, and those signatures then were combined into a user-friendly, spreadsheet-based screening tool. The Willamette River Point-Source Heat-Trading Tool allows the user to increase or decrease the heating signature of each source and thereby evaluate the effects of a wide range of potential point-source heat trades. The predictions of the Trading Tool were verified by running the Willamette flow and temperature models under four different trading scenarios, and the predictions typically were accurate

Systematic Review: Impact of point sources on antibiotic-resistant bacteria in the natural environment.

Science.gov (United States)

Bueno, I; Williams-Nguyen, J; Hwang, H; Sargeant, J M; Nault, A J; Singer, R S

2018-02-01

Point sources such as wastewater treatment plants and agricultural facilities may have a role in the dissemination of antibiotic-resistant bacteria (ARB) and antibiotic resistance genes (ARG). To analyse the evidence for increases in ARB in the natural environment associated with these point sources of ARB and ARG, we conducted a systematic review. We evaluated 5,247 records retrieved through database searches, including both studies that ascertained ARG and ARB outcomes. All studies were subjected to a screening process to assess relevance to the question and methodology to address our review question. A risk of bias assessment was conducted upon the final pool of studies included in the review. This article summarizes the evidence only for those studies with ARB outcomes (n = 47). Thirty-five studies were at high (n = 11) or at unclear (n = 24) risk of bias in the estimation of source effects due to lack of information and/or failure to control for confounders. Statistical analysis was used in ten studies, of which one assessed the effect of multiple sources using modelling approaches; none reported effect measures. Most studies reported higher ARB prevalence or concentration downstream/near the source. However, this evidence was primarily descriptive and it could not be concluded that there is a clear impact of point sources on increases in ARB in the environment. To quantify increases in ARB in the environment due to specific point sources, there is a need for studies that stress study design, control of biases and analytical tools to provide effect measure estimates. © 2017 Blackwell Verlag GmbH.

Sensitivity of Coastal Environments and Wildlife to Spilled Oil: Florida Panhandle: INVERTPT (Invertebrate Points)

Data.gov (United States)

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce — This data set contains sensitive biological resource data for threatened/endangered invertebrate species for the Florida Panhandle. Vector points in this data set...

Sensitivity of Coastal Environments and Wildlife to Spilled Oil: Central California: NESTS (Nest Points)

Data.gov (United States)

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce — This data set contains sensitive biological resource data for alcids, diving birds, gulls, terns, pelagic birds, and shorebirds in Central California. Vector points...

Lessons Learned from OMI Observations of Point Source SO2 Pollution

Science.gov (United States)

Krotkov, N.; Fioletov, V.; McLinden, Chris

2011-01-01

The Ozone Monitoring Instrument (OMI) on NASA Aura satellite makes global daily measurements of the total column of sulfur dioxide (SO2), a short-lived trace gas produced by fossil fuel combustion, smelting, and volcanoes. Although anthropogenic SO2 signals may not be detectable in a single OMI pixel, it is possible to see the source and determine its exact location by averaging a large number of individual measurements. We describe new techniques for spatial and temporal averaging that have been applied to the OMI SO2 data to determine the spatial distributions or "fingerprints" of SO2 burdens from top 100 pollution sources in North America. The technique requires averaging of several years of OMI daily measurements to observe SO2 pollution from typical anthropogenic sources. We found that the largest point sources of SO2 in the U.S. produce elevated SO2 values over a relatively small area - within 20-30 km radius. Therefore, one needs higher than OMI spatial resolution to monitor typical SO2 sources. TROPOMI instrument on the ESA Sentinel 5 precursor mission will have improved ground resolution (approximately 7 km at nadir), but is limited to once a day measurement. A pointable geostationary UVB spectrometer with variable spatial resolution and flexible sampling frequency could potentially achieve the goal of daily monitoring of SO2 point sources and resolve downwind plumes. This concept of taking the measurements at high frequency to enhance weak signals needs to be demonstrated with a GEOCAPE precursor mission before 2020, which will help formulating GEOCAPE measurement requirements.

Sensitivity of Coastal Environments and Wildlife to Spilled Oil: Florida Panhandle: REPTPT (Reptile Points)

Data.gov (United States)

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce — This data set contains sensitive biological resource data for threatened and endangered reptiles/amphibians for the Florida Panhandle. Vector points in this data set...

Applicability of a desiccant dew-point cooling system independent of external water sources

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Bellemo, Lorenzo; Elmegaard, Brian; Kærn, Martin Ryhl

2015-01-01

The applicability of a technical solution for making desiccant cooling systems independent of external water sources is investigated. Water is produced by condensing the desorbed water vapour in a closed regeneration circuit. Desorbed water recovery is applied to a desiccant dew-point cooling...... system, which includes a desiccant wheel and a dew point cooler. The system is simulated during the summer period in the Mediterranean climate of Rome and it results completely independent of external water sources. The seasonal thermal COP drops 8% in comparison to the open regeneration circuit solution...

An effective dose assessment technique with NORM added consumer products using skin-point source on computational human phantom

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yoo, Do Hyeon; Shin, Wook-Geun; Lee, Hyun Cheol; Choi, Hyun Joon; Testa, Mauro; Lee, Jae Kook; Yeom, Yeon Soo; Kim, Chan Hyeong; Min, Chul Hee

2016-01-01

The aim of this study is to develop the assessment technique of the effective dose by calculating the organ equivalent dose with a Monte Carlo (MC) simulation and a computational human phantom for the naturally occurring radioactive material (NORM) added consumer products. In this study, we suggests the method determining the MC source term based on the skin-point source enabling the convenient and conservative modeling of the various type of the products. To validate the skin-point source method, the organ equivalent doses were compared with that by the product modeling source of the realistic shape for the pillow, waist supporter, sleeping mattress etc. Our results show that according to the source location, the organ equivalent doses were observed as the similar tendency for both source determining methods, however, it was observed that the annual effective dose with the skin-point source was conservative than that with the modeling source with the maximum 3.3 times higher dose. With the assumption of the gamma energy of 1 MeV and product activity of 1 Bq g"−"1, the annual effective doses of the pillow, waist supporter and sleeping mattress with skin-point source was 3.09E-16 Sv Bq"−"1 year"−"1, 1.45E-15 Sv Bq"−"1 year"−"1, and 2,82E-16 Sv Bq"−"1 year"−"1, respectively, while the product modeling source showed 9.22E-17 Sv Bq"−"1 year"−"1, 9.29E-16 Sv Bq"−"1 year"−"1, and 8.83E-17 Sv Bq"−"1 year"−"1, respectively. In conclusion, it was demonstrated in this study that the skin-point source method could be employed to efficiently evaluate the annual effective dose due to the usage of the NORM added consumer products. - Highlights: • We evaluate the exposure dose from the usage of NORM added consumer products. • We suggest the method determining the MC source term based on the skin-point source. • To validate the skin-point source, the organ equivalent doses were compared with that the modeling source. • The skin-point source could

Sensitivity of Coastal Environments and Wildlife to Spilled Oil: New Hampshire: NESTS (Nest Points)

Data.gov (United States)

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce — This data set contains sensitive biological resource data for nesting birds in New Hampshire. Vector points in this data set represent locations of nesting osprey...

Improved Point-source Detection in Crowded Fields Using Probabilistic Cataloging

Science.gov (United States)

Portillo, Stephen K. N.; Lee, Benjamin C. G.; Daylan, Tansu; Finkbeiner, Douglas P.

2017-10-01

Cataloging is challenging in crowded fields because sources are extremely covariant with their neighbors and blending makes even the number of sources ambiguous. We present the first optical probabilistic catalog, cataloging a crowded (˜0.1 sources per pixel brighter than 22nd mag in F606W) Sloan Digital Sky Survey r-band image from M2. Probabilistic cataloging returns an ensemble of catalogs inferred from the image and thus can capture source-source covariance and deblending ambiguities. By comparing to a traditional catalog of the same image and a Hubble Space Telescope catalog of the same region, we show that our catalog ensemble better recovers sources from the image. It goes more than a magnitude deeper than the traditional catalog while having a lower false-discovery rate brighter than 20th mag. We also present an algorithm for reducing this catalog ensemble to a condensed catalog that is similar to a traditional catalog, except that it explicitly marginalizes over source-source covariances and nuisance parameters. We show that this condensed catalog has a similar completeness and false-discovery rate to the catalog ensemble. Future telescopes will be more sensitive, and thus more of their images will be crowded. Probabilistic cataloging performs better than existing software in crowded fields and so should be considered when creating photometric pipelines in the Large Synoptic Survey Telescope era.

Preparation of very small point sources for high resolution radiography

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Case, F.N.

1976-01-01

The need for very small point sources of high specific activity 192 Ir, 169 Yb, 170 Tm, and 60 Co in non-destructive testing has motivated the development of techniques for the fabrication of these sources. To prepare 192 Ir point sources for use in examination of tube sheet welds in LMFBR heat exchangers, 191 Ir enriched to greater than 90 percent was melted in a helium blanketed arc to form spheres as small as 0.38 mm in diameter. Methods were developed to form the roughly spherical shaped arc product into nearly symmetrical spheres that could be used for high resolution radiography. Similar methods were used for spherical shaped sources of 169 Yb and 170 Tm. The oxides were arc melted to form rough spheres followed by grinding to precise dimensions, neutron irradiation of the spheres at a flux of 2 to 3 x 10 15 nv, and use of enriched 168 Yb to provide the maximum specific activity. Cobalt-60 with a specific activity of greater than 1100 Ci/g was prepared by processing 59 Co that had been neutron irradiated to nearly complete burnup of the 59 Co target to produce 60 Co, 61 Ni, and 62 Ni. Ion exchange methods were used to separate the cobalt from the nickel. The cobalt was reduced to metal by plating either onto aluminum foil which was dissolved away from the cobalt plate, or by plating onto mercury to prepare amalgam that could be easily formed into a pellet of cobalt with exclusion of the mercury. Both methods are discussed

Point-of-Care Diagnostic Device for Traumatic Pneumothorax: Low Sensitivity of the Unblinded PneumoScan™

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

M. Rehfeldt

2018-01-01

Full Text Available Background. Traumatic Pneumothorax (PTX is a potentially life-threatening injury. It requires a fast and accurate diagnosis and treatment, but diagnostic tools are limited. A new point-of-care device (PneumoScan based on micropower impulse radar (MIR promises to diagnose a PTX within seconds. In this study, we compare standard diagnostics with PneumoScan during shock-trauma-room management. Patients and Methods. Patients with blunt or penetrating chest trauma were consecutively included in the study. All patients were examined including clinical examination with auscultation (CE and supine chest radiography (CXR. In addition, PneumoScan-readings and thoracic ultrasound scan (US were performed. Computed tomography (CT served as gold standard. Results. CT scan revealed PTX in 11 patients. PneumoScan detected two PTX correctly but missed nine. 15 false-positive results were found by PneumoScan, leading to a sensitivity of 20% and specificity of 80%. Six PTX were detected through CE (sensitivity: 54,5%. CXR detected four (sensitivity: 27,3% and thoracic US two PTX correctly (sensitivity: 25%. Conclusion. The unblinded PneumoScan prototype did not confirm the promising results of previous studies. The examined standard diagnostics and thoracic US showed rather weak sensitivity as well. Until now, there is no appropriate point-of-care tool to rule out PTX.

Atmospheric observations for quantifying emissions of point-source synthetic greenhouse gases (CF4, NF3 and HFC-23)

Science.gov (United States)

Arnold, Tim; Manning, Alistair J.; Li, Shanlan; Kim, Jooil; Park, Sunyoung; Fraser, Paul J.; Mitrevski, Blagoj; Steele, L. Paul; Krummel, Paul B.; Mühle, Jens; Weiss, Ray F.

2016-04-01

The fluorinated species carbon tetrafluoride (CF4; PFC-14), nitrogen trifluoride (NF3) and trifluoromethane (CHF3; HFC-23) are potent greenhouse gases with 100-year global warming potentials of 6,630, 16,100 and 12,400, respectively. Unlike the majority of CFC-replacement compounds that are emitted from fugitive and mobile emission sources, these gases are largely emitted from large single point sources - semiconductor manufacturing facilities (all three), aluminium smelting plants (CF4) and chlorodifluoromethane factories (HFC-23). In this work we show the potential for atmospheric measurements to understand regional sources of these gases and to highlight emission 'hotspots'. We target our analysis on measurements from two Advanced Global Atmospheric Gases Experiment (AGAGE) long term monitoring sites that are particularly sensitive to regional emissions of these gases: Gosan on Jeju Island in the Republic of Korea and Cape Grim on Tasmania in Australia. These sites measure CF4, NF3 and HFC-23 alongside a suite of greenhouse and stratospheric ozone depleting gases every two hours using automated in situ gas-chromatography mass-spectrometry instrumentation. We couple each measurement to an analysis of air history using the regional atmospheric transport model NAME (Numerical Atmospheric dispersion Modelling Environment) driven by 3D meteorology from the Met Office's Unified Model, and use a Bayesian inverse method (InTEM - Inversion Technique for Emission Modelling) to calculate yearly emission changes over a decade (2005-2015) at high spatial resolution. At present these gases make a small contribution to global radiative forcing, however, given that their impact could rise significantly and that point sources of such gases can be mitigated, atmospheric monitoring could be an important tool for aiding emissions reduction policy.

An Earthquake Source Sensitivity Analysis for Tsunami Propagation in the Eastern Mediterranean

Science.gov (United States)

Necmioglu, Ocal; Meral Ozel, Nurcan

2013-04-01

An earthquake source parameter sensitivity analysis for tsunami propagation in the Eastern Mediterranean has been performed based on 8 August 1303 Crete and Dodecanese Islands earthquake resulting in destructive inundation in the Eastern Mediterranean. The analysis involves 23 cases describing different sets of strike, dip, rake and focal depth, while keeping the fault area and displacement, thus the magnitude, same. The main conclusions of the evaluation are drawn from the investigation of the wave height distributions at Tsunami Forecast Points (TFP). The earthquake vs. initial tsunami source parameters comparison indicated that the maximum initial wave height values correspond in general to the changes in rake angle. No clear depth dependency is observed within the depth range considered and no strike angle dependency is observed in terms of amplitude change. Directivity sensitivity analysis indicated that for the same strike and dip, 180° shift in rake may lead to 20% change in the calculated tsunami wave height. Moreover, an approximately 10 min difference in the arrival time of the initial wave has been observed. These differences are, however, greatly reduced in the far field. The dip sensitivity analysis, performed separately for thrust and normal faulting, has both indicated that an increase in the dip angle results in the decrease of the tsunami wave amplitude in the near field approximately 40%. While a positive phase shift is observed, the period and the shape of the initial wave stays nearly the same for all dip angles at respective TFPs. These affects are, however, not observed at the far field. The resolution of the bathymetry, on the other hand, is a limiting factor for further evaluation. Four different cases were considered for the depth sensitivity indicating that within the depth ranges considered (15-60 km), the increase of the depth has only a smoothing effect on the synthetic tsunami wave height measurements at the selected TFPs. The strike

Diffusion from a point source in an urban atmosphere

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Essa, K.S.M.; El-Otaify, M.S.

2005-01-01

In the present paper, a model for the diffusion of material from a point source in an urban atmosphere is incorporated. The plume is assumed to have a well-defined edge at which the concentration falls to zero. The vertical wind shear is estimated using logarithmic law, by employing most of the available techniques of stability categories. The concentrations estimated from the model were compared favorably with the field observations of other investigators

HYDROLOGY AND SEDIMENT MODELING USING THE BASINS NON-POINT SOURCE MODEL

Science.gov (United States)

The Non-Point Source Model (Hydrologic Simulation Program-Fortran, or HSPF) within the EPA Office of Water's BASINS watershed modeling system was used to simulate streamflow and total suspended solids within Contentnea Creek, North Carolina, which is a tributary of the Neuse Rive...

Nature of the Diffuse Source and Its Central Point-like Source in SNR 0509–67.5

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Litke, Katrina C.; Chu, You-Hua; Holmes, Abigail; Santucci, Robert; Blindauer, Terrence; Gruendl, Robert A.; Ricker, Paul M. [Astronomy Department, University of Illinois, 1002 W. Green Street, Urbana, IL 61801 (United States); Li, Chuan-Jui [Academia Sinica Institute of Astronomy and Astrophysics, P.O. Box 23-141, Taipei 10617, Taiwan, R.O.C. (China); Pan, Kuo-Chuan [Departement Physik, Universität Basel, Klingelbergstrasse 82, CH-4056 Basel (Switzerland); Weisz, Daniel R., E-mail: kclitke@email.arizona.edu [Department of Astronomy, University of California, 501 Cambell Hall #3411, Berkeley, CA 94720-3411 (United States)

2017-03-10

We examine a diffuse emission region near the center of SNR 0509−67.5 to determine its nature. Within this diffuse region we observe a point-like source that is bright in the near-IR, but is not visible in the B and V bands. We consider an emission line observed at 6766 Å and the possibilities that it is Ly α , H α , and [O ii] λ 3727. We examine the spectral energy distribution (SED) of the source, comprised of Hubble Space Telescope B , V , I , J , and H bands in addition to Spitzer /IRAC 3.6, 4.5, 5.8, and 8 μ m bands. The peak of the SED is consistent with a background galaxy at z ≈ 0.8 ± 0.2 and a possible Balmer jump places the galaxy at z ≈ 0.9 ± 0.3. These SED considerations support the emission line’s identification as [O ii] λ 3727. We conclude that the diffuse source in SNR 0509−67.5 is a background galaxy at z ≈ 0.82. Furthermore, we identify the point-like source superposed near the center of the galaxy as its central bulge. Finally, we find no evidence for a surviving companion star, indicating a double-degenerate origin for SNR 0509−67.5.

Nature of the Diffuse Source and Its Central Point-like Source in SNR 0509–67.5

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Litke, Katrina C.; Chu, You-Hua; Holmes, Abigail; Santucci, Robert; Blindauer, Terrence; Gruendl, Robert A.; Ricker, Paul M.; Li, Chuan-Jui; Pan, Kuo-Chuan; Weisz, Daniel R.

2017-01-01

We examine a diffuse emission region near the center of SNR 0509−67.5 to determine its nature. Within this diffuse region we observe a point-like source that is bright in the near-IR, but is not visible in the B and V bands. We consider an emission line observed at 6766 Å and the possibilities that it is Ly α , H α , and [O ii] λ 3727. We examine the spectral energy distribution (SED) of the source, comprised of Hubble Space Telescope B , V , I , J , and H bands in addition to Spitzer /IRAC 3.6, 4.5, 5.8, and 8 μ m bands. The peak of the SED is consistent with a background galaxy at z ≈ 0.8 ± 0.2 and a possible Balmer jump places the galaxy at z ≈ 0.9 ± 0.3. These SED considerations support the emission line’s identification as [O ii] λ 3727. We conclude that the diffuse source in SNR 0509−67.5 is a background galaxy at z ≈ 0.82. Furthermore, we identify the point-like source superposed near the center of the galaxy as its central bulge. Finally, we find no evidence for a surviving companion star, indicating a double-degenerate origin for SNR 0509−67.5.

Active control on high-order coherence and statistic characterization on random phase fluctuation of two classical point sources.

Science.gov (United States)

Hong, Peilong; Li, Liming; Liu, Jianji; Zhang, Guoquan

2016-03-29

Young's double-slit or two-beam interference is of fundamental importance to understand various interference effects, in which the stationary phase difference between two beams plays the key role in the first-order coherence. Different from the case of first-order coherence, in the high-order optical coherence the statistic behavior of the optical phase will play the key role. In this article, by employing a fundamental interfering configuration with two classical point sources, we showed that the high- order optical coherence between two classical point sources can be actively designed by controlling the statistic behavior of the relative phase difference between two point sources. Synchronous position Nth-order subwavelength interference with an effective wavelength of λ/M was demonstrated, in which λ is the wavelength of point sources and M is an integer not larger than N. Interestingly, we found that the synchronous position Nth-order interference fringe fingerprints the statistic trace of random phase fluctuation of two classical point sources, therefore, it provides an effective way to characterize the statistic properties of phase fluctuation for incoherent light sources.

Decreasing Computational Time for VBBinaryLensing by Point Source Approximation

Science.gov (United States)

Tirrell, Bethany M.; Visgaitis, Tiffany A.; Bozza, Valerio

2018-01-01

The gravitational lens of a binary system produces a magnification map that is more intricate than a single object lens. This map cannot be calculated analytically and one must rely on computational methods to resolve. There are generally two methods of computing the microlensed flux of a source. One is based on ray-shooting maps (Kayser, Refsdal, & Stabell 1986), while the other method is based on an application of Green’s theorem. This second method finds the area of an image by calculating a Riemann integral along the image contour. VBBinaryLensing is a C++ contour integration code developed by Valerio Bozza, which utilizes this method. The parameters at which the source object could be treated as a point source, or in other words, when the source is far enough from the caustic, was of interest to substantially decrease the computational time. The maximum and minimum values of the caustic curves produced, were examined to determine the boundaries for which this simplification could be made. The code was then run for a number of different maps, with separation values and accuracies ranging from 10-1 to 10-3, to test the theoretical model and determine a safe buffer for which minimal error could be made for the approximation. The determined buffer was 1.5+5q, with q being the mass ratio. The theoretical model and the calculated points worked for all combinations of the separation values and different accuracies except the map with accuracy and separation equal to 10-3 for y1 max. An alternative approach has to be found in order to accommodate a wider range of parameters.

Reduction Assessment of Agricultural Non-Point Source Pollutant Loading

OpenAIRE

Fu, YiCheng; Zang, Wenbin; Zhang, Jian; Wang, Hongtao; Zhang, Chunling; Shi, Wanli

2018-01-01

NPS (Non-point source) pollution has become a key impact element to watershed environment at present. With the development of technology, application of models to control NPS pollution has become a very common practice for resource management and Pollutant reduction control in the watershed scale of China. The SWAT (Soil and Water Assessment Tool) model is a semi-conceptual model, which was put forward to estimate pollutant production & the influences on water quantity-quality under different...

75 FR 10438 - Effluent Limitations Guidelines and Standards for the Construction and Development Point Source...

Science.gov (United States)

2010-03-08

... Effluent Limitations Guidelines and Standards for the Construction and Development Point Source Category... technology-based Effluent Limitations Guidelines and New Source Performance Standards for the Construction... technology-based Effluent Limitations Guidelines and New Source Performance Standards for the Construction...

Fecal bacteria source characterization and sensitivity analysis of SWAT 2005

Science.gov (United States)

The Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT) version 2005 includes a microbial sub-model to simulate fecal bacteria transport at the watershed scale. The objectives of this study were to demonstrate methods to characterize fecal coliform bacteria (FCB) source loads and to assess the model sensitivity t...

The Unicellular State as a Point Source in a Quantum Biological System

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

John S. Torday

2016-05-01

Full Text Available A point source is the central and most important point or place for any group of cohering phenomena. Evolutionary development presumes that biological processes are sequentially linked, but neither directed from, nor centralized within, any specific biologic structure or stage. However, such an epigenomic entity exists and its transforming effects can be understood through the obligatory recapitulation of all eukaryotic lifeforms through a zygotic unicellular phase. This requisite biological conjunction can now be properly assessed as the focal point of reconciliation between biology and quantum phenomena, illustrated by deconvoluting complex physiologic traits back to their unicellular origins.

ESI-HI09 Naliikakani Point, Island of Hawaii, Hawaii 2001 (Environmental Sensitivity Index Map)

Data.gov (United States)

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce — Environmental Sensitivity Index (ESI) maps are an integral component in oil-spill contingency planning and assessment. They serve as a source of information in the...

Calibrate the aerial surveying instrument by the limited surface source and the single point source that replace the unlimited surface source

CERN Document Server

Lu Cun Heng

1999-01-01

It is described that the calculating formula and surveying result is found on the basis of the stacking principle of gamma ray and the feature of hexagonal surface source when the limited surface source replaces the unlimited surface source to calibrate the aerial survey instrument on the ground, and that it is found in the light of the exchanged principle of the gamma ray when the single point source replaces the unlimited surface source to calibrate aerial surveying instrument in the air. Meanwhile through the theoretical analysis, the receiving rate of the crystal bottom and side surfaces is calculated when aerial surveying instrument receives gamma ray. The mathematical expression of the gamma ray decaying following height according to the Jinge function regularity is got. According to this regularity, the absorbing coefficient that air absorbs the gamma ray and the detective efficiency coefficient of the crystal is calculated based on the ground and air measuring value of the bottom surface receiving cou...

Effect of tissue inhomogeneity on dose distribution of point sources of low-energy electrons

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kwok, C.S.; Bialobzyski, P.J.; Yu, S.K.; Prestwich, W.V.

1990-01-01

Perturbation in dose distributions of point sources of low-energy electrons at planar interfaces of cortical bone (CB) and red marrow (RM) was investigated experimentally and by Monte Carlo codes EGS and the TIGER series. Ultrathin LiF thermoluminescent dosimeters were used to measure the dose distributions of point sources of 204 Tl and 147 Pm in RM. When the point sources were at 12 mg/cm 2 from a planar interface of CB and RM equivalent plastics, dose enhancement ratios in RM averaged over the region 0--12 mg/cm 2 from the interface were measured to be 1.08±0.03 (SE) and 1.03±0.03 (SE) for 204 Tl and 147 Pm, respectively. The Monte Carlo codes predicted 1.05±0.02 and 1.01±0.02 for the two nuclides, respectively. However, EGS gave consistently 3% higher dose in the dose scoring region than the TIGER series when point sources of monoenergetic electrons up to 0.75 MeV energy were considered in the homogeneous RM situation or in the CB and RM heterogeneous situation. By means of the TIGER series, it was demonstrated that aluminum, which is normally assumed to be equivalent to CB in radiation dosimetry, leads to an overestimation of backscattering of low-energy electrons in soft tissue at a CB--soft-tissue interface by as much as a factor of 2

Sensitivity of Coastal Environments and Wildlife to Spilled Oil: Northwest Arctic, Alaska: NESTS (Nest Points)

Data.gov (United States)

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce — This data set contains sensitive biological resource data for nesting birds in Northwest Arctic, Alaska. Vector points in this data set represent locations of...

PSFGAN: a generative adversarial network system for separating quasar point sources and host galaxy light

Science.gov (United States)

Stark, Dominic; Launet, Barthelemy; Schawinski, Kevin; Zhang, Ce; Koss, Michael; Turp, M. Dennis; Sartori, Lia F.; Zhang, Hantian; Chen, Yiru; Weigel, Anna K.

2018-03-01

The study of unobscured active galactic nuclei (AGN) and quasars depends on the reliable decomposition of the light from the AGN point source and the extended host galaxy light. The problem is typically approached using parametric fitting routines using separate models for the host galaxy and the point spread function (PSF). We present a new approach using a Generative Adversarial Network (GAN) trained on galaxy images. We test the method using Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS) r-band images with artificial AGN point sources added which are then removed using the GAN and with parametric methods using GALFIT. When the AGN point source PS is more than twice as bright as the host galaxy, we find that our method, PSFGAN, can recover PS and host galaxy magnitudes with smaller systematic error and a lower average scatter (49%). PSFGAN is more tolerant to poor knowledge of the PSF than parametric methods. Our tests show that PSFGAN is robust against a broadening in the PSF width of ±50% if it is trained on multiple PSF's. We demonstrate that while a matched training set does improve performance, we can still subtract point sources using a PSFGAN trained on non-astronomical images. While initial training is computationally expensive, evaluating PSFGAN on data is more than 40 times faster than GALFIT fitting two components. Finally, PSFGAN it is more robust and easy to use than parametric methods as it requires no input parameters.

Simulation of ultrasonic surface waves with multi-Gaussian and point source beam models

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zhao, Xinyu; Schmerr, Lester W. Jr.; Li, Xiongbing; Sedov, Alexander

2014-01-01

In the past decade, multi-Gaussian beam models have been developed to solve many complicated bulk wave propagation problems. However, to date those models have not been extended to simulate the generation of Rayleigh waves. Here we will combine Gaussian beams with an explicit high frequency expression for the Rayleigh wave Green function to produce a three-dimensional multi-Gaussian beam model for the fields radiated from an angle beam transducer mounted on a solid wedge. Simulation results obtained with this model are compared to those of a point source model. It is shown that the multi-Gaussian surface wave beam model agrees well with the point source model while being computationally much more efficient

Time dependence of the field energy densities surrounding sources: Application to scalar mesons near point sources and to electromagnetic fields near molecules

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Persico, F.; Power, E.A.

1987-01-01

The time dependence of the dressing-undressing process, i.e., the acquiring or losing by a source of a boson field intensity and hence of a field energy density in its neighborhood, is considered by examining some simple soluble models. First, the loss of the virtual field is followed in time when a point source is suddenly decoupled from a neutral scalar meson field. Second, an initially bare point source acquires a virtual meson cloud as the coupling is switched on. The third example is that of an initially bare molecule interacting with the vacuum of the electromagnetic field to acquire a virtual photon cloud. In all three cases the dressing-undressing is shown to take place within an expanding sphere of radius r = ct centered at the source. At each point in space the energy density tends, for large times, to that of the ground state of the total system. Differences in the time dependence of the dressing between the massive scalar field and the massless electromagnetic field are discussed. The results are also briefly discussed in the light of Feinberg's ideas on the nature of half-dressed states in quantum field theory

Fast and Accurate Rat Head Motion Tracking With Point Sources for Awake Brain PET.

Science.gov (United States)

Miranda, Alan; Staelens, Steven; Stroobants, Sigrid; Verhaeghe, Jeroen

2017-07-01

To avoid the confounding effects of anesthesia and immobilization stress in rat brain positron emission tomography (PET), motion tracking-based unrestrained awake rat brain imaging is being developed. In this paper, we propose a fast and accurate rat headmotion tracking method based on small PET point sources. PET point sources (3-4) attached to the rat's head are tracked in image space using 15-32-ms time frames. Our point source tracking (PST) method was validated using a manually moved microDerenzo phantom that was simultaneously tracked with an optical tracker (OT) for comparison. The PST method was further validated in three awake [ 18 F]FDG rat brain scans. Compared with the OT, the PST-based correction at the same frame rate (31.2 Hz) reduced the reconstructed FWHM by 0.39-0.66 mm for the different tested rod sizes of the microDerenzo phantom. The FWHM could be further reduced by another 0.07-0.13 mm when increasing the PST frame rate (66.7 Hz). Regional brain [ 18 F]FDG uptake in the motion corrected scan was strongly correlated ( ) with that of the anesthetized reference scan for all three cases ( ). The proposed PST method allowed excellent and reproducible motion correction in awake in vivo experiments. In addition, there is no need of specialized tracking equipment or additional calibrations to be performed, the point sources are practically imperceptible to the rat, and PST is ideally suitable for small bore scanners, where optical tracking might be challenging.

Seasonal and spatial variation of diffuse (non-point) source zinc pollution in a historically metal mined river catchment, UK

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Gozzard, E., E-mail: emgo@ceh.ac.uk [Hydrogeochemical Engineering Research and Outreach Group, School of Civil Engineering and Geosciences, Newcastle University, Newcastle upon Tyne NE1 7RU (United Kingdom); Mayes, W.M., E-mail: W.Mayes@hull.ac.uk [Hydrogeochemical Engineering Research and Outreach Group, School of Civil Engineering and Geosciences, Newcastle University, Newcastle upon Tyne NE1 7RU (United Kingdom); Potter, H.A.B., E-mail: hugh.potter@environment-agency.gov.uk [Environment Agency England and Wales, c/o Institute for Research on Environment and Sustainability, Newcastle University, Newcastle upon Tyne NE1 7RU (United Kingdom); Jarvis, A.P., E-mail: a.p.jarvis@ncl.ac.uk [Hydrogeochemical Engineering Research and Outreach Group, School of Civil Engineering and Geosciences, Newcastle University, Newcastle upon Tyne NE1 7RU (United Kingdom)

2011-10-15

Quantifying diffuse sources of pollution is becoming increasingly important when characterising river catchments in entirety - a prerequisite for environmental management. This study examines both low and high flow events, as well as spatial variability, in order to assess point and diffuse components of zinc pollution within the River West Allen catchment, which lies within the northern England lead-zinc Orefield. Zinc levels in the river are elevated under all flow regimes, and are of environmental concern. Diffuse components are of little importance at low flow, with point source mine water discharges dominating instream zinc concentration and load. During higher river flows 90% of the instream zinc load is attributed to diffuse sources, where inputs from resuspension of metal-rich sediments, and groundwater influx are likely to be more dominant. Remediating point mine water discharges should significantly improve water quality at lower flows, but contribution from diffuse sources will continue to elevate zinc flux at higher flows. - Highlights: > Zinc concentrations breach EU quality thresholds under all river flow conditions. > Contributions from point sources dominate instream zinc dynamics in low flow. > Contributions from diffuse sources dominate instream zinc dynamics in high flow. > Important diffuse sources include river-bed sediment resuspension and groundwater influx. > Diffuse sources would still create significant instream pollution, even with point source treatment. - Diffuse zinc sources are an important source of instream contamination to mine-impacted rivers under varying flow conditions.

A practical sensitivity analysis method for ranking sources of uncertainty in thermal–hydraulics applications

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Pourgol-Mohammad, Mohammad, E-mail: pourgolmohammad@sut.ac.ir [Department of Mechanical Engineering, Sahand University of Technology, Tabriz (Iran, Islamic Republic of); Hoseyni, Seyed Mohsen [Department of Basic Sciences, East Tehran Branch, Islamic Azad University, Tehran (Iran, Islamic Republic of); Hoseyni, Seyed Mojtaba [Building & Housing Research Center, Tehran (Iran, Islamic Republic of); Sepanloo, Kamran [Nuclear Science and Technology Research Institute, Tehran (Iran, Islamic Republic of)

2016-08-15

Highlights: • Existing uncertainty ranking methods prove inconsistent for TH applications. • Introduction of a new method for ranking sources of uncertainty in TH codes. • Modified PIRT qualitatively identifies and ranks uncertainty sources more precisely. • The importance of parameters is calculated by a limited number of TH code executions. • Methodology is applied successfully on LOFT-LB1 test facility. - Abstract: In application to thermal–hydraulic calculations by system codes, sensitivity analysis plays an important role for managing the uncertainties of code output and risk analysis. Sensitivity analysis is also used to confirm the results of qualitative Phenomena Identification and Ranking Table (PIRT). Several methodologies have been developed to address uncertainty importance assessment. Generally, uncertainty importance measures, mainly devised for the Probabilistic Risk Assessment (PRA) applications, are not affordable for computationally demanding calculations of the complex thermal–hydraulics (TH) system codes. In other words, for effective quantification of the degree of the contribution of each phenomenon to the total uncertainty of the output, a practical approach is needed by considering high computational burden of TH calculations. This study aims primarily to show the inefficiency of the existing approaches and then introduces a solution to cope with the challenges in this area by modification of variance-based uncertainty importance method. Important parameters are identified by the modified PIRT approach qualitatively then their uncertainty importance is quantified by a local derivative index. The proposed index is attractive from its practicality point of view on TH applications. It is capable of calculating the importance of parameters by a limited number of TH code executions. Application of the proposed methodology is demonstrated on LOFT-LB1 test facility.

A practical sensitivity analysis method for ranking sources of uncertainty in thermal–hydraulics applications

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Pourgol-Mohammad, Mohammad; Hoseyni, Seyed Mohsen; Hoseyni, Seyed Mojtaba; Sepanloo, Kamran

2016-01-01

Highlights: • Existing uncertainty ranking methods prove inconsistent for TH applications. • Introduction of a new method for ranking sources of uncertainty in TH codes. • Modified PIRT qualitatively identifies and ranks uncertainty sources more precisely. • The importance of parameters is calculated by a limited number of TH code executions. • Methodology is applied successfully on LOFT-LB1 test facility. - Abstract: In application to thermal–hydraulic calculations by system codes, sensitivity analysis plays an important role for managing the uncertainties of code output and risk analysis. Sensitivity analysis is also used to confirm the results of qualitative Phenomena Identification and Ranking Table (PIRT). Several methodologies have been developed to address uncertainty importance assessment. Generally, uncertainty importance measures, mainly devised for the Probabilistic Risk Assessment (PRA) applications, are not affordable for computationally demanding calculations of the complex thermal–hydraulics (TH) system codes. In other words, for effective quantification of the degree of the contribution of each phenomenon to the total uncertainty of the output, a practical approach is needed by considering high computational burden of TH calculations. This study aims primarily to show the inefficiency of the existing approaches and then introduces a solution to cope with the challenges in this area by modification of variance-based uncertainty importance method. Important parameters are identified by the modified PIRT approach qualitatively then their uncertainty importance is quantified by a local derivative index. The proposed index is attractive from its practicality point of view on TH applications. It is capable of calculating the importance of parameters by a limited number of TH code executions. Application of the proposed methodology is demonstrated on LOFT-LB1 test facility.

Optimization of NANOGrav's time allocation for maximum sensitivity to single sources

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Christy, Brian; Anella, Ryan; Lommen, Andrea; Camuccio, Richard; Handzo, Emma; Finn, Lee Samuel

2014-01-01

Pulsar timing arrays (PTAs) are a collection of precisely timed millisecond pulsars (MSPs) that can search for gravitational waves (GWs) in the nanohertz frequency range by observing characteristic signatures in the timing residuals. The sensitivity of a PTA depends on the direction of the propagating GW source, the timing accuracy of the pulsars, and the allocation of the available observing time. The goal of this paper is to determine the optimal time allocation strategy among the MSPs in the North American Nanohertz Observatory for Gravitational Waves (NANOGrav) for a single source of GW under a particular set of assumptions. We consider both an isotropic distribution of sources across the sky and a specific source in the Virgo cluster. This work improves on previous efforts by modeling the effect of intrinsic spin noise for each pulsar. We find that, in general, the array is optimized by maximizing time spent on the best-timed pulsars, with sensitivity improvements typically ranging from a factor of 1.5 to 4.

''Anomalous'' air showers from point sources: Mass limits and light curves

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Domokos, G.; Elliott, B.; Kovesi-Domokos, S.

1993-01-01

We describe a method to obtain upper limits on the mass of the primaries of air showers associated with point sources. One also obtains the UHE pulse shape of a pulsar if its period is observed in the signal. As an example, we analyze the data obtained during a recent burst of Hercules-X1

Mechanical pain sensitivity of deep tissues in children - possible development of myofascial trigger points in children

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Han Ting-I

2012-02-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background It is still unclear when latent myofascial trigger points (MTrPs develop during early life. This study is designed to investigate the mechanical pain sensitivity of deep tissues in children in order to see the possible timing of the development of latent MTrPs and attachment trigger points (A-TrPs in school children. Methods Five hundreds and five healthy school children (age 4- 11 years were investigated. A pressure algometer was used to measure the pressure pain threshold (PPT at three different sites in the brachioradialis muscle: the lateral epicondyle at elbow (site A, assumed to be the A-TrP site, the mid-point of the muscle belly (site B, assumed to be the MTrP site, and the muscle-tendon junction as a control site (site C. Results The results showed that, for all children in this study, the mean PPT values was significantly lower (p p Conclusions It is concluded that a child had increased sensitivity at the tendon attachment site and the muscle belly (endplate zone after age of 4 years. Therefore, it is likely that a child may develop an A-Trp and a latent MTrP at the brachioradialis muscle after the age of 4 years. The changes in sensitivity, or the development for these trigger points, may not be related to the activity level of children aged 7-11 years. Further investigation is still required to indentify the exact timing of the initial occurrence of a-Trps and latent MTrPs.

The Potential for Electrofuels Production in Sweden Utilizing Fossil and Biogenic CO2 Point Sources

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hansson, Julia; Hackl, Roman; Taljegard, Maria; Brynolf, Selma; Grahn, Maria

2017-01-01

This paper maps, categorizes, and quantifies all major point sources of carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) emissions from industrial and combustion processes in Sweden. The paper also estimates the Swedish technical potential for electrofuels (power-to-gas/fuels) based on carbon capture and utilization. With our bottom-up approach using European databases, we find that Sweden emits approximately 50 million metric tons of CO 2 per year from different types of point sources, with 65% (or about 32 million tons) from biogenic sources. The major sources are the pulp and paper industry (46%), heat and power production (23%), and waste treatment and incineration (8%). Most of the CO 2 is emitted at low concentrations (<15%) from sources in the southern part of Sweden where power demand generally exceeds in-region supply. The potentially recoverable emissions from all the included point sources amount to 45 million tons. If all the recoverable CO 2 were used to produce electrofuels, the yield would correspond to 2–3 times the current Swedish demand for transportation fuels. The electricity required would correspond to about 3 times the current Swedish electricity supply. The current relatively few emission sources with high concentrations of CO 2 (>90%, biofuel operations) would yield electrofuels corresponding to approximately 2% of the current demand for transportation fuels (corresponding to 1.5–2 TWh/year). In a 2030 scenario with large-scale biofuels operations based on lignocellulosic feedstocks, the potential for electrofuels production from high-concentration sources increases to 8–11 TWh/year. Finally, renewable electricity and production costs, rather than CO 2 supply, limit the potential for production of electrofuels in Sweden.

The Atacama Cosmology Telescope: Development and preliminary results of point source observations

Science.gov (United States)

Fisher, Ryan P.

2009-06-01

The Atacama Cosmology Telescope (ACT) is a six meter diameter telescope designed to measure the millimeter sky with arcminute angular resolution. The instrument is currently conducting its third season of observations from Cerro Toco in the Chilean Andes. The primary science goal of the experiment is to expand our understanding of cosmology by mapping the temperature fluctuations of the Cosmic Microwave Background (CMB) at angular scales corresponding to multipoles up to [cursive l] ~ 10000. The primary receiver for current ACT observations is the Millimeter Bolometer Array Camera (MBAC). The instrument is specially designed to observe simultaneously at 148 GHz, 218 GHz and 277 GHz. To accomplish this, the camera has three separate detector arrays, each containing approximately 1000 detectors. After discussing the ACT experiment in detail, a discussion of the development and testing of the cold readout electronics for the MBAC is presented. Currently, the ACT collaboration is in the process of generating maps of the microwave sky using our first and second season observations. The analysis used to generate these maps requires careful data calibration to produce maps of the arcminute scale CMB temperature fluctuations. Tests and applications of several elements of the ACT calibrations are presented in the context of the second season observations. Scientific exploration has already begun on preliminary maps made using these calibrations. The final portion of this thesis is dedicated to discussing the point sources observed by the ACT. A discussion of the techniques used for point source detection and photometry is followed by a presentation of our current measurements of point source spectral indices.

Test sensitivity is important for detecting variability in pointing comprehension in canines.

Science.gov (United States)

Pongrácz, Péter; Gácsi, Márta; Hegedüs, Dorottya; Péter, András; Miklósi, Adám

2013-09-01

Several articles have been recently published on dogs' (Canis familiaris) performance in two-way object choice experiments in which subjects had to find hidden food by utilizing human pointing. The interpretation of results has led to a vivid theoretical debate about the cognitive background of human gestural signal understanding in dogs, despite the fact that many important details of the testing method have not yet been standardized. We report three experiments that aim to reveal how some procedural differences influence adult companion dogs' performance in these tests. Utilizing a large sample in Experiment 1, we provide evidence that neither the keeping conditions (garden/house) nor the location of the testing (outdoor/indoor) affect a dogs' performance. In Experiment 2, we compare dogs' performance using three different types of pointing gestures. Dogs' performance varied between momentary distal and momentary cross-pointing but "low" and "high" performer dogs chose uniformly better than chance level if they responded to sustained pointing gestures with reinforcement (food reward and a clicking sound; "clicker pointing"). In Experiment 3, we show that single features of the aforementioned "clicker pointing" method can slightly improve dogs' success rate if they were added one by one to the momentary distal pointing method. These results provide evidence that although companion dogs show a robust performance at different testing locations regardless of their keeping conditions, the exact execution of the human gesture and additional reinforcement techniques have substantial effect on the outcomes. Consequently, researchers should standardize their methodology before engaging in debates on the comparative aspects of socio-cognitive skills because the procedures they utilize may differ in sensitivity for detecting differences.

A 24 μm point source catalog of the galactic plane from Spitzer/MIPSGAL

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Gutermuth, Robert A.; Heyer, Mark [Department of Astronomy, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, MA 01003 (United States)

2015-02-01

In this contribution, we describe the applied methods to construct a 24 μm based point source catalog derived from the image data of the MIPSGAL 24 μm Galactic Plane Survey and the corresponding data products. The high quality catalog product contains 933,818 sources, with a total of 1,353,228 in the full archive catalog. The source tables include positional and photometric information derived from the 24 μm images, source quality and confusion flags, and counterpart photometry from matched 2MASS, GLIMPSE, and WISE point sources. Completeness decay data cubes are constructed at 1′ angular resolution that describe the varying background levels over the MIPSGAL field and the ability to extract sources of a given magnitude from this background. The completeness decay cubes are included in the set of data products. We present the results of our efforts to verify the astrometric and photometric calibration of the catalog, and present several analyses of minor anomalies in these measurements to justify adopted mitigation strategies.

Sensitive skin at menopause; dew point and electrometric properties of the stratum corneum.

Science.gov (United States)

Paquet, F; Piérard-Franchimont, C; Fumal, I; Goffin, V; Paye, M; Piérard, G E

1998-01-12

A number of menopausal women experience skin sensitive to various environmental threats. Two panels of 15 menopausal women on or without HRT were compared. We studied the response of their stratum corneum to variations in environmental humidity, either in air or in response to an emollient. Environment dew point and electrometric measurements on the skin were recorded to search for correlations. Data show that the baseline stratum corneum hydration is influenced by the dew point. HRT improves the barrier function of the skin. The use of emollient further extends the improvement in the functional properties of skin in menopausal women. Both HRT and an emollient can counteract in part some of the deleterious effects of cold and dry weather.

LEAP: Looking beyond pixels with continuous-space EstimAtion of Point sources

Science.gov (United States)

Pan, Hanjie; Simeoni, Matthieu; Hurley, Paul; Blu, Thierry; Vetterli, Martin

2017-12-01

Context. Two main classes of imaging algorithms have emerged in radio interferometry: the CLEAN algorithm and its multiple variants, and compressed-sensing inspired methods. They are both discrete in nature, and estimate source locations and intensities on a regular grid. For the traditional CLEAN-based imaging pipeline, the resolution power of the tool is limited by the width of the synthesized beam, which is inversely proportional to the largest baseline. The finite rate of innovation (FRI) framework is a robust method to find the locations of point-sources in a continuum without grid imposition. The continuous formulation makes the FRI recovery performance only dependent on the number of measurements and the number of sources in the sky. FRI can theoretically find sources below the perceived tool resolution. To date, FRI had never been tested in the extreme conditions inherent to radio astronomy: weak signal / high noise, huge data sets, large numbers of sources. Aims: The aims were (i) to adapt FRI to radio astronomy, (ii) verify it can recover sources in radio astronomy conditions with more accurate positioning than CLEAN, and possibly resolve some sources that would otherwise be missed, (iii) show that sources can be found using less data than would otherwise be required to find them, and (iv) show that FRI does not lead to an augmented rate of false positives. Methods: We implemented a continuous domain sparse reconstruction algorithm in Python. The angular resolution performance of the new algorithm was assessed under simulation, and with visibility measurements from the LOFAR telescope. Existing catalogs were used to confirm the existence of sources. Results: We adapted the FRI framework to radio interferometry, and showed that it is possible to determine accurate off-grid point-source locations and their corresponding intensities. In addition, FRI-based sparse reconstruction required less integration time and smaller baselines to reach a comparable

Investigation and optimisation of mobile NaI(Tl) and 3He-based neutron detectors for finding point sources

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nilsson, Jonas M.C.; Finck, Robert R.; Rääf, Christopher

2015-01-01

Neutron radiation produces high-energy gamma radiation through (n,γ) reactions in matter. This can be used to detect neutron sources indirectly using gamma spectrometers. The sensitivity of a gamma spectrometer to neutrons can be amplified by surrounding it with polyvinyl chloride (PVC). The hydrogen in the PVC acts as a moderator and the chlorine emits prompt gammas when a neutron is captured. A 4.7-l 3 He-based mobile neutron detector was compared to a 4-l NaI(Tl)-detector covered with PVC using this principle. Methods were also developed to optimise the measurement parameters of the systems. The detector systems were compared with regard to their ability to find 241 AmBe, 252 Cf and 238 Pu– 13 C neutron sources. Results from stationary measurements were used to calculate optimal integration times as well as minimum detectable neutron emission rates. It was found that the 3 He-based detector was more sensitive to 252 Cf sources whereas the NaI(Tl) detector was more sensitive to 241 AmBe and 238 Pu– 13 C sources. The results also indicated that the sensitivity of the detectors to sources at known distances could theoretically be improved by 60% by changing from fixed integration times to list mode in mobile surveys

Exact analytical solution of time-independent neutron transport equation, and its applications to systems with a point source

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mikata, Y.

2014-01-01

Highlights: • An exact solution for the one-speed neutron transport equation is obtained. • This solution as well as its derivation are believed to be new. • Neutron flux for a purely absorbing material with a point neutron source off the origin is obtained. • Spherically as well as cylindrically piecewise constant cross sections are studied. • Neutron flux expressions for a point neutron source off the origin are believed to be new. - Abstract: An exact analytical solution of the time-independent monoenergetic neutron transport equation is obtained in this paper. The solution is applied to systems with a point source. Systematic analysis of the solution of the time-independent neutron transport equation, and its applications represent the primary goal of this paper. To the best of the author’s knowledge, certain key results on the scalar neutron flux as well as their derivations are new. As an application of these results, a scalar neutron flux for a purely absorbing medium with a spherically piecewise constant cross section and an isotropic point neutron source off the origin as well as that for a cylindrically piecewise constant cross section with a point neutron source off the origin are obtained. Both of these results are believed to be new

Quantitative Analysis of VIIRS DNB Nightlight Point Source for Light Power Estimation and Stability Monitoring

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Changyong Cao

2014-12-01

Full Text Available The high sensitivity and advanced onboard calibration on the Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite (VIIRS Day/Night Band (DNB enables accurate measurements of low light radiances which leads to enhanced quantitative applications at night. The finer spatial resolution of DNB also allows users to examine social economic activities at urban scales. Given the growing interest in the use of the DNB data, there is a pressing need for better understanding of the calibration stability and absolute accuracy of the DNB at low radiances. The low light calibration accuracy was previously estimated at a moderate 15% using extended sources while the long-term stability has yet to be characterized. There are also several science related questions to be answered, for example, how the Earth’s atmosphere and surface variability contribute to the stability of the DNB measured radiances; how to separate them from instrument calibration stability; whether or not SI (International System of Units traceable active light sources can be designed and installed at selected sites to monitor the calibration stability, radiometric and geolocation accuracy, and point spread functions of the DNB; furthermore, whether or not such active light sources can be used for detecting environmental changes, such as aerosols. This paper explores the quantitative analysis of nightlight point sources, such as those from fishing vessels, bridges, and cities, using fundamental radiometry and radiative transfer, which would be useful for a number of applications including search and rescue in severe weather events, as well as calibration/validation of the DNB. Time series of the bridge light data are used to assess the stability of the light measurements and the calibration of VIIRS DNB. It was found that the light radiant power computed from the VIIRS DNB data matched relatively well with independent assessments based on the in situ light installations, although estimates have to be

Head position in the MEG helmet affects the sensitivity to anterior sources.

Science.gov (United States)

Marinkovic, K; Cox, B; Reid, K; Halgren, E

2004-11-30

Current MEG instruments derive the whole-head coverage by utilizing a helmet-shaped opening at the bottom of the dewar. These helmets, however, are quite a bit larger than most people's heads so subjects commonly lean against the back wall of the helmet in order to maintain a steady position. In such cases the anterior brain sources may be too distant to be picked up by the sensors reliably. Potential "invisibility" of the frontal and anterior temporal sources may be particularly troublesome for the studies of cognition and language, as they are subserved significantly by these areas. We examined the sensitivity of the distributed anatomically-constrained MEG (aMEG) approach to the head position ("front" vs. "back") secured within a helmet with custom-tailored bite-bars during a lexical decision task. The anterior head position indeed resulted in much greater sensitivity to language-related activity in frontal and anterior temporal locations. These results emphasize the need to adjust the head position in the helmet in order to maximize the "visibility" of the sources in the anterior brain regions in cognitive and language tasks.

Point-Source Contributions to the Water Quality of an Urban Stream

Science.gov (United States)

Little, S. F. B.; Young, M.; Lowry, C.

2014-12-01

Scajaquada Creek, which runs through the heart of the city of Buffalo, is a prime example of the ways in which human intervention and local geomorphology can impact water quality and urban hydrology. Beginning in the 1920's, the Creek has been partially channelized and connected to Buffalo's combined sewer system (CSS). At Forest Lawn Cemetery, where this study takes place, Scajaquada Creek emerges from a 3.5-mile tunnel built to route stream flow under the city. Collocated with the tunnel outlet is a discharge point for Buffalo's CSS, combined sewer outlet (CSO) #53. It is at this point that runoff and sanitary sewage discharge regularly during rain events. Initially, this study endeavored to create a spatial and temporal picture for this portion of the Creek, monitoring such parameters as conductivity, dissolved oxygen, pH, temperature, and turbidity, in addition to measuring Escherichia coli (E. coli) concentrations. As expected, these factors responded directly to seasonality, local geomorphology, and distance from the point source (CSO #53), displaying a overall, linear response. However, the addition of nitrate and phosphate testing to the study revealed an entirely separate signal from that previously observed. Concentrations of these parameters did not respond to location in the same manner as E. coli. Instead of decreasing with distance from the CSO, a distinct periodicity was observed, correlating with a series of outflow pipes lining the stream banks. It is hypothesized that nitrate and phosphate occurring in this stretch of Scajaquada Creek originate not from the CSO, but from fertilizers used to maintain the lawns within the subwatershed. These results provide evidence of the complexity related to water quality issues in urban streams as a result of point- and nonpoint-source hydrologic inputs.

An international point source outbreak of typhoid fever: a European collaborative investigation*

Science.gov (United States)

Stanwell-Smith, R. E.; Ward, L. R.

1986-01-01

A point source outbreak of Salmonella typhi, degraded Vi-strain 22, affecting 32 British visitors to Kos, Greece, in 1983 was attributed by a case—control study to the consumption of a salad at one hotel. This represents the first major outbreak of typhoid fever in which a salad has been identified as the vehicle. The source of the infection was probably a carrier in the hotel staff. The investigation demonstrates the importance of national surveillance, international cooperation, and epidemiological methods in the investigation and control of major outbreaks of infection. PMID:3488842

Mercury exposure in terrestrial birds far downstream of an historical point source

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Jackson, Allyson K., E-mail: allyson.jackson@briloon.org [Biodiversity Research Institute, 19 Flaggy Meadow Road, Gorham, ME 04038 (United States); Institute for Integrative Bird Behavior Studies, Department of Biology, College of William and Mary, PO Box 8795, Williamsburg, VA 23187 (United States); Evers, David C.; Folsom, Sarah B. [Biodiversity Research Institute, 19 Flaggy Meadow Road, Gorham, ME 04038 (United States); Condon, Anne M. [U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, 6669 Short Lane, Gloucester, VA 23061 (United States); Diener, John; Goodrick, Lizzie F. [Biodiversity Research Institute, 19 Flaggy Meadow Road, Gorham, ME 04038 (United States); McGann, Andrew J. [Institute for Integrative Bird Behavior Studies, Department of Biology, College of William and Mary, PO Box 8795, Williamsburg, VA 23187 (United States); Schmerfeld, John [U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, 6669 Short Lane, Gloucester, VA 23061 (United States); Cristol, Daniel A. [Institute for Integrative Bird Behavior Studies, Department of Biology, College of William and Mary, PO Box 8795, Williamsburg, VA 23187 (United States)

2011-12-15

Mercury (Hg) is a persistent environmental contaminant found in many freshwater and marine ecosystems. Historical Hg contamination in rivers can impact the surrounding terrestrial ecosystem, but there is little known about how far downstream this contamination persists. In 2009, we sampled terrestrial forest songbirds at five floodplain sites up to 137 km downstream of an historical source of Hg along the South and South Fork Shenandoah Rivers (Virginia, USA). We found that blood total Hg concentrations remained elevated over the entire sampling area and there was little evidence of decline with distance. While it is well known that Hg is a pervasive and long-lasting aquatic contaminant, it has only been recently recognized that it also biomagnifies effectively in floodplain forest food webs. This study extends the area of concern for terrestrial habitats near contaminated rivers for more than 100 km downstream from a waterborne Hg point source. - Highlights: > We report blood mercury levels for terrestrial songbirds downstream of contamination. > Blood mercury levels remain elevated above reference for at least 137 km downstream. > Trends vary based on foraging guild and migration strategy. > Mercury affects terrestrial biota farther downstream than previously documented. - Blood mercury levels of forest songbirds remain elevated above reference levels for at least 137 km downstream of historical point source.

Depth-encoded all-fiber swept source polarization sensitive OCT

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Zhao; Lee, Hsiang-Chieh; Ahsen, Osman Oguz; Lee, ByungKun; Choi, WooJhon; Potsaid, Benjamin; Liu, Jonathan; Jayaraman, Vijaysekhar; Cable, Alex; Kraus, Martin F.; Liang, Kaicheng; Hornegger, Joachim; Fujimoto, James G.

2014-01-01

Polarization sensitive optical coherence tomography (PS-OCT) is a functional extension of conventional OCT and can assess depth-resolved tissue birefringence in addition to intensity. Most existing PS-OCT systems are relatively complex and their clinical translation remains difficult. We present a simple and robust all-fiber PS-OCT system based on swept source technology and polarization depth-encoding. Polarization multiplexing was achieved using a polarization maintaining fiber. Polarization sensitive signals were detected using fiber based polarization beam splitters and polarization controllers were used to remove the polarization ambiguity. A simplified post-processing algorithm was proposed for speckle noise reduction relaxing the demand for phase stability. We demonstrated systems design for both ophthalmic and catheter-based PS-OCT. For ophthalmic imaging, we used an optical clock frequency doubling method to extend the imaging range of a commercially available short cavity light source to improve polarization depth-encoding. For catheter based imaging, we demonstrated 200 kHz PS-OCT imaging using a MEMS-tunable vertical cavity surface emitting laser (VCSEL) and a high speed micromotor imaging catheter. The system was demonstrated in human retina, finger and lip imaging, as well as ex vivo swine esophagus and cardiovascular imaging. The all-fiber PS-OCT is easier to implement and maintain compared to previous PS-OCT systems and can be more easily translated to clinical applications due to its robust design. PMID:25401008

X-Ray and Near-Infrared Spectroscopy of Dim X-Ray Point Sources Constituting the Galactic Ridge X-Ray Emission

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Kumiko Morihana

2014-12-01

Full Text Available We present the results of X-ray and Near-Infrared observations of the Galactic Ridge X-ray Emission (GRXE. We extracted 2,002 X-ray point sources in the Chandra Bulge Field (l =0°.113, b = 1°.424 down to ~10-14.8 ergscm-2s-1 in 2-8 keV band with the longest observation (900 ks of the GRXE. Based on X-ray brightness and hardness, we classied the X-ray point sources into three groups: A (hard, B (soft and broad spectrum, and C (soft and peaked spectrum. In order to know populations of the X-ray point sources, we carried out NIR imaging and spectroscopy observation. We identied 11% of X-ray point sources with NIR and extracted NIR spectra for some of them. Based on X-ray and NIR properties, we concluded that non-thermal sources in the group A are mostly active galactic nuclei and the thermal sources are mostly white dwarf binaries such as cataclysmic variables (CVs and Pre-CVs. We concluded that the group B and C sources are X-ray active stars in flare and quiescence, respectively.

Highly sensitive chemiluminescent point mutation detection by circular strand-displacement amplification reaction.

Science.gov (United States)

Shi, Chao; Ge, Yujie; Gu, Hongxi; Ma, Cuiping

2011-08-15

Single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) genotyping is attracting extensive attentions owing to its direct connections with human diseases including cancers. Here, we have developed a highly sensitive chemiluminescence biosensor based on circular strand-displacement amplification and the separation by magnetic beads reducing the background signal for point mutation detection at room temperature. This method took advantage of both the T4 DNA ligase recognizing single-base mismatch with high selectivity and the strand-displacement reaction of polymerase to perform signal amplification. The detection limit of this method was 1.3 × 10(-16)M, which showed better sensitivity than that of most of those reported detection methods of SNP. Additionally, the magnetic beads as carrier of immobility was not only to reduce the background signal, but also may have potential apply in high through-put screening of SNP detection in human genome. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Non point source pollution modelling in the watershed managed by Integrated Conctructed Wetlands: A GIS approach.

OpenAIRE

Vyavahare, Nilesh

2008-01-01

The non-point source pollution has been recognised as main cause of eutrophication in Ireland (EPA Ireland, 2001). Integrated Constructed Wetland (ICW) is a management practice adopted in Annestown stream watershed, located in the south county of Waterford in Ireland, used to cleanse farmyard runoff. Present study forms the annual pollution budget for the Annestown stream watershed. The amount of pollution from non-point sources flowing into the stream was simulated by using GIS techniques; u...

The recovery of a time-dependent point source in a linear transport equation: application to surface water pollution

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hamdi, Adel

2009-01-01

The aim of this paper is to localize the position of a point source and recover the history of its time-dependent intensity function that is both unknown and constitutes the right-hand side of a 1D linear transport equation. Assuming that the source intensity function vanishes before reaching the final control time, we prove that recording the state with respect to the time at two observation points framing the source region leads to the identification of the source position and the recovery of its intensity function in a unique manner. Note that at least one of the two observation points should be strategic. We establish an identification method that determines quasi-explicitly the source position and transforms the task of recovering its intensity function into solving directly a well-conditioned linear system. Some numerical experiments done on a variant of the water pollution BOD model are presented

Comparative Evaluation of Pulsewidth Modulation Strategies for Z-Source Neutral-Point-Clamped Inverter

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Loh, P.C.; Blaabjerg, Frede; Wong, C.P.

2007-01-01

modulation (PWM) strategies for controlling the Z-source NPC inverter. While developing the PWM techniques, attention has been devoted to carefully derive them from a common generic basis for improved portability, easier implementation, and most importantly, assisting readers in understanding all concepts......Z-source neutral-point-clamped (NPC) inverter has recently been proposed as an alternative three-level buck-boost power conversion solution with an improved output waveform quality. In principle, the designed Z-source inverter functions by selectively "shooting through" its power sources, coupled...... to the inverter using two unique Z-source impedance networks, to boost the inverter three-level output waveform. Proper modulation of the new inverter would therefore require careful integration of the selective shoot-through process to the basic switching concepts to achieve maximal voltage-boost, minimal...

Sensitive detection of point mutation by electrochemiluminescence and DNA ligase-based assay

Science.gov (United States)

Zhou, Huijuan; Wu, Baoyan

2008-12-01

The technology of single-base mutation detection plays an increasingly important role in diagnosis and prognosis of genetic-based diseases. Here we reported a new method for the analysis of point mutations in genomic DNA through the integration of allele-specific oligonucleotide ligation assay (OLA) with magnetic beads-based electrochemiluminescence (ECL) detection scheme. In this assay the tris(bipyridine) ruthenium (TBR) labeled probe and the biotinylated probe are designed to perfectly complementary to the mutant target, thus a ligation can be generated between those two probes by Taq DNA Ligase in the presence of mutant target. If there is an allele mismatch, the ligation does not take place. The ligation products are then captured onto streptavidin-coated paramagnetic beads, and detected by measuring the ECL signal of the TBR label. Results showed that the new method held a low detection limit down to 10 fmol and was successfully applied in the identification of point mutations from ASTC-α-1, PANC-1 and normal cell lines in codon 273 of TP53 oncogene. In summary, this method provides a sensitive, cost-effective and easy operation approach for point mutation detection.

A proton point source produced by laser interaction with cone-top-end target

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yu, Jinqing; Jin, Xiaolin; Zhou, Weimin; Zhao, Zongqing; Yan, Yonghong; Li, Bin; Hong, Wei; Gu, Yuqiu

2012-01-01

In this paper, we propose a proton point source by the interaction of laser and cone-top-end target and investigate it by two-dimensional particle-in-cell (2D-PIC) simulations as the proton point sources are well known for higher spatial resolution of proton radiography. Our results show that the relativistic electrons are guided to the rear of the cone-top-end target by the electrostatic charge-separation field and self-generated magnetic field along the profile of the target. As a result, the peak magnitude of sheath field at the rear surface of cone-top-end target is higher compared to common cone target. We test this scheme by 2D-PIC simulation and find the result has a diameter of 0.79λ 0 , an average energy of 9.1 MeV and energy spread less than 35%.

Discovery of a point-like very-high-energy gamma-ray source in Monoceros

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Aharonian, F.A.; Benbow, W.; Berge, D.; Bernlohr, K.; Bolz, O.; Braun, I.; Buhler, R.; Carrigan, S.; Costamante, L.; Domainko, W.; Egberts, K.; Forster, A.; Funk, S.; Hauser, D.; Hermann, G.; Hinton, J.A.; Hofmann, W.; Hoppe, S.; Khelifi, B.; Kosack, K.; Masterson, C.; Panter, M.; Rowell, G.; van Eldik, C.; Volk, H.J.; Akhperjanian, A.G.; Sahakian, V.; Bazer-Bachi, A.R.; Borrel, V.; Marcowith, A.; Olive, J.P.; Beilicke, M.; Cornils, R.; Heinzelmann, G.; Raue, M.; Ripken, J.; Bernlohr, K.; Funk, Seb.; Fussling, M.; Kerschhaggl, M.; Lohse, T.; Schlenker, S.; Schwanke, U.; Boisson, C.; Martin, J.M.; Sol, H.; Brion, E.; Glicenstein, J.F.; Goret, P.; Moulin, E.; Rolland, L.

2007-01-01

Aims. The complex Monoceros Loop SNR/Rosette Nebula region contains several potential sources of very-high-energy (VHE) γ-ray emission and two as yet unidentified high-energy EGRET sources. Sensitive VHE observations are required to probe acceleration processes in this region. Methods. The HESS telescope array has been used to search for very high-energy gamma-ray sources in this region. CO data from the NANTEN telescope were used to map the molecular clouds in the region, which could act as target material for γ-ray production via hadronic interactions. Results. We announce the discovery of a new γ-ray source, HESS J0632+057, located close to the rim of the Monoceros SNR. This source is unresolved by HESS and has no clear counterpart at other wavelengths but is possibly associated with the weak X-ray source 1RXS J063258.3+054857, the Be-star MWC148 and/or the lower energy γ-ray source 3EGJ0634+0521. No evidence for an associated molecular cloud was found in the CO data. (authors)

Identifying and characterizing major emission point sources as a basis for geospatial distribution of mercury emissions inventories

Science.gov (United States)

Steenhuisen, Frits; Wilson, Simon J.

2015-07-01

Mercury is a global pollutant that poses threats to ecosystem and human health. Due to its global transport, mercury contamination is found in regions of the Earth that are remote from major emissions areas, including the Polar regions. Global anthropogenic emission inventories identify important sectors and industries responsible for emissions at a national level; however, to be useful for air transport modelling, more precise information on the locations of emission is required. This paper describes the methodology applied, and the results of work that was conducted to assign anthropogenic mercury emissions to point sources as part of geospatial mapping of the 2010 global anthropogenic mercury emissions inventory prepared by AMAP/UNEP. Major point-source emission sectors addressed in this work account for about 850 tonnes of the emissions included in the 2010 inventory. This work allocated more than 90% of these emissions to some 4600 identified point source locations, including significantly more point source locations in Africa, Asia, Australia and South America than had been identified during previous work to geospatially-distribute the 2005 global inventory. The results demonstrate the utility and the limitations of using existing, mainly public domain resources to accomplish this work. Assumptions necessary to make use of selected online resources are discussed, as are artefacts that can arise when these assumptions are applied to assign (national-sector) emissions estimates to point sources in various countries and regions. Notwithstanding the limitations of the available information, the value of this procedure over alternative methods commonly used to geo-spatially distribute emissions, such as use of 'proxy' datasets to represent emissions patterns, is illustrated. Improvements in information that would facilitate greater use of these methods in future work to assign emissions to point-sources are discussed. These include improvements to both national

Role of rural solid waste management in non-point source pollution control of Dianchi Lake catchments, China

Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

Wenjing LU; Hongtao WANG

2008-01-01

In recent years, with control of the main municipal and industrial point pollution sources and implementation of cleaning for some inner pollution sources in the water body, the discharge of point source pollution decreased gradually, while non-point source pollution has become increasingly distressing in Dianchi Lake catchments. As one of the major targets in non-point source pollution control, an integrated solid waste controlling strategy combined with a technological solution and management system was proposed and implemented based on the waste disposal situation and characteristics of rural solid waste in the demonstration area. As the key technoogy in rural solid waste treatment, both centralized plantscale composting and a dispersed farmer-operated waste treating system showed promise in rendering timely benefits in efficiency, large handling capacity, high quality of the end product, as well as good economic return. Problems encountered during multi-substrates co-com-posting such as pathogens, high moisture content, asyn-chronism in the decomposition of different substrates, and low quality of the end product can all be tackled. 92.5% of solid waste was collected in the demonstration area, while the treating and recycling ratio reached 87.9%, which pre-vented 32.2 t nitrogen and 3.9 t phosphorus per year from entering the water body of Dianchi Lake after imple-mentation of the project.

Using Soluble Reactive Phosphorus and Ammonia to Identify Point Source Discharge from Large Livestock Facilities

Science.gov (United States)

Borrello, M. C.; Scribner, M.; Chessin, K.

2013-12-01

A growing body of research draws attention to the negative environmental impacts on surface water from large livestock facilities. These impacts are mostly in the form of excessive nutrient loading resulting in significantly decreased oxygen levels. Over-application of animal waste on fields as well as direct discharge into surface water from facilities themselves has been identified as the main contributor to the development of hypoxic zones in Lake Erie, Chesapeake Bay and the Gulf of Mexico. Some regulators claim enforcement of water quality laws is problematic because of the nature and pervasiveness of non-point source impacts. Any direct discharge by a facility is a violation of permits governed by the Clean Water Act, unless the facility has special dispensation for discharge. Previous research by the principal author and others has shown runoff and underdrain transport are the main mechanisms by which nutrients enter surface water. This study utilized previous work to determine if the effects of non-point source discharge can be distinguished from direct (point-source) discharge using simple nutrient analysis and dissolved oxygen (DO) parameters. Nutrient and DO parameters were measured from three sites: 1. A stream adjacent to a field receiving manure, upstream of a large livestock facility with a history of direct discharge, 2. The same stream downstream of the facility and 3. A stream in an area relatively unimpacted by large-scale agriculture (control site). Results show that calculating a simple Pearson correlation coefficient (r) of soluble reactive phosphorus (SRP) and ammonia over time as well as temperature and DO, distinguishes non-point source from point source discharge into surface water. The r value for SRP and ammonia for the upstream site was 0.01 while the r value for the downstream site was 0.92. The control site had an r value of 0.20. Likewise, r values were calculated on temperature and DO for each site. High negative correlations

The 100 strongest radio point sources in the field of the Large Magellanic Cloud at 1.4 GHz

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Payne J.L.

2009-01-01

Full Text Available We present the 100 strongest 1.4 GHz point sources from a new mosaic image in the direction of the Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC. The observations making up the mosaic were made using Australia Telescope Compact Array (ATCA over a ten year period and were combined with Parkes single dish data at 1.4 GHz to complete the image for short spacing. An initial list of co-identifications within 1000 at 0.843, 4.8 and 8.6 GHz consisted of 2682 sources. Elimination of extended objects and artifact noise allowed the creation of a refined list containing 1988 point sources. Most of these are presumed to be background objects seen through the LMC; a small portion may represent compact H ii regions, young SNRs and radio planetary nebulae. For the 1988 point sources we find a preliminary average spectral index (α of -0.53 and present a 1.4 GHz image showing source location in the direction of the LMC.

The 100 Strongest Radio Point Sources in the Field of the Large Magellanic Cloud at 1.4 GHz

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Payne, J. L.

2009-06-01

Full Text Available We present the 100 strongest 1.4~GHz point sources from a new mosaicimage in the direction of the Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC. The observationsmaking up the mosaic were made using Australia Telescope Compact Array (ATCAover a ten year period and were combined with Parkes single dish data at 1.4 GHz to complete the image for short spacing. An initial list of co-identifications within 10arcsec at 0.843, 4.8 and 8.6 GHz consisted of 2682 sources. Elimination of extended objects and artifact noise allowed the creation of a refined list containing 1988 point sources. Most of these are presumed to be background objects seen through the LMC; a small portion may represent compact HII regions, young SNRs and radio planetary nebulae. For the 1988 point sources we find a preliminary average spectral index ($alpha$ of -0.53 and present a 1.4 GHz image showing source locationin the direction of the LMC.

Strategies for lidar characterization of particulates from point and area sources

Science.gov (United States)

Wojcik, Michael D.; Moore, Kori D.; Martin, Randal S.; Hatfield, Jerry

2010-10-01

Use of ground based remote sensing technologies such as scanning lidar systems (light detection and ranging) has gained traction in characterizing ambient aerosols due to some key advantages such as wide area of regard (10 km2), fast response time, high spatial resolution (University, in conjunction with the USDA-ARS, has developed a three-wavelength scanning lidar system called Aglite that has been successfully deployed to characterize particle motion, concentration, and size distribution at both point and diffuse area sources in agricultural and industrial settings. A suite of massbased and size distribution point sensors are used to locally calibrate the lidar. Generating meaningful particle size distribution, mass concentration, and emission rate results based on lidar data is dependent on strategic onsite deployment of these point sensors with successful local meteorological measurements. Deployment strategies learned from field use of this entire measurement system over five years include the characterization of local meteorology and its predictability prior to deployment, the placement of point sensors to prevent contamination and overloading, the positioning of the lidar and beam plane to avoid hard target interferences, and the usefulness of photographic and written observational data.

Validation of novel calibration scheme with traceable point-like (22)Na sources on six types of PET scanners.

Science.gov (United States)

Hasegawa, Tomoyuki; Oda, Keiichi; Wada, Yasuhiro; Sasaki, Toshiaki; Sato, Yasushi; Yamada, Takahiro; Matsumoto, Mikio; Murayama, Hideo; Kikuchi, Kei; Miyatake, Hiroki; Abe, Yutaka; Miwa, Kenta; Akimoto, Kenta; Wagatsuma, Kei

2013-05-01

To improve the reliability and convenience of the calibration procedure of positron emission tomography (PET) scanners, we have been developing a novel calibration path based on traceable point-like sources. When using (22)Na sources, special care should be taken to avoid the effects of 1.275-MeV γ rays accompanying β (+) decays. The purpose of this study is to validate this new calibration scheme with traceable point-like (22)Na sources on various types of PET scanners. Traceable point-like (22)Na sources with a spherical absorber design that assures uniform angular distribution of the emitted annihilation photons were used. The tested PET scanners included a clinical whole-body PET scanner, four types of clinical PET/CT scanners from different manufacturers, and a small-animal PET scanner. The region of interest (ROI) diameter dependence of ROI values was represented with a fitting function, which was assumed to consist of a recovery part due to spatial resolution and a quadratic background part originating from the scattered γ rays. The observed ROI radius dependence was well represented with the assumed fitting function (R (2) > 0.994). The calibration factors determined using the point-like sources were consistent with those by the standard cross-calibration method within an uncertainty of ±4 %, which was reasonable considering the uncertainty in the standard cross-calibration method. This novel calibration scheme based on the use of traceable (22)Na point-like sources was successfully validated for six types of commercial PET scanners.

Calibrate the aerial surveying instrument by the limited surface source and the single point source that replace the unlimited surface source

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lu Cunheng

1999-01-01

It is described that the calculating formula and surveying result is found on the basis of the stacking principle of gamma ray and the feature of hexagonal surface source when the limited surface source replaces the unlimited surface source to calibrate the aerial survey instrument on the ground, and that it is found in the light of the exchanged principle of the gamma ray when the single point source replaces the unlimited surface source to calibrate aerial surveying instrument in the air. Meanwhile through the theoretical analysis, the receiving rate of the crystal bottom and side surfaces is calculated when aerial surveying instrument receives gamma ray. The mathematical expression of the gamma ray decaying following height according to the Jinge function regularity is got. According to this regularity, the absorbing coefficient that air absorbs the gamma ray and the detective efficiency coefficient of the crystal is calculated based on the ground and air measuring value of the bottom surface receiving count rate (derived from total receiving count rate of the bottom and side surface). Finally, according to the measuring value, it is proved that imitating the change of total receiving gamma ray exposure rate of the bottom and side surfaces with this regularity in a certain high area is feasible

The Potential for Electrofuels Production in Sweden Utilizing Fossil and Biogenic CO{sub 2} Point Sources

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Hansson, Julia, E-mail: julia.hansson@ivl.se [Climate and Sustainable Cities, IVL Swedish Environmental Research Institute, Stockholm (Sweden); Division of Physical Resource Theory, Department of Energy and Environment, Chalmers University of Technology, Göteborg (Sweden); Hackl, Roman [Climate and Sustainable Cities, IVL Swedish Environmental Research Institute, Stockholm (Sweden); Taljegard, Maria [Division of Energy Technology, Department of Energy and Environment, Chalmers University of Technology, Göteborg (Sweden); Brynolf, Selma; Grahn, Maria [Division of Physical Resource Theory, Department of Energy and Environment, Chalmers University of Technology, Göteborg (Sweden)

2017-03-13

This paper maps, categorizes, and quantifies all major point sources of carbon dioxide (CO{sub 2}) emissions from industrial and combustion processes in Sweden. The paper also estimates the Swedish technical potential for electrofuels (power-to-gas/fuels) based on carbon capture and utilization. With our bottom-up approach using European databases, we find that Sweden emits approximately 50 million metric tons of CO{sub 2} per year from different types of point sources, with 65% (or about 32 million tons) from biogenic sources. The major sources are the pulp and paper industry (46%), heat and power production (23%), and waste treatment and incineration (8%). Most of the CO{sub 2} is emitted at low concentrations (<15%) from sources in the southern part of Sweden where power demand generally exceeds in-region supply. The potentially recoverable emissions from all the included point sources amount to 45 million tons. If all the recoverable CO{sub 2} were used to produce electrofuels, the yield would correspond to 2–3 times the current Swedish demand for transportation fuels. The electricity required would correspond to about 3 times the current Swedish electricity supply. The current relatively few emission sources with high concentrations of CO{sub 2} (>90%, biofuel operations) would yield electrofuels corresponding to approximately 2% of the current demand for transportation fuels (corresponding to 1.5–2 TWh/year). In a 2030 scenario with large-scale biofuels operations based on lignocellulosic feedstocks, the potential for electrofuels production from high-concentration sources increases to 8–11 TWh/year. Finally, renewable electricity and production costs, rather than CO{sub 2} supply, limit the potential for production of electrofuels in Sweden.

Column Number Density Expressions Through M = 0 and M = 1 Point Source Plumes Along Any Straight Path

Science.gov (United States)

Woronowicz, Michael

2017-01-01

Providers of payloads carried aboard the International Space Station must conduct analyses to demonstrate that any planned gaseous venting events generate no more than a certain level of material that may interfere with optical measurements from other experiments or payloads located nearby. This requirement is expressed in terms of a maximum column number density (CND). Depending on the level of rarefaction, such venting may be characterized by effusion for low flow rates, or by a sonic distribution at higher levels. Since the relative locations of other sensitive payloads are often unknown because they may refer to future projects, this requirement becomes a search for the maximum CND along any path.In another application, certain astronomical observations make use of CND to estimate light attenuation from a distant star through gaseous plumes, such as the Fermi Bubbles emanating from the vicinity of the black hole at the center of our Milky Way galaxy, in order to infer the amount of material being expelled via those plumes.This paper presents analytical CND expressions developed for general straight paths based upon a free molecule point source model for steady effusive flow and for a distribution fitted to model flows from a sonic orifice. Among other things, in this Mach number range it is demonstrated that the maximum CND from a distant location occurs along the path parallel to the source plane that intersects the plume axis. For effusive flows this value is exactly twice the CND found along the ray originating from that point of intersection and extending to infinity along the plumes axis. For sonic plumes this ratio is reduced to about 43.

Locating single-point sources from arrival times containing large picking errors (LPEs): the virtual field optimization method (VFOM)

Science.gov (United States)

Li, Xi-Bing; Wang, Ze-Wei; Dong, Long-Jun

2016-01-01

Microseismic monitoring systems using local location techniques tend to be timely, automatic and stable. One basic requirement of these systems is the automatic picking of arrival times. However, arrival times generated by automated techniques always contain large picking errors (LPEs), which may make the location solution unreliable and cause the integrated system to be unstable. To overcome the LPE issue, we propose the virtual field optimization method (VFOM) for locating single-point sources. In contrast to existing approaches, the VFOM optimizes a continuous and virtually established objective function to search the space for the common intersection of the hyperboloids, which is determined by sensor pairs other than the least residual between the model-calculated and measured arrivals. The results of numerical examples and in-site blasts show that the VFOM can obtain more precise and stable solutions than traditional methods when the input data contain LPEs. Furthermore, we discuss the impact of LPEs on objective functions to determine the LPE-tolerant mechanism, velocity sensitivity and stopping criteria of the VFOM. The proposed method is also capable of locating acoustic sources using passive techniques such as passive sonar detection and acoustic emission.

Mercury exposure in terrestrial birds far downstream of an historical point source

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Jackson, Allyson K.; Evers, David C.; Folsom, Sarah B.; Condon, Anne M.; Diener, John; Goodrick, Lizzie F.; McGann, Andrew J.; Schmerfeld, John; Cristol, Daniel A.

2011-01-01

Mercury (Hg) is a persistent environmental contaminant found in many freshwater and marine ecosystems. Historical Hg contamination in rivers can impact the surrounding terrestrial ecosystem, but there is little known about how far downstream this contamination persists. In 2009, we sampled terrestrial forest songbirds at five floodplain sites up to 137 km downstream of an historical source of Hg along the South and South Fork Shenandoah Rivers (Virginia, USA). We found that blood total Hg concentrations remained elevated over the entire sampling area and there was little evidence of decline with distance. While it is well known that Hg is a pervasive and long-lasting aquatic contaminant, it has only been recently recognized that it also biomagnifies effectively in floodplain forest food webs. This study extends the area of concern for terrestrial habitats near contaminated rivers for more than 100 km downstream from a waterborne Hg point source. - Highlights: → We report blood mercury levels for terrestrial songbirds downstream of contamination. → Blood mercury levels remain elevated above reference for at least 137 km downstream. → Trends vary based on foraging guild and migration strategy. → Mercury affects terrestrial biota farther downstream than previously documented. - Blood mercury levels of forest songbirds remain elevated above reference levels for at least 137 km downstream of historical point source.

Calculation and analysis of the non-point source pollution in the upstream watershed of the Panjiakou Reservoir, People's Republic of China

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, S.; Tang, L.

2007-05-01

Panjiakou Reservoir is an important drinking water resource in Haihe River Basin, Hebei Province, People's Republic of China. The upstream watershed area is about 35,000 square kilometers. Recently, the water pollution in the reservoir is becoming more serious owing to the non-point pollution as well as point source pollution on the upstream watershed. To effectively manage the reservoir and watershed and develop a plan to reduce pollutant loads, the loading of non-point and point pollution and their distribution on the upstream watershed must be understood fully. The SWAT model is used to simulate the production and transportation of the non-point source pollutants in the upstream watershed of the Panjiakou Reservoir. The loadings of non-point source pollutants are calculated for different hydrologic years and the spatial and temporal characteristics of non-point source pollution are studied. The stream network and topographic characteristics of the stream network and sub-basins are all derived from the DEM by ArcGIS software. The soil and land use data are reclassified and the soil physical properties database file is created for the model. The SWAT model was calibrated with observed data of several hydrologic monitoring stations in the study area. The results of the calibration show that the model performs fairly well. Then the calibrated model was used to calculate the loadings of non-point source pollutants for a wet year, a normal year and a dry year respectively. The time and space distribution of flow, sediment and non-point source pollution were analyzed depending on the simulated results. The comparison of different hydrologic years on calculation results is dramatic. The loading of non-point source pollution in the wet year is relatively larger but smaller in the dry year since the non-point source pollutants are mainly transported through the runoff. The pollution loading within a year is mainly produced in the flood season. Because SWAT is a

A method to analyze “source–sink” structure of non-point source pollution based on remote sensing technology

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Jiang, Mengzhen; Chen, Haiying; Chen, Qinghui

2013-01-01

With the purpose of providing scientific basis for environmental planning about non-point source pollution prevention and control, and improving the pollution regulating efficiency, this paper established the Grid Landscape Contrast Index based on Location-weighted Landscape Contrast Index according to the “source–sink” theory. The spatial distribution of non-point source pollution caused by Jiulongjiang Estuary could be worked out by utilizing high resolution remote sensing images. The results showed that, the area of “source” of nitrogen and phosphorus in Jiulongjiang Estuary was 534.42 km 2 in 2008, and the “sink” was 172.06 km 2 . The “source” of non-point source pollution was distributed mainly over Xiamen island, most of Haicang, east of Jiaomei and river bank of Gangwei and Shima; and the “sink” was distributed over southwest of Xiamen island and west of Shima. Generally speaking, the intensity of “source” gets weaker along with the distance from the seas boundary increase, while “sink” gets stronger. -- Highlights: •We built an index to study the “source–sink” structure of NSP in a space scale. •The Index was applied in Jiulongjiang estuary and got a well result. •The study is beneficial to discern the high load area of non-point source pollution. -- “Source–Sink” Structure of non-point source nitrogen and phosphorus pollution in Jiulongjiang estuary in China was worked out by the Grid Landscape Contrast Index

Sensitivity of a soil-plant-atmosphere model to changes in air temperature, dew point temperature, and solar radiation

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Luxmoore, R.J. (Oak Ridge National Lab.,TN); Stolzy, J.L.; Holdeman, J.T.

1981-01-01

Air temperature, dew point temperature and solar radiation were independently varied in an hourly soil-plant-atmosphere model in a sensitivity analysis of these parameters. Results suggested that evapotranspiration in eastern Tennessee is limited more by meteorological conditions that determine the vapor-pressure gradient than by the necessary energy to vaporize water within foliage. Transpiration and soil water drainage were very sensitive to changes in air and dew point temperature and to solar radiation under low atmospheric vapor-pressure deficit conditions associated with reduced air temperature. Leaf water potential and stomatal conductance were reduced under conditions having high evapotranspiration. Representative air and dew point temperature input data for a particular application are necessary for satisfactory results, whereas irradiation may be less well characterized for applications with high atmospheric vapor-pressure deficit. The effects of a general rise in atmospheric temperature on forest water budgets are discussed.

ESI-VI3 East Point, St. Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands 2000 (Environmental Sensitivity Index Map)

Data.gov (United States)

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce — Environmental Sensitivity Index (ESI) maps are an integral component in oil-spill contingency planning and assessment. They serve as a source of information in the...

Crowd-sourced BMS point matching and metadata maintenance with Babel

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Fürst, Jonathan; Chen, Kaifei; Katz, Randy H.

2016-01-01

Cyber-physical applications, deployed on top of Building Management Systems (BMS), promise energy saving and comfort improvement in non-residential buildings. Such applications are so far mainly deployed as research prototypes. The main roadblock to widespread adoption is the low quality of BMS...... systems. Such applications access sensors and actuators through BMS metadata in form of point labels. The naming of labels is however often inconsistent and incomplete. To tackle this problem, we introduce Babel, a crowd-sourced approach to the creation and maintenance of BMS metadata. In our system...

DeltaSA tool for source apportionment benchmarking, description and sensitivity analysis

Science.gov (United States)

Pernigotti, D.; Belis, C. A.

2018-05-01

DeltaSA is an R-package and a Java on-line tool developed at the EC-Joint Research Centre to assist and benchmark source apportionment applications. Its key functionalities support two critical tasks in this kind of studies: the assignment of a factor to a source in factor analytical models (source identification) and the model performance evaluation. The source identification is based on the similarity between a given factor and source chemical profiles from public databases. The model performance evaluation is based on statistical indicators used to compare model output with reference values generated in intercomparison exercises. The references values are calculated as the ensemble average of the results reported by participants that have passed a set of testing criteria based on chemical profiles and time series similarity. In this study, a sensitivity analysis of the model performance criteria is accomplished using the results of a synthetic dataset where "a priori" references are available. The consensus modulated standard deviation punc gives the best choice for the model performance evaluation when a conservative approach is adopted.

Effects of pointing compared with naming and observing during encoding on item and source memory in young and older adults.

Science.gov (United States)

Ouwehand, Kim; van Gog, Tamara; Paas, Fred

2016-10-01

Research showed that source memory functioning declines with ageing. Evidence suggests that encoding visual stimuli with manual pointing in addition to visual observation can have a positive effect on spatial memory compared with visual observation only. The present study investigated whether pointing at picture locations during encoding would lead to better spatial source memory than naming (Experiment 1) and visual observation only (Experiment 2) in young and older adults. Experiment 3 investigated whether response modality during the test phase would influence spatial source memory performance. Experiments 1 and 2 supported the hypothesis that pointing during encoding led to better source memory for picture locations than naming or observation only. Young adults outperformed older adults on the source memory but not the item memory task in both Experiments 1 and 2. In Experiments 1 and 2, participants manually responded in the test phase. Experiment 3 showed that if participants had to verbally respond in the test phase, the positive effect of pointing compared with naming during encoding disappeared. The results suggest that pointing at picture locations during encoding can enhance spatial source memory in both young and older adults, but only if the response modality is congruent in the test phase.

A Comparative Analysis of Vibrio cholerae Contamination in Point-of-Drinking and Source Water in a Low-Income Urban Community, Bangladesh.

Science.gov (United States)

Ferdous, Jannatul; Sultana, Rebeca; Rashid, Ridwan B; Tasnimuzzaman, Md; Nordland, Andreas; Begum, Anowara; Jensen, Peter K M

2018-01-01

Bangladesh is a cholera endemic country with a population at high risk of cholera. Toxigenic and non-toxigenic Vibrio cholerae ( V. cholerae ) can cause cholera and cholera-like diarrheal illness and outbreaks. Drinking water is one of the primary routes of cholera transmission in Bangladesh. The aim of this study was to conduct a comparative assessment of the presence of V. cholerae between point-of-drinking water and source water, and to investigate the variability of virulence profile using molecular methods of a densely populated low-income settlement of Dhaka, Bangladesh. Water samples were collected and tested for V. cholerae from "point-of-drinking" and "source" in 477 study households in routine visits at 6 week intervals over a period of 14 months. We studied the virulence profiles of V. cholerae positive water samples using 22 different virulence gene markers present in toxigenic O1/O139 and non-O1/O139 V. cholerae using polymerase chain reaction (PCR). A total of 1,463 water samples were collected, with 1,082 samples from point-of-drinking water in 388 households and 381 samples from 66 water sources. V. cholerae was detected in 10% of point-of-drinking water samples and in 9% of source water samples. Twenty-three percent of households and 38% of the sources were positive for V. cholerae in at least one visit. Samples collected from point-of-drinking and linked sources in a 7 day interval showed significantly higher odds ( P source [OR = 17.24 (95% CI = 7.14-42.89)] water. Based on the 7 day interval data, 53% (17/32) of source water samples were negative for V. cholerae while linked point-of-drinking water samples were positive. There were significantly higher odds ( p source water samples than in point-of-drinking water samples. Contamination of water at the point-of-drinking is less likely to depend on the contamination at the water source. Hygiene education interventions and programs should focus and emphasize on water at the point

Sensitivity of Coastal Environments and Wildlife to Spilled Oil: Northwest Arctic, Alaska: M_MAMPT (Marine Mammal Points)

Data.gov (United States)

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce — This data set contains sensitive biological resource data for Steller sea lions and polar bears in Northwest Arctic, Alaska. Vector points in this data set represent...

Power-Law Template for IR Point Source Clustering

Science.gov (United States)

Addison, Graeme E.; Dunkley, Joanna; Hajian, Amir; Viero, Marco; Bond, J. Richard; Das, Sudeep; Devlin, Mark; Halpern, Mark; Hincks, Adam; Hlozek, Renee;

Power-Law Template for Infrared Point-Source Clustering

Science.gov (United States)

Addison, Graeme E; Dunkley, Joanna; Hajian, Amir; Viero, Marco; Bond, J. Richard; Das, Sudeep; Devlin, Mark J.; Halpern, Mark; Hincks, Adam D; Hlozek, Renee;

[Multiple time scales analysis of spatial differentiation characteristics of non-point source nitrogen loss within watershed].

Science.gov (United States)

Liu, Mei-bing; Chen, Xing-wei; Chen, Ying

2015-07-01

Identification of the critical source areas of non-point source pollution is an important means to control the non-point source pollution within the watershed. In order to further reveal the impact of multiple time scales on the spatial differentiation characteristics of non-point source nitrogen loss, a SWAT model of Shanmei Reservoir watershed was developed. Based on the simulation of total nitrogen (TN) loss intensity of all 38 subbasins, spatial distribution characteristics of nitrogen loss and critical source areas were analyzed at three time scales of yearly average, monthly average and rainstorms flood process, respectively. Furthermore, multiple linear correlation analysis was conducted to analyze the contribution of natural environment and anthropogenic disturbance on nitrogen loss. The results showed that there were significant spatial differences of TN loss in Shanmei Reservoir watershed at different time scales, and the spatial differentiation degree of nitrogen loss was in the order of monthly average > yearly average > rainstorms flood process. TN loss load mainly came from upland Taoxi subbasin, which was identified as the critical source area. At different time scales, land use types (such as farmland and forest) were always the dominant factor affecting the spatial distribution of nitrogen loss, while the effect of precipitation and runoff on the nitrogen loss was only taken in no fertilization month and several processes of storm flood at no fertilization date. This was mainly due to the significant spatial variation of land use and fertilization, as well as the low spatial variability of precipitation and runoff.

Uncertainty and sensitivity analysis of the nuclear fuel thermal behavior

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Boulore, A., E-mail: antoine.boulore@cea.fr [Commissariat a l' Energie Atomique (CEA), DEN, Fuel Research Department, 13108 Saint-Paul-lez-Durance (France); Struzik, C. [Commissariat a l' Energie Atomique (CEA), DEN, Fuel Research Department, 13108 Saint-Paul-lez-Durance (France); Gaudier, F. [Commissariat a l' Energie Atomique (CEA), DEN, Systems and Structure Modeling Department, 91191 Gif-sur-Yvette (France)

2012-12-15

Highlights: Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer A complete quantitative method for uncertainty propagation and sensitivity analysis is applied. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer The thermal conductivity of UO{sub 2} is modeled as a random variable. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer The first source of uncertainty is the linear heat rate. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer The second source of uncertainty is the thermal conductivity of the fuel. - Abstract: In the global framework of nuclear fuel behavior simulation, the response of the models describing the physical phenomena occurring during the irradiation in reactor is mainly conditioned by the confidence in the calculated temperature of the fuel. Amongst all parameters influencing the temperature calculation in our fuel rod simulation code (METEOR V2), several sources of uncertainty have been identified as being the most sensitive: thermal conductivity of UO{sub 2}, radial distribution of power in the fuel pellet, local linear heat rate in the fuel rod, geometry of the pellet and thermal transfer in the gap. Expert judgment and inverse methods have been used to model the uncertainty of these parameters using theoretical distributions and correlation matrices. Propagation of these uncertainties in the METEOR V2 code using the URANIE framework and a Monte-Carlo technique has been performed in different experimental irradiations of UO{sub 2} fuel. At every time step of the simulated experiments, we get a temperature statistical distribution which results from the initial distributions of the uncertain parameters. We then can estimate confidence intervals of the calculated temperature. In order to quantify the sensitivity of the calculated temperature to each of the uncertain input parameters and data, we have also performed a sensitivity analysis using the Sobol' indices at first order.

Temporal-spatial distribution of non-point source pollution in a drinking water source reservoir watershed based on SWAT

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

M. Wang

2015-05-01

Full Text Available The conservation of drinking water source reservoirs has a close relationship between regional economic development and people’s livelihood. Research on the non-point pollution characteristics in its watershed is crucial for reservoir security. Tang Pu Reservoir watershed was selected as the study area. The non-point pollution model of Tang Pu Reservoir was established based on the SWAT (Soil and Water Assessment Tool model. The model was adjusted to analyse the temporal-spatial distribution patterns of total nitrogen (TN and total phosphorus (TP. The results showed that the loss of TN and TP in the reservoir watershed were related to precipitation in flood season. And the annual changes showed an "M" shape. It was found that the contribution of loss of TN and TP accounted for 84.5% and 85.3% in high flow years, and for 70.3% and 69.7% in low flow years, respectively. The contributions in normal flow years were 62.9% and 63.3%, respectively. The TN and TP mainly arise from Wangtan town, Gulai town, and Wangyuan town, etc. In addition, it was found that the source of TN and TP showed consistency in space.

Depth sensitivity and source-detector separations for near infrared spectroscopy based on the Colin27 brain template.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Gary E Strangman

Full Text Available Understanding the spatial and depth sensitivity of non-invasive near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS measurements to brain tissue-i.e., near-infrared neuromonitoring (NIN - is essential for designing experiments as well as interpreting research findings. However, a thorough characterization of such sensitivity in realistic head models has remained unavailable. In this study, we conducted 3,555 Monte Carlo (MC simulations to densely cover the scalp of a well-characterized, adult male template brain (Colin27. We sought to evaluate: (i the spatial sensitivity profile of NIRS to brain tissue as a function of source-detector separation, (ii the NIRS sensitivity to brain tissue as a function of depth in this realistic and complex head model, and (iii the effect of NIRS instrument sensitivity on detecting brain activation. We found that increasing the source-detector (SD separation from 20 to 65 mm provides monotonic increases in sensitivity to brain tissue. For every 10 mm increase in SD separation (up to ~45 mm, sensitivity to gray matter increased an additional 4%. Our analyses also demonstrate that sensitivity in depth (S decreases exponentially, with a "rule-of-thumb" formula S=0.75*0.85(depth. Thus, while the depth sensitivity of NIRS is not strictly limited, NIN signals in adult humans are strongly biased towards the outermost 10-15 mm of intracranial space. These general results, along with the detailed quantitation of sensitivity estimates around the head, can provide detailed guidance for interpreting the likely sources of NIRS signals, as well as help NIRS investigators design and plan better NIRS experiments, head probes and instruments.

An experimental study of the impact of trees and urban form on the turbulent dispersion of heavy particles from near ground point sources

Science.gov (United States)

Stoll, R., II; Christen, A.; Mahaffee, W.; Salesky, S.; Therias, A.; Caitlin, S.

2017-12-01

Pollution in the form of small particles has a strong impact on a wide variety of urban processes that play an important role in the function of urban ecosystems and ultimately human health and well-being. As a result, a substantial body of research exists on the sources, sinks, and transport characteristics of urban particulate matter. Most of the existing experimental work examining point sources employed gases (e.g., SF6) as the working medium. Furthermore, the focus of most studies has been on the dispersion of pollutants far from the source location. Here, our focus is on the turbulent dispersion of heavy particles in the near source region of a suburban neighborhood. To this end, we conducted a series of heavy particle releases in the Sunset neighborhood of Vancouver, Canada during June, 2017. The particles where dispersed from a near ground point source at two different locations. The Sunset neighborhood is composed mostly of single dwelling detached houses and has been used in numerous previous urban studies. One of the release points was just upwind of a 4-way intersection and the other in the middle of a contiguous block of houses. Each location had a significant density of trees. A minimum of four different successful release events were conducted at each site. During each release, fluorescing micro particles (mean diameter approx. 30 micron) were released from ultrasonic atomizer nozzles for a duration of approximately 20 minutes. The particles where sampled at 50 locations (1.5 m height) in the area downwind of the release over distances from 1-15 times the mean canopy height ( 6 m) using rotating impaction traps. In addition to the 50 sampler locations, instantaneous wind velocities were measured with eight sonic anemometers distributed horizontally and vertically throughout the release area. The resulting particle plume distributions indicate a strong impact of local urban form in the near source region and a high degree of sensitivity to the local

Neuro Emotional Technique for the treatment of trigger point sensitivity in chronic neck pain sufferers: A controlled clinical trial

OpenAIRE

Bablis, Peter; Pollard, Henry; Bonello, Rod

2008-01-01

Abstract Background Trigger points have been shown to be active in many myofascial pain syndromes. Treatment of trigger point pain and dysfunction may be explained through the mechanisms of central and peripheral paradigms. This study aimed to investigate whether the mind/body treatment of Neuro Emotional Technique (NET) could significantly relieve pain sensitivity of trigger points presenting in a cohort of chronic neck pain sufferers. Methods Sixty participants presenting to a private chiro...

Evaluating Google, Twitter, and Wikipedia as Tools for Influenza Surveillance Using Bayesian Change Point Analysis: A Comparative Analysis.

Science.gov (United States)

Sharpe, J Danielle; Hopkins, Richard S; Cook, Robert L; Striley, Catherine W

2016-10-20

Traditional influenza surveillance relies on influenza-like illness (ILI) syndrome that is reported by health care providers. It primarily captures individuals who seek medical care and misses those who do not. Recently, Web-based data sources have been studied for application to public health surveillance, as there is a growing number of people who search, post, and tweet about their illnesses before seeking medical care. Existing research has shown some promise of using data from Google, Twitter, and Wikipedia to complement traditional surveillance for ILI. However, past studies have evaluated these Web-based sources individually or dually without comparing all 3 of them, and it would be beneficial to know which of the Web-based sources performs best in order to be considered to complement traditional methods. The objective of this study is to comparatively analyze Google, Twitter, and Wikipedia by examining which best corresponds with Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) ILI data. It was hypothesized that Wikipedia will best correspond with CDC ILI data as previous research found it to be least influenced by high media coverage in comparison with Google and Twitter. Publicly available, deidentified data were collected from the CDC, Google Flu Trends, HealthTweets, and Wikipedia for the 2012-2015 influenza seasons. Bayesian change point analysis was used to detect seasonal changes, or change points, in each of the data sources. Change points in Google, Twitter, and Wikipedia that occurred during the exact week, 1 preceding week, or 1 week after the CDC's change points were compared with the CDC data as the gold standard. All analyses were conducted using the R package "bcp" version 4.0.0 in RStudio version 0.99.484 (RStudio Inc). In addition, sensitivity and positive predictive values (PPV) were calculated for Google, Twitter, and Wikipedia. During the 2012-2015 influenza seasons, a high sensitivity of 92% was found for Google, whereas the PPV for

Temperature-referenced high-sensitivity point-probe optical fiber chem-sensors based on cladding etched fiber Bragg gratings

OpenAIRE

Zhou, Kaiming; Chen, Xianfeng F.; Zhang, Lin; Bennion, Ian

2004-01-01

Point-probe optical fiber chem-sensors have been implemented using cladding etched fiber Bragg gratings. The sensors possess refractive index sensing capability that can be utilized to measure chemical concentrations. The Bragg wavelength shift reaches 8 nm when the index of surrounding medium changes from 1.33 to 1.44, giving maximum sensitivity more than 10 times higher than that of previously reported devices. More importantly, the dual-grating configuration of the point-probe sensors offe...

High angle grain boundaries as sources or sinks for point defects

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Balluffi, R.W.

1979-09-01

A secondary grain boundary dislocation climb model for high angle grain boundaries as sources/sinks for point defects is described in the light of recent advances in our knowledge of grain boundary structure. Experimental results are reviewed and are then compared with the expected behavior of the proposed model. Reasonably good consistency is found at the level of our present understanding of the subject. However, several gaps in our present knowledge still exist, and these are identified and discussed briefly.

The Herschel Virgo Cluster Survey. XVII. SPIRE point-source catalogs and number counts

Science.gov (United States)

Pappalardo, Ciro; Bendo, George J.; Bianchi, Simone; Hunt, Leslie; Zibetti, Stefano; Corbelli, Edvige; di Serego Alighieri, Sperello; Grossi, Marco; Davies, Jonathan; Baes, Maarten; De Looze, Ilse; Fritz, Jacopo; Pohlen, Michael; Smith, Matthew W. L.; Verstappen, Joris; Boquien, Médéric; Boselli, Alessandro; Cortese, Luca; Hughes, Thomas; Viaene, Sebastien; Bizzocchi, Luca; Clemens, Marcel

2015-01-01

Aims: We present three independent catalogs of point-sources extracted from SPIRE images at 250, 350, and 500 μm, acquired with the Herschel Space Observatory as a part of the Herschel Virgo Cluster Survey (HeViCS). The catalogs have been cross-correlated to consistently extract the photometry at SPIRE wavelengths for each object. Methods: Sources have been detected using an iterative loop. The source positions are determined by estimating the likelihood to be a real source for each peak on the maps, according to the criterion defined in the sourceExtractorSussextractor task. The flux densities are estimated using the sourceExtractorTimeline, a timeline-based point source fitter that also determines the fitting procedure with the width of the Gaussian that best reproduces the source considered. Afterwards, each source is subtracted from the maps, removing a Gaussian function in every position with the full width half maximum equal to that estimated in sourceExtractorTimeline. This procedure improves the robustness of our algorithm in terms of source identification. We calculate the completeness and the flux accuracy by injecting artificial sources in the timeline and estimate the reliability of the catalog using a permutation method. Results: The HeViCS catalogs contain about 52 000, 42 200, and 18 700 sources selected at 250, 350, and 500 μm above 3σ and are ~75%, 62%, and 50% complete at flux densities of 20 mJy at 250, 350, 500 μm, respectively. We then measured source number counts at 250, 350, and 500 μm and compare them with previous data and semi-analytical models. We also cross-correlated the catalogs with the Sloan Digital Sky Survey to investigate the redshift distribution of the nearby sources. From this cross-correlation, we select ~2000 sources with reliable fluxes and a high signal-to-noise ratio, finding an average redshift z ~ 0.3 ± 0.22 and 0.25 (16-84 percentile). Conclusions: The number counts at 250, 350, and 500 μm show an increase in

Sensitivity analysis explains quasi-one-dimensional current transport in two-dimensional materials

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Boll, Mads; Lotz, Mikkel Rønne; Hansen, Ole

2014-01-01

We demonstrate that the quasi-one-dimensional (1D) current transport, experimentally observed in graphene as measured by a collinear four-point probe in two electrode configurations A and B, can be interpreted using the sensitivity functions of the two electrode configurations (configurations...... A and B represents different pairs of electrodes chosen for current sources and potential measurements). The measured sheet resistance in a four-point probe measurement is averaged over an area determined by the sensitivity function. For a two-dimensional conductor, the sensitivity functions for electrode...... configurations A and B are different. But when the current is forced to flow through a percolation network, e.g., graphene with high density of extended defects, the two sensitivity functions become identical. This is equivalent to a four-point measurement on a line resistor, hence quasi-1D transport...

Experimental properties of gluon and quark jets from a point source

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Abbiendi, G.; Ackerstaff, K.; Alexander, G.

1999-01-01

Gluon jets are identified in hadronic Z 0 decays as all the particles in a hemisphere opposite to a hemisphere containing two tagged quark jets. Gluon jets defined in this manner are equivalent to gluon jets produced from a color singlet point source and thus correspond to the definition employed for most theoretical calculations. In a separate stage of the analysis, we select quark jets in a manner to correspond to calculations, as the particles in hemispheres of flavor tagged light quark (uds) events. We present the distributions of rapidity, scaled energy, the logarithm of the momentum, and transverse momentum with respect to the jet axes, for charged particles in these gluon and quark jets. We also examine the charged particle multiplicity distributions of the jets in restricted intervals of rapidity. For soft particles at large p T , we observe the charged particle multiplicity ratio of gluon to quark jets to be 2.29±0.09(stat.)±0.15(syst.), in agreement with the prediction that this ratio should approximately equal the ratio of QCD color factors, C A /C F =2.25. The intervals used to define soft particles and large p T for this result, p T < 3.0 GeV/c, are motivated by the predictions of the Herwig Monte Carlo multihadronic event generator. Additionally, our gluon jet data allow a sensitive test of the phenomenon of non-leading QCD terms known as color reconnection. We test the model of color reconnection implemented in the Ariadne Monte Carlo multihadronic event generator and find it to be disfavored by our data. (orig.)

Compact reversed-field pinch reactors (CRFPR): sensitivity study and design-point determination

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hagenson, R.L.; Krakowski, R.A.

1982-07-01

If the costing assumptions upon which the positive assessment of conventional large superconducting fusion reactors are based proves overly optimistic, approaches that promise considerably increased system power density and reduced mass utilization will be required. These more compact reactor embodiments generally must operate with reduced shield thickness and resistive magnets. Because of the unique, magnetic topology associated with the Reversed-Field Pinch (RFP), the compact reactor embodiment for this approach is particularly attractive from the viewpoint of low-field resistive coils operating with Ohmic losses that can be made small relative to the fusion power. A comprehensive system model is developed and described for a steady-state, compact RFP reactor (CRFPR). This model is used to select a unique cost-optimized design point that will be used for a conceptual engineering design. The cost-optimized CRFPR design presented herein would operate with system power densities and mass utilizations that are comparable to fission power plants and are an order of magnitude more favorable than the conventional approaches to magnetic fusion power. The sensitivity of the base-case design point to changes in plasma transport, profiles, beta, blanket thickness, normal vs superconducting coils, and fuel cycle (DT vs DD) is examined. The RFP approach is found to yield a point design for a high-power-density reactor that is surprisingly resilient to changes in key, but relatively unknown, physics and systems parameters

Investigations of sensitivity and resolution of ECG and MCG in a realistically shaped thorax model

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mäntynen, Ville; Konttila, Teijo; Stenroos, Matti

2014-01-01

Solving the inverse problem of electrocardiography (ECG) and magnetocardiography (MCG) is often referred to as cardiac source imaging. Spatial properties of ECG and MCG as imaging systems are, however, not well known. In this modelling study, we investigate the sensitivity and point-spread function (PSF) of ECG, MCG, and combined ECG+MCG as a function of source position and orientation, globally around the ventricles: signal topographies are modelled using a realistically-shaped volume conductor model, and the inverse problem is solved using a distributed source model and linear source estimation with minimal use of prior information. The results show that the sensitivity depends not only on the modality but also on the location and orientation of the source and that the sensitivity distribution is clearly reflected in the PSF. MCG can better characterize tangential anterior sources (with respect to the heart surface), while ECG excels with normally-oriented and posterior sources. Compared to either modality used alone, the sensitivity of combined ECG+MCG is less dependent on source orientation per source location, leading to better source estimates. Thus, for maximal sensitivity and optimal source estimation, the electric and magnetic measurements should be combined. (paper)

Magnox fuel inventories. Experiment and calculation using a point source model

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nair, S.

1978-08-01

The results of calculations of Magnox fuel inventories using the point source code RICE and associated Magnox reactor data set have been compared with experimental measurements for the actinide isotopes 234 , 235 , 236 , 238 U, 238 , 239 , 240 , 241 , 242 Pu, 241 , 243 Am and 242 , 244 Cm and the fission product isotopes 142 , 143 , 144 , 145 , 146 , 150 Nd, 95 Zr, 134 , 137 Cs, 144 Ce and daughter 144 Pr produced in four samples of spent Magnox fuel spanning the burnup range 3000 to 9000 MWd/Te. The neutron emissions from a further two samples were also measured and compared with RICE predictions. The results of the comparison were such as to justify the use of the code RICE for providing source terms for environmental impact studies, for the isotopes considered in the present work. (author)

Using the Chandra Source-Finding Algorithm to Automatically Identify Solar X-ray Bright Points

Science.gov (United States)

Adams, Mitzi L.; Tennant, A.; Cirtain, J. M.

2009-01-01

This poster details a technique of bright point identification that is used to find sources in Chandra X-ray data. The algorithm, part of a program called LEXTRCT, searches for regions of a given size that are above a minimum signal to noise ratio. The algorithm allows selected pixels to be excluded from the source-finding, thus allowing exclusion of saturated pixels (from flares and/or active regions). For Chandra data the noise is determined by photon counting statistics, whereas solar telescopes typically integrate a flux. Thus the calculated signal-to-noise ratio is incorrect, but we find we can scale the number to get reasonable results. For example, Nakakubo and Hara (1998) find 297 bright points in a September 11, 1996 Yohkoh image; with judicious selection of signal-to-noise ratio, our algorithm finds 300 sources. To further assess the efficacy of the algorithm, we analyze a SOHO/EIT image (195 Angstroms) and compare results with those published in the literature (McIntosh and Gurman, 2005). Finally, we analyze three sets of data from Hinode, representing different parts of the decline to minimum of the solar cycle.

General Approach to the Evolution of Singlet Nanoparticles from a Rapidly Quenched Point Source

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Feng, J.; Huang, Luyi; Ludvigsson, Linus; Messing, Maria; Maiser, A.; Biskos, G.; Schmidt-Ott, A.

2016-01-01

Among the numerous point vapor sources, microsecond-pulsed spark ablation at atmospheric pressure is a versatile and environmentally friendly method for producing ultrapure inorganic nanoparticles ranging from singlets having sizes smaller than 1 nm to larger agglomerated structures. Due to its fast

Current status of agricultural and rural non-point source Pollution assessment in China

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ongley, Edwin D.; Zhang Xiaolan; Yu Tao

2010-01-01

Estimates of non-point source (NPS) contribution to total water pollution in China range up to 81% for nitrogen and to 93% for phosphorus. We believe these values are too high, reflecting (a) misuse of estimation techniques that were developed in America under very different conditions and (b) lack of specificity on what is included as NPS. We compare primary methods used for NPS estimation in China with their use in America. Two observations are especially notable: empirical research is limited and does not provide an adequate basis for calibrating models nor for deriving export coefficients; the Chinese agricultural situation is so different than that of the United States that empirical data produced in America, as a basis for applying estimation techniques to rural NPS in China, often do not apply. We propose a set of national research and policy initiatives for future NPS research in China. - Estimation techniques used in China for non-point source pollution are evaluated as a basis for recommending future policies and research in NPS studies in China.

High-sensitivity detection of cardiac troponin I with UV LED excitation for use in point-of-care immunoassay

OpenAIRE

Rodenko, Olga; Eriksson, Susann; Tidemand-Lichtenberg, Peter; Troldborg, Carl Peder; Fodgaard, Henrik; van Os, Sylvana; Pedersen, Christian

2017-01-01

High-sensitivity cardiac troponin assay development enables determination of biological variation in healthy populations, more accurate interpretation of clinical results and points towards earlier diagnosis and rule-out of acute myocardial infarction. In this paper, we report on preliminary tests of an immunoassay analyzer employing an optimized LED excitation to measure on a standard troponin I and a novel research high-sensitivity troponin I assay. The limit of detection is improved by fac...

Source apportionment of nitrogen and phosphorus from non-point source pollution in Nansi Lake Basin, China.

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, Bao-Lei; Cui, Bo-Hao; Zhang, Shu-Min; Wu, Quan-Yuan; Yao, Lei

2018-05-03

Nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) from non-point source (NPS) pollution in Nansi Lake Basin greatly influenced the water quality of Nansi Lake, which is the determinant factor for the success of East Route of South-North Water Transfer Project in China. This research improved Johnes export coefficient model (ECM) by developing a method to determine the export coefficients of different land use types based on the hydrological and water quality data. Taking NPS total nitrogen (TN) and total phosphorus (TP) as the study objects, this study estimated the contributions of different pollution sources and analyzed their spatial distributions based on the improved ECM. The results underlined that the method for obtaining output coefficients of land use types using hydrology and water quality data is feasible and accurate, and is suitable for the study of NPS pollution at large-scale basins. The average output structure of NPS TN from land use, rural breeding and rural life is 33.6, 25.9, and 40.5%, and the NPS TP is 31.6, 43.7, and 24.7%, respectively. Especially, dry land was the main land use source for both NPS TN and TP pollution, with the contributed proportions of 81.3 and 81.8% respectively. The counties of Zaozhuang, Tengzhou, Caoxian, Yuncheng, and Shanxian had higher contribution rates and the counties of Dingtao, Juancheng, and Caoxian had the higher load intensities for both NPS TN and TP pollution. The results of this study allowed for an improvement in the understanding of the pollution source contribution and enabled researchers and planners to focus on the most important sources and regions of NPS pollution.

Statistical Characterization of the Chandra Source Catalog

Science.gov (United States)

Primini, Francis A.; Houck, John C.; Davis, John E.; Nowak, Michael A.; Evans, Ian N.; Glotfelty, Kenny J.; Anderson, Craig S.; Bonaventura, Nina R.; Chen, Judy C.; Doe, Stephen M.; Evans, Janet D.; Fabbiano, Giuseppina; Galle, Elizabeth C.; Gibbs, Danny G.; Grier, John D.; Hain, Roger M.; Hall, Diane M.; Harbo, Peter N.; He, Xiangqun Helen; Karovska, Margarita; Kashyap, Vinay L.; Lauer, Jennifer; McCollough, Michael L.; McDowell, Jonathan C.; Miller, Joseph B.; Mitschang, Arik W.; Morgan, Douglas L.; Mossman, Amy E.; Nichols, Joy S.; Plummer, David A.; Refsdal, Brian L.; Rots, Arnold H.; Siemiginowska, Aneta; Sundheim, Beth A.; Tibbetts, Michael S.; Van Stone, David W.; Winkelman, Sherry L.; Zografou, Panagoula

2011-06-01

The first release of the Chandra Source Catalog (CSC) contains ~95,000 X-ray sources in a total area of 0.75% of the entire sky, using data from ~3900 separate ACIS observations of a multitude of different types of X-ray sources. In order to maximize the scientific benefit of such a large, heterogeneous data set, careful characterization of the statistical properties of the catalog, i.e., completeness, sensitivity, false source rate, and accuracy of source properties, is required. Characterization efforts of other large Chandra catalogs, such as the ChaMP Point Source Catalog or the 2 Mega-second Deep Field Surveys, while informative, cannot serve this purpose, since the CSC analysis procedures are significantly different and the range of allowable data is much less restrictive. We describe here the characterization process for the CSC. This process includes both a comparison of real CSC results with those of other, deeper Chandra catalogs of the same targets and extensive simulations of blank-sky and point-source populations.

A search for hot post-AGE stars in the IRAS Point Source Catalog

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Oudmaijer, RD

In this paper a first step is made to search for hot post-AGB stars in the IRAS Point Source Catalog. In order to find objects that evolved off the AGE a longer time ago than post-AGB objects discussed in the literature, objects that were not detected at 12 mu m by IRAS were selected. The selection

CO2 point sources and subsurface storage capacities for CO2 in aquifers in Norway

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Boee, Reidulv; Magnus, Christian; Osmundsen, Per Terje; Rindstad, Bjoern Ivar

2002-01-01

The GESTCO project comprises a study of the distribution and coincidence of thermal CO 2 emission sources and location/quality of geological storage capacity in Europe. Four of the most promising types of geological storage are being studied. 1. Onshore/offshore saline aquifers with or without lateral seal. 2. Low entalpy geothermal reservoirs. 3. Deep methane-bearing coal beds and abandoned coal and salt mines. 4. Exhausted or near exhausted hydrocarbon structures. In this report we present an inventory of CO 2 point sources in Norway (1999) and the results of the work within Study Area C: Deep saline aquifers offshore/near shore Northern and Central Norway. Also offshore/near shore Southern Norway has been included while the Barents Sea is not described in any detail. The most detailed studies are on the Tilje and Aare Formations on the Troendelag Platform off Mid-Norway and on the Sognefjord, Fensfjord and Krossfjord Formations, southeast of the Troll Field off Western Norway. The Tilje Formation has been chosen as one of the cases to be studied in greater detail (numerical modelling) in the project. This report shows that offshore Norway, there are concentrations of large CO 2 point sources in the Haltenbanken, the Viking Graben/Tampen Spur area, the Southern Viking Graben and the central Trough, while onshore Norway there are concentrations of point sources in the Oslofjord/Porsgrund area, along the coast of western Norway and in the Troendelag. A number of aquifers with large theoretical CO 2 storage potential are pointed out in the North Sea, the Norwegian Sea and in the Southern Barents Sea. The storage capacity in the depth interval 0.8 - 4 km below sea level is estimated to be ca. 13 Gt (13000000000 tonnes) CO 2 in geological traps (outside hydrocarbon fields), while the storage capacity in aquifers not confined to traps is estimated to be at least 280 Gt CO 2 . (Author)

Neuro Emotional Technique for the treatment of trigger point sensitivity in chronic neck pain sufferers: a controlled clinical trial.

Science.gov (United States)

Bablis, Peter; Pollard, Henry; Bonello, Rod

2008-05-21

Trigger points have been shown to be active in many myofascial pain syndromes. Treatment of trigger point pain and dysfunction may be explained through the mechanisms of central and peripheral paradigms. This study aimed to investigate whether the mind/body treatment of Neuro Emotional Technique (NET) could significantly relieve pain sensitivity of trigger points presenting in a cohort of chronic neck pain sufferers. Sixty participants presenting to a private chiropractic clinic with chronic cervical pain as their primary complaint were sequentially allocated into treatment and control groups. Participants in the treatment group received a short course of Neuro Emotional Technique that consists of muscle testing, general semantics and Traditional Chinese Medicine. The control group received a sham NET protocol. Outcome measurements included pain assessment utilizing a visual analog scale and a pressure gauge algometer. Pain sensitivity was measured at four trigger point locations: suboccipital region (S); levator scapulae region (LS); sternocleidomastoid region (SCM) and temporomandibular region (TMJ). For each outcome measurement and each trigger point, we calculated the change in measurement between pre- and post- treatment. We then examined the relationships between these measurement changes and six independent variables (i.e. treatment group and the above five additional participant variables) using forward stepwise General Linear Model. The visual analog scale (0 to 10) had an improvement of 7.6 at S, 7.2 at LS, 7.5 at SCM and 7.1 at the TMJ in the treatment group compared with no improvement of at S, and an improvement of 0.04 at LS, 0.1 at SCM and 0.1 at the TMJ point in the control group, (P algometer recordings of four trigger point locations in a cohort of chronic neck pain sufferers were significantly improved when compared to a control group which received a sham protocol of NET. Chronic neck pain sufferers may benefit from NET treatment in the relief

Statistical measurement of the gamma-ray source-count distribution as a function of energy

Science.gov (United States)

Zechlin, H.-S.; Cuoco, A.; Donato, F.; Fornengo, N.; Regis, M.

2017-01-01

Photon counts statistics have recently been proven to provide a sensitive observable for characterizing gamma-ray source populations and for measuring the composition of the gamma-ray sky. In this work, we generalize the use of the standard 1-point probability distribution function (1pPDF) to decompose the high-latitude gamma-ray emission observed with Fermi-LAT into: (i) point-source contributions, (ii) the Galactic foreground contribution, and (iii) a diffuse isotropic background contribution. We analyze gamma-ray data in five adjacent energy bands between 1 and 171 GeV. We measure the source-count distribution dN/dS as a function of energy, and demonstrate that our results extend current measurements from source catalogs to the regime of so far undetected sources. Our method improves the sensitivity for resolving point-source populations by about one order of magnitude in flux. The dN/dS distribution as a function of flux is found to be compatible with a broken power law. We derive upper limits on further possible breaks as well as the angular power of unresolved sources. We discuss the composition of the gamma-ray sky and capabilities of the 1pPDF method.

Modeled and observed ozone sensitivity to mobile-source emissions in Mexico City

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

M. Zavala

2009-01-01

Full Text Available The emission characteristics of mobile sources in the Mexico City Metropolitan Area (MCMA have changed significantly over the past few decades in response to emission control policies, advancements in vehicle technologies and improvements in fuel quality, among others. Along with these changes, concurrent non-linear changes in photochemical levels and criteria pollutants have been observed, providing a unique opportunity to understand the effects of perturbations of mobile emission levels on the photochemistry in the region using observational and modeling approaches. The observed historical trends of ozone (O₃, carbon monoxide (CO and nitrogen oxides (NO_x suggest that ozone production in the MCMA has changed from a low to a high VOC-sensitive regime over a period of 20 years. Comparison of the historical emission trends of CO, NO_x and hydrocarbons derived from mobile-source emission studies in the MCMA from 1991 to 2006 with the trends of the concentrations of CO, NO_x, and the CO/NO_x ratio during peak traffic hours also indicates that fuel-based fleet average emission factors have significantly decreased for CO and VOCs during this period whereas NO_x emission factors do not show any strong trend, effectively reducing the ambient VOC/NO_x ratio.

This study presents the results of model analyses on the sensitivity of the observed ozone levels to the estimated historical changes in its precursors. The model sensitivity analyses used a well-validated base case simulation of a high pollution episode in the MCMA with the mathematical Decoupled Direct Method (DDM and the standard Brute Force Method (BFM in the 3-D CAMx chemical transport model. The model reproduces adequately the observed historical trends and current photochemical levels. Comparison of the BFM and the DDM sensitivity techniques indicates that the model yields ozone values that increase linearly with

Calcareous Fens - Source Feature Points

Data.gov (United States)

Minnesota Department of Natural Resources — Pursuant to the provisions of Minnesota Statutes, section 103G.223, this database contains points that represent calcareous fens as defined in Minnesota Rules, part...

Application of random-point processes to the detection of radiation sources

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Woods, J.W.

1978-01-01

In this report the mathematical theory of random-point processes is reviewed and it is shown how use of the theory can obtain optimal solutions to the problem of detecting radiation sources. As noted, the theory also applies to image processing in low-light-level or low-count-rate situations. Paralleling Snyder's work, the theory is extended to the multichannel case of a continuous, two-dimensional (2-D), energy-time space. This extension essentially involves showing that the data are doubly stochastic Poisson (DSP) point processes in energy as well as time. Further, a new 2-D recursive formulation is presented for the radiation-detection problem with large computational savings over nonrecursive techniques when the number of channels is large (greater than or equal to 30). Finally, some adaptive strategies for on-line ''learning'' of unknown, time-varying signal and background-intensity parameters and statistics are present and discussed. These adaptive procedures apply when a complete statistical description is not available a priori

Pilot points method for conditioning multiple-point statistical facies simulation on flow data

Science.gov (United States)

Ma, Wei; Jafarpour, Behnam

2018-05-01

We propose a new pilot points method for conditioning discrete multiple-point statistical (MPS) facies simulation on dynamic flow data. While conditioning MPS simulation on static hard data is straightforward, their calibration against nonlinear flow data is nontrivial. The proposed method generates conditional models from a conceptual model of geologic connectivity, known as a training image (TI), by strategically placing and estimating pilot points. To place pilot points, a score map is generated based on three sources of information: (i) the uncertainty in facies distribution, (ii) the model response sensitivity information, and (iii) the observed flow data. Once the pilot points are placed, the facies values at these points are inferred from production data and then are used, along with available hard data at well locations, to simulate a new set of conditional facies realizations. While facies estimation at the pilot points can be performed using different inversion algorithms, in this study the ensemble smoother (ES) is adopted to update permeability maps from production data, which are then used to statistically infer facies types at the pilot point locations. The developed method combines the information in the flow data and the TI by using the former to infer facies values at selected locations away from the wells and the latter to ensure consistent facies structure and connectivity where away from measurement locations. Several numerical experiments are used to evaluate the performance of the developed method and to discuss its important properties.

An Improved Statistical Point-source Foreground Model for the Epoch of Reionization

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Murray, S. G.; Trott, C. M.; Jordan, C. H. [ARC Centre of Excellence for All-sky Astrophysics (CAASTRO) (Australia)

2017-08-10

We present a sophisticated statistical point-source foreground model for low-frequency radio Epoch of Reionization (EoR) experiments using the 21 cm neutral hydrogen emission line. Motivated by our understanding of the low-frequency radio sky, we enhance the realism of two model components compared with existing models: the source count distributions as a function of flux density and spatial position (source clustering), extending current formalisms for the foreground covariance of 2D power-spectral modes in 21 cm EoR experiments. The former we generalize to an arbitrarily broken power law, and the latter to an arbitrary isotropically correlated field. This paper presents expressions for the modified covariance under these extensions, and shows that for a more realistic source spatial distribution, extra covariance arises in the EoR window that was previously unaccounted for. Failure to include this contribution can yield bias in the final power-spectrum and under-estimate uncertainties, potentially leading to a false detection of signal. The extent of this effect is uncertain, owing to ignorance of physical model parameters, but we show that it is dependent on the relative abundance of faint sources, to the effect that our extension will become more important for future deep surveys. Finally, we show that under some parameter choices, ignoring source clustering can lead to false detections on large scales, due to both the induced bias and an artificial reduction in the estimated measurement uncertainty.

An Improved Statistical Point-source Foreground Model for the Epoch of Reionization

Science.gov (United States)

Murray, S. G.; Trott, C. M.; Jordan, C. H.

2017-08-01

We present a sophisticated statistical point-source foreground model for low-frequency radio Epoch of Reionization (EoR) experiments using the 21 cm neutral hydrogen emission line. Motivated by our understanding of the low-frequency radio sky, we enhance the realism of two model components compared with existing models: the source count distributions as a function of flux density and spatial position (source clustering), extending current formalisms for the foreground covariance of 2D power-spectral modes in 21 cm EoR experiments. The former we generalize to an arbitrarily broken power law, and the latter to an arbitrary isotropically correlated field. This paper presents expressions for the modified covariance under these extensions, and shows that for a more realistic source spatial distribution, extra covariance arises in the EoR window that was previously unaccounted for. Failure to include this contribution can yield bias in the final power-spectrum and under-estimate uncertainties, potentially leading to a false detection of signal. The extent of this effect is uncertain, owing to ignorance of physical model parameters, but we show that it is dependent on the relative abundance of faint sources, to the effect that our extension will become more important for future deep surveys. Finally, we show that under some parameter choices, ignoring source clustering can lead to false detections on large scales, due to both the induced bias and an artificial reduction in the estimated measurement uncertainty.

Forced sound transmission through a finite-sized single leaf panel subject to a point source excitation.

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Chong

2018-03-01

In the case of a point source in front of a panel, the wavefront of the incident wave is spherical. This paper discusses spherical sound waves transmitting through a finite sized panel. The forced sound transmission performance that predominates in the frequency range below the coincidence frequency is the focus. Given the point source located along the centerline of the panel, forced sound transmission coefficient is derived through introducing the sound radiation impedance for spherical incident waves. It is found that in addition to the panel mass, forced sound transmission loss also depends on the distance from the source to the panel as determined by the radiation impedance. Unlike the case of plane incident waves, sound transmission performance of a finite sized panel does not necessarily converge to that of an infinite panel, especially when the source is away from the panel. For practical applications, the normal incidence sound transmission loss expression of plane incident waves can be used if the distance between the source and panel d and the panel surface area S satisfy d/S>0.5. When d/S ≈0.1, the diffuse field sound transmission loss expression may be a good approximation. An empirical expression for d/S=0  is also given.

[Nitrogen non-point source pollution identification based on ArcSWAT in Changle River].

Science.gov (United States)

Deng, Ou-Ping; Sun, Si-Yang; Lü, Jun

2013-04-01

The ArcSWAT (Soil and Water Assessment Tool) model was adopted for Non-point source (NPS) nitrogen pollution modeling and nitrogen source apportionment for the Changle River watershed, a typical agricultural watershed in Southeast China. Water quality and hydrological parameters were monitored, and the watershed natural conditions (including soil, climate, land use, etc) and pollution sources information were also investigated and collected for SWAT database. The ArcSWAT model was established in the Changle River after the calibrating and validating procedures of the model parameters. Based on the validated SWAT model, the contributions of different nitrogen sources to river TN loading were quantified, and spatial-temporal distributions of NPS nitrogen export to rivers were addressed. The results showed that in the Changle River watershed, Nitrogen fertilizer, nitrogen air deposition and nitrogen soil pool were the prominent pollution sources, which contributed 35%, 32% and 25% to the river TN loading, respectively. There were spatial-temporal variations in the critical sources for NPS TN export to the river. Natural sources, such as soil nitrogen pool and atmospheric nitrogen deposition, should be targeted as the critical sources for river TN pollution during the rainy seasons. Chemical nitrogen fertilizer application should be targeted as the critical sources for river TN pollution during the crop growing season. Chemical nitrogen fertilizer application, soil nitrogen pool and atmospheric nitrogen deposition were the main sources for TN exported from the garden plot, forest and residential land, respectively. However, they were the main sources for TN exported both from the upland and paddy field. These results revealed that NPS pollution controlling rules should focus on the spatio-temporal distribution of NPS pollution sources.

Assessment of Groundwater Susceptibility to Non-Point Source Contaminants Using Three-Dimensional Transient Indexes.

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, Yong; Weissmann, Gary S; Fogg, Graham E; Lu, Bingqing; Sun, HongGuang; Zheng, Chunmiao

2018-06-05

Groundwater susceptibility to non-point source contamination is typically quantified by stable indexes, while groundwater quality evolution (or deterioration globally) can be a long-term process that may last for decades and exhibit strong temporal variations. This study proposes a three-dimensional (3- d ), transient index map built upon physical models to characterize the complete temporal evolution of deep aquifer susceptibility. For illustration purposes, the previous travel time probability density (BTTPD) approach is extended to assess the 3- d deep groundwater susceptibility to non-point source contamination within a sequence stratigraphic framework observed in the Kings River fluvial fan (KRFF) aquifer. The BTTPD, which represents complete age distributions underlying a single groundwater sample in a regional-scale aquifer, is used as a quantitative, transient measure of aquifer susceptibility. The resultant 3- d imaging of susceptibility using the simulated BTTPDs in KRFF reveals the strong influence of regional-scale heterogeneity on susceptibility. The regional-scale incised-valley fill deposits increase the susceptibility of aquifers by enhancing rapid downward solute movement and displaying relatively narrow and young age distributions. In contrast, the regional-scale sequence-boundary paleosols within the open-fan deposits "protect" deep aquifers by slowing downward solute movement and displaying a relatively broad and old age distribution. Further comparison of the simulated susceptibility index maps to known contaminant distributions shows that these maps are generally consistent with the high concentration and quick evolution of 1,2-dibromo-3-chloropropane (DBCP) in groundwater around the incised-valley fill since the 1970s'. This application demonstrates that the BTTPDs can be used as quantitative and transient measures of deep aquifer susceptibility to non-point source contamination.

Non-point Source Pollutants Loss of Planting Industry in the Yunnan Plateau Lake Basin, China

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

ZHAO Zu-jun

2017-12-01

Full Text Available Non-point source pollution of planting has become a major factor affecting the quality and safety of water environment in our country. In recent years, some studies show that the loss of nitrogen and phosphorus in agricultural chemical fertilizers has led to more serious non-point source pollution. By means of the loss coefficient method and spatial overlay analysis, the loss amount, loss of strength and its spatial distribution characteristics of total nitrogen, total phosphorus, ammonium nitrogen and nitrate nitrogen were analyzed in the Fuxian Lake, Xingyun Lake and Qilu Lake Basin in 2015. The results showed that:The loss of total nitrogen was the highest in the three basins, following by ammonium nitrogen, nitrate nitrogen and total phosphorus, which the loss of intensity range were 2.73~22.07, 0.003~3.52, 0.01~2.25 kg·hm-2 and 0.05~1.36 kg·hm-2, respectively. Total nitrogen and total phosphorus loss were mainly concentrated in the southwest of Qilu Lake, west and south of Xingyun Lake. Ammonium nitrogen and nitrate nitrogen loss mainly concentrated in the south of Qilu Lake, south and north of Xingyun Lake. The loss of nitrogen and phosphorus was mainly derived from cash crops and rice. Therefore, zoning, grading and phased prevention and control schemes were proposed, in order to provide scientific basis for controlling non-point source pollution in the study area.

Does airborne nickel exposure induce nickel sensitization?

Science.gov (United States)

Mann, Eugen; Ranft, Ulrich; Eberwein, Georg; Gladtke, Dieter; Sugiri, Dorothee; Behrendt, Heidrun; Ring, Johannes; Schäfer, Torsten; Begerow, Jutta; Wittsiepe, Jürgen; Krämer, Ursula; Wilhelm, Michael

2010-06-01

Nickel is one of the most prevalent causes of contact allergy in the general population. This study focuses on human exposure to airborne nickel and its potential to induce allergic sensitization. The study group consisted of 309 children at school-starter age living in the West of Germany in the vicinity of two industrial sources and in a rural town without nearby point sources of nickel. An exposure assessment of nickel in ambient air was available for children in the Ruhr district using routinely monitored ambient air quality data and dispersion modelling. Internal nickel exposure was assessed by nickel concentrations in morning urine samples of the children. The observed nickel sensitization prevalence rates varied between 12.6% and 30.7%. Statistically significant associations were showed between exposure to nickel in ambient air and urinary nickel concentration as well as between urinary nickel concentration and nickel sensitization. Furthermore, an elevated prevalence of nickel sensitization was associated with exposure to increased nickel concentrations in ambient air. The observed associations support the assumption that inhaled nickel in ambient air might be a risk factor for nickel sensitization; further studies in larger collectives are necessary.

Gamma Rays from the Inner Milky Way: Dark Matter or Point Sources?

CERN Multimedia

CERN. Geneva

2015-01-01

Studies of data from the Fermi Gamma-Ray Space Telescope have revealed bright gamma-ray emission from the central regions of our galaxy, with a spatial and spectral profile consistent with annihilating dark matter. I will present a new model-independent analysis that suggests that rather than originating from dark matter, the GeV excess may arise from a surprising new population of as-yet-unresolved gamma-ray point sources in the heart of the Milky Way.

Reducing errors in aircraft atmospheric inversion estimates of point-source emissions: the Aliso Canyon natural gas leak as a natural tracer experiment

Science.gov (United States)

Gourdji, S. M.; Yadav, V.; Karion, A.; Mueller, K. L.; Conley, S.; Ryerson, T.; Nehrkorn, T.; Kort, E. A.

2018-04-01

Urban greenhouse gas (GHG) flux estimation with atmospheric measurements and modeling, i.e. the ‘top-down’ approach, can potentially support GHG emission reduction policies by assessing trends in surface fluxes and detecting anomalies from bottom-up inventories. Aircraft-collected GHG observations also have the potential to help quantify point-source emissions that may not be adequately sampled by fixed surface tower-based atmospheric observing systems. Here, we estimate CH4 emissions from a known point source, the Aliso Canyon natural gas leak in Los Angeles, CA from October 2015–February 2016, using atmospheric inverse models with airborne CH4 observations from twelve flights ≈4 km downwind of the leak and surface sensitivities from a mesoscale atmospheric transport model. This leak event has been well-quantified previously using various methods by the California Air Resources Board, thereby providing high confidence in the mass-balance leak rate estimates of (Conley et al 2016), used here for comparison to inversion results. Inversions with an optimal setup are shown to provide estimates of the leak magnitude, on average, within a third of the mass balance values, with remaining errors in estimated leak rates predominantly explained by modeled wind speed errors of up to 10 m s‑1, quantified by comparing airborne meteorological observations with modeled values along the flight track. An inversion setup using scaled observational wind speed errors in the model-data mismatch covariance matrix is shown to significantly reduce the influence of transport model errors on spatial patterns and estimated leak rates from the inversions. In sum, this study takes advantage of a natural tracer release experiment (i.e. the Aliso Canyon natural gas leak) to identify effective approaches for reducing the influence of transport model error on atmospheric inversions of point-source emissions, while suggesting future potential for integrating surface tower and

Sensitivity of various thermoluminescent, radiophotoluminescent and photographic detectors to neutrons emitted by a 252Cf source

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Spurny, Frantisek; Medioni, Roger; Chapuis, A.; Portal, Guy.

1975-07-01

The specific sensitivity of various thermoluminescent, radiophotoluminescent and photographic detectors to the neutron spectrum of a 252 Cf source was measured and the effect of the size and composition of the containers in which they might be put was investigated. PB33 radiophotoluminescent glasses, radiothermoluminescent alumina and calcium sulfate were less sensitive to fission neutrons whereas photographic emulsions were more sensitive. The former should be used for γ detection in mixed fields of photons and fission neutrons [fr

Identification of a time-varying point source in a system of two coupled linear diffusion-advection- reaction equations: application to surface water pollution

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hamdi, Adel

2009-01-01

This paper deals with the identification of a point source (localization of its position and recovering the history of its time-varying intensity function) that constitutes the right-hand side of the first equation in a system of two coupled 1D linear transport equations. Assuming that the source intensity function vanishes before reaching the final control time, we prove the identifiability of the sought point source from recording the state relative to the second coupled transport equation at two observation points framing the source region. Note that at least one of the two observation points should be strategic. We establish an identification method that uses these records to identify the source position as the root of a continuous and strictly monotonic function. Whereas the source intensity function is recovered using a recursive formula without any need of an iterative process. Some numerical experiments on a variant of the surface water pollution BOD–OD coupled model are presented

The source of investment cash flow sensitivity in manufacturing firms: Is it asymmetric information or agency costs?

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Daniel Makina

2016-09-01

Full Text Available In the literature, positive investment cash flow sensitivity is attributed to either asymmetric information induced financing constraints or the agency costs of free cash flow. Using data from a sample of 68 manufacturing firms listed on the South African JSE, this paper contributes to the literature by investigating the source of investment cash flow sensitivity. We have found that asymmetric information explains the positive investment cash flow sensitivity better than agency costs. Furthermore, asymmetric information has been observed to be more pronounced in low-dividend-paying firms and small firms. Despite South Africa’s having a developed financial system by international standards, small firms are seen to be financially constrained. We attribute the absence of investment cash flow sensitivity due to agency costs to good corporate governance of South African listed firms. Thus the paper provides further evidence in support of the proposition in the literature that the source of investment cash flow sensitivity may depend on the institutional setting of a country, such as its corporate governance.

High frequency seismic signal generated by landslides on complex topographies: from point source to spatially distributed sources

Science.gov (United States)

Mangeney, A.; Kuehnert, J.; Capdeville, Y.; Durand, V.; Stutzmann, E.; Kone, E. H.; Sethi, S.

2017-12-01

During their flow along the topography, landslides generate seismic waves in a wide frequency range. These so called landquakes can be recorded at very large distances (a few hundreds of km for large landslides). The recorded signals depend on the landslide seismic source and the seismic wave propagation. If the wave propagation is well understood, the seismic signals can be inverted for the seismic source and thus can be used to get information on the landslide properties and dynamics. Analysis and modeling of long period seismic signals (10-150s) have helped in this way to discriminate between different landslide scenarios and to constrain rheological parameters (e.g. Favreau et al., 2010). This was possible as topography poorly affects wave propagation at these long periods and the landslide seismic source can be approximated as a point source. In the near-field and at higher frequencies (> 1 Hz) the spatial extent of the source has to be taken into account and the influence of the topography on the recorded seismic signal should be quantified in order to extract information on the landslide properties and dynamics. The characteristic signature of distributed sources and varying topographies is studied as a function of frequency and recording distance.The time dependent spatial distribution of the forces applied to the ground by the landslide are obtained using granular flow numerical modeling on 3D topography. The generated seismic waves are simulated using the spectral element method. The simulated seismic signal is compared to observed seismic data from rockfalls at the Dolomieu Crater of Piton de la Fournaise (La Réunion).Favreau, P., Mangeney, A., Lucas, A., Crosta, G., and Bouchut, F. (2010). Numerical modeling of landquakes. Geophysical Research Letters, 37(15):1-5.

Sensitivity and offset calibration for the beam position monitors at the Advanced Photon Source

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chung, Y.; Barr, D.; Decker, G.; Evans, K. Jr.; Kahana, E.

1995-01-01

The beam position monitors (BPMs) play a critically important role in commissioning and operation of accelerators. Accurate determination of the offsets relative to the magnetic axis and sensitivities of individual BPMs is thus needed. We will describe in this paper the schemes for calibrating all of the 360 BPMs for sensitivity and offset in the 7-GeV Advanced Photon Source (APS) storage ring and the results. For the sensitivity calibration, a 2-dimensional map of the BPM response in the aluminum vacuum chamber is obtained theoretically, which is combined with the measured nonlinear response of the BPM electronics. A set of 2-dimensional polynomial coefficients is then obtained to approximate the result analytically. The offset calibration of the BPMs is done relative to the magnetic axis of the quadrupoles using the beam. This avoids the problem arising from various mechanical sources as well as the offset in the processing electronics. The measurement results for the resolution and long-term drift of the BPM electronics shows 0.06-μm/√Hz resolution and 2-μm/hr drift over a period of 1.5 hrs

Point Source contamination approach for hydrological risk assessment of a major hypothetical accident from second research reactor at Inshas site

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sadek, M.A.; Tawfik, F.S.

2002-01-01

The point source contamination mechanism and the deterministic conservative approach have been implemented to demonstrate the hazards of hydrological pollution due to a major hypothetical accident in the second research reactor at Inshas. The radioactive inventory is assumed to be dissolved in 75% of the cooling water (25% are lost) and comes directly into contact with ground water and moved down gradient. Five radioisotopes(I-129, Sr-90, Ru-106, Cs-134 and Cs-137) of the entire inventory are found to be highly durable and represent vulnerability in the environment. Their downstream spread indices; C max : maximum concentration at the focus of the moving ellipse, delta: pollution duration at different distances, A:polluted area at different distances and X min : safety distance from the reactor, were calculated based on analytical solutions of the convection-dispersion partial differential equation for absorbable and decaying species. The largest downstream contamination range was found for Sr-90 and Ru-106 but still no potential. The geochemical and hydrological parameters of the water bearing formations play a great role in buffering and limiting the radiation effects. These reduce the retention time of the radioisotopes several order of magnitudes in the polluted distances. Sensitivity analysis of the computed pollution ranges shows low sensitivity to possible potential for variations activity of nuclide inventory, dispersivity and saturated thickness and high sensitivity for possible variations in groundwater velocity and retention factors

Identification of 'Point A' as the prevalent source of error in cephalometric analysis of lateral radiographs.

Science.gov (United States)

Grogger, P; Sacher, C; Weber, S; Millesi, G; Seemann, R

2018-04-10

Deviations in measuring dentofacial components in a lateral X-ray represent a major hurdle in the subsequent treatment of dysgnathic patients. In a retrospective study, we investigated the most prevalent source of error in the following commonly used cephalometric measurements: the angles Sella-Nasion-Point A (SNA), Sella-Nasion-Point B (SNB) and Point A-Nasion-Point B (ANB); the Wits appraisal; the anteroposterior dysplasia indicator (APDI); and the overbite depth indicator (ODI). Preoperative lateral radiographic images of patients with dentofacial deformities were collected and the landmarks digitally traced by three independent raters. Cephalometric analysis was automatically performed based on 1116 tracings. Error analysis identified the x-coordinate of Point A as the prevalent source of error in all investigated measurements, except SNB, in which it is not incorporated. In SNB, the y-coordinate of Nasion predominated error variance. SNB showed lowest inter-rater variation. In addition, our observations confirmed previous studies showing that landmark identification variance follows characteristic error envelopes in the highest number of tracings analysed up to now. Variance orthogonal to defining planes was of relevance, while variance parallel to planes was not. Taking these findings into account, orthognathic surgeons as well as orthodontists would be able to perform cephalometry more accurately and accomplish better therapeutic results. Copyright © 2018 International Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Methane Flux Estimation from Point Sources using GOSAT Target Observation: Detection Limit and Improvements with Next Generation Instruments

Science.gov (United States)

Kuze, A.; Suto, H.; Kataoka, F.; Shiomi, K.; Kondo, Y.; Crisp, D.; Butz, A.

2017-12-01

Atmospheric methane (CH4) has an important role in global radiative forcing of climate but its emission estimates have larger uncertainties than carbon dioxide (CO2). The area of anthropogenic emission sources is usually much smaller than 100 km2. The Thermal And Near infrared Sensor for carbon Observation Fourier-Transform Spectrometer (TANSO-FTS) onboard the Greenhouse gases Observing SATellite (GOSAT) has measured CO2 and CH4 column density using sun light reflected from the earth's surface. It has an agile pointing system and its footprint can cover 87-km2 with a single detector. By specifying pointing angles and observation time for every orbit, TANSO-FTS can target various CH4 point sources together with reference points every 3 day over years. We selected a reference point that represents CH4 background density before or after targeting a point source. By combining satellite-measured enhancement of the CH4 column density and surface measured wind data or estimates from the Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) model, we estimated CH4emission amounts. Here, we picked up two sites in the US West Coast, where clear sky frequency is high and a series of data are available. The natural gas leak at Aliso Canyon showed a large enhancement and its decrease with time since the initial blowout. We present time series of flux estimation assuming the source is single point without influx. The observation of the cattle feedlot in Chino, California has weather station within the TANSO-FTS footprint. The wind speed is monitored continuously and the wind direction is stable at the time of GOSAT overpass. The large TANSO-FTS footprint and strong wind decreases enhancement below noise level. Weak wind shows enhancements in CH4, but the velocity data have large uncertainties. We show the detection limit of single samples and how to reduce uncertainty using time series of satellite data. We will propose that the next generation instruments for accurate anthropogenic CO2 and CH

DISCRIMINATION OF NATURAL AND NON-POINT SOURCE EFFECTS FROM ANTHROGENIC EFFECTS AS REFLECTED IN BENTHIC STATE IN THREE ESTUARIES IN NEW ENGLAND

Science.gov (United States)

In order to protect estuarine resources, managers must be able to discern the effects of natural conditions and non-point source effects, and separate them from multiple anthropogenic point source effects. Our approach was to evaluate benthic community assemblages, riverine nitro...

Sensitivity of a search for cosmic ray sources including magnetic field effects

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Urban, Martin; Erdmann, Martin; Mueller, Gero [III. Physikalisches Institut A, RWTH Aachen University (Germany)

2016-07-01

We analyze the sensitivity of a new method investigating correlations between ultra-high energy cosmic rays and extragalactic sources taking into account deflections in the galactic magnetic field. In comparisons of expected and simulated arrival directions of cosmic rays we evaluate the directional characteristics and magnitude of the field. We show that our method is capable of detecting anisotropy in data sets with a low signal fraction.

UHE γ-rays from point sources based on GRAPES-I observations

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gupta, S.K.; Sreekantan, B.V.; Srivatsan, R.; Tonwar, S.C.

1993-01-01

An experiment called GRAPES I (Gamma Ray Astronomy at PeV EnergieS) was set up in 1984 at Ooty in India, using 24 scintillation counters, to detect Extensive Air Showers (EAS) produced in the atmosphere by the primary cosmic radiation. The goal of the experiment has been to search for Ultra High Energy (UHE) γ-rays (E≥10 14 eV) from point sources in the sky. Here we discuss the results on X-ray binaries CYG X-3, HER X-1 and SCO X-1 obtained with GRAPES I experiment which covers the period 1984--87

POWER-LAW TEMPLATE FOR INFRARED POINT-SOURCE CLUSTERING

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Addison, Graeme E.; Dunkley, Joanna [Sub-department of Astrophysics, University of Oxford, Denys Wilkinson Building, Keble Road, Oxford OX1 3RH (United Kingdom); Hajian, Amir; Das, Sudeep; Hincks, Adam D.; Page, Lyman A.; Staggs, Suzanne T. [Joseph Henry Laboratories of Physics, Jadwin Hall, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ 08544 (United States); Viero, Marco [Department of Astronomy, California Institute of Technology, 1200 East California Boulevard, Pasadena, CA 91125 (United States); Bond, J. Richard [Canadian Institute for Theoretical Astrophysics, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON M5S 3H8 (Canada); Devlin, Mark J.; Reese, Erik D. [Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Pennsylvania, 209 South 33rd Street, Philadelphia, PA 19104 (United States); Halpern, Mark; Scott, Douglas [Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC V6T 1Z4 (Canada); Hlozek, Renee; Marriage, Tobias A.; Spergel, David N. [Department of Astrophysical Sciences, Peyton Hall, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ 08544 (United States); Moodley, Kavilan [Astrophysics and Cosmology Research Unit, School of Mathematical Sciences, University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban 4041 (South Africa); Wollack, Edward [NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center, Code 665, Greenbelt, MD 20771 (United States)

2012-06-20

We perform a combined fit to angular power spectra of unresolved infrared (IR) point sources from the Planck satellite (at 217, 353, 545, and 857 GHz, over angular scales 100 {approx}< l {approx}< 2200), the Balloon-borne Large-Aperture Submillimeter Telescope (BLAST; 250, 350, and 500 {mu}m; 1000 {approx}< l {approx}< 9000), and from correlating BLAST and Atacama Cosmology Telescope (ACT; 148 and 218 GHz) maps. We find that the clustered power over the range of angular scales and frequencies considered is well fitted by a simple power law of the form C{sup clust}{sub l}{proportional_to}l{sup -n} with n = 1.25 {+-} 0.06. While the IR sources are understood to lie at a range of redshifts, with a variety of dust properties, we find that the frequency dependence of the clustering power can be described by the square of a modified blackbody, {nu}{sup {beta}} B({nu}, T{sub eff}), with a single emissivity index {beta} = 2.20 {+-} 0.07 and effective temperature T{sub eff} = 9.7 K. Our predictions for the clustering amplitude are consistent with existing ACT and South Pole Telescope results at around 150 and 220 GHz, as is our prediction for the effective dust spectral index, which we find to be {alpha}{sub 150-220} = 3.68 {+-} 0.07 between 150 and 220 GHz. Our constraints on the clustering shape and frequency dependence can be used to model the IR clustering as a contaminant in cosmic microwave background anisotropy measurements. The combined Planck and BLAST data also rule out a linear bias clustering model.

Atmospheric mercury dispersion modelling from two nearest hypothetical point sources

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Al Razi, Khandakar Md Habib; Hiroshi, Moritomi; Shinji, Kambara [Environmental and Renewable Energy System (ERES), Graduate School of Engineering, Gifu University, Yanagido, Gifu City, 501-1193 (Japan)

2012-07-01

The Japan coastal areas are still environmentally friendly, though there are multiple air emission sources originating as a consequence of several developmental activities such as automobile industries, operation of thermal power plants, and mobile-source pollution. Mercury is known to be a potential air pollutant in the region apart from SOX, NOX, CO and Ozone. Mercury contamination in water bodies and other ecosystems due to deposition of atmospheric mercury is considered a serious environmental concern. Identification of sources contributing to the high atmospheric mercury levels will be useful for formulating pollution control and mitigation strategies in the region. In Japan, mercury and its compounds were categorized as hazardous air pollutants in 1996 and are on the list of 'Substances Requiring Priority Action' published by the Central Environmental Council of Japan. The Air Quality Management Division of the Environmental Bureau, Ministry of the Environment, Japan, selected the current annual mean environmental air quality standard for mercury and its compounds of 0.04 ?g/m3. Long-term exposure to mercury and its compounds can have a carcinogenic effect, inducing eg, Minamata disease. This study evaluates the impact of mercury emissions on air quality in the coastal area of Japan. Average yearly emission of mercury from an elevated point source in this area with background concentration and one-year meteorological data were used to predict the ground level concentration of mercury. To estimate the concentration of mercury and its compounds in air of the local area, two different simulation models have been used. The first is the National Institute of Advanced Science and Technology Atmospheric Dispersion Model for Exposure and Risk Assessment (AIST-ADMER) that estimates regional atmospheric concentration and distribution. The second is the Hybrid Single Particle Lagrangian Integrated trajectory Model (HYSPLIT) that estimates the atmospheric

Super-resolution for a point source better than λ/500 using positive refraction

Science.gov (United States)

Miñano, Juan C.; Marqués, Ricardo; González, Juan C.; Benítez, Pablo; Delgado, Vicente; Grabovickic, Dejan; Freire, Manuel

2011-12-01

Leonhardt (2009 New J. Phys. 11 093040) demonstrated that the two-dimensional (2D) Maxwell fish eye (MFE) lens can focus perfectly 2D Helmholtz waves of arbitrary frequency; that is, it can transport perfectly an outward (monopole) 2D Helmholtz wave field, generated by a point source, towards a ‘perfect point drain’ located at the corresponding image point. Moreover, a prototype with λ/5 super-resolution property for one microwave frequency has been manufactured and tested (Ma et al 2010 arXiv:1007.2530v1; Ma et al 2010 New J. Phys. 13 033016). However, neither software simulations nor experimental measurements for a broad band of frequencies have yet been reported. Here, we present steady-state simulations with a non-perfect drain for a device equivalent to the MFE, called the spherical geodesic waveguide (SGW), which predicts up to λ/500 super-resolution close to discrete frequencies. Out of these frequencies, the SGW does not show super-resolution in the analysis carried out.

Super-resolution for a point source better than λ/500 using positive refraction

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Miñano, Juan C; González, Juan C; Benítez, Pablo; Grabovickic, Dejan; Marqués, Ricardo; Delgado, Vicente; Freire, Manuel

2011-01-01

Leonhardt (2009 New J. Phys. 11 093040) demonstrated that the two-dimensional (2D) Maxwell fish eye (MFE) lens can focus perfectly 2D Helmholtz waves of arbitrary frequency; that is, it can transport perfectly an outward (monopole) 2D Helmholtz wave field, generated by a point source, towards a ‘perfect point drain’ located at the corresponding image point. Moreover, a prototype with λ/5 super-resolution property for one microwave frequency has been manufactured and tested (Ma et al 2010 arXiv:1007.2530v1; Ma et al 2010 New J. Phys. 13 033016). However, neither software simulations nor experimental measurements for a broad band of frequencies have yet been reported. Here, we present steady-state simulations with a non-perfect drain for a device equivalent to the MFE, called the spherical geodesic waveguide (SGW), which predicts up to λ/500 super-resolution close to discrete frequencies. Out of these frequencies, the SGW does not show super-resolution in the analysis carried out. (paper)

Neuro Emotional Technique for the treatment of trigger point sensitivity in chronic neck pain sufferers: A controlled clinical trial

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Pollard Henry

2008-05-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Trigger points have been shown to be active in many myofascial pain syndromes. Treatment of trigger point pain and dysfunction may be explained through the mechanisms of central and peripheral paradigms. This study aimed to investigate whether the mind/body treatment of Neuro Emotional Technique (NET could significantly relieve pain sensitivity of trigger points presenting in a cohort of chronic neck pain sufferers. Methods Sixty participants presenting to a private chiropractic clinic with chronic cervical pain as their primary complaint were sequentially allocated into treatment and control groups. Participants in the treatment group received a short course of Neuro Emotional Technique that consists of muscle testing, general semantics and Traditional Chinese Medicine. The control group received a sham NET protocol. Outcome measurements included pain assessment utilizing a visual analog scale and a pressure gauge algometer. Pain sensitivity was measured at four trigger point locations: suboccipital region (S; levator scapulae region (LS; sternocleidomastoid region (SCM and temporomandibular region (TMJ. For each outcome measurement and each trigger point, we calculated the change in measurement between pre- and post- treatment. We then examined the relationships between these measurement changes and six independent variables (i.e. treatment group and the above five additional participant variables using forward stepwise General Linear Model. Results The visual analog scale (0 to 10 had an improvement of 7.6 at S, 7.2 at LS, 7.5 at SCM and 7.1 at the TMJ in the treatment group compared with no improvement of at S, and an improvement of 0.04 at LS, 0.1 at SCM and 0.1 at the TMJ point in the control group, (P Conclusion After a short course of NET treatment, measurements of visual analog scale and pressure algometer recordings of four trigger point locations in a cohort of chronic neck pain sufferers were significantly

Correlation Wave-Front Sensing Algorithms for Shack-Hartmann-Based Adaptive Optics using a Point Source

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Poynee, L A

2003-01-01

Shack-Hartmann based Adaptive Optics system with a point-source reference normally use a wave-front sensing algorithm that estimates the centroid (center of mass) of the point-source image 'spot' to determine the wave-front slope. The centroiding algorithm suffers for several weaknesses. For a small number of pixels, the algorithm gain is dependent on spot size. The use of many pixels on the detector leads to significant propagation of read noise. Finally, background light or spot halo aberrations can skew results. In this paper an alternative algorithm that suffers from none of these problems is proposed: correlation of the spot with a ideal reference spot. The correlation method is derived and a theoretical analysis evaluates its performance in comparison with centroiding. Both simulation and data from real AO systems are used to illustrate the results. The correlation algorithm is more robust than centroiding, but requires more computation

Major and Trace Element Fluxes to the Ganges River: Significance of Small Flood Plain Tributary as Non-Point Pollution Source

Science.gov (United States)

Lakshmi, V.; Sen, I. S.; Mishra, G.

2017-12-01

There has been much discussion amongst biologists, ecologists, chemists, geologists, environmental firms, and science policy makers about the impact of human activities on river health. As a result, multiple river restoration projects are on going on many large river basins around the world. In the Indian subcontinent, the Ganges River is the focal point of all restoration actions as it provides food and water security to half a billion people. Serious concerns have been raised about the quality of Ganga water as toxic chemicals and many more enters the river system through point-sources such as direct wastewater discharge to rivers, or non-point-sources. Point source pollution can be easily identified and remedial actions can be taken; however, non-point pollution sources are harder to quantify and mitigate. A large non-point pollution source in the Indo-Gangetic floodplain is the network of small floodplain rivers. However, these rivers are rarely studied since they are small in catchment area ( 1000-10,000 km2) and discharge (knowledge gap we have monitored the Pandu River for one year between February 2015 and April 2016. Pandu river is 242 km long and is a right bank tributary of Ganges with a total catchment area of 1495 km2. Water samples were collected every month for dissolved major and trace elements. Here we show that the concentration of heavy metals in river Pandu is in higher range as compared to the world river average, and all the dissolved elements shows a large spatial-temporal variation. We show that the Pandu river exports 192170, 168517, 57802, 32769, 29663, 1043, 279, 241, 225, 162, 97, 28, 25, 22, 20, 8, 4 Kg/yr of Ca, Na, Mg, K, Si, Sr, Zn, B, Ba, Mn, Al, Li, Rb, Mo, U, Cu, and Sb, respectively, to the Ganga river, and the exported chemical flux effects the water chemistry of the Ganga river downstream of its confluence point. We further speculate that small floodplain rivers is an important source that contributes to the dissolved chemical

Super-resolution for a point source using positive refraction

Science.gov (United States)

Miñano, Juan C.; Benítez, Pablo; González, Juan C.; Grabovičkić, Dejan; Ahmadpanahi, Hamed

Leonhardt demonstrated (2009) that the 2D Maxwell Fish Eye lens (MFE) can focus perfectly 2D Helmholtz waves of arbitrary frequency, i.e., it can transport perfectly an outward (monopole) 2D Helmholtz wave field, generated by a point source, towards a receptor called "perfect drain" (PD) located at the corresponding MFE image point. The PD has the property of absorbing the complete radiation without radiation or scattering and it has been claimed as necessary to obtain super-resolution (SR) in the MFE. However, a prototype using a "drain" different from the PD has shown λ/5 resolution for microwave frequencies (Ma et al, 2010). Recently, the SR properties of a device equivalent to the MFE, called the Spherical Geodesic Waveguide (SGW) (Miñano et al, 2012) have been analyzed. The reported results show resolution up to λ /3000, for the SGW loaded with the perfect drain, and up to λ /500 for the SGW without perfect drain. The perfect drain was realized as a coaxial probe loaded with properly calculated impedance. The SGW provides SR only in a narrow band of frequencies close to the resonance Schumann frequencies. Here we analyze the SGW loaded with a small "perfect drain region" (González et al, 2011). This drain is designed as a region made of a material with complex permittivity. The comparative results show that there is no significant difference in the SR properties for both perfect drain designs.

CHANDRA ACIS SURVEY OF X-RAY POINT SOURCES: THE SOURCE CATALOG

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Wang, Song; Liu, Jifeng; Qiu, Yanli; Bai, Yu; Yang, Huiqin; Guo, Jincheng; Zhang, Peng, E-mail: jfliu@bao.ac.cn, E-mail: songw@bao.ac.cn [Key Laboratory of Optical Astronomy, National Astronomical Observatories, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100012 (China)

2016-06-01

The Chandra archival data is a valuable resource for various studies on different X-ray astronomy topics. In this paper, we utilize this wealth of information and present a uniformly processed data set, which can be used to address a wide range of scientific questions. The data analysis procedures are applied to 10,029 Advanced CCD Imaging Spectrometer observations, which produces 363,530 source detections belonging to 217,828 distinct X-ray sources. This number is twice the size of the Chandra Source Catalog (Version 1.1). The catalogs in this paper provide abundant estimates of the detected X-ray source properties, including source positions, counts, colors, fluxes, luminosities, variability statistics, etc. Cross-correlation of these objects with galaxies shows that 17,828 sources are located within the D {sub 25} isophotes of 1110 galaxies, and 7504 sources are located between the D {sub 25} and 2 D {sub 25} isophotes of 910 galaxies. Contamination analysis with the log N –log S relation indicates that 51.3% of objects within 2 D {sub 25} isophotes are truly relevant to galaxies, and the “net” source fraction increases to 58.9%, 67.3%, and 69.1% for sources with luminosities above 10{sup 37}, 10{sup 38}, and 10{sup 39} erg s{sup −1}, respectively. Among the possible scientific uses of this catalog, we discuss the possibility of studying intra-observation variability, inter-observation variability, and supersoft sources (SSSs). About 17,092 detected sources above 10 counts are classified as variable in individual observation with the Kolmogorov–Smirnov (K–S) criterion ( P {sub K–S} < 0.01). There are 99,647 sources observed more than once and 11,843 sources observed 10 times or more, offering us a wealth of data with which to explore the long-term variability. There are 1638 individual objects (∼2350 detections) classified as SSSs. As a quite interesting subclass, detailed studies on X-ray spectra and optical spectroscopic follow-up are needed to

Discretized energy minimization in a wave guide with point sources

Science.gov (United States)

Propst, G.

1994-01-01

An anti-noise problem on a finite time interval is solved by minimization of a quadratic functional on the Hilbert space of square integrable controls. To this end, the one-dimensional wave equation with point sources and pointwise reflecting boundary conditions is decomposed into a system for the two propagating components of waves. Wellposedness of this system is proved for a class of data that includes piecewise linear initial conditions and piecewise constant forcing functions. It is shown that for such data the optimal piecewise constant control is the solution of a sparse linear system. Methods for its computational treatment are presented as well as examples of their applicability. The convergence of discrete approximations to the general optimization problem is demonstrated by finite element methods.

STATISTICAL CHARACTERIZATION OF THE CHANDRA SOURCE CATALOG

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Primini, Francis A.; Evans, Ian N.; Glotfelty, Kenny J.; Anderson, Craig S.; Bonaventura, Nina R.; Chen, Judy C.; Doe, Stephen M.; Evans, Janet D.; Fabbiano, Giuseppina; Galle, Elizabeth C.; Gibbs, Danny G.; Grier, John D.; Hain, Roger M.; Harbo, Peter N.; He Xiangqun; Karovska, Margarita; Houck, John C.; Davis, John E.; Nowak, Michael A.; Hall, Diane M.

2011-01-01

The first release of the Chandra Source Catalog (CSC) contains ∼95,000 X-ray sources in a total area of 0.75% of the entire sky, using data from ∼3900 separate ACIS observations of a multitude of different types of X-ray sources. In order to maximize the scientific benefit of such a large, heterogeneous data set, careful characterization of the statistical properties of the catalog, i.e., completeness, sensitivity, false source rate, and accuracy of source properties, is required. Characterization efforts of other large Chandra catalogs, such as the ChaMP Point Source Catalog or the 2 Mega-second Deep Field Surveys, while informative, cannot serve this purpose, since the CSC analysis procedures are significantly different and the range of allowable data is much less restrictive. We describe here the characterization process for the CSC. This process includes both a comparison of real CSC results with those of other, deeper Chandra catalogs of the same targets and extensive simulations of blank-sky and point-source populations.

Global sensitivity analysis in wastewater treatment plant model applications: Prioritizing sources of uncertainty

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Sin, Gürkan; Gernaey, Krist; Neumann, Marc B.

2011-01-01

This study demonstrates the usefulness of global sensitivity analysis in wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) design to prioritize sources of uncertainty and quantify their impact on performance criteria. The study, which is performed with the Benchmark Simulation Model no. 1 plant design, complements...... insight into devising useful ways for reducing uncertainties in the plant performance. This information can help engineers design robust WWTP plants....... a previous paper on input uncertainty characterisation and propagation (Sin et al., 2009). A sampling-based sensitivity analysis is conducted to compute standardized regression coefficients. It was found that this method is able to decompose satisfactorily the variance of plant performance criteria (with R2...

Monte Carlo simulation of scatter in non-uniform symmetrical attenuating media for point and distributed sources

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Henry, L.J.; Rosenthal, M.S.

1992-01-01

We report results of scatter simulations for both point and distributed sources of 99m Tc in symmetrical non-uniform attenuating media. The simulations utilized Monte Carlo techniques and were tested against experimental phantoms. Both point and ring sources were used inside a 10.5 cm radius acrylic phantom. Attenuating media consisted of combinations of water, ground beef (to simulate muscle mass), air and bone meal (to simulate bone mass). We estimated/measured energy spectra, detector efficiencies and peak height ratios for all cases. In all cases, the simulated spectra agree with the experimentally measured spectra within 2 SD. Detector efficiencies and peak height ratios also are in agreement. The Monte Carlo code is able to properly model the non-uniform attenuating media used in this project. With verification of the simulations, it is possible to perform initial evaluation studies of scatter correction algorithms by evaluating the mechanisms of action of the correction algorithm on the simulated spectra where the magnitude and sources of scatter are known. (author)

Transformer-based asymmetrical embedded Z-source neutral point clamped inverters with continuous input current and enhanced voltage boost capability

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Mo, W.; Loh, Poh Chiang; Blaabjerg, Frede

2013-01-01

Z-source Neutral Point Clamped (NPC) inverters were introduced to integrate both the advantages of Z-source inverters and NPC inverters. However, traditional Z-source inverters suffer from high voltage stress and chopping input current. This paper proposes six types transformer-based impedance-so......-source NPC inverters which have enhanced voltage boost capability and continuous input current by utilizing of transformer and embedded dc source configuration. Experimental results are presented to verify the theory validation....

Tracking sensitive source areas of different weather pollution types using GRAPES-CUACE adjoint model

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Chao; An, Xingqin; Zhai, Shixian; Hou, Qing; Sun, Zhaobin

2018-02-01

In this study, the sustained pollution processes were selected during which daily PM2.5 concentration exceeded 75 μg/m3 for three days continuously based on the hourly data of Beijing observation sites from July 2012 to December 2015. Using the China Meteorological Administration (CMA) MICAPS meteorological processing system, synoptic situation during PM2.5 pollution processes was classified into five weather types: low pressure and weak high pressure alternating control, weak high pressure, low pressure control, high rear, and uniform pressure field. Then, we chose the representative pollution cases corresponding to each type, adopted the GRAPES-CUACE adjoint model tracking the sensitive source areas of the five types, and analyzed the critical discharge periods of Beijing and neighboring provinces as well as their contribution to the PM2.5 peak concentration in Beijing. The results showed that the local source plays the main theme in the 30 h before the objective time, and prior to 72 h before the objective time contribution of local sources for the five pollution types are 37.5%, 25.0%, 39.4%, 31.2%, and 42.4%, respectively; the Hebei source contributes constantly in the 57 h ahead of the objective time with the contribution proportion ranging from 37% to 64%; the contribution period and rate of Tianjin and Shanxi sources are shorter and smaller. Based on the adjoint sensitivity analysis, we further discussed the effect of emission reduction control measures in different types, finding that the effect of local source reduction in the first 20 h of the objective time is better, and if the local source is reduced 50% within 72 h before the objective time, the decline rates of PM2.5 in the five types are 11.6%, 9.4%, 13.8%, 9.9% and 15.2% respectively. And the reduction effect of the neighboring sources is better within the 3-57 h before the objective time.

[Urban non-point source pollution control by runoff retention and filtration pilot system].

Science.gov (United States)

Bai, Yao; Zuo, Jian-E; Gan, Li-Li; Low, Thong Soon; Miao, Heng-Feng; Ruan, Wen-Quan; Huang, Xia

2011-09-01

A runoff retention and filtration pilot system was designed and the long-term purification effect of the runoff was monitored. Runoff pollution characters in 2 typical events and treatment effect of the pilot system were analyzed. The results showed that the runoff was severely polluted. Event mean concentrations (EMCs) of SS, COD, TN and TP in the runoff were 361, 135, 7.88 and 0.62 mg/L respectively. The runoff formed by long rain presented an obvious first flush effect. The first 25% flow contributed more than 50% of the total pollutants loading of SS, TP, DTP and PO4(3-). The pilot system could reduce 100% of the non-point source pollution if the volume of the runoff was less than the retention tank. Otherwise the overflow will be purification by the filtration pilot system and the removal rates of SS, COD, TN, TP, DTP and PO4(3-) reached 97.4% , 61.8%, 22.6%, 85.1%, 72.1%, and 85.2% respectively. The system was stable and the removal rate of SS, COD, TN, and TP were 98.6%, 65.4%, 55.1% and 92.6%. The whole system could effectively remove the non-point source pollution caused by runoff.

A different point of view on the sensitivity of quartz crystal microbalance sensors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Arnau, Antonio; Montagut, Yeison; García, José V; Jiménez, Yolanda

2009-01-01

In this paper, the sensitivity of a quartz crystal microbalance (QCM) sensor is analysed and discussed in terms of the phase change versus the surface mass change, instead of the classical sensitivity in terms of the resonant frequency change derived from the well-known Sauerbrey equation. The detection sensitivity derived from the Sauerbrey equation is a theoretical detection capability in terms of the frequency change versus the mass change, which increases with the square of frequency. However, when a specific application and measuring system are considered, the detection capability of the QCM sensor must be considered from a different point of view. A new equation is obtained, Δψ ≅ −Δm c /(m q + m L ), which quantifies the phase shift, Δψ, of a fixed frequency signal corresponding to the series resonant frequency of the sensor in a reference state versus a change in the coating mass, Δm c ; m q = η q π/2v q , where η q is the loss viscosity of the unperturbed sensor and v q is the wave propagation speed in quartz, is a parameter which only depends on the physical parameters of the unperturbed resonator and fixes the maximum sensitivity of the sensor and m L = ρ L δ L /2, where ρ L and δ L are, respectively, the liquid density and the wave penetration depth of the wave in the liquid, is the equivalent surface mass density associated with the oscillatory movement of the surface of the sensor in contact with a fluid medium. This equation is an approximate equation around the series resonance frequency of the sensor. The simulation results for 10, 50 and 150 MHz resonance frequency QCM sensors probe its validity. A new electronic system is proposed for QCM biosensor applications based on the equation introduced

Launching and controlling Gaussian beams from point sources via planar transformation media

Science.gov (United States)

Odabasi, Hayrettin; Sainath, Kamalesh; Teixeira, Fernando L.

2018-02-01

Based on operations prescribed under the paradigm of complex transformation optics (CTO) [F. Teixeira and W. Chew, J. Electromagn. Waves Appl. 13, 665 (1999), 10.1163/156939399X01104; F. L. Teixeira and W. C. Chew, Int. J. Numer. Model. 13, 441 (2000), 10.1002/1099-1204(200009/10)13:5%3C441::AID-JNM376%3E3.0.CO;2-J; H. Odabasi, F. L. Teixeira, and W. C. Chew, J. Opt. Soc. Am. B 28, 1317 (2011), 10.1364/JOSAB.28.001317; B.-I. Popa and S. A. Cummer, Phys. Rev. A 84, 063837 (2011), 10.1103/PhysRevA.84.063837], it was recently shown in [G. Castaldi, S. Savoia, V. Galdi, A. Alù, and N. Engheta, Phys. Rev. Lett. 110, 173901 (2013), 10.1103/PhysRevLett.110.173901] that a complex source point (CSP) can be mimicked by parity-time (PT ) transformation media. Such coordinate transformation has a mirror symmetry for the imaginary part, and results in a balanced loss/gain metamaterial slab. A CSP produces a Gaussian beam and, consequently, a point source placed at the center of such a metamaterial slab produces a Gaussian beam propagating away from the slab. Here, we extend the CTO analysis to nonsymmetric complex coordinate transformations as put forth in [S. Savoia, G. Castaldi, and V. Galdi, J. Opt. 18, 044027 (2016), 10.1088/2040-8978/18/4/044027] and verify that, by using simply a (homogeneous) doubly anisotropic gain-media metamaterial slab, one can still mimic a CSP and produce Gaussian beam. In addition, we show that a Gaussian-like beams can be produced by point sources placed outside the slab as well. By making use of the extra degrees of freedom (the real and imaginary parts of the coordinate transformation) provided by CTO, the near-zero requirement on the real part of the resulting constitutive parameters can be relaxed to facilitate potential realization of Gaussian-like beams. We illustrate how beam properties such as peak amplitude and waist location can be controlled by a proper choice of (complex-valued) CTO Jacobian elements. In particular, the beam waist

LSHSIM: A Locality Sensitive Hashing based method for multiple-point geostatistics

Science.gov (United States)

Moura, Pedro; Laber, Eduardo; Lopes, Hélio; Mesejo, Daniel; Pavanelli, Lucas; Jardim, João; Thiesen, Francisco; Pujol, Gabriel

2017-10-01

Reservoir modeling is a very important task that permits the representation of a geological region of interest, so as to generate a considerable number of possible scenarios. Since its inception, many methodologies have been proposed and, in the last two decades, multiple-point geostatistics (MPS) has been the dominant one. This methodology is strongly based on the concept of training image (TI) and the use of its characteristics, which are called patterns. In this paper, we propose a new MPS method that combines the application of a technique called Locality Sensitive Hashing (LSH), which permits to accelerate the search for patterns similar to a target one, with a Run-Length Encoding (RLE) compression technique that speeds up the calculation of the Hamming similarity. Experiments with both categorical and continuous images show that LSHSIM is computationally efficient and produce good quality realizations. In particular, for categorical data, the results suggest that LSHSIM is faster than MS-CCSIM, one of the state-of-the-art methods.

Impact of Point and Non-point Source Pollution on Coral Reef Ecosystems In Mamala Bay, Oahu, Hawaii based on Water Quality Measurements and Benthic Surveys in 1993-1994 (NODC Accession 0001172)

Data.gov (United States)

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce — The effects of both point and non-point sources of pollution on coral reef ecosystems in Mamala Bay were studied at three levels of biological organization; the...

LAT 2-year Point Source Catalog

Data.gov (United States)

National Aeronautics and Space Administration — The Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope (Fermi) Large Area Telescope (LAT) is a successor to EGRET, with greatly improved sensitivity, resolution, and energy range. This...

MILLIMETER TRANSIENT POINT SOURCES IN THE SPTpol 100 SQUARE DEGREE SURVEY

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Whitehorn, N.; Haan, T. de; George, E. M. [Department of Physics, University of California, Berkeley, CA 94720 (United States); Natoli, T.; Carlstrom, J. E. [Department of Physics, University of Chicago, 5640 South Ellis Avenue, Chicago, IL 60637 (United States); Ade, P. A. R. [Cardiff University, Cardiff CF10 3XQ (United Kingdom); Austermann, J. E.; Beall, J. A. [NIST Quantum Devices Group, 325 Broadway Mailcode 817.03, Boulder, CO 80305 (United States); Bender, A. N.; Benson, B. A.; Bleem, L. E.; Chang, C. L.; Citron, R.; Crawford, T. M.; Crites, A. T.; Gallicchio, J. [Kavli Institute for Cosmological Physics, University of Chicago, 5640 South Ellis Avenue, Chicago, IL 60637 (United States); Chiang, H. C. [School of Mathematics, Statistics and Computer Science, University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban (South Africa); Cho, H-M. [SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory, 2575 Sand Hill Road, Menlo Park, CA 94025 (United States); Dobbs, M. A. [Department of Physics, McGill University, 3600 Rue University, Montreal, Quebec H3A 2T8 (Canada); Everett, W., E-mail: nwhitehorn@berkeley.edu, E-mail: t.natoli@utoronto.ca [Department of Astrophysical and Planetary Sciences, University of Colorado, Boulder, CO 80309 (United States); and others

2016-10-20

The millimeter transient sky is largely unexplored, with measurements limited to follow-up of objects detected at other wavelengths. High-angular-resolution telescopes, designed for measurement of the cosmic microwave background (CMB), offer the possibility to discover new, unknown transient sources in this band—particularly the afterglows of unobserved gamma-ray bursts (GRBs). Here, we use the 10 m millimeter-wave South Pole Telescope, designed for the primary purpose of observing the CMB at arcminute and larger angular scales, to conduct a search for such objects. During the 2012–2013 season, the telescope was used to continuously observe a 100 deg{sup 2} patch of sky centered at R.A. 23{sup h}30{sup m} and decl. −55° using the polarization-sensitive SPTpol camera in two bands centered at 95 and 150 GHz. These 6000 hr of observations provided continuous monitoring for day- to month-scale millimeter-wave transient sources at the 10 mJy level. One candidate object was observed with properties broadly consistent with a GRB afterglow, but at a statistical significance too low ( p = 0.01) to confirm detection.

Simple, sensitive nitrogen analyzer based on pulsed miniplasma source emission spectrometry

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Jin Zhe; Duan Yixiang

2003-01-01

The development of pulsed miniplasma source emission spectrometry for trace nitrogen determination in inert gases is described in this article. The instrument consists of a pulsed miniplasma source generated by an in-house fabricated portable high-voltage supply, an optical beam collection system, an integrated small spectrometer with a charge-coupled-device detector, an interface card, and a notebook computer for controlling spectrometer parameters and signal processing. Trace nitrogen in the inert gases, such as helium and argon, was determined by monitoring the emission intensities from nitrogen molecules at 357 and 337 nm. The analytical performance was examined under various experimental conditions. The system has a detection limit of about 15 ppb (v/v) for nitrogen in helium with a relative standard deviation of 1.5%. The newly developed instrument offers a simple, low-cost, and sensitive method for continuously monitoring trace nitrogen in high-purity inert gases

The sensitivity of various thermoluminescent, photoluminescent and photographic detectors to neutrons emitted by a Pu-Be source

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Spurny, Frantisek; Marsault, Roger; Medioni, Roger; Portal, Guy.

1975-07-01

A series of experiments were conducted in order to determine the sensitivity of radiothermoluminescent detectors to fast neutrons. Experiments bearing on the determination of the sensitivity to neutrons emitted by a Pu-Be source are related here. The characteristics of the radiation field emitted by the source and especially of the γ-field are analysed as it is essential for the interpretation of results to know the latter, which appears to have been but partly studied so far. The measuring procedures are then described and a study is made of the best experimental procedures liable to eliminate or decrease the effect of external factors. The results are finally analysed [fr

Resistive plate chamber neutron and gamma sensitivity measurement with a {sup 252}Cf source

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Abbrescia, M.; Altieri, S.; Baratti, V.; Barnaba, O.; Belli, G.; Bruno, G.; Colaleo, A.; DeVecchi, C.; Guida, R. E-mail: roberto.guida@pv.infn.it; Iaselli, G.; Imbres, E.; Loddo, F.; Maggi, M.; Marangelli, B.; Musitelli, G.; Nardo, R.; Natali, S.; Nuzzo, S.; Pugliese, G.; Ranieri, A.; Ratti, S.; Riccardi, C.; Romano, F.; Torre, P.; Vicini, A.; Vitulo, P.; Volpe, F

2003-06-21

A bakelite double gap Resistive Plate Chamber (RPC), operating in avalanche mode, has been exposed to the radiation emitted from a {sup 252}Cf source to measure its neutron and gamma sensitivity. One of the two gaps underwent the traditional electrodes surface coating with linseed oil. RPC signals were triggered by fission events detected using BaF{sub 2} scintillators. A Monte Carlo code, inside the GEANT 3.21 framework with MICAP interface, has been used to identify the gamma and neutron contributions to the total number of collected RPC signals. A neutron sensitivity of (0.63{+-}0.02)x10{sup -3} (average energy 2 MeV) and a gamma sensitivity of (14.0{+-}0.5)x10{sup -3} (average energy 1.5 MeV) have been measured in double gap mode. Measurements done in single gap mode have shown that both neutron and gamma sensitivity are independent of the oiling treatment.

Extraction of Point Source Gamma Signals from Aerial Survey Data Taken over a Las Vegas Nevada, Residential Area

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Thane J. Hendricks

2007-01-01

Detection of point-source gamma signals from aerial measurements is complicated by widely varying terrestrial gamma backgrounds, since these variations frequently resemble signals from point-sources. Spectral stripping techniques have been very useful in separating man-made and natural radiation contributions which exist on Energy Research and Development Administration (ERDA) plant sites and other like facilities. However, these facilities are generally situated in desert areas or otherwise flat terrain with few man-made structures to disturb the natural background. It is of great interest to determine if the stripping technique can be successfully applied in populated areas where numerous man-made disturbances (houses, streets, yards, vehicles, etc.) exist

Study on the quantitative relationship between Agricultural water and fertilization process and non-point source pollution based on field experiments

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, H.; Chen, K.; Wu, Z.; Guan, X.

2017-12-01

In recent years, with the prominent of water environment problem and the relative increase of point source pollution governance, especially the agricultural non-point source pollution problem caused by the extensive use of fertilizers and pesticides has become increasingly aroused people's concern and attention. In order to reveal the quantitative relationship between agriculture water and fertilizer and non-point source pollution, on the basis of elm field experiment and combined with agricultural drainage irrigation model, the agricultural irrigation water and the relationship between fertilizer and fertilization scheme and non-point source pollution were analyzed and calculated by field emission intensity index. The results show that the variation of displacement varies greatly under different irrigation conditions. When the irrigation water increased from 22cm to 42cm, the irrigation water increased by 20 cm while the field displacement increased by 11.92 cm, about 66.22% of the added value of irrigation water. Then the irrigation water increased from 42 to 68, irrigation water increased 26 cm, and the field displacement increased by 22.48 cm, accounting for 86.46% of irrigation water. So there is an "inflection point" between the irrigation water amount and field displacement amount. The load intensity increases with the increase of irrigation water and shows a significant power correlation. Under the different irrigation condition, the increase amplitude of load intensity with the increase of irrigation water is different. When the irrigation water is smaller, the load intensity increase relatively less, and when the irrigation water increased to about 42 cm, the load intensity will increase considerably. In addition, there was a positive correlation between the fertilization and load intensity. The load intensity had obvious difference in different fertilization modes even with same fertilization level, in which the fertilizer field unit load intensity

An Adjoint Sensitivity Method Applied to Time Reverse Imaging of Tsunami Source for the 2009 Samoa Earthquake

Science.gov (United States)

Hossen, M. Jakir; Gusman, Aditya; Satake, Kenji; Cummins, Phil R.

2018-01-01

We have previously developed a tsunami source inversion method based on "Time Reverse Imaging" and demonstrated that it is computationally very efficient and has the ability to reproduce the tsunami source model with good accuracy using tsunami data of the 2011 Tohoku earthquake tsunami. In this paper, we implemented this approach in the 2009 Samoa earthquake tsunami triggered by a doublet earthquake consisting of both normal and thrust faulting. Our result showed that the method is quite capable of recovering the source model associated with normal and thrust faulting. We found that the inversion result is highly sensitive to some stations that must be removed from the inversion. We applied an adjoint sensitivity method to find the optimal set of stations in order to estimate a realistic source model. We found that the inversion result is improved significantly once the optimal set of stations is used. In addition, from the reconstructed source model we estimated the slip distribution of the fault from which we successfully determined the dipping orientation of the fault plane for the normal fault earthquake. Our result suggests that the fault plane dip toward the northeast.

The rise in the positron fraction. Distance limits on positron point sources from cosmic ray arrival directions and diffuse gamma-rays

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Gebauer, Iris; Bentele, Rosemarie [Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, Karlsruhe (Germany)

2016-07-01

The rise in the positron fraction as observed by AMS and previously by PAMELA, cannot be explained by the standard paradigm of cosmic ray transport in which positrons are produced by cosmic-ray-gas interactions in the interstellar medium. Possible explanations are pulsars, which produce energetic electron-positron pairs in their rotating magnetic fields, or the annihilation of dark matter. Here we assume that these positrons originate from a single close-by point source, producing equal amounts of electrons and positrons. The propagation and energy losses of these electrons and positrons are calculated numerically using the DRAGON code, the source properties are optimized to best describe the AMS data. Using the FERMI-LAT limits on a possible dipole anisotropy in electron and positron arrival directions, we put a limit on the minimum distance of such a point source. The energy losses that these energetic electrons and positrons suffer on their way through the galaxy create gamma ray photons through bremsstrahlung and Inverse Compton scattering. Using the measurement of diffuse gamma rays from Fermi-LAT we put a limit on the maximum distance of such a point source. We find that a single electron positron point source powerful enough to explain the locally observed positron fraction must reside between 225 pc and 3.7 kpc distance from the sun and compare to known pulsars.

CHANDRA ACIS SURVEY OF X-RAY POINT SOURCES IN NEARBY GALAXIES. II. X-RAY LUMINOSITY FUNCTIONS AND ULTRALUMINOUS X-RAY SOURCES

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Wang, Song; Qiu, Yanli; Liu, Jifeng [Key Laboratory of Optical Astronomy, National Astronomical Observatories, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100012 (China); Bregman, Joel N., E-mail: songw@bao.ac.cn, E-mail: jfliu@bao.ac.cn [University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109 (United States)

2016-09-20

Based on the recently completed Chandra /ACIS survey of X-ray point sources in nearby galaxies, we study the X-ray luminosity functions (XLFs) for X-ray point sources in different types of galaxies and the statistical properties of ultraluminous X-ray sources (ULXs). Uniform procedures are developed to compute the detection threshold, to estimate the foreground/background contamination, and to calculate the XLFs for individual galaxies and groups of galaxies, resulting in an XLF library of 343 galaxies of different types. With the large number of surveyed galaxies, we have studied the XLFs and ULX properties across different host galaxy types, and confirm with good statistics that the XLF slope flattens from lenticular ( α ∼ 1.50 ± 0.07) to elliptical (∼1.21 ± 0.02), to spirals (∼0.80 ± 0.02), to peculiars (∼0.55 ± 0.30), and to irregulars (∼0.26 ± 0.10). The XLF break dividing the neutron star and black hole binaries is also confirmed, albeit at quite different break luminosities for different types of galaxies. A radial dependency is found for ellipticals, with a flatter XLF slope for sources located between D {sub 25} and 2 D {sub 25}, suggesting the XLF slopes in the outer region of early-type galaxies are dominated by low-mass X-ray binaries in globular clusters. This study shows that the ULX rate in early-type galaxies is 0.24 ± 0.05 ULXs per surveyed galaxy, on a 5 σ confidence level. The XLF for ULXs in late-type galaxies extends smoothly until it drops abruptly around 4 × 10{sup 40} erg s{sup −1}, and this break may suggest a mild boundary between the stellar black hole population possibly including 30 M {sub ⊙} black holes with super-Eddington radiation and intermediate mass black holes.

Lower-energy neutron sources for increasing the sensitivity of nuclear gages for measuring the water content of bulk materials

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bailey, S.M.

1977-01-01

The sensitivity of a gage using a nuclear source for measuring the water content of bulk materials, such as plastic concrete, is increased by use of a lithium or fluorine neutron nuclear source. 3 figures

Morphology, chemistry and distribution of neoformed spherulites in agricultural land affected by metallurgical point-source pollution

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Leguedois, S.; Oort, van F.; Jongmans, A.G.; Chevalier, P.

2004-01-01

Metal distribution patterns in superficial soil horizons of agricultural land affected by metallurgical point-source pollution were studied using optical and electron microscopy, synchrotron radiation and spectroscopy analyses. The site is located in northern France, at the center of a former entry

Identification and quantification of point sources of surface water contamination in fruit culture in the Netherlands

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Wenneker, M.; Beltman, W.H.J.; Werd, de H.A.E.; Zande, van de J.C.

2008-01-01

Measurements of pesticide concentrations in surface water by the water boards show that they have decreased less than was expected from model calculations. Possibly, the implementation of spray drift reducing techniques is overestimated in the model calculation. The impact of point sources is

Estimation of Methane Emissions from Municipal Solid Waste Landfills in China Based on Point Emission Sources

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Cai Bo-Feng

2014-01-01

Citation: Cai, B.-F., Liu, J.-G., Gao, Q.-X., et al., 2014. Estimation of methane emissions from municipal solid waste landfills in China based on point emission sources. Adv. Clim. Change Res. 5(2, doi: 10.3724/SP.J.1248.2014.081.

VizieR Online Data Catalog: ChaMP X-ray point source catalog (Kim+, 2007)

Science.gov (United States)

Kim, M.; Kim, D.-W.; Wilkes, B. J.; Green, P. J.; Kim, E.; Anderson, C. S.; Barkhouse, W. A.; Evans, N. R.; Ivezic, Z.; Karovska, M.; Kashyap, V. L.; Lee, M. G.; Maksym, P.; Mossman, A. E.; Silverman, J. D.; Tananbaum, H. D.

2009-01-01

We present the Chandra Multiwavelength Project (ChaMP) X-ray point source catalog with ~6800 X-ray sources detected in 149 Chandra observations covering ~10deg2. The full ChaMP catalog sample is 7 times larger than the initial published ChaMP catalog. The exposure time of the fields in our sample ranges from 0.9 to 124ks, corresponding to a deepest X-ray flux limit of f0.5-8.0=9x10-16ergs/cm2/s. The ChaMP X-ray data have been uniformly reduced and analyzed with ChaMP-specific pipelines and then carefully validated by visual inspection. The ChaMP catalog includes X-ray photometric data in eight different energy bands as well as X-ray spectral hardness ratios and colors. To best utilize the ChaMP catalog, we also present the source reliability, detection probability, and positional uncertainty. (10 data files).

Modification and Validation of the Triglyceride-to-HDL Cholesterol Ratio as a Surrogate of Insulin Sensitivity in White Juveniles and Adults without Diabetes Mellitus: The Single Point Insulin Sensitivity Estimator (SPISE).

Science.gov (United States)

Paulmichl, Katharina; Hatunic, Mensud; Højlund, Kurt; Jotic, Aleksandra; Krebs, Michael; Mitrakou, Asimina; Porcellati, Francesca; Tura, Andrea; Bergsten, Peter; Forslund, Anders; Manell, Hannes; Widhalm, Kurt; Weghuber, Daniel; Anderwald, Christian-Heinz

2016-09-01

The triglyceride-to-HDL cholesterol (TG/HDL-C) ratio was introduced as a tool to estimate insulin resistance, because circulating lipid measurements are available in routine settings. Insulin, C-peptide, and free fatty acids are components of other insulin-sensitivity indices but their measurement is expensive. Easier and more affordable tools are of interest for both pediatric and adult patients. Study participants from the Relationship Between Insulin Sensitivity and Cardiovascular Disease [43.9 (8.3) years, n = 1260] as well as the Beta-Cell Function in Juvenile Diabetes and Obesity study cohorts [15 (1.9) years, n = 29] underwent oral-glucose-tolerance tests and euglycemic clamp tests for estimation of whole-body insulin sensitivity and calculation of insulin sensitivity indices. To refine the TG/HDL ratio, mathematical modeling was applied including body mass index (BMI), fasting TG, and HDL cholesterol and compared to the clamp-derived M-value as an estimate of insulin sensitivity. Each modeling result was scored by identifying insulin resistance and correlation coefficient. The Single Point Insulin Sensitivity Estimator (SPISE) was compared to traditional insulin sensitivity indices using area under the ROC curve (aROC) analysis and χ(2) test. The novel formula for SPISE was computed as follows: SPISE = 600 × HDL-C(0.185)/(TG(0.2) × BMI(1.338)), with fasting HDL-C (mg/dL), fasting TG concentrations (mg/dL), and BMI (kg/m(2)). A cutoff value of 6.61 corresponds to an M-value smaller than 4.7 mg · kg(-1) · min(-1) (aROC, M:0.797). SPISE showed a significantly better aROC than the TG/HDL-C ratio. SPISE aROC was comparable to the Matsuda ISI (insulin sensitivity index) and equal to the QUICKI (quantitative insulin sensitivity check index) and HOMA-IR (homeostasis model assessment-insulin resistance) when calculated with M-values. The SPISE seems well suited to surrogate whole-body insulin sensitivity from inexpensive fasting single-point blood draw and BMI

Carbon dioxide capture and separation techniques for advanced power generation point sources

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Pennline, H.W.; Luebke, D.R.; Morsi, B.I.; Heintz, Y.J.; Jones, K.L.; Ilconich, J.B.

2006-09-01

The capture/separation step for carbon dioxide (CO2) from large-point sources is a critical one with respect to the technical feasibility and cost of the overall carbon sequestration scenario. For large-point sources, such as those found in power generation, the carbon dioxide capture techniques being investigated by the in-house research area of the National Energy Technology Laboratory possess the potential for improved efficiency and costs as compared to more conventional technologies. The investigated techniques can have wide applications, but the research has focused on capture/separation of carbon dioxide from flue gas (postcombustion from fossil fuel-fired combustors) and from fuel gas (precombustion, such as integrated gasification combined cycle – IGCC). With respect to fuel gas applications, novel concepts are being developed in wet scrubbing with physical absorption; chemical absorption with solid sorbents; and separation by membranes. In one concept, a wet scrubbing technique is being investigated that uses a physical solvent process to remove CO2 from fuel gas of an IGCC system at elevated temperature and pressure. The need to define an ideal solvent has led to the study of the solubility and mass transfer properties of various solvents. Fabrication techniques and mechanistic studies for hybrid membranes separating CO2 from the fuel gas produced by coal gasification are also being performed. Membranes that consist of CO2-philic silanes incorporated into an alumina support or ionic liquids encapsulated into a polymeric substrate have been investigated for permeability and selectivity. An overview of two novel techniques is presented along with a research progress status of each technology.

College Students' Health Information Activities on Facebook: Investigating the Impacts of Health Topic Sensitivity, Information Sources, and Demographics.

Science.gov (United States)

Syn, Sue Yeon; Kim, Sung Un

2016-07-01

College students tend to lack access to health information. Because social networking sites (SNSs) are popularly adopted by college students, SNSs are considered to be good media channels for college students to obtain health-related information. This study examines the factors that influence college students' health information-seeking and -sharing activities on Facebook. An online survey was distributed to college students between the ages of 18 and 29 to determine intentions pertaining to health information activities according to the factors identified for the study. The factors included both contextual factors (such as health topic sensitivity and health information sources) as well as user factors (such as demographics). Our findings showed that college students are willing to read and post health-related information on Facebook when the health topic is not sensitive. In addition, there are clear differences in preferences between professional sources and personal sources as health information sources. It was found that most user factors, except gender, have no influence on health information activities. The impacts of SNS contexts, awareness of information sources, types of interlocutors, and privacy concerns are further discussed.

Emissions of perfluorinated alkylated substances (PFAS) from point sources--identification of relevant branches.

Science.gov (United States)

Clara, M; Scheffknecht, C; Scharf, S; Weiss, S; Gans, O

2008-01-01

Effluents of wastewater treatment plants are relevant point sources for the emission of hazardous xenobiotic substances to the aquatic environment. One group of substances, which recently entered scientific and political discussions, is the group of the perfluorinated alkylated substances (PFAS). The most studied compounds from this group are perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) and perfluorooctane sulphonate (PFOS), which are the most important degradation products of PFAS. These two substances are known to be persistent, bioaccumulative and toxic (PBT). In the present study, eleven PFAS were investigated in effluents of municipal wastewater treatment plants (WWTP) and in industrial wastewaters. PFOS and PFOA proved to be the dominant compounds in all sampled wastewaters. Concentrations of up to 340 ng/L of PFOS and up to 220 ng/L of PFOA were observed. Besides these two compounds, perfluorohexanoic acid (PFHxA) was also present in nearly all effluents and maximum concentrations of up to 280 ng/L were measured. Only N-ethylperfluorooctane sulphonamide (N-EtPFOSA) and its degradation/metabolisation product perfluorooctane sulphonamide (PFOSA) were either detected below the limit of quantification or were not even detected at all. Beside the effluents of the municipal WWTPs, nine industrial wastewaters from six different industrial branches were also investigated. Significantly, the highest emissions or PFOS were observed from metal industry whereas paper industry showed the highest PFOA emission. Several PFAS, especially perfluorononanoic acid (PFNA), perfluorodecanoic acid (PFDA), perfluorododecanoic acid (PFDoA) and PFOS are predominantly emitted from industrial sources, with concentrations being a factor of 10 higher than those observed in the municipal WWTP effluents. Perfluorodecane sulphonate (PFDS), N-Et-PFOSA and PFOSA were not detected in any of the sampled industrial point sources. (c) IWA Publishing 2008.

Sensitivity analysis of source driven subcritical systems by the HGPT methodology

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gandini, A.

1997-01-01

The heuristically based generalized perturbation theory (HGPT) methodology has been extensively used in the last decades for analysis studies in the nuclear reactor field. Its use leads to fundamental reciprocity relationships from which perturbation, or sensitivity expressions can be derived, to first and higher order, in terms of simple integration operation of quantities calculated at unperturbed system conditions. Its application to subcritical, source-driven systems, now considered with increasing interest in many laboratories for their potential use as nuclear waste burners and/or safer energy producers, is here commented, with particular emphasis to problems implying an intensive system control variable. (author)

Column Number Density Expressions Through M = 0 and M = 1 Point Source Plumes Along Any Straight Path

Science.gov (United States)

Woronowicz, Michael

2016-01-01

Analytical expressions for column number density (CND) are developed for optical line of sight paths through a variety of steady free molecule point source models including directionally-constrained effusion (Mach number M = 0) and flow from a sonic orifice (M = 1). Sonic orifice solutions are approximate, developed using a fair simulacrum fitted to the free molecule solution. Expressions are also developed for a spherically-symmetric thermal expansion (M = 0). CND solutions are found for the most general paths relative to these sources and briefly explored. It is determined that the maximum CND from a distant location through directed effusion and sonic orifice cases occurs along the path parallel to the source plane that intersects the plume axis. For the effusive case this value is exactly twice the CND found along the ray originating from that point of intersection and extending to infinity along the plume's axis. For sonic plumes this ratio is reduced to about 4/3. For high Mach number cases the maximum CND will be found along the axial centerline path. Keywords: column number density, plume flows, outgassing, free molecule flow.

Sensitivities of JEM-X

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Westergaard, Niels Jørgen Stenfeldt; Lund, Niels

1999-01-01

The mask design for JEM-X is now finalized regarding the hole pattern and mechnical support structure. The engineering model of the detectors with collimators is under construction. The JEM-X sensitivities for source detection in various circumstances are reviewed with proper regard to the way...... INTEGRAL will carry out its pointed observations. An important fraction of the INTEGRAL observation time will be used for scans along the galactic plane and observations of the central region of our galaxy. The JEM-X performance for this type of observations is discussed. The software tools used to carry...

Sensitivity of Earthquake Loss Estimates to Source Modeling Assumptions and Uncertainty

Science.gov (United States)

Reasenberg, Paul A.; Shostak, Nan; Terwilliger, Sharon

2006-01-01

adopted in the loss calculations. This is a sensitivity study aimed at future regional earthquake source modelers, so that they may be informed of the effects on loss introduced by modeling assumptions and epistemic uncertainty in the WG02 earthquake source model.

Point-source reconstruction with a sparse light-sensor array for optical TPC readout

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rutter, G; Richards, M; Bennieston, A J; Ramachers, Y A

2011-01-01

A reconstruction technique for sparse array optical signal readout is introduced and applied to the generic challenge of large-area readout of a large number of point light sources. This challenge finds a prominent example in future, large volume neutrino detector studies based on liquid argon. It is concluded that the sparse array option may be ruled out for reasons of required number of channels when compared to a benchmark derived from charge readout on wire-planes. Smaller-scale detectors, however, could benefit from this technology.

Sensitivity of point scale surface runoff predictions to rainfall resolution

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

A. J. Hearman

2007-01-01

Full Text Available This paper investigates the effects of using non-linear, high resolution rainfall, compared to time averaged rainfall on the triggering of hydrologic thresholds and therefore model predictions of infiltration excess and saturation excess runoff at the point scale. The bounded random cascade model, parameterized to three locations in Western Australia, was used to scale rainfall intensities at various time resolutions ranging from 1.875 min to 2 h. A one dimensional, conceptual rainfall partitioning model was used that instantaneously partitioned water into infiltration excess, infiltration, storage, deep drainage, saturation excess and surface runoff, where the fluxes into and out of the soil store were controlled by thresholds. The results of the numerical modelling were scaled by relating soil infiltration properties to soil draining properties, and in turn, relating these to average storm intensities. For all soil types, we related maximum infiltration capacities to average storm intensities (k* and were able to show where model predictions of infiltration excess were most sensitive to rainfall resolution (ln k*=0.4 and where using time averaged rainfall data can lead to an under prediction of infiltration excess and an over prediction of the amount of water entering the soil (ln k*>2 for all three rainfall locations tested. For soils susceptible to both infiltration excess and saturation excess, total runoff sensitivity was scaled by relating drainage coefficients to average storm intensities (g* and parameter ranges where predicted runoff was dominated by infiltration excess or saturation excess depending on the resolution of rainfall data were determined (ln g*<2. Infiltration excess predicted from high resolution rainfall was short and intense, whereas saturation excess produced from low resolution rainfall was more constant and less intense. This has important implications for the accuracy of current hydrological models that use time

Source of vacuum electromagnetic zero-point energy and Dirac's large numbers hypothesis

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Simaciu, I.; Dumitrescu, G.

1993-01-01

The stochastic electrodynamics states that zero-point fluctuation of the vacuum (ZPF) is an electromagnetic zero-point radiation with spectral density ρ(ω)=ℎω 3 / 2π 2 C 3 . Protons, free electrons and atoms are sources for this radiation. Each of them absorbs and emits energy by interacting with ZPF. At equilibrium ZPF radiation is scattered by dipoles.Scattered radiation spectral density is ρ(ω,r) ρ(ω).c.σ(ω) / 4πr 2 . Radiation of dipole spectral density of Universe is ρ ∫ 0 R nρ(ω,r)4πr 2 dr. But if σ atom P e σ=σ T then ρ ρ(ω)σ T R.n. Moreover if ρ=ρ(ω) then σ T Rn = 1. With R = G M/c 2 and σ T ≅(e 2 /m e c 2 ) 2 ∝ r e 2 then σ T .Rn 1 is equivalent to R/r e = e 2 /Gm p m e i.e. the cosmological coincidence discussed in the context of Dirac's large-numbers hypothesis. (Author)

Derivation of the point spread function for zero-crossing-demodulated position-sensitive detectors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nowlin, C.H.

1976-07-01

This work is a mathematical derivation of a high-quality approximation to the point spread function for position-sensitive detectors (PSDs) that use pulse-shape modulation and crossover-time demodulation. The approximation is determined as a general function of the input signals to the crossover detectors so as to enable later determination of optimum position-decoding filters for PSDs. This work is precisely applicable to PSDs that use either RC or LC transmission line encoders. The effects of random variables, such as charge collection time, in the encoding process are included. In addition, this work presents a new, rigorous method for the determination of upper and lower bounds for conditional crossover-time distribution functions (closely related to first-passage-time distribution functions) for arbitrary signals and arbitrary noise covariance functions

Point, surface and volumetric heat sources in the thermal modelling of selective laser melting

Science.gov (United States)

Yang, Yabin; Ayas, Can

2017-10-01

Selective laser melting (SLM) is a powder based additive manufacturing technique suitable for producing high precision metal parts. However, distortions and residual stresses within products arise during SLM because of the high temperature gradients created by the laser heating. Residual stresses limit the load resistance of the product and may even lead to fracture during the built process. It is therefore of paramount importance to predict the level of part distortion and residual stress as a function of SLM process parameters which requires a reliable thermal modelling of the SLM process. Consequently, a key question arises which is how to describe the laser source appropriately. Reasonable simplification of the laser representation is crucial for the computational efficiency of the thermal model of the SLM process. In this paper, first a semi-analytical thermal modelling approach is described. Subsequently, the laser heating is modelled using point, surface and volumetric sources, in order to compare the influence of different laser source geometries on the thermal history prediction of the thermal model. The present work provides guidelines on appropriate representation of the laser source in the thermal modelling of the SLM process.

Chandra Source Catalog: Background Determination and Source Detection

Science.gov (United States)

McCollough, Michael L.; Rots, A. H.; Primini, F. A.; Evans, I. N.; Glotfelty, K. J.; Hain, R.; Anderson, C. S.; Bonaventura, N. R.; Chen, J. C.; Davis, J. E.; Doe, S. M.; Evans, J. D.; Fabbiano, G.; Galle, E.; Gibbs, D. G.; Grier, J. D.; Hall, D. M.; Harbo, P. N.; He, X.; Houck, J. C.; Karovska, M.; Lauer, J.; McDowell, J. C.; Miller, J. B.; Mitschang, A. W.; Morgan, D. L.; Nichols, J. S.; Nowak, M. A.; Plummer, D. A.; Refsdal, B. L.; Siemiginowska, A. L.; Sundheim, B. A.; Tibbetts, M. S.; Van Stone, D. W.; Winkelman, S. L.; Zografou, P.

2009-01-01

The Chandra Source Catalog (CSC) is a major project in which all of the pointed imaging observations taken by the Chandra X-Ray Observatory will used to generate the most extensive X-ray source catalog produced to date. Early in the development of the CSC it was recognized that the ability to estimate local background levels in an automated fashion would be critical for essential CSC tasks such as source detection, photometry, sensitivity estimates, and source characterization. We present a discussion of how such background maps are created directly from the Chandra data and how they are used in source detection. The general background for Chandra observations is rather smoothly varying, containing only low spatial frequency components. However, in the case of ACIS data, a high spatial frequency component is added that is due to the readout streaks of the CCD chips. We discuss how these components can be estimated reliably using the Chandra data and what limitations and caveats should be considered in their use. We will discuss the source detection algorithm used for the CSC and the effects of the background images on the detection results. We will also touch on some the Catalog Inclusion and Quality Assurance criteria applied to the source detection results. This work is supported by NASA contract NAS8-03060 (CXC).

The 1.4-2.7 micron spectrum of the point source at the galactic center

Science.gov (United States)

Treffers, R. R.; Fink, U.; Larson, H. P.; Gautier, T. N., III

1976-01-01

The spectrum of the 2-micron point source at the galactic center is presented over the range from 1.4 to 2.7 microns. The two-level-transition CO band heads are seen near 2.3 microns, confirming that the radiation from this source is due to a cool supergiant star. The heliocentric radial velocity is found to be - 173 (+ or -90) km/s and is consistent with the star being in orbit about a dense galactic nucleus. No evidence is found for Brackett-gamma emission, and no interstellar absorption features are seen. Upper limits for the column densities of interstellar H2, CH4, CO, and NH3 are derived.

Use of dual-point fluorodeoxyglucose imaging to enhance sensitivity and specificity.

Science.gov (United States)

Schillaci, Orazio

2012-07-01

studies, dual-time-point PET improved not only the specificity but also the sensitivity in assessing breast, pulmonary, liver, and other tumors because of increased lesion-to-background ratio, as a consequence of FDG washout from the surrounding normal tissues and increasing neoplastic uptake. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Nutrient Losses from Non-Point Sources or from Unidentified Point Sources? Application Examples of the Smartphone Based Nitrate App.

Science.gov (United States)

Rozemeijer, J.; Ekkelenkamp, R.; van der Zaan, B.

2017-12-01

In 2016 Deltares launched the free to use Nitrate App which accurately reads and interprets nitrate test strips. The app directly displays the measured concentration and gives the option to share the result. Shared results are visualised in map functionality within the app and online. Since its introduction we've been seeing an increasing number of nitrate app applications. In this presentation we show some unanticipated types of application. The Nitrate App was originally intended to enable farmers to measure nitrate concentrations on their own farms. This may encourage farmers to talk to specialists about the right nutrient best management practices (BMP's) for their farm. Several groups of farmers have recently started to apply the Nitrate App and to discuss their results with each other and with the authorities. Nitrate concentration routings in catchments have proven to be another useful application. Within a day a person can generate a catchment scale nitrate concentration map identifying nitrate loss hotspots. In several routings in agricultural catchments clear point sources were found, for example at small scale manure processing plants. These routings proved that the Nitrate App can help water managers to target conservation practices more accurately to areas with the highest nitrate concentrations and loads. Other current applications are the screening of domestic water wells in California, the collection of extra measurements (also pH and NH4) in the National Monitoring Network for the Evaluation of the Manure Policy in the Netherlands, and several educational initiatives in cooperation with schools and universities.

Point X-ray sources in the SNR G 315.4-2.30 (MSH 14-63, RCW 86)

Science.gov (United States)

Gvaramadze, V. V.; Vikhlinin, A. A.

2003-04-01

We report the results of a search for a point X-ray source (stellar remnant) in the southwest protrusion of the supernova remnant G 315.4-2.30 (MSH 14-63, RCW 86) using the archival data of the Chandra X-ray Observatory. The search was motivated by a hypothesis that G 315.4-2.30 is the result of an off-centered cavity supernova explosion of a moving massive star, which ended its evolution just near the edge of the main-sequence wind-driven bubble. This hypothesis implies that the southwest protrusion in G 315.4-2.30 is the remainder of a pre-existing bow shock-like structure created by the interaction of the supernova progenitor's wind with the interstellar medium and that the actual location of the supernova blast center is near the center of this hemispherical structure. We have discovered two point X-ray sources in the ``proper" place. One of the sources has an optical counterpart with the photographic magnitude 13.38+/-0.40, while the spectrum of the source can be fitted with an optically thin plasma model. We interpret this source as a foreground active star of late spectral type. The second source has no optical counterpart to a limiting magnitude ~ 21. The spectrum of this source can be fitted almost equally well with several simple models (power law: photon index =1.87; two-temperature blackbody: kT1 =0.11 keV, R1 =2.34 km and kT2 =0.71 keV, R2 =0.06 km; blackbody plus power law: kT =0.07 keV, photon index =2.3). We interpret this source as a candidate stellar remnant (neutron star), while the photon index and non-thermal luminosity of the source (almost the same as those of the Vela pulsar and the recently discovered pulsar PSR J 0205+6449 in the supernova remnant 3C 58) suggest that it can be a young ``ordinary" pulsar.

Iterative image reconstruction for positron emission tomography based on a detector response function estimated from point source measurements

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tohme, Michel S; Qi Jinyi

2009-01-01

The accuracy of the system model in an iterative reconstruction algorithm greatly affects the quality of reconstructed positron emission tomography (PET) images. For efficient computation in reconstruction, the system model in PET can be factored into a product of a geometric projection matrix and sinogram blurring matrix, where the former is often computed based on analytical calculation, and the latter is estimated using Monte Carlo simulations. Direct measurement of a sinogram blurring matrix is difficult in practice because of the requirement of a collimated source. In this work, we propose a method to estimate the 2D blurring kernels from uncollimated point source measurements. Since the resulting sinogram blurring matrix stems from actual measurements, it can take into account the physical effects in the photon detection process that are difficult or impossible to model in a Monte Carlo (MC) simulation, and hence provide a more accurate system model. Another advantage of the proposed method over MC simulation is that it can easily be applied to data that have undergone a transformation to reduce the data size (e.g., Fourier rebinning). Point source measurements were acquired with high count statistics in a relatively fine grid inside the microPET II scanner using a high-precision 2D motion stage. A monotonically convergent iterative algorithm has been derived to estimate the detector blurring matrix from the point source measurements. The algorithm takes advantage of the rotational symmetry of the PET scanner and explicitly models the detector block structure. The resulting sinogram blurring matrix is incorporated into a maximum a posteriori (MAP) image reconstruction algorithm. The proposed method has been validated using a 3 x 3 line phantom, an ultra-micro resolution phantom and a 22 Na point source superimposed on a warm background. The results of the proposed method show improvements in both resolution and contrast ratio when compared with the MAP

Kernel integration scatter model for parallel beam gamma camera and SPECT point source response

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Marinkovic, P.M.

2001-01-01

Scatter correction is a prerequisite for quantitative single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT). In this paper a kernel integration scatter Scatter correction is a prerequisite for quantitative SPECT. In this paper a kernel integration scatter model for parallel beam gamma camera and SPECT point source response based on Klein-Nishina formula is proposed. This method models primary photon distribution as well as first Compton scattering. It also includes a correction for multiple scattering by applying a point isotropic single medium buildup factor for the path segment between the point of scatter an the point of detection. Gamma ray attenuation in the object of imaging, based on known μ-map distribution, is considered too. Intrinsic spatial resolution of the camera is approximated by a simple Gaussian function. Collimator is modeled simply using acceptance angles derived from the physical dimensions of the collimator. Any gamma rays satisfying this angle were passed through the collimator to the crystal. Septal penetration and scatter in the collimator were not included in the model. The method was validated by comparison with Monte Carlo MCNP-4a numerical phantom simulation and excellent results were obtained. The physical phantom experiments, to confirm this method, are planed to be done. (author)

Monte Carlo modeling of a High-Sensitivity MOSFET dosimeter for low- and medium-energy photon sources

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wang, Brian; Kim, C.-H.; Xu, X. George

2004-01-01

Metal-oxide-semiconductor field effect transistor (MOSFET) dosimeters are increasingly utilized in radiation therapy and diagnostic radiology. While it is difficult to characterize the dosimeter responses for monoenergetic sources by experiments, this paper reports a detailed Monte Carlo simulation model of the High-Sensitivity MOSFET dosimeter using Monte Carlo N-Particle (MCNP) 4C. A dose estimator method was used to calculate the dose in the extremely thin sensitive volume. Efforts were made to validate the MCNP model using three experiments: (1) comparison of the simulated dose with the measurement of a Cs-137 source, (2) comparison of the simulated dose with analytical values, and (3) comparison of the simulated energy dependence with theoretical values. Our simulation results show that the MOSFET dosimeter has a maximum response at about 40 keV of photon energy. The energy dependence curve is also found to agree with the predicted value from theory within statistical uncertainties. The angular dependence study shows that the MOSFET dosimeter has a higher response (about 8%) when photons come from the epoxy side, compared with the kapton side for the Cs-137 source

Sensitivity of molecular marker-based CMB models to biomass burning source profiles

Science.gov (United States)

Sheesley, Rebecca J.; Schauer, James J.; Zheng, Mei; Wang, Bo

To assess the contribution of sources to fine particulate organic carbon (OC) at four sites in North Carolina, USA, a molecular marker chemical mass balance model (MM-CMB) was used to quantify seasonal contributions for 2 years. The biomass burning contribution at these sites was found to be 30-50% of the annual OC concentration. In order to provide a better understanding of the uncertainty in MM-CMB model results, a biomass burning profile sensitivity test was performed on the 18 seasonal composites. The results using reconstructed emission profiles based on published profiles compared well, while model results using a single source test profile resulted in biomass burning contributions that were more variable. The biomass burning contribution calculated using an average regional profile of fireplace emissions from five southeastern tree species also compared well with an average profile of open burning of pine-dominated forest from Georgia. The standard deviation of the results using different source profiles was a little over 30% of the annual average biomass contributions. Because the biomass burning contribution accounted for 30-50% of the OC at these sites, the choice of profile also impacted the motor vehicle source attribution due to the common emission of elemental carbon and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons. The total mobile organic carbon contribution was less effected by the biomass burning profile than the relative contributions from gasoline and diesel engines.

Calculation of total counting efficiency of a NaI(Tl) detector by hybrid Monte-Carlo method for point and disk sources

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Yalcin, S. [Education Faculty, Kastamonu University, 37200 Kastamonu (Turkey)], E-mail: yalcin@gazi.edu.tr; Gurler, O.; Kaynak, G. [Department of Physics, Faculty of Arts and Sciences, Uludag University, Gorukle Campus, 16059 Bursa (Turkey); Gundogdu, O. [Department of Physics, School of Engineering and Physical Sciences, University of Surrey, Guildford GU2 7XH (United Kingdom)

2007-10-15

This paper presents results on the total gamma counting efficiency of a NaI(Tl) detector from point and disk sources. The directions of photons emitted from the source were determined by Monte-Carlo techniques and the photon path lengths in the detector were determined by analytic equations depending on photon directions. This is called the hybrid Monte-Carlo method where analytical expressions are incorporated into the Monte-Carlo simulations. A major advantage of this technique is the short computation time compared to other techniques on similar computational platforms. Another advantage is the flexibility for inputting detector-related parameters (such as source-detector distance, detector radius, source radius, detector linear attenuation coefficient) into the algorithm developed, thus making it an easy and flexible method to apply to other detector systems and configurations. The results of the total counting efficiency model put forward for point and disc sources were compared with the previous work reported in the literature.

Calculation of total counting efficiency of a NaI(Tl) detector by hybrid Monte-Carlo method for point and disk sources

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yalcin, S.; Gurler, O.; Kaynak, G.; Gundogdu, O.

2007-01-01

This paper presents results on the total gamma counting efficiency of a NaI(Tl) detector from point and disk sources. The directions of photons emitted from the source were determined by Monte-Carlo techniques and the photon path lengths in the detector were determined by analytic equations depending on photon directions. This is called the hybrid Monte-Carlo method where analytical expressions are incorporated into the Monte-Carlo simulations. A major advantage of this technique is the short computation time compared to other techniques on similar computational platforms. Another advantage is the flexibility for inputting detector-related parameters (such as source-detector distance, detector radius, source radius, detector linear attenuation coefficient) into the algorithm developed, thus making it an easy and flexible method to apply to other detector systems and configurations. The results of the total counting efficiency model put forward for point and disc sources were compared with the previous work reported in the literature

The Chandra Source Catalog: Statistical Characterization

Science.gov (United States)

Primini, Francis A.; Nowak, M. A.; Houck, J. C.; Davis, J. E.; Glotfelty, K. J.; Karovska, M.; Anderson, C. S.; Bonaventura, N. R.; Chen, J. C.; Doe, S. M.; Evans, I. N.; Evans, J. D.; Fabbiano, G.; Galle, E. C.; Gibbs, D. G., II; Grier, J. D.; Hain, R.; Hall, D. M.; Harbo, P. N.; He, X.; Lauer, J.; McCollough, M. L.; McDowell, J. C.; Miller, J. B.; Mitschang, A. W.; Morgan, D. L.; Nichols, J. S.; Plummer, D. A.; Refsdal, B. L.; Rots, A. H.; Siemiginowska, A. L.; Sundheim, B. A.; Tibbetts, M. S.; van Stone, D. W.; Winkelman, S. L.; Zografou, P.

2009-09-01

The Chandra Source Catalog (CSC) will ultimately contain more than ˜250000 x-ray sources in a total area of ˜1% of the entire sky, using data from ˜10000 separate ACIS and HRC observations of a multitude of different types of x-ray sources (see Evans et al. this conference). In order to maximize the scientific benefit of such a large, heterogeneous dataset, careful characterization of the statistical properties of the catalog, i.e., completeness, sensitivity, false source rate, and accuracy of source properties, is required. Our Characterization efforts include both extensive simulations of blank-sky and point source datasets, and detailed comparisons of CSC results with those of other x-ray and optical catalogs. We present here a summary of our characterization results for CSC Release 1 and preliminary plans for future releases. This work is supported by NASA contract NAS8-03060 (CXC).

Dynamic Control of Particle Deposition in Evaporating Droplets by an External Point Source of Vapor.

Science.gov (United States)

Malinowski, Robert; Volpe, Giovanni; Parkin, Ivan P; Volpe, Giorgio

2018-02-01

The deposition of particles on a surface by an evaporating sessile droplet is important for phenomena as diverse as printing, thin-film deposition, and self-assembly. The shape of the final deposit depends on the flows within the droplet during evaporation. These flows are typically determined at the onset of the process by the intrinsic physical, chemical, and geometrical properties of the droplet and its environment. Here, we demonstrate deterministic emergence and real-time control of Marangoni flows within the evaporating droplet by an external point source of vapor. By varying the source location, we can modulate these flows in space and time to pattern colloids on surfaces in a controllable manner.

Phase-sensitive optical coherence tomography-based vibrometry using a highly phase-stable akinetic swept laser source

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Applegate, Brian E.; Park, Jesung; Carbajal, Esteban [Department of Biomedical Engineering, Texas A& M University, College Station, Texas (United States); Oghalai, John S. [Department of Otolaryngology - Head and Neck Surgery, Stanford University, Stanford, California (United States)

2015-12-31

Phase-sensitive Optical Coherence Tomography (PhOCT) is an emerging tool for in vivo investigation of the vibratory function of the intact middle and inner ear. PhOCT is able to resolve micron scale tissue morphology in three dimensions as well as measure picometer scale motion at each spatial position. Most PhOCT systems to date have relied upon the phase stability offered by spectrometer detection. On the other hand swept laser source based PhOCT offers a number of advantages including balanced detection, long imaging depths, and high imaging speeds. Unfortunately the inherent phase instability of traditional swept laser sources has necessitated complex user developed hardware/software solutions to restore phase sensitivity. Here we present recent results using a prototype swept laser that overcomes these issues. The akinetic swept laser is electronically tuned and precisely controls sweeps without any mechanical movement, which results in high phase stability. We have developed an optical fiber based PhOCT system around the akinetic laser source that had a 1550 nm center wavelength and a sweep rate of 140 kHz. The stability of the system was measured to be 4.4 pm with a calibrated reflector, thus demonstrating near shot noise limited performance. Using this PhOCT system, we have acquired structural and vibratory measurements of the middle ear in a mouse model, post mortem. The quality of the results suggest that the akinetic laser source is a superior laser source for PhOCT with many advantages that greatly reduces the required complexity of the imaging system.

A systematic analysis of the Braitenberg vehicle 2b for point-like stimulus sources

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rañó, Iñaki

2012-01-01

Braitenberg vehicles have been used experimentally for decades in robotics with limited empirical understanding. This paper presents the first mathematical model of the vehicle 2b, displaying so-called aggression behaviour, and analyses the possible trajectories for point-like smooth stimulus sources. This sensory-motor steering control mechanism is used to implement biologically grounded target approach, target-seeking or obstacle-avoidance behaviour. However, the analysis of the resulting model reveals that complex and unexpected trajectories can result even for point-like stimuli. We also prove how the implementation of the controller and the vehicle morphology interact to affect the behaviour of the vehicle. This work provides a better understanding of Braitenberg vehicle 2b, explains experimental results and paves the way for a formally grounded application on robotics as well as for a new way of understanding target seeking in biology. (paper)

The Chandra Source Catalog: Background Determination and Source Detection

Science.gov (United States)

McCollough, Michael; Rots, Arnold; Primini, Francis A.; Evans, Ian N.; Glotfelty, Kenny J.; Hain, Roger; Anderson, Craig S.; Bonaventura, Nina R.; Chen, Judy C.; Davis, John E.; Doe, Stephen M.; Evans, Janet D.; Fabbiano, Giuseppina; Galle, Elizabeth C.; Danny G. Gibbs, II; Grier, John D.; Hall, Diane M.; Harbo, Peter N.; He, Xiang Qun (Helen); Houck, John C.; Karovska, Margarita; Kashyap, Vinay L.; Lauer, Jennifer; McCollough, Michael L.; McDowell, Jonathan C.; Miller, Joseph B.; Mitschang, Arik W.; Morgan, Douglas L.; Mossman, Amy E.; Nichols, Joy S.; Nowak, Michael A.; Plummer, David A.; Refsdal, Brian L.; Siemiginowska, Aneta L.; Sundheim, Beth A.; Tibbetts, Michael S.; van Stone, David W.; Winkelman, Sherry L.; Zografou, Panagoula

2009-09-01

The Chandra Source Catalog (CSC) is a major project in which all of the pointed imaging observations taken by the Chandra X-Ray Observatory are used to generate one of the most extensive X-ray source catalog produced to date. Early in the development of the CSC it was recognized that the ability to estimate local background levels in an automated fashion would be critical for essential CSC tasks such as source detection, photometry, sensitivity estimates, and source characterization. We present a discussion of how such background maps are created directly from the Chandra data and how they are used in source detection. The general background for Chandra observations is rather smoothly varying, containing only low spatial frequency components. However, in the case of ACIS data, a high spatial frequency component is added that is due to the readout streaks of the CCD chips. We discuss how these components can be estimated reliably using the Chandra data and what limitations and caveats should be considered in their use. We will discuss the source detection algorithm used for the CSC and the effects of the background images on the detection results. We will also touch on some the Catalog Inclusion and Quality Assurance criteria applied to the source detection results. This work is supported by NASA contract NAS8-03060 (CXC).

Preliminary limits on the flux of muon neutrinos from extraterrestrial point sources

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bionta, R.M.; Blewitt, G.; Bratton, C.B.

1985-01-01

We present the arrival directions of 117 upward-going muon events collected with the IMB proton lifetime detector during 317 days of live detector operation. The rate of upward-going muons observed in our detector was found to be consistent with the rate expected from atmospheric neutrino production. The upper limit on the total flux of extraterrestrial neutrinos >1 GeV is 2 -sec. Using our data and a Monte Carlo simulation of high energy muon production in the earth surrounding the detector, we place limits on the flux of neutrinos from a point source in the Vela X-2 system of 2 -sec with E > 1 GeV. 6 refs., 5 figs

Considering a point-source in a regional air pollution model; Prise en compte d`une source ponctuelle dans un modele regional de pollution atmospherique

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Lipphardt, M.

1997-06-19

This thesis deals with the development and validation of a point-source plume model, with the aim to refine the representation of intensive point-source emissions in regional-scale air quality models. The plume is modelled at four levels of increasing complexity, from a modified Gaussian plume model to the Freiberg and Lusis ring model. Plume elevation is determined by Netterville`s plume rise model, using turbulence and atmospheric stability parameters. A model for the effect of a fine-scale turbulence on the mean concentrations in the plume is developed and integrated in the ring model. A comparison between results with and without considering micro-mixing shows the importance of this effect in a chemically reactive plume. The plume model is integrated into the Eulerian transport/chemistry model AIRQUAL, using an interface between Airqual and the sub-model, and interactions between the two scales are described. A simulation of an air pollution episode over Paris is carried out, showing that the utilization of such a sub-scale model improves the accuracy of the air quality model

A new three-dimensional nonscanning laser imaging system based on the illumination pattern of a point-light-source array

Science.gov (United States)

Xia, Wenze; Ma, Yayun; Han, Shaokun; Wang, Yulin; Liu, Fei; Zhai, Yu

2018-06-01

One of the most important goals of research on three-dimensional nonscanning laser imaging systems is the improvement of the illumination system. In this paper, a new three-dimensional nonscanning laser imaging system based on the illumination pattern of a point-light-source array is proposed. This array is obtained using a fiber array connected to a laser array with each unit laser having independent control circuits. This system uses a point-to-point imaging process, which is realized using the exact corresponding optical relationship between the point-light-source array and a linear-mode avalanche photodiode array detector. The complete working process of this system is explained in detail, and the mathematical model of this system containing four equations is established. A simulated contrast experiment and two real contrast experiments which use the simplified setup without a laser array are performed. The final results demonstrate that unlike a conventional three-dimensional nonscanning laser imaging system, the proposed system meets all the requirements of an eligible illumination system. Finally, the imaging performance of this system is analyzed under defocusing situations, and analytical results show that the system has good defocusing robustness and can be easily adjusted in real applications.

Prevention and Control of Agricultural Non-Point Source Pollutions in UK and Suggestions to China

OpenAIRE

Liu, Kun; Ren, Tianzhi; Wu, Wenliang; Meng, Fanquiao; Bellarby, Jessica; Smith, Laurence

2016-01-01

Currently, the world is facing challenges of maintaining food production growth while improving agricultural ecological environmental quality. The prevention and control of agricultural non-point source pollution, a key component of these challenges, is a systematic program which integrates many factors such as technology and its extension, relevant regulation and policies. In the project of UK-China Sustainable Agriculture Innovation Network, we undertook a comprehensive analysis of the prev...

In vivo quantitative imaging of point-like bioluminescent and fluorescent sources: Validation studies in phantoms and small animals post mortem

Science.gov (United States)

Comsa, Daria Craita

2008-10-01

There is a real need for improved small animal imaging techniques to enhance the development of therapies in which animal models of disease are used. Optical methods for imaging have been extensively studied in recent years, due to their high sensitivity and specificity. Methods like bioluminescence and fluorescence tomography report promising results for 3D reconstructions of source distributions in vivo. However, no standard methodology exists for optical tomography, and various groups are pursuing different approaches. In a number of studies on small animals, the bioluminescent or fluorescent sources can be reasonably approximated as point or line sources. Examples include images of bone metastases confined to the bone marrow. Starting with this premise, we propose a simpler, faster, and inexpensive technique to quantify optical images of point-like sources. The technique avoids the computational burden of a tomographic method by using planar images and a mathematical model based on diffusion theory. The model employs in situ optical properties estimated from video reflectometry measurements. Modeled and measured images are compared iteratively using a Levenberg-Marquardt algorithm to improve estimates of the depth and strength of the bioluminescent or fluorescent inclusion. The performance of the technique to quantify bioluminescence images was first evaluated on Monte Carlo simulated data. Simulated data also facilitated a methodical investigation of the effect of errors in tissue optical properties on the retrieved source depth and strength. It was found that, for example, an error of 4 % in the effective attenuation coefficient led to 4 % error in the retrieved depth for source depths of up to 12mm, while the error in the retrieved source strength increased from 5.5 % at 2mm depth, to 18 % at 12mm depth. Experiments conducted on images from homogeneous tissue-simulating phantoms showed that depths up to 10mm could be estimated within 8 %, and the relative

Performance summary on a high power dense plasma focus x-ray lithography point source producing 70 nm line features in AlGaAs microcircuits

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Petr, Rodney; Bykanov, Alexander; Freshman, Jay; Reilly, Dennis; Mangano, Joseph; Roche, Maureen; Dickenson, Jason; Burte, Mitchell; Heaton, John

2004-01-01

A high average power dense plasma focus (DPF), x-ray point source has been used to produce ∼70 nm line features in AlGaAs-based monolithic millimeter-wave integrated circuits (MMICs). The DPF source has produced up to 12 J per pulse of x-ray energy into 4π steradians at ∼1 keV effective wavelength in ∼2 Torr neon at pulse repetition rates up to 60 Hz, with an effective x-ray yield efficiency of ∼0.8%. Plasma temperature and electron concentration are estimated from the x-ray spectrum to be ∼170 eV and ∼5·10 19 cm -3 , respectively. The x-ray point source utilizes solid-state pulse power technology to extend the operating lifetime of electrodes and insulators in the DPF discharge. By eliminating current reversals in the DPF head, an anode electrode has demonstrated a lifetime of more than 5 million shots. The x-ray point source has also been operated continuously for 8 h run times at 27 Hz average pulse recurrent frequency. Measurements of shock waves produced by the plasma discharge indicate that overpressure pulses must be attenuated before a collimator can be integrated with the DPF point source

Highly Sensitive Cadmium Concentration Sensor Using Long Period Grating

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

A. S. Lalasangi

2011-08-01

Full Text Available In this paper we have proposed a simple and effective Long Period Grating chemical sensor for detecting the traces of Cadmium (Cd++ in drinking water at ppm level. Long Period gratings (LPG were fabricated by point-by-point technique with CO2 laser. We have characterized the LPG concentration sensor sensitivity for different solutions of Cd concentrations varying from 0.01 ppm to 0.04 ppm by injecting white Light source and observed transmitted spectra using Optical Spectrum Analyzer (OSA. Proper reagents have been used in the solutions for detection of the Cd species. The overall shift in wavelength is 10 nm when surrounding medium gradually changed from water to 0.04 ppm of cadmium concentrations. A comparative study has been done using sophisticated spectroscopic atomic absorption spectrometer (AAS and Inductively Coupled Plasma (ICP instruments. The spectral sensitivity enhancement was done by modifying grating surface with gold nanoparticles.

Five-Level Z-Source Neutral Point-Clamped Inverter

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Gao, F.; Loh, P.C.; Blaabjerg, Frede

2007-01-01

This paper proposes a five-level Z-source neutralpoint- clamped (NPC) inverter with two Z-source networks functioning as intermediate energy storages coupled between dc sources and NPC inverter circuitry. Analyzing the operational principles of Z-source network with partial dclink shoot......-through scheme reveals the hidden theories in the five-level Z-source NPC inverter unlike the operational principle appeared in the general two-level Z-source inverter, so that the five-level Z-source NPC inverter can be designed with the modulation of carrier-based phase disposition (PD) or alternative phase...

On-site meteorological instrumentation requirements to characterize diffusion from point sources: workshop report. Final report Sep 79-Sep 80

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Strimaitis, D.; Hoffnagle, G.; Bass, A.

1981-04-01

Results of a workshop entitled 'On-Site Meteorological Instrumentation Requirements to Characterize Diffusion from Point Sources' are summarized and reported. The workshop was sponsored by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency in Raleigh, North Carolina, on January 15-17, 1980. Its purpose was to provide EPA with a thorough examination of the meteorological instrumentation and data collection requirements needed to characterize airborne dispersion of air contaminants from point sources and to recommend, based on an expert consensus, specific measurement technique and accuracies. Secondary purposes of the workshop were to (1) make recommendations to the National Weather Service (NWS) about collecting and archiving meteorological data that would best support air quality dispersion modeling objectives and (2) make recommendations on standardization of meteorological data reporting and quality assurance programs

[Estimation of urban non-point source pollution loading and its factor analysis in the Pearl River Delta].

Science.gov (United States)

Liao, Yi-Shan; Zhuo, Mu-Ning; Li, Ding-Qiang; Guo, Tai-Long

2013-08-01

In the Pearl Delta region, urban rivers have been seriously polluted, and the input of non-point source pollution materials, such as chemical oxygen demand (COD), into rivers cannot be neglected. During 2009-2010, the water qualities at eight different catchments in the Fenjiang River of Foshan city were monitored, and the COD loads for eight rivulet sewages were calculated in respect of different rainfall conditions. Interesting results were concluded in our paper. The rainfall and landuse type played important roles in the COD loading, with greater influence of rainfall than landuse type. Consequently, a COD loading formula was constructed that was defined as a function of runoff and landuse type that were derived SCS model and land use map. Loading of COD could be evaluated and predicted with the constructed formula. The mean simulation accuracy for single rainfall event was 75.51%. Long-term simulation accuracy was better than that of single rainfall. In 2009, the estimated COD loading and its loading intensity were 8 053 t and 339 kg x (hm2 x a)(-1), and the industrial land was regarded as the main source of COD pollution area. The severe non-point source pollution such as COD in Fenjiang River must be paid more attention in the future.

Investigating the effects of point source and nonpoint source pollution on the water quality of the East River (Dongjiang) in South China

Science.gov (United States)

Wu, Yiping; Chen, Ji

2013-01-01

Understanding the physical processes of point source (PS) and nonpoint source (NPS) pollution is critical to evaluate river water quality and identify major pollutant sources in a watershed. In this study, we used the physically-based hydrological/water quality model, Soil and Water Assessment Tool, to investigate the influence of PS and NPS pollution on the water quality of the East River (Dongjiang in Chinese) in southern China. Our results indicate that NPS pollution was the dominant contribution (>94%) to nutrient loads except for mineral phosphorus (50%). A comprehensive Water Quality Index (WQI) computed using eight key water quality variables demonstrates that water quality is better upstream than downstream despite the higher level of ammonium nitrogen found in upstream waters. Also, the temporal (seasonal) and spatial distributions of nutrient loads clearly indicate the critical time period (from late dry season to early wet season) and pollution source areas within the basin (middle and downstream agricultural lands), which resource managers can use to accomplish substantial reduction of NPS pollutant loadings. Overall, this study helps our understanding of the relationship between human activities and pollutant loads and further contributes to decision support for local watershed managers to protect water quality in this region. In particular, the methods presented such as integrating WQI with watershed modeling and identifying the critical time period and pollutions source areas can be valuable for other researchers worldwide.

Analysis of the environmental behavior of farmers for non-point source pollution control and management in a water source protection area in China.

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Yandong; Yang, Jun; Liang, Jiping; Qiang, Yanfang; Fang, Shanqi; Gao, Minxue; Fan, Xiaoyu; Yang, Gaihe; Zhang, Baowen; Feng, Yongzhong

2018-08-15

The environmental behavior of farmers plays an important role in exploring the causes of non-point source pollution and taking scientific control and management measures. Based on the theory of planned behavior (TPB), the present study investigated the environmental behavior of farmers in the Water Source Area of the Middle Route of the South-to-North Water Diversion Project in China. Results showed that TPB could explain farmers' environmental behavior (SMC=0.26) and intention (SMC=0.36) well. Furthermore, the farmers' attitude towards behavior (AB), subjective norm (SN), and perceived behavioral control (PBC) positively and significantly influenced their environmental intention; their environmental intention further impacted their behavior. SN was proved to be the main key factor indirectly influencing the farmers' environmental behavior, while PBC had no significant and direct effect. Moreover, environmental knowledge following as a moderator, gender and age was used as control variables to conduct the environmental knowledge on TPB construct moderated mediation analysis. It demonstrated that gender had a significant controlling effect on environmental behavior; that is, males engage in more environmentally friendly behaviors. However, age showed a significant negative controlling effect on pro-environmental intention and an opposite effect on pro-environmental behavior. In addition, environmental knowledge could negatively moderate the relationship between PBC and environmental intention. PBC had a greater impact on the environmental intention of farmers with poor environmental knowledge, compared to those with plenty environmental knowledge. Altogether, the present study could provide a theoretical basis for non-point source pollution control and management. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Industrial point source CO2 emission strength estimation with aircraft measurements and dispersion modelling.

Science.gov (United States)

Carotenuto, Federico; Gualtieri, Giovanni; Miglietta, Franco; Riccio, Angelo; Toscano, Piero; Wohlfahrt, Georg; Gioli, Beniamino

2018-02-22

CO 2 remains the greenhouse gas that contributes most to anthropogenic global warming, and the evaluation of its emissions is of major interest to both research and regulatory purposes. Emission inventories generally provide quite reliable estimates of CO 2 emissions. However, because of intrinsic uncertainties associated with these estimates, it is of great importance to validate emission inventories against independent estimates. This paper describes an integrated approach combining aircraft measurements and a puff dispersion modelling framework by considering a CO 2 industrial point source, located in Biganos, France. CO 2 density measurements were obtained by applying the mass balance method, while CO 2 emission estimates were derived by implementing the CALMET/CALPUFF model chain. For the latter, three meteorological initializations were used: (i) WRF-modelled outputs initialized by ECMWF reanalyses; (ii) WRF-modelled outputs initialized by CFSR reanalyses and (iii) local in situ observations. Governmental inventorial data were used as reference for all applications. The strengths and weaknesses of the different approaches and how they affect emission estimation uncertainty were investigated. The mass balance based on aircraft measurements was quite succesful in capturing the point source emission strength (at worst with a 16% bias), while the accuracy of the dispersion modelling, markedly when using ECMWF initialization through the WRF model, was only slightly lower (estimation with an 18% bias). The analysis will help in highlighting some methodological best practices that can be used as guidelines for future experiments.

Statistical data evaluation in mobile gamma spectrometry. An optimisation of on-line search strategies in the scenario of lost point sources

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hjerpe, T.; Samuelsson, C.

1999-01-01

There is a potential risk that hazardous radioactive sources could enter the environment, e.g. via satellite debris, smuggled radioactive goods or lost metal scrap. From a radiation protection point of view there is a need for rapid and reliable methods for locating and identifying sources. Car-borne and air-borne detector systems are suitable for the task. The condition in this work is a situation where the missing radionuclide is known, which is not an unlikely scenario. The possibility that the source is located near a road can be high, and thus motivating a car-borne spectrometer system. The main object is to optimise on-line statistical methods in order to achieve a high probability for locating point sources, or hot spots, and still have reasonably few false alarms from variations in the natural background radiation. Data were obtained from a car-borne 3 litres (NaI(Tl) detector and two point sources, located at various distances from the road. The nuclides used were 137 Cs and 131 I. Spectra were measured stationary on the road. From these measurements spectra we have reconstructed spectra applicable to different speed and sampling times; the time 3 seconds and 50 km/h are used in this work. The maximum distance a source can be located from the road and still be detected is estimated with four different statistical analysis methods. This distance is called the detection distance, DD. The method is applied on gross counts in the full energy peak window. For each method alarm thresholds has been calculated from background data obtained in Scania (Skaane), in the south of Sweden. The results show a 30-50% difference in DD's. With this semi-theoretical approach, the two sources could be detected from 250 m ( 137 Cs, 6GBq) and 200 m ( 131 I, 4GBq). (au)

Volatile organic compound emissions from the oil and natural gas industry in the Uinta Basin, Utah: point sources compared to ambient air composition

Science.gov (United States)

Warneke, C.; Geiger, F.; Edwards, P. M.; Dube, W.; Pétron, G.; Kofler, J.; Zahn, A.; Brown, S. S.; Graus, M.; Gilman, J.; Lerner, B.; Peischl, J.; Ryerson, T. B.; de Gouw, J. A.; Roberts, J. M.

2014-05-01

The emissions of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) associated with oil and natural gas production in the Uinta Basin, Utah were measured at a ground site in Horse Pool and from a NOAA mobile laboratory with PTR-MS instruments. The VOC compositions in the vicinity of individual gas and oil wells and other point sources such as evaporation ponds, compressor stations and injection wells are compared to the measurements at Horse Pool. High mixing ratios of aromatics, alkanes, cycloalkanes and methanol were observed for extended periods of time and short-term spikes caused by local point sources. The mixing ratios during the time the mobile laboratory spent on the well pads were averaged. High mixing ratios were found close to all point sources, but gas wells using dry-gas collection, which means dehydration happens at the well, were clearly associated with higher mixing ratios than other wells. Another large source was the flowback pond near a recently hydraulically re-fractured gas well. The comparison of the VOC composition of the emissions from the oil and natural gas wells showed that wet gas collection wells compared well with the majority of the data at Horse Pool and that oil wells compared well with the rest of the ground site data. Oil wells on average emit heavier compounds than gas wells. The mobile laboratory measurements confirm the results from an emissions inventory: the main VOC source categories from individual point sources are dehydrators, oil and condensate tank flashing and pneumatic devices and pumps. Raw natural gas is emitted from the pneumatic devices and pumps and heavier VOC mixes from the tank flashings.

A novel method for assessing position-sensitive detector performance

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Clinthorne, N.H.; Rogers, W.L.; Shao, L.; Hero, A.O. III; Koral, K.F.

1989-01-01

A marked point process model of a position-sensitive detector is developed which includes the effects of detector efficiency, spatial response, energy response, and source statistics. The average mutual information between the incident distribution of γ rays and the detector response is derived and used as a performance index for detector optimization. A brief example is presented which uses this figure-of-merit for optimization of light guide dimensions for a modular scintillation camera

A Single Phase Doubly Grounded Semi-Z-Source Inverter for Photovoltaic (PV Systems with Maximum Power Point Tracking (MPPT

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Tofael Ahmed

2014-06-01

Full Text Available In this paper, a single phase doubly grounded semi-Z-source inverter with maximum power point tracking (MPPT is proposed for photovoltaic (PV systems. This proposed system utilizes a single-ended primary inductor (SEPIC converter as DC-DC converter to implement the MPPT algorithm for tracking the maximum power from a PV array and a single phase semi-Z-source inverter for integrating the PV with AC power utilities. The MPPT controller utilizes a fast-converging algorithm to track the maximum power point (MPP and the semi-Z-source inverter utilizes a nonlinear SPWM to produce sinusoidal voltage at the output. The proposed system is able to track the MPP of PV arrays and produce an AC voltage at its output by utilizing only three switches. Experimental results show that the fast-converging MPPT algorithm has fast tracking response with appreciable MPP efficiency. In addition, the inverter shows the minimization of common mode leakage current with its ground sharing feature and reduction of the THD as well as DC current components at the output during DC-AC conversion.

SREM - WRS system module number 3348 for calculating the removal flux due to point, line or disc sources

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Grimstone, M.J.

1978-06-01

The WRS Modular Programming System has been developed as a means by which programmes may be more efficiently constructed, maintained and modified. In this system a module is a self-contained unit typically composed of one or more Fortran routines, and a programme is constructed from a number of such modules. This report describes one WRS module, the function of which is to calculate the uncollided flux and first-collision source from a disc source in a slab geometry system, a line source at the centre of a cylindrical system or a point source at the centre of a spherical system. The information given in this manual is of use both to the programmer wishing to incorporate the module in a programme, and to the user of such a programme. (author)

Biosolid stockpiles are a significant point source for greenhouse gas emissions.

Science.gov (United States)

Majumder, Ramaprasad; Livesley, Stephen J; Gregory, David; Arndt, Stefan K

2014-10-01

The wastewater treatment process generates large amounts of sewage sludge that are dried and then often stored in biosolid stockpiles in treatment plants. Because the biosolids are rich in decomposable organic matter they could be a significant source for greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, yet there are no direct measurements of GHG from stockpiles. We therefore measured the direct emissions of methane (CH4), nitrous oxide (N2O) and carbon dioxide (CO2) on a monthly basis from three different age classes of biosolid stockpiles at the Western Treatment Plant (WTP), Melbourne, Australia, from December 2009 to November 2011 using manual static chambers. All biosolid stockpiles were a significant point source for CH4 and N2O emissions. The youngest biosolids (nitrate and ammonium concentration. We also modeled CH4 emissions based on a first order decay model and the model based estimated annual CH4 emissions were higher as compared to the direct field based estimated annual CH4 emissions. Our results indicate that labile organic material in stockpiles is decomposed over time and that nitrogen decomposition processes lead to significant N2O emissions. Carbon decomposition favors CO2 over CH4 production probably because of aerobic stockpile conditions or CH4 oxidation in the outer stockpile layers. Although the GHG emission rate decreased with biosolid age, managers of biosolid stockpiles should assess alternate storage or uses for biosolids to avoid nutrient losses and GHG emissions. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Two Model-Based Methods for Policy Analyses of Fine Particulate Matter Control in China: Source Apportionment and Source Sensitivity

Science.gov (United States)

Li, X.; Zhang, Y.; Zheng, B.; Zhang, Q.; He, K.

2013-12-01

Anthropogenic emissions have been controlled in recent years in China to mitigate fine particulate matter (PM2.5) pollution. Recent studies show that sulfate dioxide (SO2)-only control cannot reduce total PM2.5 levels efficiently. Other species such as nitrogen oxide, ammonia, black carbon, and organic carbon may be equally important during particular seasons. Furthermore, each species is emitted from several anthropogenic sectors (e.g., industry, power plant, transportation, residential and agriculture). On the other hand, contribution of one emission sector to PM2.5 represents contributions of all species in this sector. In this work, two model-based methods are used to identify the most influential emission sectors and areas to PM2.5. The first method is the source apportionment (SA) based on the Particulate Source Apportionment Technology (PSAT) available in the Comprehensive Air Quality Model with extensions (CAMx) driven by meteorological predictions of the Weather Research and Forecast (WRF) model. The second method is the source sensitivity (SS) based on an adjoint integration technique (AIT) available in the GEOS-Chem model. The SA method attributes simulated PM2.5 concentrations to each emission group, while the SS method calculates their sensitivity to each emission group, accounting for the non-linear relationship between PM2.5 and its precursors. Despite their differences, the complementary nature of the two methods enables a complete analysis of source-receptor relationships to support emission control policies. Our objectives are to quantify the contributions of each emission group/area to PM2.5 in the receptor areas and to intercompare results from the two methods to gain a comprehensive understanding of the role of emission sources in PM2.5 formation. The results will be compared in terms of the magnitudes and rankings of SS or SA of emitted species and emission groups/areas. GEOS-Chem with AIT is applied over East Asia at a horizontal grid

Sensitivity to friction for primary explosives

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Matyas, Robert, E-mail: robert.matyas@upce.cz [Institute of Energetic Materials, Faculty of Chemical Technology, University of Pardubice, Pardubice 532 10 (Czech Republic); Selesovsky, Jakub; Musil, Tomas [Institute of Energetic Materials, Faculty of Chemical Technology, University of Pardubice, Pardubice 532 10 (Czech Republic)

2012-04-30

Highlights: Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer The friction sensitivity of 14 samples of primary explosives was determined. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer The same apparatus (small scale BAM) and the same method (probit analysis) was used. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer The crystal shapes and sizes were documented with microscopy. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Almost all samples are less sensitive than lead azide, which is commercially used. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer The organic peroxides (TATP, DADP, HMTD) are not as sensitive as often reported. - Abstract: The sensitivity to friction for a selection of primary explosives has been studied using a small BAM friction apparatus. The probit analysis was used for the construction of a sensitivity curve for each primary explosive tested. Two groups of primary explosives were chosen for measurement (a) the most commonly used industrially produced primary explosives (e.g. lead azide, tetrazene, dinol, lead styphnate) and (b) the most produced improvised primary explosives (e.g. triacetone triperoxide, hexamethylenetriperoxide diamine, mercury fulminate, acetylides of heavy metals). A knowledge of friction sensitivity is very important for determining manipulation safety for primary explosives. All the primary explosives tested were carefully characterised (synthesis procedure, shape and size of crystals). The sensitivity curves obtained represent a unique set of data, which cannot be found anywhere else in the available literature.

Carbon Dioxide Capture and Separation Techniques for Gasification-based Power Generation Point Sources

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Pennline, H.W.; Luebke, D.R.; Jones, K.L.; Morsi, B.I. (Univ. of Pittsburgh, PA); Heintz, Y.J. (Univ. of Pittsburgh, PA); Ilconich, J.B. (Parsons)

2007-06-01

The capture/separation step for carbon dioxide (CO2) from large-point sources is a critical one with respect to the technical feasibility and cost of the overall carbon sequestration scenario. For large-point sources, such as those found in power generation, the carbon dioxide capture techniques being investigated by the in-house research area of the National Energy Technology Laboratory possess the potential for improved efficiency and reduced costs as compared to more conventional technologies. The investigated techniques can have wide applications, but the research has focused on capture/separation of carbon dioxide from flue gas (post-combustion from fossil fuel-fired combustors) and from fuel gas (precombustion, such as integrated gasification combined cycle or IGCC). With respect to fuel gas applications, novel concepts are being developed in wet scrubbing with physical absorption; chemical absorption with solid sorbents; and separation by membranes. In one concept, a wet scrubbing technique is being investigated that uses a physical solvent process to remove CO2 from fuel gas of an IGCC system at elevated temperature and pressure. The need to define an ideal solvent has led to the study of the solubility and mass transfer properties of various solvents. Pertaining to another separation technology, fabrication techniques and mechanistic studies for membranes separating CO2 from the fuel gas produced by coal gasification are also being performed. Membranes that consist of CO2-philic ionic liquids encapsulated into a polymeric substrate have been investigated for permeability and selectivity. Finally, dry, regenerable processes based on sorbents are additional techniques for CO2 capture from fuel gas. An overview of these novel techniques is presented along with a research progress status of technologies related to membranes and physical solvents.

Two- and three-particle interference correlations of identical bosons and fermions with close momenta in the model of independent point-like sources

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lyuboshits, V.L.

1991-01-01

Interference correlations introduced between identical particles with close momenta by the effect of Bose or Fermi statistics are discussed. Relations describing two- and three-particle correlations of identical bosons and fermions with arbitrary spin and arbitrary spin polarization are obtained on the basis of the model of independent single-particle point-like sources. The general structure of the dependence of narrow two- and three-particle correlations on the difference of the four-momenta in the presence of several groups of single-particle sources with different space-time distributions is analyzed. The idea of many-particle point sources of identical bosons is introduced. The suppression of two- and three-particle interference correlations between identical π mesons under conditions when one or several many-particle sources are added to a system of randomly distributed independent single-particle sources is studied. It is shown that if the multiplicities of the particles emitted by the sources are distributed according to the Poisson law, the present results agree with the relations obtained by means of the formalism of coherent states. This agreement also holds in the limit of very large multiplicities with any distribution laws

Detecting the sensitivity of magnetic response on different pollution sources--A case study from typical mining cities in northwestern China.

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Bo; Xia, Dunsheng; Yu, Ye; Jia, Jia; Nie, Yan; Wang, Xin

2015-12-01

Rapid monitoring and discriminating different anthropogenic pollution is a key scientific issue. To detect the applicability and sensitivity of magnetic measurements for evaluating different industrial pollution in urban environment, characteristics of topsoil from three typical fast developing industrial cities (Jinchang, Baiyin and Jiayuguan in Gansu province, northwestern China) were studied by magnetic and geochemical analyses. The results showed that magnetic susceptibility was enhanced near industrial areas, and PSD-MD magnetite dominated the magnetic properties. Magnetic concentration parameters (χlf, SIRM, and χARM) showed different correlations with heavy metals and PLI in the three cities, indicating significantly different magnetic response to different pollution sources. Principal component analysis showed that ferrimagnetic minerals coexist with heavy metals of Fe, As, Cu, Pb, and Zn in Baiyin and Fe, V, Cu, Mn, Pb, and Cr in Jiayuguan. Fuzzy cluster analysis and regression analysis further indicated that the sensitivity of magnetic monitoring to fuel dust is higher than that to mineral dust near non-ferrous metal smelters, and fossil fuel consumption is an important factor for increasing magnetite content. In all the three cities, the sensitivity of magnetic monitoring to pollutants from steel plants is much higher than that from non-ferrous metal plants. Therefore, magnetic proxies provide a rapid means for detecting heavy metal contamination caused by multi-anthropogenic pollution sources in a large scale area, however, the sensitivity was controlled by pollution sources. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Highly sensitive detection of a current ripple

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Aoki, Takashi; Gushiken, Tutomu; Nishikigouri, Kazutaka; Kumada, Masayuki.

1996-01-01

In the HIMAC, there are six thyristor-controlled power sources for driving two synchrotrons. These power sources are the three-output terminal power sources which are equipped with positive output, negative output and neutral point for the common mode countermeasures. As electromagnet circuits are connected to the three-output terminal power sources, those are three-line type. In the inside of the power source circuits controlled by thyristors, there is the oscillation peculiar to the power sources, and the variation of voltage induces current spikes. This time, in order to assess the results of the common mode countermeasures in the power source and electromagnet circuits, as one method of cross-check, it is considered that since electromagnet current flows being divided to the bridging resistance and the coil, if attention is paid to the current on bridging resistance side, the ripple components of common mode and normal mode can be detected with high sensitivity, and this was verified. The present state of heightening the performance of synchrotron power sources is explained. The cross-check of the method of assessing the performance of electromagnet power sources is reported. The method of measuring ripple current and the results of the measurement are reported. (K.I.)

Multiple active myofascial trigger points and pressure pain sensitivity maps in the temporalis muscle are related in women with chronic tension type headache.

Science.gov (United States)

Fernández-de-las-Peñas, César; Caminero, Ana B; Madeleine, Pascal; Guillem-Mesado, Amparo; Ge, Hong-You; Arendt-Nielsen, Lars; Pareja, Juan A

2009-01-01

To describe the common locations of active trigger points (TrPs) in the temporalis muscle and their referred pain patterns in chronic tension type headache (CTTH), and to determine if pressure sensitivity maps of this muscle can be used to describe the spatial distribution of active TrPs. Forty women with CTTH were included. An electronic pressure algometer was used to assess pressure pain thresholds (PPT) from 9 points over each temporalis muscle: 3 points in the anterior, medial and posterior part, respectively. Both muscles were examined for the presence of active TrPs over each of the 9 points. The referred pain pattern of each active TrP was assessed. Two-way analysis of variance detected significant differences in mean PPT levels between the measurement points (F=30.3; P<0.001), but not between sides (F=2.1; P=0.2). PPT scores decreased from the posterior to the anterior column (P<0.001). No differences were found in the number of active TrPs (F=0.3; P=0.9) between the dominant side the nondominant side. Significant differences were found in the distribution of the active TrPs (chi2=12.2; P<0.001): active TrPs were mostly found in the anterior column and in the middle of the muscle belly. The analysis of variance did not detect significant differences in the referred pain pattern between active TrPs (F=1.1, P=0.4). The topographical pressure pain sensitivity maps showed the distinct distribution of the TrPs indicated by locations with low PPTs. Multiple active TrPs in the temporalis muscle were found, particularly in the anterior column and in the middle of the muscle belly. Bilateral posterior to anterior decreased distribution of PPTs in the temporalis muscle in women with CTTH was found. The locations of active TrPs in the temporalis muscle corresponded well to the muscle areas with lower PPT, supporting the relationship between multiple active muscle TrPs and topographical pressure sensitivity maps in the temporalis muscle in women with CTTH.

Astronomers Detect Powerful Bursting Radio Source Discovery Points to New Class of Astronomical Objects

Science.gov (United States)

2005-03-01

Astronomers at Sweet Briar College and the Naval Research Laboratory (NRL) have detected a powerful new bursting radio source whose unique properties suggest the discovery of a new class of astronomical objects. The researchers have monitored the center of the Milky Way Galaxy for several years and reveal their findings in the March 3, 2005 edition of the journal, “Nature”. This radio image of the central region of the Milky Way Galaxy holds a new radio source, GCRT J1745-3009. The arrow points to an expanding ring of debris expelled by a supernova. CREDIT: N.E. Kassim et al., Naval Research Laboratory, NRAO/AUI/NSF Principal investigator, Dr. Scott Hyman, professor of physics at Sweet Briar College, said the discovery came after analyzing some additional observations from 2002 provided by researchers at Northwestern University. “"We hit the jackpot!” Hyman said referring to the observations. “An image of the Galactic center, made by collecting radio waves of about 1-meter in wavelength, revealed multiple bursts from the source during a seven-hour period from Sept. 30 to Oct. 1, 2002 — five bursts in fact, and repeating at remarkably constant intervals.” Hyman, four Sweet Briar students, and his NRL collaborators, Drs. Namir Kassim and Joseph Lazio, happened upon transient emission from two radio sources while studying the Galactic center in 1998. This prompted the team to propose an ongoing monitoring program using the National Science Foundation’s Very Large Array (VLA) radio telescope in New Mexico. The National Radio Astronomy Observatory, which operates the VLA, approved the program. The data collected, laid the groundwork for the detection of the new radio source. “Amazingly, even though the sky is known to be full of transient objects emitting at X- and gamma-ray wavelengths,” NRL astronomer Dr. Joseph Lazio pointed out, “very little has been done to look for radio bursts, which are often easier for astronomical objects to produce

Sensitivity analysis of Takagi-Sugeno-Kang rainfall-runoff fuzzy models

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

A. P. Jacquin

2009-01-01

Full Text Available This paper is concerned with the sensitivity analysis of the model parameters of the Takagi-Sugeno-Kang fuzzy rainfall-runoff models previously developed by the authors. These models are classified in two types of fuzzy models, where the first type is intended to account for the effect of changes in catchment wetness and the second type incorporates seasonality as a source of non-linearity. The sensitivity analysis is performed using two global sensitivity analysis methods, namely Regional Sensitivity Analysis and Sobol's variance decomposition. The data of six catchments from different geographical locations and sizes are used in the sensitivity analysis. The sensitivity of the model parameters is analysed in terms of several measures of goodness of fit, assessing the model performance from different points of view. These measures include the Nash-Sutcliffe criteria, volumetric errors and peak errors. The results show that the sensitivity of the model parameters depends on both the catchment type and the measure used to assess the model performance.

Characterization of a high resolution and high sensitivity pre-clinical PET scanner with 3D event reconstruction

CERN Document Server

Rissi, M; Bolle, E; Dorholt, O; Hines, K E; Rohne, O; Skretting, A; Stapnes, S; Volgyes, D

2012-01-01

COMPET is a preclinical PET scanner aiming towards a high sensitivity, a high resolution and MRI compatibility by implementing a novel detector geometry. In this approach, long scintillating LYSO crystals are used to absorb the gamma-rays. To determine the point of interaction (P01) between gamma-ray and crystal, the light exiting the crystals on one of the long sides is collected with wavelength shifters (WLS) perpendicularly arranged to the crystals. This concept has two main advantages: (1) The parallax error is reduced to a minimum and is equal for the whole field of view (FOV). (2) The P01 and its energy deposit is known in all three dimension with a high resolution, allowing for the reconstruction of Compton scattered gamma-rays. Point (1) leads to a uniform point source resolution (PSR) distribution over the whole FOV, and also allows to place the detector close to the object being imaged. Both points (1) and (2) lead to an increased sensitivity and allow for both high resolution and sensitivity at the...

Sensitivity of Magnetospheric Multi-Scale (MMS) Mission Navigation Accuracy to Major Error Sources

Science.gov (United States)

Olson, Corwin; Long, Anne; Car[emter. Russell

2011-01-01

The Magnetospheric Multiscale (MMS) mission consists of four satellites flying in formation in highly elliptical orbits about the Earth, with a primary objective of studying magnetic reconnection. The baseline navigation concept is independent estimation of each spacecraft state using GPS pseudorange measurements referenced to an Ultra Stable Oscillator (USO) with accelerometer measurements included during maneuvers. MMS state estimation is performed onboard each spacecraft using the Goddard Enhanced Onboard Navigation System (GEONS), which is embedded in the Navigator GPS receiver. This paper describes the sensitivity of MMS navigation performance to two major error sources: USO clock errors and thrust acceleration knowledge errors.

Sensitivity of Magnetospheric Multi-Scale (MMS) Mission Naviation Accuracy to Major Error Sources

Science.gov (United States)

Olson, Corwin; Long, Anne; Carpenter, J. Russell

2011-01-01

The Magnetospheric Multiscale (MMS) mission consists of four satellites flying in formation in highly elliptical orbits about the Earth, with a primary objective of studying magnetic reconnection. The baseline navigation concept is independent estimation of each spacecraft state using GPS pseudorange measurements referenced to an Ultra Stable Oscillator (USO) with accelerometer measurements included during maneuvers. MMS state estimation is performed onboard each spacecraft using the Goddard Enhanced Onboard Navigation System (GEONS), which is embedded in the Navigator GPS receiver. This paper describes the sensitivity of MMS navigation performance to two major error sources: USO clock errors and thrust acceleration knowledge errors.

Hardware-accelerated Point Generation and Rendering of Point-based Impostors

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Bærentzen, Jakob Andreas

2005-01-01

This paper presents a novel scheme for generating points from triangle models. The method is fast and lends itself well to implementation using graphics hardware. The triangle to point conversion is done by rendering the models, and the rendering may be performed procedurally or by a black box API....... I describe the technique in detail and discuss how the generated point sets can easily be used as impostors for the original triangle models used to create the points. Since the points reside solely in GPU memory, these impostors are fairly efficient. Source code is available online....

Global optimization and sensitivity analysis

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Cacuci, D.G.

1990-01-01

A new direction for the analysis of nonlinear models of nuclear systems is suggested to overcome fundamental limitations of sensitivity analysis and optimization methods currently prevalent in nuclear engineering usage. This direction is toward a global analysis of the behavior of the respective system as its design parameters are allowed to vary over their respective design ranges. Presented is a methodology for global analysis that unifies and extends the current scopes of sensitivity analysis and optimization by identifying all the critical points (maxima, minima) and solution bifurcation points together with corresponding sensitivities at any design point of interest. The potential applicability of this methodology is illustrated with test problems involving multiple critical points and bifurcations and comprising both equality and inequality constraints

First combined search for neutrino point-sources in the southern sky with the ANTARES and IceCube neutrino telescopes

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Barrios-Martí J.

2016-01-01

Full Text Available A search for cosmic neutrino point-like sources using the ANTARES and IceCube neutrino telescopes over the Southern Hemisphere is presented. The ANTARES data were collected between January 2007 and December 2012, whereas the IceCube data ranges from April 2008 to May 2011. An unbinned maximum likelihood method is used to search for a localized excess of muon events in the southern sky assuming an E−2 neutrino source spectrum. A search over a pre-selected list of candidate sources has also been carried out for different source assumptions: spectral indices of 2.0 and 2.5, and energy cutoffs of 1 PeV, 300 TeV and 100 TeV. No significant excess over the background has been found, and upper limits for the candidate sources are presented compared to the individual experiments.

AN IN-DEPTH VIEW OF THE MID-INFRARED PROPERTIES OF POINT SOURCES AND THE DIFFUSE ISM IN THE SMC GIANT H II REGION, N66

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Whelan, David G.; Johnson, Kelsey E.; Indebetouw, Rémy; Lebouteiller, Vianney; Galliano, Frédéric; Peeters, Els; Bernard-Salas, Jeronimo; Brandl, Bernhard R.

2013-01-01

The focus of this work is to study mid-infrared point sources and the diffuse interstellar medium (ISM) in the low-metallicity (∼0.2 Z ☉ ) giant H II region N66 in order to determine properties that may shed light on star formation in these conditions. Using the Spitzer Space Telescope's Infrared Spectrograph, we study polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH), dust continuum, silicate, and ionic line emission from 14 targeted infrared point sources as well as spectra of the diffuse ISM that is representative of both the photodissociation regions (PDRs) and the H II regions. Among the point source spectra, we spectroscopically confirm that the brightest mid-infrared point source is a massive embedded young stellar object, we detect silicates in emission associated with two young stellar clusters, and we see spectral features of a known B[e] star that are commonly associated with Herbig Be stars. In the diffuse ISM, we provide additional evidence that the very small grain population is being photodestroyed in the hard radiation field. The 11.3 μm PAH complex emission exhibits an unexplained centroid shift in both the point source and ISM spectra that should be investigated at higher signal-to-noise and resolution. Unlike studies of other regions, the 6.2 μm and 7.7 μm band fluxes are decoupled; the data points cover a large range of I 7.7 /I 11.3 PAH ratio values within a narrow band of I 6.2 /I 11.3 ratio values. Furthermore, there is a spread in PAH ionization, being more neutral in the dense PDR where the radiation field is relatively soft, but ionized in the diffuse ISM/PDR. By contrast, the PAH size distribution appears to be independent of local ionization state. Important to unresolved studies of extragalactic low-metallicity star-forming regions, we find that emission from the infrared-bright point sources accounts for only 20%-35% of the PAH emission from the entire region. These results make a comparative data set to other star-forming regions with

The Central Point Source in G76.9++1.0 V. R. Marthi1,∗ , J. N. ...

Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

Astr. (2011) 32, 451–455 c Indian Academy of Sciences. The Central Point Source in G76.9++1.0. V. R. Marthi1,∗. , J. N. Chengalur1, Y. Gupta1 ... emission has indeed been seen at 2 GHz with the Green Bank Telescope. (GBT), establishing the fact that scattering is responsible for its non- detection at low radio frequencies.

The simulation research of dissolved nitrogen and phosphorus non-point source pollution in Xiao-Jiang watershed of Three Gorges Reservoir area.

Science.gov (United States)

Wu, Lei; Long, Tian-Yu; Li, Chong-Ming

2010-01-01

Xiao-jiang, with a basin area of almost 5,276 km(2) and a length of 182.4 km, is located in the center of the Three Gorges Reservoir Area, and is the largest tributary of the central section in Three Gorges Reservoir Area, farmland accounts for a large proportion of Xiao-jiang watershed, and the hilly cropland of purple soil is much of the farmland of the watershed. After the second phase of water storage in the Three Gorges Reservoir, the majority of sub-rivers in the reservoir area experienced eutrophication phenomenon frequently, and non-point source (NPS) pollution has become an important source of pollution in Xiao-jiang Watershed. Because dissolved nitrogen and phosphorus non-point source pollution are related to surface runoff and interflow, using climatic, topographic and land cover data from the internet and research institutes, the Semi-Distributed Land-use Runoff Process (SLURP) hydrological model was introduced to simulate the complete hydrological cycle of the Xiao-jiang Watershed. Based on the SLURP distributed hydrological model, non-point source pollution annual output load models of land use and rural residents were respectively established. Therefore, using GIS technology, considering the losses of dissolved nitrogen and phosphorus in the course of transport, a dissolved non-point source pollution load dynamic model was established by the organic coupling of the SLURP hydrological model and land-use output model. Through the above dynamic model, the annual dissolved non-point source nitrogen and phosphorus pollution output as well as the load in different types were simulated and quantitatively estimated from 2001 to 2008, furthermore, the loads of Xiao-jiang Watershed were calculated and expressed by temporal and spatial distribution in the Three Gorges Reservoir Area. The simulation results show that: the temporal changes of dissolved nitrogen and phosphorus load in the watershed are close to the inter-annual changes of rainfall runoff, and the

Characteristics of infrared point sources associated with OH masers

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mu Jimang; Esimbek, Jarken; Zhou Jianjun; Zhang Haijuan

2010-01-01

We collect 3249 OH maser sources from the literature published up to April 2007, and compile a new catalog of OH masers. We look for the exciting sources of these masers and their infrared properties from IRAS and MSX data, and make a statistical study. MSX sources associated with stellar 1612 MHz OH masers are located mainly above the blackbody line; this is caused by the dust absorption of stellar envelopes, especially in the MSX A band. The mid-IR sources associated with stellar OH masers are concentrated in a small region in an [A]-[D] vs. [A]-[E] diagram with a small fraction of contamination; this gives us a new criterion to search for new stellar OH masers and distinguish stellar masers from unknown types of OH masers. IR sources associated with 1612 MHz stellar OH masers show an expected result: the average flux of sources with F60 > F25 increases with increasing wavelength, while those with F60 F25.

Analysis of the traveltime sensitivity kernels for an acoustic transversely isotropic medium with a vertical axis of symmetry

KAUST Repository

Djebbi, Ramzi

2016-02-05

In anisotropic media, several parameters govern the propagation of the compressional waves. To correctly invert surface recorded seismic data in anisotropic media, a multi-parameter inversion is required. However, a tradeoff between parameters exists because several models can explain the same dataset. To understand these tradeoffs, diffraction/reflection and transmission-type sensitivity-kernels analyses are carried out. Such analyses can help us to choose the appropriate parameterization for inversion. In tomography, the sensitivity kernels represent the effect of a parameter along the wave path between a source and a receiver. At a given illumination angle, similarities between sensitivity kernels highlight the tradeoff between the parameters. To discuss the parameterization choice in the context of finite-frequency tomography, we compute the sensitivity kernels of the instantaneous traveltimes derived from the seismic data traces. We consider the transmission case with no encounter of an interface between a source and a receiver; with surface seismic data, this corresponds to a diving wave path. We also consider the diffraction/reflection case when the wave path is formed by two parts: one from the source to a sub-surface point and the other from the sub-surface point to the receiver. We illustrate the different parameter sensitivities for an acoustic transversely isotropic medium with a vertical axis of symmetry. The sensitivity kernels depend on the parameterization choice. By comparing different parameterizations, we explain why the parameterization with the normal moveout velocity, the anellipitic parameter η, and the δ parameter is attractive when we invert diving and reflected events recorded in an active surface seismic experiment. © 2016 European Association of Geoscientists & Engineers.

Development of a high sensitivity pinhole type gamma camera using semiconductors for low dose rate fields

Science.gov (United States)

Ueno, Yuichiro; Takahashi, Isao; Ishitsu, Takafumi; Tadokoro, Takahiro; Okada, Koichi; Nagumo, Yasushi; Fujishima, Yasutake; Yoshida, Akira; Umegaki, Kikuo

2018-06-01

We developed a pinhole type gamma camera, using a compact detector module of a pixelated CdTe semiconductor, which has suitable sensitivity and quantitative accuracy for low dose rate fields. In order to improve the sensitivity of the pinhole type semiconductor gamma camera, we adopted three methods: a signal processing method to set the discriminating level lower, a high sensitivity pinhole collimator and a smoothing image filter that improves the efficiency of the source identification. We tested basic performances of the developed gamma camera and carefully examined effects of the three methods. From the sensitivity test, we found that the effective sensitivity was about 21 times higher than that of the gamma camera for high dose rate fields which we had previously developed. We confirmed that the gamma camera had sufficient sensitivity and high quantitative accuracy; for example, a weak hot spot (0.9 μSv/h) around a tree root could be detected within 45 min in a low dose rate field test, and errors of measured dose rates with point sources were less than 7% in a dose rate accuracy test.

Sensitivity of Coastal Environments and Wildlife to Spilled Oil: Puget Sound and Strait of Juan de Fuca, Washington: SOCECON (Socioeconomic Resource Points and Lines)

Data.gov (United States)

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce — This data set contains points that represent the following sensitive human-use socioeconomic sites in Puget Sound and the Strait of Juan de Fuca, Washington: access...

Global-scale combustion sources of organic aerosols: sensitivity to formation and removal mechanisms

Science.gov (United States)

Tsimpidi, Alexandra P.; Karydis, Vlassis A.; Pandis, Spyros N.; Lelieveld, Jos

2017-06-01

Organic compounds from combustion sources such as biomass burning and fossil fuel use are major contributors to the global atmospheric load of aerosols. We analyzed the sensitivity of model-predicted global-scale organic aerosols (OA) to parameters that control primary emissions, photochemical aging, and the scavenging efficiency of organic vapors. We used a computationally efficient module for the description of OA composition and evolution in the atmosphere (ORACLE) of the global chemistry-climate model EMAC (ECHAM/MESSy Atmospheric Chemistry). A global dataset of aerosol mass spectrometer (AMS) measurements was used to evaluate simulated primary (POA) and secondary (SOA) OA concentrations. Model results are sensitive to the emission rates of intermediate-volatility organic compounds (IVOCs) and POA. Assuming enhanced reactivity of semi-volatile organic compounds (SVOCs) and IVOCs with OH substantially improved the model performance for SOA. The use of a hybrid approach for the parameterization of the aging of IVOCs had a small effect on predicted SOA levels. The model performance improved by assuming that freshly emitted organic compounds are relatively hydrophobic and become increasingly hygroscopic due to oxidation.

Sensitivity analysis and benchmarking of the BLT low-level waste source term code

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Suen, C.J.; Sullivan, T.M.

1993-07-01

To evaluate the source term for low-level waste disposal, a comprehensive model had been developed and incorporated into a computer code, called BLT (Breach-Leach-Transport) Since the release of the original version, many new features and improvements had also been added to the Leach model of the code. This report consists of two different studies based on the new version of the BLT code: (1) a series of verification/sensitivity tests; and (2) benchmarking of the BLT code using field data. Based on the results of the verification/sensitivity tests, the authors concluded that the new version represents a significant improvement and it is capable of providing more realistic simulations of the leaching process. Benchmarking work was carried out to provide a reasonable level of confidence in the model predictions. In this study, the experimentally measured release curves for nitrate, technetium-99 and tritium from the saltstone lysimeters operated by Savannah River Laboratory were used. The model results are observed to be in general agreement with the experimental data, within the acceptable limits of uncertainty

A naturally large four-point function in single field inflation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Senatore, Leonardo; Zaldarriaga, Matias

2011-01-01

Non-Gaussianities of the primordial density perturbations have emerged as a very powerful possible signal to test the dynamics that drove the period of inflation. While in general the most sensitive observable is the three-point function in this paper we show that there are technically natural inflationary models where the leading source of non-Gaussianity is the four-point function. Using the recently developed Effective Field Theory of Inflation, we are able to show that it is possible to impose an approximate parity symmetry and an approximate continuos shift symmetry on the inflaton fluctuations that allow, when the dispersion relation if of the form ω ∼ c s k, for a unique quartic operator, while approximately forbidding all the cubic ones. The resulting shape for the four-point function is unique. In the models where the dispersion relation is of the form ω ∼ k 2 /M a similar construction can be carried out and additional shapes are possible

Euromet action 428: transfer of ge detectors efficiency calibration from point source geometry to other geometries; Action euromet 428: transfert de l'etalonnage en rendement de detecteurs au germanium pour une source ponctuelle vers d'autres geometries

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Lepy, M.Ch

2000-07-01

The EUROMET project 428 examines efficiency transfer computation for Ge gamma-ray spectrometers when the efficiency is known for a reference point source geometry in the 60 keV to 2 MeV energy range. For this, different methods are used, such as Monte Carlo simulation or semi-empirical computation. The exercise compares the application of these methods to the same selected experimental cases to determine the usage limitations versus the requested accuracy. For carefully examining these results and trying to derive information for improving the computation codes, this study was limited to a few simple cases, from an experimental efficiency calibration for point source at 10-cm source-to-detector distance. The first part concerns the simplest case of geometry transfer, i.e., using point sources for 3 source-to-detector distances: 2,5 and 20 cm; the second part deals with transfer from point source geometry to cylindrical geometry with three different matrices. The general results show that the deviations between the computed results and the measured efficiencies are for the most part within 10%. The quality of the results is rather inhomogeneous and shows that these codes cannot be used directly for metrological purposes. However, most of them are operational for routine measurements when efficiency uncertainties of 5-10% can be sufficient. (author)

Large Industrial Point Sources in Italy: a focus on mercury concentrations resulting from three seasonal ship-borne measurements

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Bencardino M.

2013-04-01

Full Text Available In Italy there are 25 Large Industrial Point Sources whose mercury emissions in air exceed the established threshold of 10 kg year−1. Many of these mercury point sources, mostly distributed along the Italian coastal area, are located at sites qualified as National Interest Rehabilitation Sites because of documented contamination in qualitative and/or quantitative terms and of potential health impact. Atmospheric mercury emissions related to Italian Large Industrial Point Sources, with a value of 1.04 Mg·yr−1 for 2007, have a not negligible contribution, accounting, on their own, for more than 10% of the total mercury emissions resulting from all activity sectors at a national level. Among others, thermal power stations, pig iron and steel as well as basic inorganic chemical production, result to be the main contributing industrial activities. In order to assess how mercury species concentrations and distribution in the Marine Boundary Layer (MBL change with vicinity to large industrial sites, measurements of atmospheric mercury were performed during three oceanographic campaigns aboard the Research Vessel (R.V. Urania of the Italian CNR. Collection of GEM, GOM and PBM was conducted across the Adriatic sea, during autumn 2004 (27th of October to 12th of November and summer 2005 (17th to 29th of June, and across the Tyrrhenian sea during autumn 2007 (12th of September to 1st October. Analysis were carried out with reference to the period in which the R.V. Urania has stopped close to the main Italian industrial contaminated sites. Explorative statistical parameters of atmospheric mercury species were computed over each single stop-period and then compared with the overall cruise campaign measurements. Results are herein presented and discussed.

Time-Dependent Searches for Point Sources of Neutrinos with the 40-String and 22-String Configurations of IceCube

Science.gov (United States)

Stamatikos, M.

2012-01-01

This paper presents four searches for flaring sources of neutrinos using the IceCube neutrino telescope. For the first time, a search is performed over the entire parameter space of energy, direction and time with sensitivity to neutrino flares lasting between 20 microseconds and a year duration from astrophysical sources. Searches which integrate over time are less sensitive to flares because they are affected by a larger background of atmospheric neutrinos and muons that can be reduced by the use of additional timing information. Flaring sources considered here, such as active galactic nuclei, soft gamma ray repeaters and gamma-ray bursts, are promising candidate neutrino emitters. Two searches are untriggered in the sense that they look for any possible flare in the entire sky and from a predefined catalog of sources from which photon flares have been recorded. The other two searches are triggered by multi-wavelength information on flares from blazars and from a soft gamma-ray repeater. One triggered search uses lightcurves from Fermi-LAT which provides continuous monitoring. A second triggered search uses information where the flux states have been measured only for short periods of time near the flares. The untriggered searches use data taken by 40 strings of IceCube between Apr 5, 2008 and May 20, 2009. The triggered searches also use data taken by the 22-string configuration of IceCube operating between May 31, 2007 and Apr 5, 2008. The results from all four searches are compatible with a fluctuation of the background.

Positron annihilation lifetime spectroscopy source correction determination: A simulation study

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kanda, Gurmeet S.; Keeble, David J., E-mail: d.j.keeble@dundee.ac.uk

2016-02-01

Positron annihilation lifetime spectroscopy (PALS) can provide sensitive detection and identification of vacancy-related point defects in materials. These measurements are normally performed using a positron source supported, and enclosed by, a thin foil. Annihilation events from this source arrangement must be quantified and are normally subtracted from the spectrum before analysis of the material lifetime components proceeds. Here simulated PALS spectra reproducing source correction evaluation experiments have been systematically fitted and analysed using the packages PALSfit and MELT. Simulations were performed assuming a single lifetime material, and for a material with two lifetime components. Source correction terms representing a directly deposited source and various foil supported sources were added. It is shown that in principle these source terms can be extracted from suitably designed experiments, but that fitting a number of independent, nominally identical, spectra is recommended.

The XMM-SERVS survey: new XMM-Newton point-source catalog for the XMM-LSS field

Science.gov (United States)

Chen, C.-T. J.; Brandt, W. N.; Luo, B.; Ranalli, P.; Yang, G.; Alexander, D. M.; Bauer, F. E.; Kelson, D. D.; Lacy, M.; Nyland, K.; Tozzi, P.; Vito, F.; Cirasuolo, M.; Gilli, R.; Jarvis, M. J.; Lehmer, B. D.; Paolillo, M.; Schneider, D. P.; Shemmer, O.; Smail, I.; Sun, M.; Tanaka, M.; Vaccari, M.; Vignali, C.; Xue, Y. Q.; Banerji, M.; Chow, K. E.; Häußler, B.; Norris, R. P.; Silverman, J. D.; Trump, J. R.

2018-04-01

We present an X-ray point-source catalog from the XMM-Large Scale Structure survey region (XMM-LSS), one of the XMM-Spitzer Extragalactic Representative Volume Survey (XMM-SERVS) fields. We target the XMM-LSS region with 1.3 Ms of new XMM-Newton AO-15 observations, transforming the archival X-ray coverage in this region into a 5.3 deg2 contiguous field with uniform X-ray coverage totaling 2.7 Ms of flare-filtered exposure, with a 46 ks median PN exposure time. We provide an X-ray catalog of 5242 sources detected in the soft (0.5-2 keV), hard (2-10 keV), and/or full (0.5-10 keV) bands with a 1% expected spurious fraction determined from simulations. A total of 2381 new X-ray sources are detected compared to previous source catalogs in the same area. Our survey has flux limits of 1.7 × 10-15, 1.3 × 10-14, and 6.5 × 10-15 erg cm-2 s-1 over 90% of its area in the soft, hard, and full bands, respectively, which is comparable to those of the XMM-COSMOS survey. We identify multiwavelength counterpart candidates for 99.9% of the X-ray sources, of which 93% are considered as reliable based on their matching likelihood ratios. The reliabilities of these high-likelihood-ratio counterparts are further confirmed to be ≈97% reliable based on deep Chandra coverage over ≈5% of the XMM-LSS region. Results of multiwavelength identifications are also included in the source catalog, along with basic optical-to-infrared photometry and spectroscopic redshifts from publicly available surveys. We compute photometric redshifts for X-ray sources in 4.5 deg2 of our field where forced-aperture multi-band photometry is available; >70% of the X-ray sources in this subfield have either spectroscopic or high-quality photometric redshifts.

Correction of head movements in positron emission tomography using point source tracking system: a simulation study.

Science.gov (United States)

Nazarparvar, Babak; Shamsaei, Mojtaba; Rajabi, Hossein

2012-01-01

The motion of the head during brain positron emission tomography (PET) acquisitions has been identified as a source of artifact in the reconstructed image. In this study, a method is described to develop an image-based motion correction technique for correcting the post-acquisition data without using external optical motion-tracking system such as POLARIS. In this technique, GATE has been used to simulate PET brain scan using point sources mounted around the head to accurately monitor the position of the head during the time frames. The measurement of head motion in each frame showed a transformation in the image frame matrix, resulting in a fully corrected data set. Using different kinds of phantoms and motions, the accuracy of the correction method is tested and its applicability to experimental studies is demonstrated as well.

Sensitivity study of micro four-point probe measurements on small samples

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Wang, Fei; Petersen, Dirch Hjorth; Hansen, Torben Mikael

2010-01-01

probes than near the outer ones. The sensitive area is defined for infinite film, circular, square, and rectangular test pads, and convergent sensitivities are observed for small samples. The simulations show that the Hall sheet resistance RH in micro Hall measurements with position error suppression...

Use of genotoxicity information in the development of integrated testing strategies (ITS) for skin sensitization.

Science.gov (United States)

Mekenyan, Ovanes; Patlewicz, Grace; Dimitrova, Gergana; Kuseva, Chanita; Todorov, Milen; Stoeva, Stoyanka; Kotov, Stefan; Donner, E Maria

2010-10-18

Skin sensitization is an end point of concern for various legislation in the EU, including the seventh Amendment to the Cosmetics Directive and Registration Evaluation, Authorisation and Restriction of Chemicals (REACH). Since animal testing is a last resort for REACH or banned (from 2013 onward) for the Cosmetics Directive, the use of intelligent/integrated testing strategies (ITS) as an efficient means of gathering necessary information from alternative sources (e.g., in vitro, (Q)SARs, etc.) is gaining widespread interest. Previous studies have explored correlations between mutagenicity data and skin sensitization data as a means of exploiting information from surrogate end points. The work here compares the underlying chemical mechanisms for mutagenicity and skin sensitization in an effort to evaluate the role mutagenicity information can play as a predictor of skin sensitization potential. The Tissue Metabolism Simulator (TIMES) hybrid expert system was used to compare chemical mechanisms of both end points since it houses a comprehensive set of established structure-activity relationships for both skin sensitization and mutagenicity. The evaluation demonstrated that there is a great deal of overlap between skin sensitization and mutagenicity structural alerts and their underlying chemical mechanisms. The similarities and differences in chemical mechanisms are discussed in light of available experimental data. A number of new alerts for mutagenicity were also postulated for inclusion into TIMES. The results presented show that mutagenicity information can provide useful insights on skin sensitization potential as part of an ITS and should be considered prior to any in vivo skin sensitization testing being initiated.

Experimental properties of gluon and quark jets from a point source

CERN Document Server

Abbiendi, G.; Alexander, G.; Allison, John; Altekamp, N.; Anderson, K.J.; Anderson, S.; Arcelli, S.; Asai, S.; Ashby, S.F.; Axen, D.; Azuelos, G.; Ball, A.H.; Barberio, E.; Barlow, Roger J.; Batley, J.R.; Baumann, S.; Bechtluft, J.; Behnke, T.; Bell, Kenneth Watson; Bella, G.; Bellerive, A.; Bentvelsen, S.; Bethke, S.; Betts, S.; Biebel, O.; Biguzzi, A.; Blobel, V.; Bloodworth, I.J.; Bock, P.; Bohme, J.; Bonacorsi, D.; Boutemeur, M.; Braibant, S.; Bright-Thomas, P.; Brigliadori, L.; Brown, Robert M.; Burckhart, H.J.; Capiluppi, P.; Carnegie, R.K.; Carter, A.A.; Carter, J.R.; Chang, C.Y.; Charlton, David G.; Chrisman, D.; Ciocca, C.; Clarke, P.E.L.; Clay, E.; Cohen, I.; Conboy, J.E.; Cooke, O.C.; Couyoumtzelis, C.; Coxe, R.L.; Cuffiani, M.; Dado, S.; Dallavalle, G.Marco; Davis, R.; De Jong, S.; de Roeck, A.; Dervan, P.; Desch, K.; Dienes, B.; Dixit, M.S.; Dubbert, J.; Duchovni, E.; Duckeck, G.; Duerdoth, I.P.; Estabrooks, P.G.; Etzion, E.; Fabbri, F.; Fanfani, A.; Fanti, M.; Faust, A.A.; Fiedler, F.; Fierro, M.; Fleck, I.; Folman, R.; Frey, A.; Furtjes, A.; Futyan, D.I.; Gagnon, P.; Gary, J.W.; Gascon, J.; Gascon-Shotkin, S.M.; Gaycken, G.; Geich-Gimbel, C.; Giacomelli, G.; Giacomelli, P.; Gibson, V.; Gibson, W.R.; Gingrich, D.M.; Glenzinski, D.; Goldberg, J.; Gorn, W.; Grandi, C.; Graham, K.; Gross, E.; Grunhaus, J.; Gruwe, M.; Hanson, G.G.; Hansroul, M.; Hapke, M.; Harder, K.; Harel, A.; Hargrove, C.K.; Hauschild, M.; Hawkes, C.M.; Hawkings, R.; Hemingway, R.J.; Herndon, M.; Herten, G.; Heuer, R.D.; Hildreth, M.D.; Hill, J.C.; Hobson, P.R.; Hoch, M.; Hocker, James Andrew; Hoffman, Kara Dion; Homer, R.J.; Honma, A.K.; Horvath, D.; Hossain, K.R.; Howard, R.; Huntemeyer, P.; Igo-Kemenes, P.; Imrie, D.C.; Ishii, K.; Jacob, F.R.; Jawahery, A.; Jeremie, H.; Jimack, M.; Jones, C.R.; Jovanovic, P.; Junk, T.R.; Kanzaki, J.; Karlen, D.; Kartvelishvili, V.; Kawagoe, K.; Kawamoto, T.; Kayal, P.I.; Keeler, R.K.; Kellogg, R.G.; Kennedy, B.W.; Kim, D.H.; Klier, A.; Kobayashi, T.; Kobel, M.; Kokott, T.P.; Kolrep, M.; Komamiya, S.; Kowalewski, Robert V.; Kress, T.; Krieger, P.; von Krogh, J.; Kuhl, T.; Kyberd, P.; Lafferty, G.D.; Landsman, H.; Lanske, D.; Lauber, J.; Lautenschlager, S.R.; Lawson, I.; Layter, J.G.; Lee, A.M.; Lellouch, D.; Letts, J.; Levinson, L.; Liebisch, R.; List, B.; Littlewood, C.; Lloyd, A.W.; Lloyd, S.L.; Loebinger, F.K.; Long, G.D.; Losty, M.J.; Lu, J.; Ludwig, J.; Lui, D.; Macchiolo, A.; Macpherson, A.; Mader, W.; Mannelli, M.; Marcellini, S.; Markopoulos, C.; Martin, A.J.; Martin, J.P.; Martinez, G.; Mashimo, T.; Mattig, Peter; McDonald, W.John; McKenna, J.; Mckigney, E.A.; McMahon, T.J.; McPherson, R.A.; Meijers, F.; Menke, S.; Merritt, F.S.; Mes, H.; Meyer, J.; Michelini, A.; Mihara, S.; Mikenberg, G.; Miller, D.J.; Mir, R.; Mohr, W.; Montanari, A.; Mori, T.; Nagai, K.; Nakamura, I.; Neal, H.A.; Nisius, R.; O'Neale, S.W.; Oakham, F.G.; Odorici, F.; Ogren, H.O.; Oreglia, M.J.; Orito, S.; Palinkas, J.; Pasztor, G.; Pater, J.R.; Patrick, G.N.; Patt, J.; Perez-Ochoa, R.; Petzold, S.; Pfeifenschneider, P.; Pilcher, J.E.; Pinfold, J.; Plane, David E.; Poffenberger, P.; Poli, B.; Polok, J.; Przybycien, M.; Rembser, C.; Rick, H.; Robertson, S.; Robins, S.A.; Rodning, N.; Roney, J.M.; Rosati, S.; Roscoe, K.; Rossi, A.M.; Rozen, Y.; Runge, K.; Runolfsson, O.; Rust, D.R.; Sachs, K.; Saeki, T.; Sahr, O.; Sang, W.M.; Sarkisian, E.K.G.; Sbarra, C.; Schaile, A.D.; Schaile, O.; Scharff-Hansen, P.; Schieck, J.; Schmitt, S.; Schoning, A.; Schroder, Matthias; Schumacher, M.; Schwick, C.; Scott, W.G.; Seuster, R.; Shears, T.G.; Shen, B.C.; Shepherd-Themistocleous, C.H.; Sherwood, P.; Siroli, G.P.; Sittler, A.; Skuja, A.; Smith, A.M.; Snow, G.A.; Sobie, R.; Soldner-Rembold, S.; Spagnolo, S.; Sproston, M.; Stahl, A.; Stephens, K.; Steuerer, J.; Stoll, K.; Strom, David M.; Strohmer, R.; Surrow, B.; Talbot, S.D.; Taras, P.; Tarem, S.; Teuscher, R.; Thiergen, M.; Thomas, J.; Thomson, M.A.; Torrence, E.; Towers, S.; Trigger, I.; Trocsanyi, Z.; Tsur, E.; Turcot, A.S.; Turner-Watson, M.F.; Ueda, I.; Van Kooten, Rick J.; Vannerem, P.; Verzocchi, M.; Voss, H.; Wackerle, F.; Wagner, A.; Ward, C.P.; Ward, D.R.; Watkins, P.M.; Watson, A.T.; Watson, N.K.; Wells, P.S.; Wermes, N.; White, J.S.; Wilson, G.W.; Wilson, J.A.; Wyatt, T.R.; Yamashita, S.; Yekutieli, G.; Zacek, V.; Zer-Zion, D.

1999-01-01

Gluon jets are identified in hadronic Z0 decays as all the particles in a hemisphere opposite to a hemisphere containing two tagged quark jets. Gluon jets defined in this manner are equivalent to gluon jets produced from a color singlet point source and thus correspond to the definition employed for most theoretical calculations. In a separate stage of the analysis, we select quark jets in a manner to correspond to calculations, as the particles in hemispheres of flavor tagged light quark (uds) events. We present the distributions of rapidity, scaled energy, the logarithm of the momentum, and transverse momentum with respect to the jet axes, for charged particles in these gluon and quark jets. We also examine the charged particle multiplicity distributions of the jets in restricted intervals of rapidity. For soft particles at large transverse momentum, we observe the charged particle multiplicity ratio of gluon to quark jets to be 2.29 +- 0.09 +- 0.15 in agreement with the prediction that this ratio should ap...

Stochastic Management of Non-Point Source Contamination: Joint Impact of Aquifer Heterogeneity and Well Characteristics

Science.gov (United States)

Henri, C. V.; Harter, T.

2017-12-01

Agricultural activities are recognized as the preeminent origin of non-point source (NPS) contamination of water bodies through the leakage of nitrate, salt and agrochemicals. A large fraction of world agricultural activities and therefore NPS contamination occurs over unconsolidated alluvial deposit basins offering soil composition and topography favorable to productive farming. These basins represent also important groundwater reservoirs. The over-exploitation of aquifers coupled with groundwater pollution by agriculture-related NPS contaminant has led to a rapid deterioration of the quality of these groundwater basins. The management of groundwater contamination from NPS is challenged by the inherent complexity of aquifers systems. Contaminant transport dynamics are highly uncertain due to the heterogeneity of hydraulic parameters controlling groundwater flow. Well characteristics are also key uncertain elements affecting pollutant transport and NPS management but quantifying uncertainty in NPS management under these conditions is not well documented. Our work focuses on better understanding the joint impact of aquifer heterogeneity and pumping well characteristics (extraction rate and depth) on (1) the transport of contaminants from NPS and (2) the spatio-temporal extension of the capture zone. To do so, we generate a series of geostatistically equivalent 3D heterogeneous aquifers and simulate the flow and non-reactive solute transport from NPS to extraction wells within a stochastic framework. The propagation of the uncertainty on the hydraulic conductivity field is systematically analyzed. A sensitivity analysis of the impact of extraction well characteristics (pumping rate and screen depth) is also conducted. Results highlight the significant role that heterogeneity and well characteristics plays on management metrics. We finally show that, in case of NPS contamination, the joint impact of regional longitudinal and transverse vertical hydraulic gradients and

Cross-correlation of the cosmic microwave background with the 2MASS galaxy survey: Signatures of dark energy, hot gas, and point sources

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Afshordi, Niayesh; Loh, Yeong-Shang; Strauss, Michael A.

2004-01-01

We cross-correlate the cosmic microwave background temperature anisotropies observed by the Wilkinson Microwave Anisotropy Probe (WMAP) with the projected distribution of extended sources in the Two Micron All Sky Survey (2MASS). By modeling the theoretical expectation for this signal, we extract the signatures of dark energy [integrated Sachs-Wolfe effect (ISW)], hot gas [thermal Sunyaev-Zeldovich (SZ) effect], and microwave point sources in the cross-correlation. Our strongest signal is the thermal SZ, at the 3.1-3.7σ level, which is consistent with the theoretical prediction based on observations of x-ray clusters. We also see the ISW signal at the 2.5σ level, which is consistent with the expected value for the concordance ΛCDM cosmology, and is an independent signature of the presence of dark energy in the Universe. Finally, we see the signature of microwave point sources at the 2.7σ level

Non-point Source Pollution Modeling Using Geographic Information System (GIS for Representing Best Management Practices (BMP in the Gorganrood Watershed

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Z. Pasandidehfard

2014-09-01

Full Text Available The most important pollutants that cause water pollution are nitrogen and phosphorus from agricultural runoff called Non-Point Source Pollution (NPS. To solve this problem, management practices known as BMPs or Best Management Practices are applied. One of the common methods for Non-Point Source Pollution prediction is modeling. By modeling, efficiency of many practices can be tested before application. In this study, land use changes were studied from the years 1984 till 2010 that showed an increase in agricultural lands from 516908.52 to 630737.19 ha and expansion of cities from 5237.87 to 15487.59 ha and roads from 9666.07 to 11430.24 ha. Using L-THIA model (from nonpoint source pollution models for both land use categories, the amount of pollutant and the volume of runoff were calculated that showed high growth. Then, the seventh sub-basin was recognized as a critical zone in terms of pollution among the sub-basins. In the end, land use change was considered as a BMP using Multi-Criteria Evaluation (MCE based on which a more suitable land use map was produced. After producing the new land use map, L-THIA model was run again and the result of the model was compared to the actual land use to show the effect of this BMP. Runoff volume decreased from 367.5 to 308.6 M3/ha and nitrogen in runoff was reduced from 3.26 to 1.58 mg/L and water BOD from 3.61 to 2.13 mg/L. Other pollutants also showed high reduction. In the end, land use change is confirmed as an effective BMP for Non-Point Source Pollution reduction.

Quantification of Greenhouse Gas Emission Rates from strong Point Sources by Space-borne IPDA Lidar Measurements: Results from a Sensitivity Analysis Study

Science.gov (United States)

Ehret, G.; Kiemle, C.; Rapp, M.

2017-12-01

The practical implementation of the Paris Agreement (COP21) vastly profit from an independent, reliable and global measurement system of greenhouse gas emissions, in particular of CO2, in order to complement and cross-check national efforts. Most fossil-fuel CO2 emitters emanate from large sources such as cities and power plants. These emissions increase the local CO2 abundance in the atmosphere by 1-10 parts per million (ppm) which is a signal that is significantly larger than the variability from natural sources and sinks over the local source domain. Despite these large signals, they are only sparsely sampled by the ground-based network which calls for satellite measurements. However, none of the existing and forthcoming passive satellite instruments, operating in the NIR spectral domain, can measure CO2 emissions at night time or in low sunlight conditions and in high latitude regions in winter times. The resulting sparse coverage of passive spectrometers is a serious limitation, particularly for the Northern Hemisphere, since these regions exhibit substantial emissions during the winter as well as other times of the year. In contrast, CO2 measurements by an Integrated Path Differential Absorption (IPDA) Lidar are largely immune to these limitations and initial results from airborne application look promising. In this study, we discuss the implication for a space-borne IPDA Lidar system. A Gaussian plume model will be used to simulate the CO2-distribution of large power plants downstream to the source. The space-borne measurements are simulated by applying a simple forward model based on Gaussian error distribution. Besides the sampling frequency, the sampling geometry (e.g. measurement distance to the emitting source) and the error of the measurement itself vastly impact on the flux inversion performance. We will discuss the results by incorporating Gaussian plume and mass budget approaches to quantify the emission rates.

Effects of pointing compared with naming and observing during encoding on item and source memory in young and older adults

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Ouwehand, Kim; Gog, Tamara van; Paas, Fred

2016-01-01

Research showed that source memory functioning declines with ageing. Evidence suggests that encoding visual stimuli with manual pointing in addition to visual observation can have a positive effect on spatial memory compared with visual observation only. The present study investigated whether

Field-scale operation of methane biofiltration systems to mitigate point source methane emissions

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hettiarachchi, Vijayamala C.; Hettiaratchi, Patrick J.; Mehrotra, Anil K.; Kumar, Sunil

2011-01-01

Methane biofiltration (MBF) is a novel low-cost technique for reducing low volume point source emissions of methane (CH 4 ). MBF uses a granular medium, such as soil or compost, to support the growth of methanotrophic bacteria responsible for converting CH 4 to carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) and water (H 2 O). A field research program was undertaken to evaluate the potential to treat low volume point source engineered CH 4 emissions using an MBF at a natural gas monitoring station. A new comprehensive three-dimensional numerical model was developed incorporating advection-diffusive flow of gas, biological reactions and heat and moisture flow. The one-dimensional version of this model was used as a guiding tool for designing and operating the MBF. The long-term monitoring results of the field MBF are also presented. The field MBF operated with no control of precipitation, evaporation, and temperature, provided more than 80% of CH 4 oxidation throughout spring, summer, and fall seasons. The numerical model was able to predict the CH 4 oxidation behavior of the field MBF with high accuracy. The numerical model simulations are presented for estimating CH 4 oxidation efficiencies under various operating conditions, including different filter bed depths and CH 4 flux rates. The field observations as well as numerical model simulations indicated that the long-term performance of MBFs is strongly dependent on environmental factors, such as ambient temperature and precipitation. - Highlights: → One-dimensional version of the model was used as a guiding tool for designing and operating the MBF. → Mathematical model predicted CH 4 oxidation behaviors of the field MBF with high accuracy i.e. (> 80 %). → Performance of MBF is dependent on ambient temperature and precipitation. - The developed numerical model simulations and field observations for estimating CH 4 oxidation efficiencies under various operating conditions indicate that the long-term performance of MBFs is strongly

Isotopic diversity indices: how sensitive to food web structure?

Science.gov (United States)

Brind'Amour, Anik; Dubois, Stanislas F

2013-01-01

Recently revisited, the concept of niche ecology has lead to the formalisation of functional and trophic niches using stable isotope ratios. Isotopic diversity indices (IDI) derived from a set of measures assessing the dispersion/distribution of points in the δ-space were recently suggested and increasingly used in the literature. However, three main critics emerge from the use of these IDI: 1) they fail to account for the isotopic sources overlap, 2) some indices are highly sensitive to the number of species and/or the presence of rare species, and 3) the lack of standardization prevents any spatial and temporal comparisons. Using simulations we investigated the ability of six commonly used IDI to discriminate among different trophic food web structures, with a focus on the first two critics. We tested the sensitivity of the IDI to five food web structures along a gradient of sources overlap, varying from two distinct food chains with differentiated sources to two superimposed food chains sharing two sources. For each of the food web structure we varied the number of species (from 10 to 100 species) and the type of species feeding behaviour (i.e. random or selective feeding). Values of IDI were generally larger in food webs with distinct basal sources and tended to decrease as the superimposition of the food chains increased. This was more pronounced when species displayed food preferences in comparison to food webs where species fed randomly on any prey. The number of species composing the food web also had strong effects on the metrics, including those that were supposedly less sensitive to small sample size. In all cases, computing IDI on food webs with low numbers of species always increases the uncertainty of the metrics. A threshold of ~20 species was detected above which several metrics can be safely used.

Point-source and diffuse high-energy neutrino emission from Type IIn supernovae

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Petropoulou, M.; Coenders, S.; Vasilopoulos, G.; Kamble, A.; Sironi, L.

2017-09-01

Type IIn supernovae (SNe), a rare subclass of core collapse SNe, explode in dense circumstellar media that have been modified by the SNe progenitors at their last evolutionary stages. The interaction of the freely expanding SN ejecta with the circumstellar medium gives rise to a shock wave propagating in the dense SN environment, which may accelerate protons to multi-PeV energies. Inelastic proton-proton collisions between the shock-accelerated protons and those of the circumstellar medium lead to multimessenger signatures. Here, we evaluate the possible neutrino signal of Type IIn SNe and compare with IceCube observations. We employ a Monte Carlo method for the calculation of the diffuse neutrino emission from the SN IIn class to account for the spread in their properties. The cumulative neutrino emission is found to be ˜10 per cent of the observed IceCube neutrino flux above 60 TeV. Type IIn SNe would be the dominant component of the diffuse astrophysical flux, only if 4 per cent of all core collapse SNe were of this type and 20-30 per cent of the shock energy was channeled to accelerated protons. Lower values of the acceleration efficiency are accessible by the observation of a single Type IIn SN as a neutrino point source with IceCube using up-going muon neutrinos. Such an identification is possible in the first year following the SN shock breakout for sources within 20 Mpc.

Simulation of agricultural non-point source pollution in Xichuan by using SWAT model

Science.gov (United States)

Xing, Linan; Zuo, Jiane; Liu, Fenglin; Zhang, Xiaohui; Cao, Qiguang

2018-02-01

This paper evaluated the applicability of using SWAT to access agricultural non-point source pollution in Xichuan area. In order to build the model, DEM, soil sort and land use map, climate monitoring data were collected as basic database. The SWAT model was calibrated and validated for the SWAT was carried out using streamflow, suspended solids, total phosphorus and total nitrogen records from 2009 to 2011. Errors, coefficient of determination and Nash-Sutcliffe coefficient were considered to evaluate the applicability. The coefficient of determination were 0.96, 0.66, 0.55 and 0.66 for streamflow, SS, TN, and TP, respectively. Nash-Sutcliffe coefficient were 0.93, 0.5, 0.52 and 0.63, respectively. The results all meet the requirements. It suggested that the SWAT model can simulate the study area.

Improvement of correlation-based centroiding methods for point source Shack-Hartmann wavefront sensor

Science.gov (United States)

Li, Xuxu; Li, Xinyang; wang, Caixia

2018-03-01

This paper proposes an efficient approach to decrease the computational costs of correlation-based centroiding methods used for point source Shack-Hartmann wavefront sensors. Four typical similarity functions have been compared, i.e. the absolute difference function (ADF), ADF square (ADF2), square difference function (SDF), and cross-correlation function (CCF) using the Gaussian spot model. By combining them with fast search algorithms, such as three-step search (TSS), two-dimensional logarithmic search (TDL), cross search (CS), and orthogonal search (OS), computational costs can be reduced drastically without affecting the accuracy of centroid detection. Specifically, OS reduces calculation consumption by 90%. A comprehensive simulation indicates that CCF exhibits a better performance than other functions under various light-level conditions. Besides, the effectiveness of fast search algorithms has been verified.

Relationships between hole type penetrameter sensitivities and wire type penetrameter sensitivities

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Iwahashi, Y.; Ebata, M.; Ooka, K.; Hirayama, K.; Senda, T.

1985-01-01

Radiographic investigations were conducted using the two types of penetrameters (hole and wire types) to obtain the relationships between hole type penetrameter sensitivities and wire type penetrameter sensitivities. Furthermore, the effects of radiation sources and kinds of X-ray films on the relationships were investigated. As a result, the quantitative relationship were defined. It was also clarified that the kinds of X-ray films and radiation sources have a relatively little effect on the relationship

Dissolved organic matter fluorescence at wavelength 275/342 nm as a key indicator for detection of point-source contamination in a large Chinese drinking water lake.

Science.gov (United States)

Zhou, Yongqiang; Jeppesen, Erik; Zhang, Yunlin; Shi, Kun; Liu, Xiaohan; Zhu, Guangwei

2016-02-01

Surface drinking water sources have been threatened globally and there have been few attempts to detect point-source contamination in these waters using chromophoric dissolved organic matter (CDOM) fluorescence. To determine the optimal wavelength derived from CDOM fluorescence as an indicator of point-source contamination in drinking waters, a combination of field campaigns in Lake Qiandao and a laboratory wastewater addition experiment was used. Parallel factor (PARAFAC) analysis identified six components, including three humic-like, two tryptophan-like, and one tyrosine-like component. All metrics showed strong correlation with wastewater addition (r(2) > 0.90, p CDOM fluorescence at 275/342 nm was the most responsive wavelength to the point-source contamination in the lake. Our results suggest that pollutants in Lake Qiandao had the highest concentrations in the river mouths of upstream inflow tributaries and the single wavelength at 275/342 nm may be adapted for online or in situ fluorescence measurements as an early warning of contamination events. This study demonstrates the potential utility of CDOM fluorescence to monitor water quality in surface drinking water sources. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Reprogramming the body weight set point by a reciprocal interaction of hypothalamic leptin sensitivity and Pomc gene expression reverts extreme obesity

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Kavaljit H. Chhabra

2016-10-01

Conclusions: Pomc reactivation in previously obese, calorie-restricted ArcPomc−/− mice normalized energy homeostasis, suggesting that their body weight set point was restored to control levels. In contrast, massively obese and hyperleptinemic ArcPomc−/− mice or those weight-matched and treated with PASylated leptin to maintain extreme hyperleptinemia prior to Pomc reactivation converged to an intermediate set point relative to lean control and obese ArcPomc−/− mice. We conclude that restoration of hypothalamic leptin sensitivity and Pomc expression is necessary for obese ArcPomc−/− mice to achieve and sustain normal metabolic homeostasis; whereas deficits in either parameter set a maladaptive allostatic balance that defends increased adiposity and body weight.

Evaluation of pain sensitivity by tender point counts and myalgic score in patients with and without obstructive sleep apnea syndrome.

Science.gov (United States)

Terzi, Rabia; Yılmaz, Zahide

2017-03-01

The purpose of this study was to assess the difference between patients with and without obstructive sleep apnea syndrome (OSAS) with respect to pain sensitivity. The study was conducted on 31 womens diagnosed with OSAS and 31 healthy women. All patients underwent polysomnographic testing. A pressure algometer (dolorimeter) was used to measure the pressure pain threshold. Fibromyalgia was diagnosed based on the 1990 American College of Rheumatology diagnosis criteria. The myalgic score was 73.95 ± 18.09 in patients with OSAS, while this value was 84.18 ± 24.31 in the control group. The difference between the groups was statistically significant (P = 0.041).The number of tender points was 8.19 ± 3.35 in the patient group with OSAS, while this number was 6.35 ± 2.23 in the control group. The difference between the two groups was statistically significant (P = 0.014). No statistically significant differences were found between age, body mass index, Beck depression scores, control point score and the presence of fibromyalgia, between the two groups (P > 0.05). A statistically significant positive correlation was found between the myalgic scores and mean saturation O 2 (%) values of the patients (r = 0.357; P = 0.049). The differences noted between OSAS patients and the control group with respect to myalgic score and the number of tender points suggest that there might be a relation between OSAS and pain sensitivity. There might be an association between low oxygen saturation and total myalgic score. © 2015 Asia Pacific League of Associations for Rheumatology and Wiley Publishing Asia Pty Ltd.

[Empirical study on non-point sources pollution based on landscape pattern & ecological processes theory: a case of soil water loss on the Loess Plateau in China].

Science.gov (United States)

Suo, An-ning; Wang, Tian-ming; Wang, Hui; Yu, Bo; Ge, Jian-ping

2006-12-01

Non-point sources pollution is one of main pollution modes which pollutes the earth surface environment. Aimed at soil water loss (a typical non-point sources pollution problem) on the Losses Plateau in China, the paper applied a landscape patternevaluation method to twelve watersheds of Jinghe River Basin on the Loess Plateau by means of location-weighted landscape contrast index(LCI) and landscape slope index(LSI). The result showed that LSI of farm land, low density grass land, forest land and LCI responded significantly to soil erosion modulus and responded to depth of runoff, while the relationship between these landscape index and runoff variation index and erosion variation index were not statistically significant. This tell us LSI and LWLCI are good indicators of soil water loss and thus have big potential in non-point source pollution risk evaluation.

Ghost imaging with bucket detection and point detection

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, De-Jian; Yin, Rao; Wang, Tong-Biao; Liao, Qing-Hua; Li, Hong-Guo; Liao, Qinghong; Liu, Jiang-Tao

2018-04-01

We experimentally investigate ghost imaging with bucket detection and point detection in which three types of illuminating sources are applied: (a) pseudo-thermal light source; (b) amplitude modulated true thermal light source; (c) amplitude modulated laser source. Experimental results show that the quality of ghost images reconstructed with true thermal light or laser beam is insensitive to the usage of bucket or point detector, however, the quality of ghost images reconstructed with pseudo-thermal light in bucket detector case is better than that in point detector case. Our theoretical analysis shows that the reason for this is due to the first order transverse coherence of the illuminating source.

Measurement noise of a point autofocus surface topography instrument

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Feng, Xiaobing; Quagliotti, Danilo; Maculotti, Giacomo

Optical instruments for areal topography measurement can be especially sensitive to noise when scanning is required. Such noise has different sources, including those internally generated and external sources from the environment.......Optical instruments for areal topography measurement can be especially sensitive to noise when scanning is required. Such noise has different sources, including those internally generated and external sources from the environment....

Point Sources of Emerging Contaminants Along the Colorado River Basin: Impact on Water Use and Reuse in the Arid Southwest

Science.gov (United States)

Emerging contaminants (ECs) (e.g., pharmaceuticals, illicit drugs, personal care products) have been detected in waters across the United States. The objective of this study was to evaluate point sources of ECs along the Colorado River, from the headwaters in Colorado to the Gulf...

Time-Dependent Searches for Point Sources of Neutrinos with the 4O-String and 22-String Configurations of IceCube

Science.gov (United States)

Abbasi, R.; Abdou, Y.; Abu-Zayyad, T.; Adams, J.; Aguilar, J. A.; Ahlers, M.; Andeen, K.; Auffenberg, J.; Bai, X.; Baker, M.;

四川省农村面源污染状况与治理对策研究%Environmental Protection Countermeasures Against Rural Non-point Pollution Sources in Sichuan Province

Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

郭卫广; 雍毅; 陈杰; 吴怡; 薛嘉

2016-01-01

Rural non-point source pollution is mainly divided into agricultural non-point source, livestock excrement non-point source and rural life non-point source pollution. Based on the emission factor method, this study calculated the two main pollutants( COD and NH3 -N) emissions and researched on the environmental protection countermeasures against rural non-point source pollution. Agricultural non-point source pollution control measures include:promoting soil testing and fertilizer recommen-dation, scientific and safe use of pesticides, agricultural tail water collection and treatment, ecological interception technology, etc. Livestock and poultry non-point source pollution control measures include:strengthen the pollution control of small livestock and poultry farmers, integration of agriculture and husbandry for treating non -point source pollution, promoting dry cleaning process, fermentation bed treatment technology, etc. Rural life pollution control measures include:promoting the construction of rural sewage collection and treatment infrastructure, promoting the application of small sewage treatment facilities in rural areas, etc.%四川省农村面源主要分为农田面源、畜禽养殖粪便污染面源和农村生活污染面源,研究根据排放因子法计算了两种主要考核污染物化学需氧量和氨氮的排放量.根据四川省农村面源污染状况特征提出了面源治理对策措施,其中农田面源治理措施包括:推广测土配方施肥、农田面源生态拦截技术等;畜禽养殖污染治理措施包括:加强小型畜禽养殖污染治理,推广农牧结合、干清粪、发酵床处理工艺等;农村生活污染治理措施包括:推进农村生活污水收集及小型污水处理设施等.

Quantification of Greenhouse Gas Emission Rates from strong Point Sources by Airborne IPDA-Lidar Measurements: Methodology and Experimental Results

Science.gov (United States)

Ehret, G.; Amediek, A.; Wirth, M.; Fix, A.; Kiemle, C.; Quatrevalet, M.

2016-12-01

We report on a new method and on the first demonstration to quantify emission rates from strong greenhouse gas (GHG) point sources using airborne Integrated Path Differential Absorption (IPDA) Lidar measurements. In order to build trust in the self-reported emission rates by countries, verification against independent monitoring systems is a prerequisite to check the reported budget. A significant fraction of the total anthropogenic emission of CO2 and CH4 originates from localized strong point sources of large energy production sites or landfills. Both are not monitored with sufficiently accuracy by the current observation system. There is a debate whether airborne remote sensing could fill in the gap to infer those emission rates from budgeting or from Gaussian plume inversion approaches, whereby measurements of the GHG column abundance beneath the aircraft can be used to constrain inverse models. In contrast to passive sensors, the use of an active instrument like CHARM-F for such emission verification measurements is new. CHARM-F is a new airborne IPDA-Lidar devised for the German research aircraft HALO for the simultaneous measurement of the column-integrated dry-air mixing ratio of CO2 and CH4 commonly denoted as XCO2 und XCH4, respectively. It has successfully been tested in a serious of flights over Central Europe to assess its performance under various reflectivity conditions and in a strongly varying topography like the Alps. The analysis of a methane plume measured in crosswind direction of a coal mine ventilation shaft revealed an instantaneous emission rate of 9.9 ± 1.7 kt CH4 yr-1. We discuss the methodology of our point source estimation approach and give an outlook on the CoMet field experiment scheduled in 2017 for the measurement of anthropogenic and natural GHG emissions by a combination of active and passive remote sensing instruments on research aircraft.

Surface-sensitive conductivity measurement using a micro multi-point probe approach

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Perkins, Edward; Barreto, Lucas; Wells, Justin

2013-01-01

An instrument for microscale electrical transport measurements in ultra-high vacuum is presented. The setup is constructed around collinear lithographically-created multi-point probes with a contact spacing down to 500 nm. Most commonly, twelve-point probes are used. These probes are approached...... measurements with an equidistant four-point probe for a wide range of contact spacings. In this way, it is possible to distinguish between bulk-like and surface-like conduction. The paper describes the design of the instrument and the approach to data and error analysis. Application examples are given...

Active AirCore Sampling: Constraining Point Sources of Methane and Other Gases with Fixed Wing Unmanned Aerial Systems

Science.gov (United States)

Bent, J. D.; Sweeney, C.; Tans, P. P.; Newberger, T.; Higgs, J. A.; Wolter, S.

2017-12-01

Accurate estimates of point source gas emissions are essential for reconciling top-down and bottom-up greenhouse gas measurements, but sampling such sources is challenging. Remote sensing methods are limited by resolution and cloud cover; aircraft methods are limited by air traffic control clearances, and the need to properly determine boundary layer height. A new sampling approach leverages the ability of unmanned aerial systems (UAS) to measure all the way to the surface near the source of emissions, improving sample resolution, and reducing the need to characterize a wide downstream swath, or measure to the full height of the planetary boundary layer (PBL). The "Active-AirCore" sampler, currently under development, will fly on a fixed wing UAS in Class G airspace, spiraling from the surface to 1200 ft AGL around point sources such as leaking oil wells to measure methane, carbon dioxide and carbon monoxide. The sampler collects a 100-meter long sample "core" of air in an 1/8" passivated stainless steel tube. This "core" is run on a high-precision instrument shortly after the UAS is recovered. Sample values are mapped to a specific geographic location by cross-referencing GPS and flow/pressure metadata, and fluxes are quantified by applying Gauss's theorem to the data, mapped onto the spatial "cylinder" circumscribed by the UAS. The AirCore-Active builds off the sampling ability and analytical approach of the related AirCore sampler, which profiles the atmosphere passively using a balloon launch platform, but will add an active pumping capability needed for near-surface horizontal sampling applications. Here, we show design elements, laboratory and field test results for methane, describe the overall goals of the mission, and discuss how the platform can be adapted, with minimal effort, to measure other gas species.

Robust iterative observer for source localization for Poisson equation

KAUST Repository

Majeed, Muhammad Usman

2017-01-05

Source localization problem for Poisson equation with available noisy boundary data is well known to be highly sensitive to noise. The problem is ill posed and lacks to fulfill Hadamards stability criteria for well posedness. In this work, first a robust iterative observer is presented for boundary estimation problem for Laplace equation, and then this algorithm along with the available noisy boundary data from the Poisson problem is used to localize point sources inside a rectangular domain. The algorithm is inspired from Kalman filter design, however one of the space variables is used as time-like. Numerical implementation along with simulation results is detailed towards the end.

Robust iterative observer for source localization for Poisson equation

KAUST Repository

Majeed, Muhammad Usman; Laleg-Kirati, Taous-Meriem

2017-01-01

Source localization problem for Poisson equation with available noisy boundary data is well known to be highly sensitive to noise. The problem is ill posed and lacks to fulfill Hadamards stability criteria for well posedness. In this work, first a robust iterative observer is presented for boundary estimation problem for Laplace equation, and then this algorithm along with the available noisy boundary data from the Poisson problem is used to localize point sources inside a rectangular domain. The algorithm is inspired from Kalman filter design, however one of the space variables is used as time-like. Numerical implementation along with simulation results is detailed towards the end.

The acoustic field of a point source in a uniform boundary layer over an impedance plane

Science.gov (United States)

Zorumski, W. E.; Willshire, W. L., Jr.

1986-01-01

The acoustic field of a point source in a boundary layer above an impedance plane is investigated anatytically using Obukhov quasi-potential functions, extending the normal-mode theory of Chunchuzov (1984) to account for the effects of finite ground-plane impedance and source height. The solution is found to be asymptotic to the surface-wave term studies by Wenzel (1974) in the limit of vanishing wind speed, suggesting that normal-mode theory can be used to model the effects of an atmospheric boundary layer on infrasonic sound radiation. Model predictions are derived for noise-generation data obtained by Willshire (1985) at the Medicine Bow wind-turbine facility. Long-range downwind propagation is found to behave as a cylindrical wave, with attention proportional to the wind speed, the boundary-layer displacement thickness, the real part of the ground admittance, and the square of the frequency.

Source to point of use drinking water changes and knowledge, attitude and practices in Katsina State, Northern Nigeria

Science.gov (United States)

Onabolu, B.; Jimoh, O. D.; Igboro, S. B.; Sridhar, M. K. C.; Onyilo, G.; Gege, A.; Ilya, R.

In many Sub-Saharan countries such as Nigeria, inadequate access to safe drinking water is a serious problem with 37% in the region and 58% of rural Nigeria using unimproved sources. The global challenge to measuring household water quality as a determinant of safety is further compounded in Nigeria by the possibility of deterioration from source to point of use. This is associated with the use of decentralised water supply systems in rural areas which are not fully reticulated to the household taps, creating a need for an integrated water quality monitoring system. As an initial step towards establishing the system in the north west and north central zones of Nigeria, The Katsina State Rural Water and Sanitation Agency, responsible for ensuring access to safe water and adequate sanitation to about 6 million people carried out a three pronged study with the support of UNICEF Nigeria. Part 1 was an assessment of the legislative and policy framework, institutional arrangements and capacity for drinking water quality monitoring through desk top reviews and Key Informant Interviews (KII) to ascertain the institutional capacity requirements for developing the water quality monitoring system. Part II was a water quality study in 700 households of 23 communities in four local government areas. The objectives were to assess the safety of drinking water, compare the safety at source and household level and assess the possible contributory role of end users’ Knowledge Attitudes and Practices. These were achieved through water analysis, household water quality tracking, KII and questionnaires. Part III was the production of a visual documentary as an advocacy tool to increase awareness of the policy makers of the linkages between source management, treatment and end user water quality. The results indicate that except for pH, conductivity and manganese, the improved water sources were safe at source. However there was a deterioration in water quality between source and

Using rare earth elements to trace wind-driven dispersion of sediments from a point source

Science.gov (United States)

Van Pelt, R. Scott; Barnes, Melanie C. W.; Strack, John E.

2018-06-01

The entrainment and movement of aeolian sediments is determined by the direction and intensity of erosive winds. Although erosive winds may blow from all directions, in most regions there is a predominant direction. Dust emission causes the removal preferentially of soil nutrients and contaminants which may be transported tens to even thousands of kilometers from the source and deposited into other ecosystems. It would be beneficial to understand spatially and temporally how the soil source may be degraded and depositional zones enriched. A stable chemical tracer not found in the soil but applied to the surface of all particles in the surface soil would facilitate this endeavor. This study examined whether solution-applied rare earth elements (REEs) could be used to trace aeolian sediment movement from a point source through space and time at the field scale. We applied erbium nitrate solution to a 5 m2 area in the center of a 100 m diameter field 7854 m2 on the Southern High Plains of Texas. The solution application resulted in a soil-borne concentration three orders of magnitude greater than natively found in the field soil. We installed BSNE sampler masts in circular configurations and collected the trapped sediment weekly. We found that REE-tagged sediment was blown into every sampler mast during the course of the study but that there was a predominant direction of transport during the spring. This preliminary investigation suggests that the REEs provide a viable and incisive technique to study spatial and temporal variation of aeolian sediment movement from specific sources to identifiable locations of deposition or locations through which the sediments were transported as horizontal mass flux and the relative contribution of the specific source to the total mass flux.

Sensitivity of metrics of phylogenetic structure to scale, source of data and species pool of hummingbird assemblages along elevational gradients.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Sebastián González-Caro

Full Text Available Patterns of phylogenetic structure of assemblages are increasingly used to gain insight into the ecological and evolutionary processes involved in the assembly of co-occurring species. Metrics of phylogenetic structure can be sensitive to scaling issues and data availability. Here we empirically assess the sensitivity of four metrics of phylogenetic structure of assemblages to changes in (i the source of data, (ii the spatial grain at which assemblages are defined, and (iii the definition of species pools using hummingbird (Trochilidae assemblages along an elevational gradient in Colombia. We also discuss some of the implications in terms of the potential mechanisms driving these patterns. To explore how source of data influence phylogenetic structure we defined assemblages using three sources of data: field inventories, museum specimens, and range maps. Assemblages were defined at two spatial grains: coarse-grained (elevational bands of 800-m width and fine-grained (1-km(2 plots. We used three different species pools: all species contained in assemblages, all species within half-degree quadrats, and all species either above or below 2000 m elevation. Metrics considering phylogenetic relationships among all species within assemblages showed phylogenetic clustering at high elevations and phylogenetic evenness in the lowlands, whereas those metrics considering only the closest co-occurring relatives showed the opposite trend. This result suggests that using multiple metrics of phylogenetic structure should provide greater insight into the mechanisms shaping assemblage structure. The source and spatial grain of data had important influences on estimates of both richness and phylogenetic structure. Metrics considering the co-occurrence of close relatives were particularly sensitive to changes in the spatial grain. Assemblages based on range maps included more species and showed less phylogenetic structure than assemblages based on museum or field

Development of an adjoint sensitivity field-based treatment-planning technique for the use of newly designed directional LDR sources in brachytherapy.

Science.gov (United States)

Chaswal, V; Thomadsen, B R; Henderson, D L

2012-02-21

The development and application of an automated 3D greedy heuristic (GH) optimization algorithm utilizing the adjoint sensitivity fields for treatment planning to assess the advantage of directional interstitial prostate brachytherapy is presented. Directional and isotropic dose kernels generated using Monte Carlo simulations based on Best Industries model 2301 I-125 source are utilized for treatment planning. The newly developed GH algorithm is employed for optimization of the treatment plans for seven interstitial prostate brachytherapy cases using mixed sources (directional brachytherapy) and using only isotropic sources (conventional brachytherapy). All treatment plans resulted in V100 > 98% and D90 > 45 Gy for the target prostate region. For the urethra region, the D10(Ur), D90(Ur) and V150(Ur) and for the rectum region the V100cc, D2cc, D90(Re) and V90(Re) all are reduced significantly when mixed sources brachytherapy is used employing directional sources. The simulations demonstrated that the use of directional sources in the low dose-rate (LDR) brachytherapy of the prostate clearly benefits in sparing the urethra and the rectum sensitive structures from overdose. The time taken for a conventional treatment plan is less than three seconds, while the time taken for a mixed source treatment plan is less than nine seconds, as tested on an Intel Core2 Duo 2.2 GHz processor with 1GB RAM. The new 3D GH algorithm is successful in generating a feasible LDR brachytherapy treatment planning solution with an extra degree of freedom, i.e. directionality in very little time.

Development of an adjoint sensitivity field-based treatment-planning technique for the use of newly designed directional LDR sources in brachytherapy

Science.gov (United States)

Chaswal, V.; Thomadsen, B. R.; Henderson, D. L.

2012-02-01

The development and application of an automated 3D greedy heuristic (GH) optimization algorithm utilizing the adjoint sensitivity fields for treatment planning to assess the advantage of directional interstitial prostate brachytherapy is presented. Directional and isotropic dose kernels generated using Monte Carlo simulations based on Best Industries model 2301 I-125 source are utilized for treatment planning. The newly developed GH algorithm is employed for optimization of the treatment plans for seven interstitial prostate brachytherapy cases using mixed sources (directional brachytherapy) and using only isotropic sources (conventional brachytherapy). All treatment plans resulted in V100 > 98% and D90 > 45 Gy for the target prostate region. For the urethra region, the D10Ur, D90Ur and V150Ur and for the rectum region the V100cc, D2cc, D90Re and V90Re all are reduced significantly when mixed sources brachytherapy is used employing directional sources. The simulations demonstrated that the use of directional sources in the low dose-rate (LDR) brachytherapy of the prostate clearly benefits in sparing the urethra and the rectum sensitive structures from overdose. The time taken for a conventional treatment plan is less than three seconds, while the time taken for a mixed source treatment plan is less than nine seconds, as tested on an Intel Core2 Duo 2.2 GHz processor with 1GB RAM. The new 3D GH algorithm is successful in generating a feasible LDR brachytherapy treatment planning solution with an extra degree of freedom, i.e. directionality in very little time.

Sensitive innovation

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Søndergaard, Katia Dupret

Present paper discusses sources of innovation as heterogenic and at times intangible processes. Arguing for heterogeneity and intangibility as sources of innovation originates from a theoretical reading in STS and ANT studies (e.g. Callon 1986, Latour 1996, Mol 2002, Pols 2005) and from field work...... in the area of mental health (Dupret Søndergaard 2009, 2010). The concept of sensitive innovation is developed to capture and conceptualise exactly those heterogenic and intangible processes. Sensitive innovation is therefore primarily a way to understand innovative sources that can be......, but are not necessarily, recognized and acknowledged as such in the outer organisational culture or by management. The added value that qualifies these processes to be defined as “innovative” are thus argued for along different lines than in more traditional innovation studies (e.g. studies that build on the classic...

The SSI TOOLBOX Source Term Model SOSIM - Screening for important radionuclides and parameter sensitivity analysis

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Avila Moreno, R.; Barrdahl, R.; Haegg, C.

1995-05-01

The main objective of the present study was to carry out a screening and a sensitivity analysis of the SSI TOOLBOX source term model SOSIM. This model is a part of the SSI TOOLBOX for radiological impact assessment of the Swedish disposal concept for high-level waste KBS-3. The outputs of interest for this purpose were: the total released fraction, the time of total release, the time and value of maximum release rate, the dose rates after direct releases of the biosphere. The source term equations were derived and simple equations and methods were proposed for calculation of these. A literature survey has been performed in order to determine a characteristic variation range and a nominal value for each model parameter. In order to reduce the model uncertainties the authors recommend a change in the initial boundary condition for solution of the diffusion equation for highly soluble nuclides. 13 refs.

Micro-simulation as a tool to assess policy concerning non-point source pollution: the case of ammonia in Dutch agriculture

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Kruseman, G.; Blokland, P.W.; Bouma, F.; Luesink, H.H.; Vrolijk, H.C.J.

2008-01-01

Non-point source pollution is notoriously difficult to asses. A relevant example is ammonia emissions in the Netherlands. Since the mid 1980s the Dutch government has sought to reduce emissions through a wide variety of measures, the effect of which in turn is monitored using modeling techniques.

Spectral dependence of point defect production by x rays in RbBr

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Brown, F.C.; Heald, S.M.; Jiang, D.; Brewe, D.L.; Kim, K.H.; Stern, E.A.

1999-01-01

F-center formation by monochromatic x rays has been studied above and below the bromine and rubidium K-absorption edges in crystals of RbBr. The x-ray beam from a double silicon crystal monochromator on an undulator at the Advanced Photon Source was used to produce these point defects, which were detected by a sensitive laser-induced luminescence method. Experiments were carried out over a wide range of monochromatic x-ray intensity, with emphasis on the nearly linear initial slope of defect formation with exposure. No significant increase in F-center formation efficiency was found upon crossing the bromine K edge, which indicates that additional Auger-cascade mechanisms do not appreciably add to the usual multiple ionization electron-hole recombination processes known to generate point defects. copyright 1999 The American Physical Society

A Point Kinetics Model for Estimating Neutron Multiplication of Bare Uranium Metal in Tagged Neutron Measurements

Science.gov (United States)

Tweardy, Matthew C.; McConchie, Seth; Hayward, Jason P.

2017-07-01

An extension of the point kinetics model is developed to describe the neutron multiplicity response of a bare uranium object under interrogation by an associated particle imaging deuterium-tritium (D-T) measurement system. This extended model is used to estimate the total neutron multiplication of the uranium. Both MCNPX-PoliMi simulations and data from active interrogation measurements of highly enriched and depleted uranium geometries are used to evaluate the potential of this method and to identify the sources of systematic error. The detection efficiency correction for measured coincidence response is identified as a large source of systematic error. If the detection process is not considered, results suggest that the method can estimate total multiplication to within 13% of the simulated value. Values for multiplicity constants in the point kinetics equations are sensitive to enrichment due to (n, xn) interactions by D-T neutrons and can introduce another significant source of systematic bias. This can theoretically be corrected if isotopic composition is known a priori. The spatial dependence of multiplication is also suspected of introducing further systematic bias for high multiplication uranium objects.

["Point by point" approach to structure-function correlation of glaucoma on the ganglion cell complex in the posterior pole].

Science.gov (United States)

Zeitoun, M

2017-01-01

To try to establish a "point by point" relationship between the local thickness of the retinal ganglion cell complex and its sensitivity. In total, 104 glaucomatous eyes of 89 patients with a confirmed 24-2 visual field, were measured by superimposing the visual field, using imaging software, with the Wide 40° by 30° measurements of retinal ganglion cell complex obtained from the Topcon © 3D 2000 OCT, after upward adjustment, inversion and scaling. Visual fields were classified into two groups according to the extent of the disease: 58 mild to moderate (MD up to -12dB), and 46 severe (MD beyond -12dB). The 6mm by 6mm central region, equipped with a normative database, was studied, corresponding to 16 points in the visual field. These points were individually matched one by one to the local ganglion cell complex, which was classified into 2 groups depending on whether it was greater or less than 70 microns. The normative database confirmed the pathological nature of the thin areas, with a significance of 95 to 99%. Displacement of central retinal ganglion cells was compensated for. Of 1664 points (16 central points for 104 eyes), 283 points were found to be "borderline" and excluded. Of the 1381 analyzed points, 727 points were classified as "over 70 microns" and 654 points "under 70 microns". (1) For all stages combined, 85.8% of the 727 points which were greater than 70 microns had a deviation between -3 and +3dB: areas above 70 microns had no observable loss of light sensitivity. (2) In total, 92.5% of the 428 points having a gap ranging from -6 to -35dB were located on ganglion cell complex areas below 70 microns: functional visual loss was identified in thin areas, which were less than 70 microns. (3) Areas which were less than 70 microns, that is 654 points, had quite variable sensitivity and can be divided into three groups: the first with preserved sensitivity, another with obliterated sensitivity, and an intermediate group connecting

Study of landscape patterns of variation and optimization based on non-point source pollution control in an estuary.

Science.gov (United States)

Jiang, Mengzhen; Chen, Haiying; Chen, Qinghui; Wu, Haiyan

2014-10-15

Appropriate increases in the "sink" of a landscape can reduce the risk of non-point source pollution (NPSP) to the sea at relatively lower costs and at a higher efficiency. Based on high-resolution remote sensing image data taken between 2003 and 2008, we analyzed the "source" and "sink" landscape pattern variations of nitrogen and phosphorus pollutants in the Jiulongjiang estuary region. The contribution to the sea and distribution of each pollutant in the region was calculated using the LCI and mGLCI models. The results indicated that an increased amount of pollutants was contributed to the sea, and the "source" area of the nitrogen NPSP in the study area increased by 32.75 km(2). We also propose a landscape pattern optimization to reduce pollution in the Jiulongjiang estuary in 2008 through the conversion of cultivated land with slopes greater than 15° and paddy fields near rivers, and an increase in mangrove areas. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Attenuation data of point isotropic neutron sources up to 400MeV in water, ordinary concrete and iron

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kotegawa, Hiroshi; Tanaka, Shun-ichi; Sakamoto, Yukio; Nakane, Yoshihiro; Nakashima, Hiroshi [Japan Atomic Energy Research Inst., Tokai, Ibaraki (Japan). Tokai Research Establishment

1994-08-01

A comprehensive attenuation data of dose equivalent for point isotropic monoenergetic neutron sources up to 400MeV in infinite shields of water, ordinary concrete and iron has been calculated using the ANISN-JR code and a neutron-photon multigroup macroscopic cross section HIL086R. The attenuation factors were fitted to a 4th order polynomial exponent formula, making possible to use easily for point kernel codes. Additional data in finite shielding geometry was also calculated to correct the effect due to infinite medium, giving the maximum correction of 0.23 in the region for more 400 cm distance from neutron source of 400 MeV in iron shield. Effective attenuation length for monoenergetic neutrons have been studied in detail. Subsequently, it was shown that the attenuation length was strongly dependent upon the penetration length and the Moyer`s formula using a single attenuation length brought large error into the dose estimation behind thick shields for the intermediate energy neutrons up to 400 MeV. Furthermore, it was demonstrated that there was difference more than 50 % in the attenuation length of iron between the calculations with HIL086R and HIL086 because of the self-shielding effect. (author).

An ultrabright and monochromatic electron point source made of a LaB6 nanowire

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, Han; Tang, Jie; Yuan, Jinshi; Yamauchi, Yasushi; Suzuki, Taku T.; Shinya, Norio; Nakajima, Kiyomi; Qin, Lu-Chang

2016-03-01

Electron sources in the form of one-dimensional nanotubes and nanowires are an essential tool for investigations in a variety of fields, such as X-ray computed tomography, flexible displays, chemical sensors and electron optics applications. However, field emission instability and the need to work under high-vacuum or high-temperature conditions have imposed stringent requirements that are currently limiting the range of application of electron sources. Here we report the fabrication of a LaB6 nanowire with only a few La atoms bonded on the tip that emits collimated electrons from a single point with high monochromaticity. The nanostructured tip has a low work function of 2.07 eV (lower than that of Cs) while remaining chemically inert, two properties usually regarded as mutually exclusive. Installed in a scanning electron microscope (SEM) field emission gun, our tip shows a current density gain that is about 1,000 times greater than that achievable with W(310) tips, and no emission decay for tens of hours of operation. Using this new SEM, we acquired very low-noise, high-resolution images together with rapid chemical compositional mapping using a tip operated at room temperature and at 10-times higher residual gas pressure than that required for W tips.

Anomaly metrics to differentiate threat sources from benign sources in primary vehicle screening.

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Cohen, Israel Dov; Mengesha, Wondwosen

2011-09-01

Discrimination of benign sources from threat sources at Port of Entries (POE) is of a great importance in efficient screening of cargo and vehicles using Radiation Portal Monitors (RPM). Currently RPM's ability to distinguish these radiological sources is seriously hampered by the energy resolution of the deployed RPMs. As naturally occurring radioactive materials (NORM) are ubiquitous in commerce, false alarms are problematic as they require additional resources in secondary inspection in addition to impacts on commerce. To increase the sensitivity of such detection systems without increasing false alarm rates, alarm metrics need to incorporate the ability to distinguish benign and threat sources. Principal component analysis (PCA) and clustering technique were implemented in the present study. Such techniques were investigated for their potential to lower false alarm rates and/or increase sensitivity to weaker threat sources without loss of specificity. Results of the investigation demonstrated improved sensitivity and specificity in discriminating benign sources from threat sources.

Digital microwave communication engineering point-to-point microwave systems

CERN Document Server

Kizer, George

2013-01-01

The first book to cover all engineering aspects of microwave communication path design for the digital age Fixed point-to-point microwave systems provide moderate-capacity digital transmission between well-defined locations. Most popular in situations where fiber optics or satellite communication is impractical, it is commonly used for cellular or PCS site interconnectivity where digital connectivity is needed but not economically available from other sources, and in private networks where reliability is most important. Until now, no book has adequately treated all en

Introduction of a novel ultrahigh sensitivity collimator for brain SPECT imaging

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Park, Mi-Ae, E-mail: miaepark@bwh.harvard.edu; Kijewski, Marie Foley; Lyon, Morgan C.; Horky, Laura; Moore, Stephen C. [Department of Radiology, Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts 02115 (United States); Keijzers, Ronnie; Keijzers, Mark [Nuclear Fields USA, Des Plaines, Illinois 60018 (United States)

2016-08-15

Purpose: Noise levels of brain SPECT images are highest in central regions, due to preferential attenuation of photons emitted from deep structures. To address this problem, the authors have designed a novel collimator for brain SPECT imaging that yields greatly increased sensitivity near the center of the brain without loss of resolution. This hybrid collimator consisted of ultrashort cone-beam holes in the central regions and slant-holes in the periphery (USCB). We evaluated this collimator for quantitative brain imaging tasks. Methods: Owing to the uniqueness of the USCB collimation, the hole pattern required substantial variations in collimator parameters. To utilize the lead-casting technique, the authors designed two supporting plates to position about 37 000 hexagonal, slightly tapered pins. The holes in the supporting plates were modeled to yield the desired focal length, hole length, and septal thickness. To determine the properties of the manufactured collimator and to compute the system matrix, the authors prepared an array of point sources that covered the entire detector area. Each point source contained 32 μCi of Tc-99m at the first scan time. The array was imaged for 5 min at each of the 64 shifted locations to yield a 2-mm sampling distance, and hole parameters were calculated. The sensitivity was also measured using a point source placed along the central ray at several distances from the collimator face. High-count projection data from a five-compartment brain phantom were acquired with the three collimators on a dual-head SPECT/CT system. The authors calculated Cramer-Rao bounds on the precision of estimates of striatal and background activity concentration. In order to assess the new collimation system to detect changes in striatal activity, the authors evaluated the precision of measuring a 5% decrease in right putamen activity. The authors also reconstructed images of projection data obtained by summing data from the individual phantom

Determination of sensitivity, specificity and cut off point of visual- Motor Bender Gestalt Test in the diagnosis of traumatic brain injury

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

tayebeh Rezaie nasab

2013-02-01

Results: In this study, cut-off point was calculated as 6.5%, sensitivity as 55.8%, characteristic as 81.2%, and the area under the Roc curve as 0.69. Moreover, positive predictive value, negative predictive value and efficiency were 95.08%, 22.03%, and 59.17%, respectively. Conclusion: Results of this study revealed that Bender Gestalt Test is relatively weak in diagnosis of mild TBI. Hence, its characteristic is high and it was successful in diagnosing healthy individuals.

Study The Validity of The Direct Mathematical Method For Calculation The Total Efficiency Using Point And Disk Sources

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hagag, O.M.; Nafee, S.S.; Naeem, M.A.; El Khatib, A.M.

2011-01-01

The direct mathematical method has been developed for calculating the total efficiency of many cylindrical gamma detectors, especially HPGe and NaI detector. Different source geometries are considered (point and disk). Further into account is taken of gamma attenuation from detector window or any interfacing absorbing layer. Results are compared with published experimental data to study the validity of the direct mathematical method to calculate total efficiency for any gamma detector size.

Using a dynamic point-source percolation model to simulate bubble growth