Familias de la proteína de superficie PspA de Streptococcus pneumoniae: Relación con serotipos y localización Pneumococcal surface protein A (PspA families: Relation with serotypes and clinical site of infection

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Clara Mayoral

2010-10-01

Full Text Available PspA, proteína de superficie de Streptococcus pneumoniae es un factor de virulencia, fuertemente inmunogénica y común a todos los serotipos. Aunque el gen que codifica para esta proteína presenta una marcada heterogeneidad en la región correspondiente al N-terminal, la PspA contiene epitopes conservados de manera tal que la inmunización genera protección contra neumococos pertenecientes a diversos tipos capsulares y con distintas PspA. A pesar del marcado polimorfismo del gen pspA es posible agrupar las distintas variantes en 3 familias mayoritarias. Estas propiedades las convierten en candidatas ideales para elaborar vacunas. Debido a que la mayoría de los trabajos sobre identificación de familias fueron realizados sobre serotipos frecuentes en otros países, el objetivo fue identificar las familias de PspA de aislamientos de pacientes de nuestra región y relacionarlas con los serotipos prevalentes y patologías. Se estudiaron 70 aislamientos, provenientes de niños con infecciones invasoras. Se aplicó una PCR utilizando cebadores específicos de cada familia. El 60% fueron familia 1 y 34% familia 2. En un 6% no se identificó ninguna de las familias de PspA. Los serotipos 1 y 5 presentaron familia 1 únicamente; los serotipos 14, 6B, 19F y 18C mostraron genes de ambas familias. La familia 1 se observó en 60% de las neumonías y 50% de las meningitis. La familia 2 en 33% de neumonías y 50% de meningitis. Esta información podría ser un valioso aporte para la formulación de una vacuna regional efectiva utilizando PspA recombinante como inmunógeno.PspA, a pneumococcal surface protein, is highly immunogenic and common to all serotypes. Although pspA gene shows a great heterogeneity at the N-terminal region, PspA protein has conserved epytopes which are able to elicit protective cross-reaction against various serotypes presenting different PspA. In spite of the high polimorfism of the PspA, three majority families can be identified

Room Temperature Stable PspA-Based Nanovaccine Induces Protective Immunity

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Danielle A. Wagner-Muñiz

2018-03-01

Full Text Available Streptococcus pneumoniae is a major causative agent of pneumonia, a debilitating disease particularly in young and elderly populations, and is the leading worldwide cause of death in children under the age of five. While there are existing vaccines against S. pneumoniae, none are protective across all serotypes. Pneumococcal surface protein A (PspA, a key virulence factor of S. pneumoniae, is an antigen that may be incorporated into future vaccines to address the immunological challenges presented by the diversity of capsular antigens. PspA has been shown to be immunogenic and capable of initiating a humoral immune response that is reactive across approximately 94% of pneumococcal strains. Biodegradable polyanhydrides have been studied as a nanoparticle-based vaccine (i.e., nanovaccine platform to stabilize labile proteins, to provide adjuvanticity, and enhance patient compliance by providing protective immunity in a single dose. In this study, we designed a room temperature stable PspA-based polyanhydride nanovaccine that eliminated the need for a free protein component (i.e., 100% encapsulated within the nanoparticles. Mice were immunized once with the lead nanovaccine and upon challenge, presented significantly higher survival rates than animals immunized with soluble protein alone, even with a 25-fold reduction in protein dose. This lead nanovaccine formulation performed similarly to protein adjuvanted with Alum, however, with much less tissue reactogenicity at the site of immunization. By eliminating the free PspA from the nanovaccine formulation, the lead nanovaccine was efficacious after being stored dry for 60 days at room temperature, breaking the need for maintaining the cold chain. Altogether, this study demonstrated that a single dose PspA-based nanovaccine against S. pneumoniae induced protective immunity and provided thermal stability when stored at room temperature for at least 60 days.

Removal of the phage-shock protein PspB causes reduction of virulence in Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium independently of NRAMP1.

Science.gov (United States)

Wallrodt, Inke; Jelsbak, Lotte; Thomsen, Line E; Brix, Lena; Lemire, Sébastien; Gautier, Laurent; Nielsen, Dennis S; Jovanovic, Goran; Buck, Martin; Olsen, John E

2014-06-01

The phage-shock protein (Psp) system is believed to manage membrane stress in all Enterobacteriaceae and has recently emerged as being important for virulence in several pathogenic species of this phylum. The core of the Psp system consists of the pspA-D operon and the distantly located pspG gene. In Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium (S. Typhimurium), it has recently been reported that PspA is essential for systemic infection of mice, but only in NRAMP1(+) mice, signifying that attenuation is related to coping with divalent cation starvation in the intracellular environment. In the present study, we investigated the contribution of individual psp genes to virulence of S. Typhimurium. Interestingly, deletion of the whole pspA-D set of genes caused attenuation in both NRAMP1(+) and NRAMP1(-) mice, indicating that one or more of the psp genes contribute to virulence independently of NRAMP1 expression in the host. Investigations of single gene mutants showed that knock out of pspB reduced virulence in both types of mice, while deletion of pspA only caused attenuation in NRAMP1(+) mice, and deletion of pspD had a minor effect in NRAMP1(-) mice, while deletions of either pspC or pspG did not affect virulence. Experiments addressed at elucidating the role of PspB in virulence revealed that PspB is dispensable for uptake to and intracellular replication in cultured macrophages and resistance to complement-induced killing. Furthermore, the Psp system of S. Typhimurium was dispensable during pIV-induced secretin stress. In conclusion, our results demonstrate that removal of PspB reduces virulence in S. Typhimurium independently of host NRAMP1 expression, demonstrating that PspB has roles in intra-host survival distinct from the reported contributions of PspA. © 2014 The Authors.

Sustaining private sector participation (PSP) in solid waste management in Lagos, Nigeria, a developing country

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Adebola, G. [Richbol Environmental Services Ltd., Lagos (Nigeria)

2000-07-01

Solid waste management in Lagos, Nigeria includes refuse collection and transportation to a landfill site. Disposal of the refuse and maintenance of the landfill site is also included in this task which, in the past was always a responsibility of the Government Agencies at the local level as a social service. This service has recently been privatised in the name of Private Sector Participation (PSP) in domestic refuse collection and disposal. As a new operator in about 23 wards in the ongoing PSP of domestic refuse, Richbol Environmental Ltd., recognized the enormous effort that government will have to make to sustain PSP in solid waste management. Governments can maintain control through re-orientation, legislation, enforcement, strengthening the PSP operators, integrating existing operators, and monitoring the activities of PSP operators. This paper presented a brief overview of the institutional changes that solid waste management has undergone in Lagos since 1977. It was emphasized that integrated waste management is extremely capital intensive. An integrated PSP can be a long term solution to waste management in developing, cash poor countries. The economic importance of PSP lies in the fact that it will reduce government expenditure and will also create a healthier environment and provide employment opportunities for thousands of employees and contribute to the gross domestic product of the country. 5 refs., 3 tabs., 1 fig.

75 FR 29324 - Preferred Supplier Program (PSP)

Science.gov (United States)

2010-05-25

..., DON will use a 5-star system based upon the 5-color ratings used in CPARS, as follows: CPARS PSP Red 0... contractors with the greatest motivation to achieve PSS? 3. Energy Efficiency is a critical DON requirement...

Membrane Stored Curvature Elastic Stress Modulates Recruitment of Maintenance Proteins PspA and Vipp1.

Science.gov (United States)

McDonald, Christopher; Jovanovic, Goran; Ces, Oscar; Buck, Martin

2015-09-01

Phage shock protein A (PspA), which is responsible for maintaining inner membrane integrity under stress in enterobacteria, and vesicle-inducting protein in plastids 1 (Vipp1), which functions for membrane maintenance and thylakoid biogenesis in cyanobacteria and plants, are similar peripheral membrane-binding proteins. Their homologous N-terminal amphipathic helices are required for membrane binding; however, the membrane features recognized and required for expressing their functionalities have remained largely uncharacterized. Rigorously controlled, in vitro methodologies with lipid vesicles and purified proteins were used in this study and provided the first biochemical and biophysical characterizations of membrane binding by PspA and Vipp1. Both proteins are found to sense stored curvature elastic (SCE) stress and anionic lipids within the membrane. PspA has an enhanced sensitivity for SCE stress and a higher affinity for the membrane than Vipp1. These variations in binding may be crucial for some of the proteins' differing roles in vivo. Assays probing the transcriptional regulatory function of PspA in the presence of vesicles showed that a relief of transcription inhibition occurs in an SCE stress-specific manner. This in vitro recapitulation of membrane stress-dependent transcription control suggests that the Psp response may be mounted in vivo when a cell's inner membrane experiences increased SCE stress. All cell types maintain the integrity of their membrane systems. One widely distributed membrane stress response system in bacteria is the phage shock protein (Psp) system. The central component, peripheral membrane protein PspA, which mitigates inner membrane stress in bacteria, has a counterpart, Vipp1, which functions for membrane maintenance and thylakoid biogenesis in plants and photosynthetic bacteria. Membrane association of both these proteins is accepted as playing a pivotal role in their functions. Here we show that direct membrane binding by

Removal of the phage-shock protein PspB causes reduction of virulence in Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium independently of NRAMP1

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Wallrodt, Inke; Jelsbak, Lotte; Thomsen, Line E.

2014-01-01

The phage-shock protein (Psp) system is believed to manage membrane stress in all Enterobacteriaceae and has recently emerged as being important for virulence in several pathogenic species of this phylum. The core of the Psp system consists of the pspA-D operon and the distantly located pspG gene......IV-induced secretin stress. In conclusion, our results demonstrate that removal of PspB reduces virulence in S. Typhimurium independently of host NRAMP1 expression, demonstrating that PspB has roles in intra-host survival distinct from the reported contributions of PspA....

Utility and accuracy of perceptual voice and speech distinctions in the diagnosis of Parkinson's disease, PSP and MSA-P.

Science.gov (United States)

Miller, Nick; Nath, Uma; Noble, Emma; Burn, David

2017-06-01

To determine if perceptual speech measures distinguish people with Parkinson's disease (PD), multiple system atrophy with predominant parkinsonism (MSA-P) and progressive supranuclear palsy (PSP). Speech-language therapists blind to patient characteristics employed clinical rating scales to evaluate speech/voice in 24 people with clinically diagnosed PD, 17 with PSP and 9 with MSA-P, matched for disease duration (mean 4.9 years, standard deviation 2.2). No consistent intergroup differences appeared on specific speech/voice variables. People with PD were significantly less impaired on overall speech/voice severity. Analyses by severity suggested further investigation around laryngeal, resonance and fluency changes may characterize individual groups. MSA-P and PSP compared with PD were distinguished by severity of speech/voice deterioration, but individual speech/voice parameters failed to consistently differentiate groups.

Effects of Robot Assisted Gait Training in Progressive Supranuclear Palsy (PSP: a preliminary report.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Patrizio eSale

2014-04-01

Full Text Available Background and Purpose: Progressive supranuclear palsy (PSP is a rare neurodegenerative disease clinically characterized by prominent axial extrapyramidal motor symptoms with frequent falls. Over the last years the introduction of robotic technologies to recover lower limb function has been greatly employed in the rehabilitative practice. This observational trial is aimed at investigating the feasibility, the effectiveness and the efficacy of end-effector robot training in people with PSP.Method: Pilot observational trial.Participants: Five cognitively intact participants with PSP and gait disorders.Interventions: Patients were submitted to a rehabilitative program of robot-assisted walking sessions for 45 minutes, 5 times a week for 4 weeks.Main outcome measures: The spatiotemporal parameters at the beginning (T0 and at the end of treatment (T1 were recorded by a gait analysis laboratory.Results: Robot training was feasible, acceptable and safe and all participants completed the prescribed training sessions. All patients showed an improvement in the gait index (Mean velocity, Cadence, Step length and Step width (T0 versus T1.Conclusions: Robot training is a feasible and safe form of rehabilitation for cognitively intact people with PSP. This innovative approach can contribute to improve lower limb motor recovery. The focus on gait recovery is another quality that makes this research important for clinical practice. On the whole, the simplicity of treatment, the lack of side effects and the positive results in the patients support the recommendation to extend the trials of this treatment. Further investigation regarding the effectiveness of robot training in time is necessary.Trial registration: ClinicalTrials.gov NCT01668407.

Detection of pregnancy by radioimmunoassay of a pregnancy serum protein (PSP60) in cattle

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mialon, M.M.; Renand, G.; Camous, S.; Martal, J.; Menissier, F.

1994-01-01

The accuracy and efficiency of pregnancy diagnoses in cattle by pregnancy serum protein (PSP60) radioimmunoassay, a progesterone radioimmunoassay or oestrus detection were compared. Blood samples were taken from 349 suckling heifers and cows ( 1 191 inseminations) at 28, 35, 50 and 90 d post-insemination for PSP60 determination and at 22-23 d for progesterone. Females were declared nonpregnant when plasma PSP60 concentration was lower than 0.2 ng/ml at 28, 35 and 50 d and 0.5 ng/ml at 90 d. When compared with rectal palpation at 90 d, the accuracy of positive (negative) diagnoses by progesterone assay was 80% (100%) in heifers and 75% (99%) in cows. The accuracy of positive diagnoses by PSP60 assay increased with gestation stage from 90% on d 28 in heifers (74% in cows) to 100% (99% in cows) at the time of rectal palpation. This accuracy was 84% on d 28 in cows when the interval from calving to blood sampling was higher than 115 d. Whatever the stage, the accuracy of negative diagnoses was higher than 90%. Efficiency in detecting pregnant or nonpregnant females on d 28 was equivalent to the progesterone assay. The method for detecting oestrus applied in this experiment was as efficient as the PSP60 or progesterone test at any stage of gestation. The PSP60 test is very flexible, which makes its use particularly interesting in naturally mated suckling herds because of the uncertainty regarding the date of fertilization. (authors)

The inhibitory effects of polysaccharide peptides (PsP of Ganoderma lucidum against atherosclerosis in rats with dyslipidemia

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Titin Andri Wihastuti

2017-04-01

Full Text Available BackgroundAtherosclerosis occurs as a result of low-density lipoprotein (LDL deposits oxidation. Endothelial dysfunction is an early process of atherosclerosis. Restoring endothelial lining back to normal by endothelial progenitor cells (EPCs is critical for slowing or reversing vascular disease progression. Oxidative stress from hydrogen peroxide (H2O2 is increased in dyslipidemia so that antioxidant agent is required to prevent destruction of blood vessels.ObjectivesThis study aims to report Ganoderma lucidum polysaccharide peptide (PsP effects in atherogenic process by measuring H2O2 level, IL-10 level, and EPC number in blood serum, and also intima-media thickness of aorta in dyslipidemia Wistar rat model by giving them a hypercholesterol diet (HCD.Materials and methodsThe study was an experimental in vivo post-test with control group design. Thirty-five Wistar rats (Rattus norwegicus were divided into five groups (normal diet group, HCD group, and hypercholesterol groups that received 50 mg/kg, 150 mg/kg, and 300 mg/kg bodyweight PsP.ResultsEach treatment group showed significant results for the administration of PsP using the one-way analysis of variance test (p<0.050 for the reduction of H2O2 (p = 0.003, levels of IL-10 (p = 0.027, number of EPC in the blood serum (p = 0.011, and the intima-media thickness of the aorta (p = 0.000. PsP from G. lucidum is a potent antioxidant and may prevent atherogenesis process in patients with dyslipidemia.ConclusionsThe optimum doses of PsP in this study is 300 mg/kg bodyweight. Further studies are required to determine the antioxidant effects of PsP G. lucidum and its benefits in the management of dyslipidemia.

Data-Acquisition Software for PSP/TSP Wind-Tunnel Cameras

Science.gov (United States)

Amer, Tahani R.; Goad, William K.

2005-01-01

Wing-Viewer is a computer program for acquisition and reduction of image data acquired by any of five different scientificgrade commercial electronic cameras used at Langley Research center to observe wind-tunnel models coated with pressure or temperature-sensitive paints (PSP/TSP). Wing-Viewer provides full automation of camera operation and acquisition of image data, and has limited data-preprocessing capability for quick viewing of the results of PSP/TSP test images. Wing- Viewer satisfies a requirement for a standard interface between all the cameras and a single personal computer: Written by use of Microsoft Visual C++ and the Microsoft Foundation Class Library as a framework, Wing-Viewer has the ability to communicate with the C/C++ software libraries that run on the controller circuit cards of all five cameras.

Automatic classification of patients with idiopathic Parkinson's disease and progressive supranuclear palsy using diffusion MRI datasets

Science.gov (United States)

Talai, Sahand; Boelmans, Kai; Sedlacik, Jan; Forkert, Nils D.

2017-03-01

Parkinsonian syndromes encompass a spectrum of neurodegenerative diseases, which can be classified into various subtypes. The differentiation of these subtypes is typically conducted based on clinical criteria. Due to the overlap of intra-syndrome symptoms, the accurate differential diagnosis based on clinical guidelines remains a challenge with failure rates up to 25%. The aim of this study is to present an image-based classification method of patients with Parkinson's disease (PD) and patients with progressive supranuclear palsy (PSP), an atypical variant of PD. Therefore, apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) parameter maps were calculated based on diffusion-tensor magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) datasets. Mean ADC values were determined in 82 brain regions using an atlas-based approach. The extracted mean ADC values for each patient were then used as features for classification using a linear kernel support vector machine classifier. To increase the classification accuracy, a feature selection was performed, which resulted in the top 17 attributes to be used as the final input features. A leave-one-out cross validation based on 56 PD and 21 PSP subjects revealed that the proposed method is capable of differentiating PD and PSP patients with an accuracy of 94.8%. In conclusion, the classification of PD and PSP patients based on ADC features obtained from diffusion MRI datasets is a promising new approach for the differentiation of Parkinsonian syndromes in the broader context of decision support systems.

PSP SAR interferometry monitoring of ground and structure deformations in the archeological site of Pompeii

Science.gov (United States)

Costantini, Mario; Francioni, Elena; Paglia, Luca; Minati, Federico; Margottini, Claudio; Spizzichino, Daniele; Trigila, Alessandro; Iadanza, Carla; De Nigris, Bruno

2016-04-01

The "Major Project Pompeii" (MPP) is a great collective commitment of different institututions and people to set about solving the serious problem of conservation of the largest archeological sites in the world. The ancient city of Pompeii with its 66 hectares, 44 of which are excaveted, is divided into 9 regiones (district), subdivided in 118 insulae (blocks) and almost 1500 domus (houses), and is Unesco site since 1996. The Italian Ministry for Heritage and Cultural Activities and Tourism (MiBACT) and Finmeccanica Group have sealed an agreement whereby the Finmeccanica Group will donate innovative technologies and services for monitoring and protecting the archaeological site of Pompeii. Moreover, the Italian Institute for Environment Protection and Research (ISPRA) - Geological Survey of Italy, was also involved to support the ground based analysis and interpretation of the measurements provided by the industrial team, in order to promote an interdisciplinary approach. In this work, we will focus on ground deformation measurements obtained by satellite SAR interferometry and on their interpretation. The satellite monitoring service is based on the processing of COSMO-SkyMed Himage data by the e-Geos proprietary Persistent Scatterer Pair (PSP) SAR interferometry technology. The PSP technique is a proven SAR interferometry method characterized by the fact of exploiting in the processing only the relative properties between close points (pairs) in order to overcome atmospheric artifacts (which are one of the main problems of SAR interferometry). Validations analyses showed that this technique applied to COSMO-SkyMed Himage data is able to retrieve very dense (except of course on vegetated or cultivated areas) millimetric deformation measurements with sub-metric localization. By means of the COSMO-SkyMed PSP SAR interferometry processing, a historical analysis of the ground and structure deformations occurred over the entire archaeological site of Pompeii in the

Combination of pneumococcal surface protein A (PspA with whole cell pertussis vaccine increases protection against pneumococcal challenge in mice.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Maria Leonor S Oliveira

Full Text Available Streptococcus pneumoniae is the leading cause of respiratory acute infections around the world. In Latin America, approximately 20,000 children under 5 years of age die of pneumococcal diseases annually. Pneumococcal surface protein A (PspA is among the best-characterized pneumococcal antigens that confer protection in animal models of pneumococcal infections and, as such, is a good alternative for the currently available conjugated vaccines. Efficient immune responses directed to PspA in animal models have already been described. Nevertheless, few low cost adjuvants for a subunit pneumococcal vaccine have been proposed to date. Here, we have tested the adjuvant properties of the whole cell Bordetella pertussis vaccine (wP that is currently part of the DTP (diphtheria-tetanus-pertussis vaccine administrated to children in several countries, as an adjuvant to PspA. Nasal immunization of BALB/c mice with a combination of PspA5 and wP or wP(low--a new generation vaccine that contains low levels of B. pertussis LPS--conferred protection against a respiratory lethal challenge with S. pneumoniae. Both PspA5-wP and PspA5-wP(low vaccines induced high levels of systemic and mucosal antibodies against PspA5, with similar profile, indicating no essential requirement for B. pertussis LPS in the adjuvant properties of wP. Accordingly, nasal immunization of C3H/HeJ mice with PspA5-wP conferred protection against the pneumococcal challenge, thus ruling out a role for TLR4 responses in the adjuvant activity and the protection mechanisms triggered by the vaccines. The high levels of anti-PspA5 antibodies correlated with increased cross-reactivity against PspAs from different clades and also reflected in cross-protection. In addition, passive immunization experiments indicated that antibodies played an important role in protection in this model. Finally, subcutaneous immunization with a combination of PspA5 with DTP(low protected mice against challenge with two

The pancreas responds to remote damage and systemic stress by secretion of the pancreatic secretory proteins PSP/regI and PAP/regIII.

Science.gov (United States)

Reding, Theresia; Palmiere, Cristian; Pazhepurackel, Clinsyjos; Schiesser, Marc; Bimmler, Daniel; Schlegel, Andrea; Süss, Ursula; Steiner, Sabrina; Mancina, Leandro; Seleznik, Gitta; Graf, Rolf

2017-05-02

In patients with infection and sepsis serum levels of Pancreatic Stone protein/regenerating protein I (PSP) are highly elevated. The origin of PSP during these conditions is presumably the pancreas, however, an intestinal origin cannot be excluded. Similarly, pancreatitis-associated protein (PAP) was identified in the pancreas. These proteins were also localized in intestinal organs. Here we aim to elucidate the bio-distribution of PSP and PAP in animal models of sepsis and in healthy humans. PSP and PAP responded to remote lesions in rats although the pancreatic response was much more pronounced than the intestinal. Tissue distribution of PSP demonstrated a 100-fold higher content in the pancreas compared to any other organ while PAP was most abundant in the small intestine. Both proteins responded to CLP or sham operation in the pancreas. PSP also increased in the intestine during CLP. The distribution of PSP and PAP in human tissue mirrored the distribution in the murine models. Distribution of PSP and PAP was visualized by immunohistochemistry. Rats and mice underwent midline laparotomies followed by mobilization of tissue and incision of the pancreatic duct or duodenum. Standard cecum-ligation-puncture (CLP) procedures or sham laparotomies were performed. Human tissue extracts were analyzed for PSP and PAP. The pancreas reacts to remote lesions and septic insults in mice and rats with increased PSP synthesis, while PAP is selectively responsive to septic events. Furthermore, our results suggest that serum PSP in septic patients is predominantly derived through an acute phase response of the pancreas.

Analysis of Pumped Storage Plants (PSP) viability associated with other types of intermittent renewable energy

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Andrade, J G P; Barbosa, P S F; Luvizotto, E Jr; Zuculin, S; Pinto, Marrc; Filho, G L Tiago

2014-01-01

The energy generated by wind or solar photovoltaic (PV system) can be used by PSP to accumulate water in the upper reservoir, in the form of potential energy to be used later, during periods of high energy demand. This procedure offers the advantage of enabling the use of intermittent renewable energy source in times of growing needs of the electric power supply. The location of the PSP, the environmental aspects involved, their possible use for various purposes (stability of the power system at peak times, associate the turbine water for public supply purposes, among others) and the discussion of regulatory issues needs to be debated in the current context, where environmental issues require reliable sources of power generation and demand shows strong growth rates. A dynamic model is used to analyze the behavior of a PSP proposal for a site in Brazil, analyzing a complete cycle of its operation as a pump or turbine. The existing difficulties to use this proposal based on existing regulatory policies are also discussed, and a list of recommended adjustments is provided to allow the penetrations of PSP projects in the Brazilian institutional framework, coupled with other intermittent energy sources

Check-All-That-Apply (CATA), Sorting, and Polarized Sensory Positioning (PSP) with Astringent Stimuli

Science.gov (United States)

Fleming, Erin E.; Ziegler, Gregory R.; Hayes, John E.

2015-01-01

Multiple rapid sensory profiling techniques have been developed as more efficient alternatives to traditional sensory descriptive analysis. Here, we compare the results of three rapid sensory profiling techniques – check-all-that-apply (CATA), sorting, and polarized sensory positioning (PSP) – using a diverse range of astringent stimuli. These rapid methods differ in their theoretical basis, implementation, and data analyses, and the relative advantages and limitations are largely unexplored. Additionally, we were interested in using these methods to compare varied astringent stimuli, as these compounds are difficult to characterize using traditional descriptive analysis due to high fatigue and potential carry-over. In the CATA experiment, subjects (n=41) were asked to rate the overall intensity of each stimulus as well as to endorse any relevant terms (from a list of 13) which characterized the sample. In the sorting experiment, subjects (n=30) assigned intensity-matched stimuli into groups 1-on-1 with the experimenter. In the PSP experiment, (n=41) subjects first sampled and took notes on three blind references (‘poles’) before rating each stimulus for its similarity to each of the 3 poles. Two-dimensional perceptual maps from correspondence analysis (CATA), multidimensional scaling (sorting), and multiple factor analysis (PSP) were remarkably similar, with normalized RV coefficients indicating significantly similar plots, regardless of method. Agglomerative hierarchical clustering of all data sets using Ward’s minimum variance as the linkage criteria showed the clusters of astringent stimuli were approximately based on the respective class of astringent agent. Based on the descriptive CATA data, it appears these differences may be due to the presence of side tastes such as bitterness and sourness, rather than astringent sub-qualities per se. Although all three methods are considered ‘rapid,’ our prior experience with sorting suggests it is best

A comparison of film and 3 digital imaging systems for natural dental caries detection: CCD, CMOS, PSP and film

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Han, Won Jeong [Dankook University College of Medicine, Seoul (Korea, Republic of)

2004-03-15

To evaluate the diagnostic accuracy of occlusal and proximal caries detection using CCD, CMOS, PSP and film system. 32 occlusal and 30 proximal tooth surfaces were radiographed under standardized conditions using 3 digital systems; CCD (CDX-2000HQ, Biomedysis Co., Seoul, Korea), CMOS (Schick, Schick Inc., Long Island, USA), PSP (Digora FMX, Orion Co./Soredex, Helsinki, Finland) and 1 film system (Kodak Insight, Eastman Kodak, Rochester, USA). 5 observers examined the radiographs for occlusal and proximal caries using a 5-point confidence scale. The presence of caries was validated histologically and radiographically. Diagnostic accuracy was evaluated using ROC curve areas (AZ). Analysis using ROC curves revealed the area under each curve which indicated a diagnostic accuracy. For occlusal caries, Kodak Insight film had an Az of 0.765, CCD one of 0.730, CMOS one of 0.742 and PSP one of 0.735. For proximal caries, Kodak Insight film had an Az of 0.833, CCD one of 0.832, CMOS one of 0.828 and PSP one of 0.868. No statistically significant difference was noted between any of the imaging modalities. CCD, CMOS, PSP and film performed equally well in the detection of occlusal and proximal dental caries. CCD, CMOS and PSP-based digital images provided a level of diagnostic performance comparable to Kodak Insight film.

A comparison of film and 3 digital imaging systems for natural dental caries detection: CCD, CMOS, PSP and film

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Han, Won Jeong

2004-01-01

To evaluate the diagnostic accuracy of occlusal and proximal caries detection using CCD, CMOS, PSP and film system. 32 occlusal and 30 proximal tooth surfaces were radiographed under standardized conditions using 3 digital systems; CCD (CDX-2000HQ, Biomedysis Co., Seoul, Korea), CMOS (Schick, Schick Inc., Long Island, USA), PSP (Digora FMX, Orion Co./Soredex, Helsinki, Finland) and 1 film system (Kodak Insight, Eastman Kodak, Rochester, USA). 5 observers examined the radiographs for occlusal and proximal caries using a 5-point confidence scale. The presence of caries was validated histologically and radiographically. Diagnostic accuracy was evaluated using ROC curve areas (AZ). Analysis using ROC curves revealed the area under each curve which indicated a diagnostic accuracy. For occlusal caries, Kodak Insight film had an Az of 0.765, CCD one of 0.730, CMOS one of 0.742 and PSP one of 0.735. For proximal caries, Kodak Insight film had an Az of 0.833, CCD one of 0.832, CMOS one of 0.828 and PSP one of 0.868. No statistically significant difference was noted between any of the imaging modalities. CCD, CMOS, PSP and film performed equally well in the detection of occlusal and proximal dental caries. CCD, CMOS and PSP-based digital images provided a level of diagnostic performance comparable to Kodak Insight film.

PSP: rapid identification of orthologous coding genes under positive selection across multiple closely related prokaryotic genomes.

Science.gov (United States)

Su, Fei; Ou, Hong-Yu; Tao, Fei; Tang, Hongzhi; Xu, Ping

2013-12-27

With genomic sequences of many closely related bacterial strains made available by deep sequencing, it is now possible to investigate trends in prokaryotic microevolution. Positive selection is a sub-process of microevolution, in which a particular mutation is favored, causing the allele frequency to continuously shift in one direction. Wide scanning of prokaryotic genomes has shown that positive selection at the molecular level is much more frequent than expected. Genes with significant positive selection may play key roles in bacterial adaption to different environmental pressures. However, selection pressure analyses are computationally intensive and awkward to configure. Here we describe an open access web server, which is designated as PSP (Positive Selection analysis for Prokaryotic genomes) for performing evolutionary analysis on orthologous coding genes, specially designed for rapid comparison of dozens of closely related prokaryotic genomes. Remarkably, PSP facilitates functional exploration at the multiple levels by assignments and enrichments of KO, GO or COG terms. To illustrate this user-friendly tool, we analyzed Escherichia coli and Bacillus cereus genomes and found that several genes, which play key roles in human infection and antibiotic resistance, show significant evidence of positive selection. PSP is freely available to all users without any login requirement at: http://db-mml.sjtu.edu.cn/PSP/. PSP ultimately allows researchers to do genome-scale analysis for evolutionary selection across multiple prokaryotic genomes rapidly and easily, and identify the genes undergoing positive selection, which may play key roles in the interactions of host-pathogen and/or environmental adaptation.

Diffusion and the self-measurability

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Holeček M.

2009-06-01

Full Text Available The familiar diffusion equation, ∂g/∂t = DΔg, is studied by using the spatially averaged quantities. A non-local relation, so-called the self-measurability condition, fulfilled by this equation is obtained. We define a broad class of diffusion equations defined by some "diffusion inequality", ∂g/∂t · Δg ≥ 0, and show that it is equivalent to the self-measurability condition. It allows formulating the diffusion inequality in a non-local form. That represents an essential generalization of the diffusion problem in the case when the field g(x, t is not smooth. We derive a general differential equation for averaged quantities coming from the self-measurability condition.

Anionic lipids and the cytoskeletal proteins MreB and RodZ define the spatio-temporal distribution and function of membrane stress controller PspA in Escherichia coli.

Science.gov (United States)

Jovanovic, Goran; Mehta, Parul; Ying, Liming; Buck, Martin

2014-11-01

All cell types must maintain the integrity of their membranes. The conserved bacterial membrane-associated protein PspA is a major effector acting upon extracytoplasmic stress and is implicated in protection of the inner membrane of pathogens, formation of biofilms and multi-drug-resistant persister cells. PspA and its homologues in Gram-positive bacteria and archaea protect the cell envelope whilst also supporting thylakoid biogenesis in cyanobacteria and higher plants. In enterobacteria, PspA is a dual function protein negatively regulating the Psp system in the absence of stress and acting as an effector of membrane integrity upon stress. We show that in Escherichia coli the low-order oligomeric PspA regulatory complex associates with cardiolipin-rich, curved polar inner membrane regions. There, cardiolipin and the flotillin 1 homologue YqiK support the PspBC sensors in transducing a membrane stress signal to the PspA-PspF inhibitory complex. After stress perception, PspA high-order oligomeric effector complexes initially assemble in polar membrane regions. Subsequently, the discrete spatial distribution and dynamics of PspA effector(s) in lateral membrane regions depend on the actin homologue MreB and the peptidoglycan machinery protein RodZ. The consequences of loss of cytoplasmic membrane anionic lipids, MreB, RodZ and/or YqiK suggest that the mode of action of the PspA effector is closely associated with cell envelope organization. © 2014 The Authors.

Diffusion measurements by Raman spectroscopy

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Hansen, Susanne Brunsgaard; Shapiro, Alexander; Berg, Rolf W.

Poster "Diffusion measurements by Raman spectroscopy", See poster at http://www.kemi.dtu.dk/~ajo/rolf/petroday2004.ppt......Poster "Diffusion measurements by Raman spectroscopy", See poster at http://www.kemi.dtu.dk/~ajo/rolf/petroday2004.ppt...

[Can solar/geomagnetic activity restrict the occurrence of some shellfish poisoning outbreaks? The example of PSP caused by Gymnodinium catenatum at the Atlantic Portuguese coast].

Science.gov (United States)

Vale, P

2013-01-01

Cyclic outbreaks of accumulation of paralytic shellfish poisoning (PSP) toxins in mussels attributed to Gymnodinium catenatum blooms displayed several of the highest inter-annual maxima coincidental with minima of the 11-year solar sunspot number (SSN) cycle. The monthly distribution of PSP was associated with low levels of the solar radio flux, a more quantitative approach than SSN for fluctuations in solar activity. A comparison between monthly distribution of PSP and other common biotoxins (okadaic acid (OA), dinophysistoxin-2 (DTX2) and amnesic shellfish poisoning (ASP) toxins) demonstrated that only PSP was significantly associated with low levels of radio flux (p < 0.01). PSP occurrence suggests a prior decline in solar activity could be required to act as a trigger, in a similar manner to a photoperiodic signal. The seasonal frequency increased towards autumn during the study period, which might be related to the progressive atmospheric cut-off of deleterious radiation associated with the seasonal change in solar declination, and might play an additional role in seasonal signal-triggering. PSP distribution was also associated with low levels of the geomagnetic index Aa. A comparison between monthly distribution of PSP and other common biotoxins, also demonstrated that only PSP was significantly associated with low levels of the Aa index (p < 0.01). In some years of SSN minima no significant PSP-outbreaks in mussels were detected. This was attributed to a steady rise in geomagnetic activity that could disrupt the triggering signal. Global distribution patterns show that hotspots for G. catenatum blooms are regions with deficient crustal magnetic anomalies. In addition to the variable magnetic field mostly of solar origin, static fields related to magnetized rocks in the crust and upper mantle might play a role in restricting worldwide geographic distribution.

Determination of the Thermal Offset of the Eppley Precision Spectral Pyranometer

Science.gov (United States)

Haeffelin, Martial; Kato, Seiji; Smith, Amie M.; Rutledge, C. Ken; Charlock, Thomas P.; Mahan, J. Robert

2001-01-01

Eppley's precision spectral pyranometer (PSP) is used in networks around the world to measure downwelling diffuse and global solar irradiance at the surface of the Earth. In recent years several studies have shown significant discrepancy between irradiances measured by pyranometers and those computed by atmospheric radiative transfer models. Pyranometer measurements have been questioned because observed diffuse irradiances sometimes are below theoretical minimum values for a pure molecular atmosphere, and at night the instruments often produce nonzero signals ranging between + 5 and - 10 W/sq m. We install thermistor sondes in the body of a PSP as well as on its inner dome to monitor the temperature gradients within the instrument, and we operate a pyrgeometer (PIR) instrument side by side with the PSP. We derive a relationship between the PSP output and thermal radiative exchange by the dome and the detector and a relationship between the PSP output and the PIR thermopile output (net-IR). We determine the true PSP offset by quickly capping the instrument at set time intervals. For a ventilated and shaded PSP, the thermal offset can reach - 15 W/sq m under clear skies, whereas it remains close to zero for low overcast clouds. We estimate the PSP thermal offset by two methods: (1) using the PSP temperatures and (2) using the PIR net-IR signal. The offset computed from the PSP temperatures yields a reliable estimate of the true offset (+/- 1 W/sq m). The offset computed from net-IR is consistent with the true offset at night and under overcast skies but predicts only part of the true range under clear skies.

Familias de la proteína de superficie PspA de Streptococcus pneumoniae: Relación con serotipos y localización

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Clara Mayoral

2010-10-01

Full Text Available PspA, proteína de superficie de Streptococcus pneumoniae es un factor de virulencia, fuertemente inmunogénica y común a todos los serotipos. Aunque el gen que codifica para esta proteína presenta una marcada heterogeneidad en la región correspondiente al N-terminal, la PspA contiene epitopes conservados de manera tal que la inmunización genera protección contra neumococos pertenecientes a diversos tipos capsulares y con distintas PspA. A pesar del marcado polimorfismo del gen pspA es posible agrupar las distintas variantes en 3 familias mayoritarias. Estas propiedades las convierten en candidatas ideales para elaborar vacunas. Debido a que la mayoría de los trabajos sobre identificación de familias fueron realizados sobre serotipos frecuentes en otros países, el objetivo fue identificar las familias de PspA de aislamientos de pacientes de nuestra región y relacionarlas con los serotipos prevalentes y patologías. Se estudiaron 70 aislamientos, provenientes de niños con infecciones invasoras. Se aplicó una PCR utilizando cebadores específicos de cada familia. El 60% fueron familia 1 y 34% familia 2. En un 6% no se identificó ninguna de las familias de PspA. Los serotipos 1 y 5 presentaron familia 1 únicamente; los serotipos 14, 6B, 19F y 18C mostraron genes de ambas familias. La familia 1 se observó en 60% de las neumonías y 50% de las meningitis. La familia 2 en 33% de neumonías y 50% de meningitis. Esta información podría ser un valioso aporte para la formulación de una vacuna regional efectiva utilizando PspA recombinante como inmunógeno.

Immunomodulatory effect of APS and PSP is mediated by Ca2+-cAMP and TLR4/NF-κB signaling pathway in macrophage.

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Zhixue; Liu, Zijing; Zhou, Lijng; Long, Tingting; Zhou, Xing; Bao, Yixi

2017-01-01

This study is to investigate the role of second messengers and TLR4/NF-κB signaling pathway in the immunomodulatory activities of Astragalus polysaccharide (APS) and Polysaccharopeptide (PSP) in macrophages. RAW 264.7 macrophage cells were treated with APS, PSP, lipopolysaccharide (LPS), or NiCl 2 . Power-spectral method was used to detect protein kinase C (PKC) and Griess reaction to detect nitric oxide (NO). ELISA was conducted to detect cyclic adenosine monophosphate (cAMP), diglycerides (DAG), inositol 1, 4, 5-triphosphate (IP3), tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) and interleukin-6 (IL-6). Confocal laser scanning microscopy was performed to detect calcium level. qRT-PCR and Western blot was used to detect mRNA and protein expression of NF-κB. APS and PSP significantly increased the concentrations of intracellular second messengers (NO, cAMP, DAG, IP3, Ca 2+ ) and the activity of PKC in macrophages (pAPS and PSP (pAPS and PSP mediated immunomodulatory activities in macrophages. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Measuring methods of matrix diffusion

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Muurinen, A.; Valkiainen, M.

1988-03-01

In Finland the spent nuclear fuel is planned to be disposed of at large depths in crystalline bedrock. The radionuclides which are dissolved in the groundwater may be able to diffuse into the micropores of the porous rock matrix and thus be withdrawn from the flowing water in the fractures. This phenomenon is called matrix diffusion. A review over matrix diffusion is presented in the study. The main interest is directed to the diffusion of non-sorbing species. The review covers diffusion experiments and measurements of porosity, pore size, specific surface area and water permeability

Nontypeable pneumococci can be divided into multiple cps types, including one type expressing the novel gene pspK.

Science.gov (United States)

Park, In Ho; Kim, Kyung-Hyo; Andrade, Ana Lucia; Briles, David E; McDaniel, Larry S; Nahm, Moon H

2012-01-01

Although virulence of Streptococcus pneumoniae is associated with its capsule, some pathogenic S. pneumoniae isolates lack capsules and are serologically nontypeable (NT). We obtained 64 isolates that were identified as NT "pneumococci" (i.e., bacteria satisfying the conventional definition but without the multilocus sequence typing [MLST]-based definition of S. pneumoniae) by the traditional criteria. All 64 were optochin sensitive and had lytA, and 63 had ply. Twelve isolates had cpsA, suggesting the presence of a conventional but defective capsular polysaccharide synthesis (cps) locus. The 52 cpsA-negative isolates could be divided into three null capsule clades (NCC) based on aliC (aliB-like ORF1), aliD (aliB-like ORF2), and our newly discovered gene, pspK, in their cps loci. pspK encodes a protein with a long alpha-helical region containing an LPxTG motif and a YPT motif known to bind human pIgR. There were nine isolates in NCC1 (pspK(+) but negative for aliC and aliD), 32 isolates in NCC2 (aliC(+) aliD(+) but negative for pspK), and 11 in NCC3 (aliD(+) but negative for aliC and pspK). Among 52 cpsA-negative isolates, 41 were identified as S. pneumoniae by MLST analysis. All NCC1 and most NCC2 isolates were S. pneumoniae, whereas all nine NCC3 and two NCC2 isolates were not S. pneumoniae. Several NCC1 and NCC2 isolates from multiple individuals had identical MLST and cps regions, showing that unencapsulated S. pneumoniae can be infectious among humans. Furthermore, NCC1 and NCC2 S. pneumoniae isolates could colonize mice as well as encapsulated S. pneumoniae, although S. pneumoniae with an artificially disrupted cps locus did not. Moreover, an NCC1 isolate with pspK deletion did not colonize mice, suggesting that pspK is critical for colonization. Thus, PspK may provide pneumococci a means of surviving in the nasopharynx without capsule. IMPORTANCE The presence of a capsule is critical for many pathogenic bacteria, including pneumococci. Reflecting the

Defective plastic infection-control barriers and faulty technique may cause PSP plate contamination used in digital intraoral radiography.

Science.gov (United States)

Kuperstein, Arthur S

2012-09-01

Fifty-two disinfected photostimulable phosphor (PSP) plates in plastic barrier envelopes were evaluated for contamination following placement in 30 study participants. Forty-four plates were acceptable for use in the study. The risk factor was the abundant oropharyngeal microbial flora and its ability to breach infection-control barrier sheaths. The presence of bacterial colonies on an agar plate was used to determine bacterial contamination and the presence of any growth indicated failure of the barrier envelope. Before clinical placement of the plates, quality review of the PSP plates revealed defects in the integrity of 4 barrier envelopes most likely caused by forceps-related damage or failure to achieve a uniform seal during manufacturing. These defects allowed substantial contamination. Contamination also occurred as a result of failure to extract the PSP plate from the barrier envelope cleanly. Of the 44 barriers with no obvious signs of a defect, 3 produced bacterial growth following culture. The authors concluded that digital sensor sheathed in barrier envelopes remain a potential source of contamination. PSP plates must be disinfected between removal from a contaminated barrier envelope (used in a patient) and placement in a new barrier envelope. In addition, placement into the barrier envelope should ideally be carried out under aseptic conditions. Finally, the integrity of each sealed barrier envelope must be verified visually. Copyright © 2012. Published by Mosby, Inc. All rights reserved.

Comparison of radon diffusion coefficients measured by transient-diffusion and steady-state laboratory methods

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kalwarf, D.R.; Nielson, K.K.; Rich, D.C.; Rogers, V.C.

1982-11-01

A method was developed and used to determine radon diffusion coefficients in compacted soils by transient-diffusion measurements. A relative standard deviation of 12% was observed in repeated measurements with a dry soil by the transient-diffusion method, and a 40% uncertainty was determined for moistures exceeding 50% of saturation. Excellent agreement was also obtained between values of the diffusion coefficient for radon in air, as measured by the transient-diffusion method, and those in the published literature. Good agreement was also obtained with diffusion coefficients measured by a steady-state method on the same soils. The agreement was best at low moistures, averaging less than ten percent difference, but differences of up to a factor of two were observed at high moistures. The comparison of the transient-diffusion and steady-state methods at low moistures provides an excellent verification of the theoretical validity and technical accuracy of these approaches, which are based on completely independent experimental conditions, measurement methods and mathematical interpretations

Diffusion tensor imaging of Parkinson's disease, multiple system atrophy and progressive supranuclear palsy: a tract-based spatial statistics study.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Amanda Worker

Full Text Available Although often clinically indistinguishable in the early stages, Parkinson's disease (PD, Multiple System Atrophy (MSA and Progressive Supranuclear Palsy (PSP have distinct neuropathological changes. The aim of the current study was to identify white matter tract neurodegeneration characteristic of each of the three syndromes. Tract-based spatial statistics (TBSS was used to perform a whole-brain automated analysis of diffusion tensor imaging (DTI data to compare differences in fractional anisotropy (FA and mean diffusivity (MD between the three clinical groups and healthy control subjects. Further analyses were conducted to assess the relationship between these putative indices of white matter microstructure and clinical measures of disease severity and symptoms. In PSP, relative to controls, changes in DTI indices consistent with white matter tract degeneration were identified in the corpus callosum, corona radiata, corticospinal tract, superior longitudinal fasciculus, anterior thalamic radiation, superior cerebellar peduncle, medial lemniscus, retrolenticular and anterior limb of the internal capsule, cerebral peduncle and external capsule bilaterally, as well as the left posterior limb of the internal capsule and the right posterior thalamic radiation. MSA patients also displayed differences in the body of the corpus callosum corticospinal tract, cerebellar peduncle, medial lemniscus, anterior and superior corona radiata, posterior limb of the internal capsule external capsule and cerebral peduncle bilaterally, as well as the left anterior limb of the internal capsule and the left anterior thalamic radiation. No significant white matter abnormalities were observed in the PD group. Across groups, MD correlated positively with disease severity in all major white matter tracts. These results show widespread changes in white matter tracts in both PSP and MSA patients, even at a mid-point in the disease process, which are not found in patients

Investigation of Unsteady Pressure-Sensitive Paint (uPSP) and a Dynamic Loads Balance to Predict Launch Vehicle Buffet Environments

Science.gov (United States)

Schuster, David M.; Panda, Jayanta; Ross, James C.; Roozeboom, Nettie H.; Burnside, Nathan J.; Ngo, Christina L.; Kumagai, Hiro; Sellers, Marvin; Powell, Jessica M.; Sekula, Martin K.;

Thermal diffusivity effect in opto-thermal skin measurements

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Xiao, P; Imhof, R E; Cui, Y; Ciortea, L I; Berg, E P

2010-01-01

We present our latest study on the thermal diffusivity effect in opto-thermal skin measurements. We discuss how thermal diffusivity affects the shape of opto-thermal signal, and how to measure thermal diffusivity in opto-thermal measurements of arbitrary sample surfaces. We also present a mathematical model for a thermally gradient material, and its corresponding opto-thermal signal. Finally, we show some of our latest experimental results of this thermal diffusivity effect study.

PSP SAR interferometry monitoring of ground and structure deformations applied to archaeological sites

Science.gov (United States)

Costantini, Mario; Francioni, Elena; Trillo, Francesco; Minati, Federico; Margottini, Claudio; Spizzichino, Daniele; Trigila, Alessandro; Iadanza, Carla

2017-04-01

Archaeological sites and cultural heritage are considered as critical assets for the society, representing not only the history of region or a culture, but also contributing to create a common identity of people living in a certain region. In this view, it is becoming more and more urgent to preserve them from climate changes effect and in general from their degradation. These structures are usually just as precious as fragile: remote sensing technology can be useful to monitor these treasures. In this work, we will focus on ground deformation measurements obtained by satellite SAR interferometry and on the methodology adopted and implemented in order to use the results operatively for conservation policies in a Italian archaeological site. The analysis is based on the processing of COSMO-SkyMed Himage data by the e-GEOS proprietary Persistent Scatterer Pair (PSP) SAR interferometry technology. The PSP technique is a proven SAR interferometry technology characterized by the fact of exploiting in the processing only the relative properties between close points (pairs) in order to overcome atmospheric artefacts (which are one of the main problems of SAR interferometry). Validations analyses [Costantini et al. 2015] settled that this technique applied to COSMO-SkyMed Himage data is able to retrieve very dense (except of course on vegetated or cultivated areas) millimetric deformation measurements with sub-metric localization. Considering the limitations of all the interferometric techniques, in particular the fact that the measurement are along the line of sight (LOS) and the geometric distortions, in order to obtain the maximum information from interferometric analysis, both ascending and descending geometry have been used. The ascending analysis allows selecting measurements points over the top and, approximately, South-West part of the structures, while the descending one over the top and the South-East part of the structures. The interferometric techniques needs

Atmospheric diffusion wind tunnel with automatic measurement

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Maki, S; Sakai, J; Murata, E

1974-01-01

A wind tunnel which permits estimates of atmospheric diffusion is described. Smoke from power plant smoke stacks, for example, can be simulated and traced to determine the manner of diffusion in the air as well as the grade of dilution. The wind tunnel is also capable of temperature controlled diffusion tests in which temperature distribution inside the wind tunnel is controlled. A minimum wind velocity of 10 cm can be obtained with accuracy within plus or minus 0.05 percent using a controlled direct current motor; diffusion tests are often made at low wind velocity. Fully automatic measurements can be obtained by using a minicomputer so that the operation and reading of the measuring instruments can be remotely controlled from the measuring chamber. (Air Pollut. Abstr.)

Carrier illumination measurement of dopant lateral diffusion

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Budiarto, E.; Segovia, M.; Borden, P.; Felch, S.

2005-01-01

This paper describes the application of the carrier illumination technique to non-destructively measure the lateral diffusion of implanted dopants after annealing. Experiments to validate the feasibility of this method employed test structures with a constant line width of 300 nm and varying undoped spaces of 100-5000 nm. The test patterns were implanted with a p-type dopant and annealed in a 3 x 3 matrix. For each implant condition, the measured lateral diffusion was found to increase with annealing temperature, as expected. More interestingly, the lateral diffusion was not observed to relate to the vertical diffusion by a fixed proportionality factor, as is usually assumed. The ratio of lateral to vertical diffusion varies with annealing temperature, with a trend that depends on the implant condition

Measurements of integrated direct, diffuse and global ultraviolet-B radiation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Utrillas, M.P.; Pedrós, R.; Gandía, S.; Gómez-Amo, J.L.; Estellés, V.; Martínez-Lozano, J.A.

2015-01-01

We present the first multiyear set of simultaneous measurements of the global ultraviolet-B radiation and its two components: direct and diffuse. The measurements have been taken with four YES-UVB-1 radiometers: two radiometers to measure the diffuse radiation, one provided with a shadow band and the other with a shadow disk on a Sun tracker; a radiometer to measure the global horizontal radiation; and a Sun-tracking radiometer to measure the direct radiation with an especially designed radiance collimator. The diffuse minute-values measured with both instruments agree within a coefficient correlation of 1.00. The diffuse component represents at least 50% of the global UVB (ultraviolet-B) radiation. The minute values of global UVB irradiance obtained by adding the direct and diffuse components concur with the measured global irradiance. Therefore, the measurement of the direct irradiance enables the estimation of the diffuse component, and gives an insight into the factors that affect its value, especially aerosols. - Highlights: • Simultaneous measurements of global, direct and diffuse UVB (ultraviolet-B) radiation. • The diffuse minute-values are at least 50% of the global ones. • The diffuse measurements are highly correlated to the aerosol load. • The sum of direct + diffuse radiation concur with the measured global.

Immunomodulatory effects of herbal formula of astragalus polysaccharide (APS) and polysaccharopeptide (PSP) in mice with lung cancer.

Science.gov (United States)

Zhou, Xing; Liu, Zijing; Long, Tingting; Zhou, Lijng; Bao, Yixi

2018-01-01

This study is to investigate the immunomodulatory effects of the herbal formula of astragalus polysaccharide (APS) and polysaccharopeptide (PSP) in mouse models of immunosuppression and lung cancer. Immune parameters were recorded for these model mice. Peripheral white blood cells (WBC) were detected with the automatic blood cell analyzer. Spleen and thymus indices, and tumor inhibition ratio were obtained. Percentage of peripheral blood CD4 + and CD8 + T lymphocytes were detected by flow cytometry. Serum levels of Th1 (IL-2, TNF, and IFN-γ), Th2 (IL-4, IL-6, and IL-10), and Th17 (IL-17A) were detected with the BD cytometric bead array (CBA) mouseTh1/Th2/Th17 cytokine kit. Compared with the NS group, the PSP and APS herbal formula significantly improved the WBC, thymus index, spleen index, CD4 + /CD8 + ratio, TNF, IFN-γ, IL-2, andIL-17Ainimmunosuppressivemice and lung cancer mice (PAPS herbal formula group (PAPS herbal formula group induced comparable tumor inhibiting effect with the AMD group (23.3% and 24.1%, respectively). The PSP+APS herbal formula have immunomodulatory effects and anti-tumor activity in mice with of lung cancer. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

[18F]FDDNP PET in Tauopathies: Correlation to post mortem Pathology in a Case of Progressive Supranuclear Palsy (PSP)

Science.gov (United States)

Villegas, Brendon Josef

This investigation of [18F]FDDNP was conducted in an effort to confirm the presence of disease in a patient with Progressive Supranuclear Palsy (PSP) and to correlate the ante mortem PET scan results to the post mortem pathology. The immunohistochemical and immunofluorescent staining of Paired Helical Filamentous (PHF) tau (AT8) and Amyloid Beta (6F/3D) misfolded proteins demonstrated a widespread deposition in the cortical and subcortical nuclei, the white matter, cerebellar white matter and the medulla oblongata. The in vitro autoradiography demonstrated a neocortical signal comprised of well-delineated amyloid beta in the nucleated layers I/II and hyperphosphorylated tau in the deeper layers III through VI. The autoradiography was well correlated with the immunohistochemical staining in adjacent tissue slides. The binding of the parametric [ 18F]FDDNP distribution volume ratio (DVR) correlated well (Spearman's rho = 0.962, p = .004) with the deposition of tau but not with the presence of amyloid beta (Spearman's rho = -0.829, p = .041). The [ 18F]FDDNP DVR signal appears to be primarily due to the large amount of bound hyperphosphorylated tau (p-tau) and the amyloid beta negligibly contributes to the total signal. Unlabeled FDDNP was shown to bind to tau in the form of globose tangles in the rostral ventromedial medulla as confirmed with both Thioflavin S and PHF-tau Immunofluorescence. The binding of [18F]FDDNP to the human neuroanatomy was investigated in two cohorts of distinct tauopathies and compared to the binding in two tau-negative cohorts against control patients. A cohort of PSP patients (n = 12) with a mean age of 63.8 years and a cohort of Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy (CTE) patients (n = 14) with a mean age of 58.1 years are both characterized by the presence of various degrees of tau pathology in their brains. The cohort of Parkinson's Disease (PD) patients (n = 16) with a mean age of 63.2 years is initially characterized by clinical symptoms

Finanční analýza PSP enegineering, a. s.

OpenAIRE

Červinková, Hana

2007-01-01

The purpose of this work is to carry out financial analysis of a manufacturing company which is aimed at discovering of its total financial health, present progress and is also trying to evaluate future perspective. In the methodological part there are selected methods and procedures of financial analysis characterized which are applied also in the practical part. This part is composed of several sections. In the introduction the company PSP engineering a.s. is introduced, also its focus and ...

PSP toxin levels and plankton community composition and abundance in size-fractionated vertical profiles during spring/summer blooms of the toxic dinoflagellate Alexandrium fundyense in the Gulf of Maine and on Georges Bank, 2007, 2008, and 2010: 2. Plankton community composition and abundance.

Science.gov (United States)

Petitpas, Christian M; Turner, Jefferson T; Deeds, Jonathan R; Keafer, Bruce A; McGillicuddy, Dennis J; Milligan, Peter J; Shue, Vangie; White, Kevin D; Anderson, Donald M

2014-05-01

As part of the Gulf of Maine Toxicity (GOMTOX) project, we determined Alexandrium fundyense abundance, paralytic shellfish poisoning (PSP) toxin levels in various plankton size fractions, and the community composition of potential grazers of A. fundyense in plankton size fractions during blooms of this toxic dinoflagellate in the coastal Gulf of Maine and on Georges Bank in spring and summer of 2007, 2008, and 2010. PSP toxins and A. fundyense cells were found throughout the sampled water column (down to 50 m) in the 20-64 μm size fractions. While PSP toxins were widespread throughout all size classes of the zooplankton grazing community, the majority of the toxin was measured in the 20-64 μm size fraction. A. fundyense cellular toxin content estimated from field samples was significantly higher in the coastal Gulf of Maine than on Georges Bank. Most samples containing PSP toxins in the present study had diverse assemblages of grazers. However, some samples clearly suggested PSP toxin accumulation in several different grazer taxa including tintinnids, heterotrophic dinoflagellates of the genus Protoperidinium , barnacle nauplii, the harpacticoid copepod Microsetella norvegica , the calanoid copepods Calanus finmarchicus and Pseudocalanus spp., the marine cladoceran Evadne nordmanni , and hydroids of the genus Clytia . Thus, a diverse assemblage of zooplankton grazers accumulated PSP toxins through food-web interactions. This raises the question of whether PSP toxins pose a potential human health risk not only from nearshore bivalve shellfish, but also potentially from fish and other upper-level consumers in zooplankton-based pelagic food webs.

Measuring nanoparticle diffusion in an ABELtrap

Science.gov (United States)

Dienerowitz, M.; Dienerowitz, F.; Börsch, M.

2018-03-01

Monitoring the Brownian motion of individual nanoscopic objects is key to investigate their transport properties and interactions with their close environment. Most techniques rely on transient diffusion through a detection volume or immobilisation, which restrict observation times or motility. We measure the diffusion coefficient and surface charge of individual nanoparticles and DNA molecules in an anti-Brownian electrokinetic trap (ABELtrap). This instrument is an active feedback trap confining the Brownian motion of a nanoparticle to the detection site by applying an electric field based on the particle’s current position. We simulate the Brownian motion of nanospheres in our sample geometry, including wall effects, due to partial confinement in the third dimension. The theoretically predicted values are in excellent agreement with our diffusion measurements in the ABELtrap. We also demonstrate the ABELtrap’s ability to measure varying sizes of DNA origami structures during denaturation.

Measurement of diffusive properties of intact rock

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Harvey, K B

1996-12-01

In the Postclosure Assessment of a Reference System for the Disposal of Canada`s Nuclear Fuel Waste (Goodwin et al. 1994) the disposal vault is assumed to be surrounded by a zone of intact rock, referred to as the `exclusion zone.` A sensitivity analysis of the relative effectiveness of the several engineered and natural barriers that contribute to the safety of the reference disposal system has shown that this zone of intact rock is the most effective of these barriers to the movement of radionuclides through the reference system. Peer review of the geosphere model used in the case study for the EIS (Environmental Impact Statement) of the Canadian Nuclear Fuel Waste Management Program has identified the need to quantify the properties of the intact rock surrounding the disposal vault that would control the transport of radionuclides by diffusion. The Postclosure Assessment also identified the need for appropriate values of the free water diffusion coefficient (D{sub o}) for {sup 129}1 and {sup 14}C. The measurement of rock resistivity allows the calculation of the Formation Factor for a rock This review describes the Formation Factor, diffusivity, permeability, and porosity, and how these properties might be measured or inferred for insitu rock under the conditions that apply to the intact rock surrounding a potential disposal vault. The importance of measuring the intrinsic diffusion coefficient (D{sup i}) of diffusing species under solution salinities simulating those of groundwaters is emphasised, and a method of measurement is described that is independent of the diffusing medium, and which would be appropriate for measurements made in chemically complex media such as groundwaters. (author). 95 refs., 4 tabs., 39 figs.

Measurement of diffusive properties of intact rock

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Harvey, K.B.

1996-12-01

In the Postclosure Assessment of a Reference System for the Disposal of Canada's Nuclear Fuel Waste (Goodwin et al. 1994) the disposal vault is assumed to be surrounded by a zone of intact rock, referred to as the 'exclusion zone.' A sensitivity analysis of the relative effectiveness of the several engineered and natural barriers that contribute to the safety of the reference disposal system has shown that this zone of intact rock is the most effective of these barriers to the movement of radionuclides through the reference system. Peer review of the geosphere model used in the case study for the EIS (Environmental Impact Statement) of the Canadian Nuclear Fuel Waste Management Program has identified the need to quantify the properties of the intact rock surrounding the disposal vault that would control the transport of radionuclides by diffusion. The Postclosure Assessment also identified the need for appropriate values of the free water diffusion coefficient (D o ) for 129 1 and 14 C. The measurement of rock resistivity allows the calculation of the Formation Factor for a rock This review describes the Formation Factor, diffusivity, permeability, and porosity, and how these properties might be measured or inferred for insitu rock under the conditions that apply to the intact rock surrounding a potential disposal vault. The importance of measuring the intrinsic diffusion coefficient (D i ) of diffusing species under solution salinities simulating those of groundwaters is emphasised, and a method of measurement is described that is independent of the diffusing medium, and which would be appropriate for measurements made in chemically complex media such as groundwaters. (author). 95 refs., 4 tabs., 39 figs

Binary pressure-sensitive paint measurements using miniaturised, colour, machine vision cameras

Science.gov (United States)

Quinn, Mark Kenneth

2018-05-01

Recent advances in machine vision technology and capability have led to machine vision cameras becoming applicable for scientific imaging. This study aims to demonstrate the applicability of machine vision colour cameras for the measurement of dual-component pressure-sensitive paint (PSP). The presence of a second luminophore component in the PSP mixture significantly reduces its inherent temperature sensitivity, increasing its applicability at low speeds. All of the devices tested are smaller than the cooled CCD cameras traditionally used and most are of significantly lower cost, thereby increasing the accessibility of such technology and techniques. Comparisons between three machine vision cameras, a three CCD camera, and a commercially available specialist PSP camera are made on a range of parameters, and a detailed PSP calibration is conducted in a static calibration chamber. The findings demonstrate that colour machine vision cameras can be used for quantitative, dual-component, pressure measurements. These results give rise to the possibility of performing on-board dual-component PSP measurements in wind tunnels or on real flight/road vehicles.

Measurement of Solute Diffusion Behavior in Fractured Waste Glass Media

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Saripalli, Kanaka P.; Lindberg, Michael J.; Meyer, Philip D.

2008-01-01

Determination of aqueous phase diffusion coefficients of solutes through fractured media is essential for understanding and modeling contaminants transport at many hazardous waste disposal sites. No methods for earlier measurements are available for the characterization of diffusion in fractured glass blocks. We report here the use of time-lag diffusion experimental method to assess the diffusion behavior of three different solutes (Cs, Sr and Pentafluoro Benzoic Acid or PFBA) in fractured, immobilized low activity waste (ILAW) glass forms. A fractured media time-lag diffusion experimental apparatus that allows the measurement of diffusion coefficients has been designed and built for this purpose. Use of time-lag diffusion method, a considerably easier experimental method than the other available methods, was not previously demonstrated for measuring diffusion in any fractured media. Hydraulic conductivity, porosity and diffusion coefficients of a solute were experimentally measured in fractured glass blocks using this method for the first time. Results agree with the range of properties reported for similar rock media earlier, indicating that the time-lag experimental method can effectively characterize the diffusion coefficients of fractured ILAW glass media

Retinal degeneration in progressive supranuclear palsy measured by optical coherence tomography and scanning laser polarimetry.

Science.gov (United States)

Stemplewitz, Birthe; Kromer, Robert; Vettorazzi, Eik; Hidding, Ute; Frings, Andreas; Buhmann, Carsten

2017-07-13

This cross-sectional study compared the retinal morphology between patients with progressive supranuclear palsy (PSP) and healthy controls. (The retinal nerve fiber layer (RNFL) around the optic disc and the retina in the macular area of 22 PSP patients and 151 controls were investigated by spectral domain optical coherence tomography (SD-OCT). Additionally, the RNFL and the nerve fiber index (NFI) were measured by scanning laser polarimetry (SLP). Results of RNFL measurements with SD-OCT and SLP were compared to assess diagnostic discriminatory power. Applying OCT, PSP patients showed a smaller RNFL thickness in the inferior nasal and inferior temporal areas. The macular volume and the thickness of the majority of macular sectors were reduced compared to controls. SLP data showed a thinner RNFL thickness and an increase in the NFI in PSP patients. Sensitivity and specificity to discriminate PSP patients from controls were higher applying SLP than SD-OCT. Retinal changes did not correlate with disease duration or severity in any OCT or SLP measurement. PSP seems to be associated with reduced thickness and volume of the macula and reduction of the RNFL, independent of disease duration or severity. Retinal imaging with SD-OCT and SLP might become an additional tool in PSP diagnosis.

Entropy as a measure of diffusion

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Aghamohammadi, Amir; Fatollahi, Amir H.; Khorrami, Mohammad; Shariati, Ahmad

2013-01-01

The time variation of entropy, as an alternative to the variance, is proposed as a measure of the diffusion rate. It is shown that for linear and time-translationally invariant systems having a large-time limit for the density, at large times the entropy tends exponentially to a constant. For systems with no stationary density, at large times the entropy is logarithmic with a coefficient specifying the speed of the diffusion. As an example, the large-time behaviors of the entropy and the variance are compared for various types of fractional-derivative diffusions.

Entropy as a measure of diffusion

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Aghamohammadi, Amir, E-mail: mohamadi@alzahra.ac.ir; Fatollahi, Amir H., E-mail: fath@alzahra.ac.ir; Khorrami, Mohammad, E-mail: mamwad@mailaps.org; Shariati, Ahmad, E-mail: shariati@mailaps.org

2013-10-15

The time variation of entropy, as an alternative to the variance, is proposed as a measure of the diffusion rate. It is shown that for linear and time-translationally invariant systems having a large-time limit for the density, at large times the entropy tends exponentially to a constant. For systems with no stationary density, at large times the entropy is logarithmic with a coefficient specifying the speed of the diffusion. As an example, the large-time behaviors of the entropy and the variance are compared for various types of fractional-derivative diffusions.

Measuring Restriction Sizes Using Diffusion Weighted Magnetic Resonance Imaging: A Review

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Melanie Martin

2013-01-01

Full Text Available This article reviews a new concept in magnetic resonance as applied to cellular and biological systems. Diffusion weighted magnetic resonance imaging can be used to infer information about restriction sizes of samples being measured. The measurements rely on the apparent diffusion coefficient changing with diffusion times as measurements move from restricted to free diffusion regimes. Pulsed gradient spin echo (PGSE measurements are limited in the ability to shorten diffusion times and thus are limited in restriction sizes which can be probed. Oscillating gradient spin echo (OGSE measurements could provide shorter diffusion times so smaller restriction sizes could be probed.

A PSP-based small-signal MOSFET model for both quasi-static and nonquasi-static operations

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Aarts, A.C.T.; Smit, G.D.J.; Scholten, A.J.; Klaassen, D.B.M.

2008-01-01

In this paper, a small-signal MOSFET model is described, which takes the local effects of both velocity saturation and transverse mobility reduction into account. The model is based on the PSP model and is valid for both quasi-static and nonquasi-static (NQS) operations. Recently, it has been found

Interferometric measurements of a dendritic growth front solutal diffusion layer

Science.gov (United States)

Hopkins, John A.; Mccay, T. D.; Mccay, Mary H.

1991-01-01

An experimental study was undertaken to measure solutal distributions in the diffusion layer produced during the vertical directional solidification (VDS) of an ammonium chloride - water (NH4Cl-H2O) solution. Interferometry was used to obtain concentration measurements in the 1-2 millimeter region defining the diffusion layer. These measurements were fitted to an exponential form to extract the characteristic diffusion parameter for various times after the start of solidification. The diffusion parameters are within the limits predicted by steady state theory and suggest that the effective solutal diffusivity is increasing as solidification progresses.

A method for improving global pyranometer measurements by modeling responsivity functions

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Lester, A. [Smith College, Northampton, MA 01063 (United States); Myers, D.R. [National Renewable Energy Laboratory, 1617 Cole Blvd., Golden, CO 80401 (United States)

2006-03-15

Accurate global solar radiation measurements are crucial to climate change research and the development of solar energy technologies. Pyranometers produce an electrical signal proportional to global irradiance. The signal-to-irradiance ratio is the responsivity (RS) of the instrument (RS=signal/irradiance=microvolts/(W/m{sup 2})). Most engineering measurements are made using a constant RS. It is known that RS varies with day of year, zenith angle, and net infrared radiation. This study proposes a method to find an RS function to model a pyranometer's changing RS. Using a reference irradiance calculated from direct and diffuse instruments, we found instantaneous RS for two global pyranometers over 31 sunny days in a two-year period. We performed successive independent regressions of the error between the constant and instantaneous RS with respect to zenith angle, day of year, and net infrared to obtain an RS function. An alternative method replaced the infrared regression with an independently developed technique to account for thermal offset. Results show improved uncertainties with the function method than with the single-calibration value. Lower uncertainties also occur using a black-and-white (8-48), rather than all-black (PSP), shaded pyranometer as the diffuse reference instrument. We conclude that the function method is extremely effective in reducing uncertainty in the irradiance measurements for global PSP pyranometers if they are calibrated at the deployment site. Furthermore, it was found that the function method accounts for the pyranometer's thermal offset, rendering further corrections unnecessary. The improvements in irradiance data achieved in this study will serve to increase the accuracy of solar energy assessments and atmospheric research. (author)

Measuring the diffusion of innovative health promotion programs.

Science.gov (United States)

Steckler, A; Goodman, R M; McLeroy, K R; Davis, S; Koch, G

1992-01-01

Once a health promotion program has proven to be effective in one or two initial settings, attempts may be made to transfer the program to new settings. One way to conceptualize the transference of health promotion programs from one locale to another is by considering the programs to be innovations that are being diffused. In this way, diffusion of innovation theory can be applied to guide the process of program transference. This article reports on the development of six questionnaires to measure the extent to which health promotion programs are successfully disseminated: Organizational Climate, Awareness-Concern, Rogers's Adoption Variables, Level of Use, Level of Success, and Level of Institutionalization. The instruments are being successfully used in a study of the diffusion of health promotion/tobacco prevention curricula to junior high schools in North Carolina. The instruments, which measure the four steps of the diffusion process, have construct validity since they were developed within existing theories and are derived from the work of previous researchers. No previous research has attempted to use instruments like these to measure sequentially the stages of the diffusion process.

Multitracer method of diffusion measurement in chromium-manganese steels

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Dudala, J.; Stegowski, Z.; Gilewicz-Wolter, J.

2004-01-01

The paper presents an application of multitracer method to diffusion measurement in Cr-Mn steels. Radioisotope tracers of chromium 51 Cr, manganese 54 Mn and iron 59 Fe were used simultaneously in the diffusion process, Gamma-spectrum measurement and the proper analysis enabled evaluation of concentration distribution for each tracer. As a new tool, artificial neural networks (ANN) method was used for spectrum analysis. The proper solution of the diffusion model was applied to the experimental tracers' distribution data and diffusion coefficients were determined. (author)

In situ measurement of diffusivity

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Berne, F.; Pocachard, J.

2004-01-01

The mechanism of molecular diffusion controls the migration of contaminants in very low-permeability porous media, like underground facilities for the storage of hazardous waste. Determining of relevant diffusion coefficients is therefore of prime importance. A few techniques exist for in situ measurement of the quantity, but they suffer from many handicaps (duration, complexity and cost of the experiments). We propose here two innovative methods that have some potential to improve the situation. So far, we have found them feasible on the basis of design calculations and laboratory experiments. This work is presently protected by a patent. (author)

In situ measurement of diffusivity

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Berne, Ph.; Pocachard, J.

2005-01-01

The mechanism of molecular diffusion controls the migration of contaminants in very low-permeability porous media, like underground facilities for the storage of hazardous waste. Determining the relevant diffusion coefficients is, therefore, of prime importance. A few techniques exist for the in situ measurement of that quantity, but they suffer from many handicaps (duration, complexity and cost of the experiments). We propose here two innovative methods that have some potential to improve this situation. So far, we have found them feasible on the basis of design calculations and laboratory experiments. This work is presently protected by a patent. (author)

Miniaturisation of Pressure-Sensitive Paint Measurement Systems Using Low-Cost, Miniaturised Machine Vision Cameras.

Science.gov (United States)

Quinn, Mark Kenneth; Spinosa, Emanuele; Roberts, David A

2017-07-25

Measurements of pressure-sensitive paint (PSP) have been performed using new or non-scientific imaging technology based on machine vision tools. Machine vision camera systems are typically used for automated inspection or process monitoring. Such devices offer the benefits of lower cost and reduced size compared with typically scientific-grade cameras; however, their optical qualities and suitability have yet to be determined. This research intends to show relevant imaging characteristics and also show the applicability of such imaging technology for PSP. Details of camera performance are benchmarked and compared to standard scientific imaging equipment and subsequent PSP tests are conducted using a static calibration chamber. The findings demonstrate that machine vision technology can be used for PSP measurements, opening up the possibility of performing measurements on-board small-scale model such as those used for wind tunnel testing or measurements in confined spaces with limited optical access.

Miniaturisation of Pressure-Sensitive Paint Measurement Systems Using Low-Cost, Miniaturised Machine Vision Cameras

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mark Kenneth Quinn

2017-07-01

Full Text Available Measurements of pressure-sensitive paint (PSP have been performed using new or non-scientific imaging technology based on machine vision tools. Machine vision camera systems are typically used for automated inspection or process monitoring. Such devices offer the benefits of lower cost and reduced size compared with typically scientific-grade cameras; however, their optical qualities and suitability have yet to be determined. This research intends to show relevant imaging characteristics and also show the applicability of such imaging technology for PSP. Details of camera performance are benchmarked and compared to standard scientific imaging equipment and subsequent PSP tests are conducted using a static calibration chamber. The findings demonstrate that machine vision technology can be used for PSP measurements, opening up the possibility of performing measurements on-board small-scale model such as those used for wind tunnel testing or measurements in confined spaces with limited optical access.

KMAH index and separation of PSP-waves from streamer data

Science.gov (United States)

Mitrofanov, Georgy; Priimenko, Viatcheslav

2017-08-01

The presence of triplications (caustics) can be a serious problem in seismic data processing and analysis. The travel-time curve becomes multi-valued and the geometrical spreading correction factor tends to zero due to energy focusing. To select the regions of possible triplications (caustics) of travel-times, which can arise during the propagation of reflected seismic waves, we use the Keller-Maslov-Arnol'd-Hörmander (KMAH) index. The identification of such regions improves the selection of signals associated with target reflecting horizons and their use in solving various inverse dynamic problems, including amplitude-versus-offset (AVO) and full-waveform inversions. The importance of the KMAH index increases in 4D surveys when the structure of the model is already known, and it is necessary to conduct a detailed analysis of the shapes of seismic signals with increasing accuracy when solving inverse seismic problems. In addition, this index can be valuable when solving various marine seismic problems associated with single and converted waves, in particular with PSP-waves. The present work is dedicated to the separation of signals associated with this type of wave using surface marine seismic data. However, the proposed algorithm has a wider application. It is based on: (i) a priori information on the medium under study; (ii) ray tracing method. The ray tracing method enables the identification of the corresponding signals and the determination of the time and space intervals, in which such signals are most accurately traced. These intervals are used in the selection of target signals, particularly signals related to PSP-waves. In order to select optimal areas of observation with higher amplitudes of target signals, we use the τ -p transform. To improve the stability of the signal separation, KMAH index is used. This approach allows the elimination of possible triplications (caustics) in the travel-time curve from the selected intervals.

Measurement of chemical diffusion coefficients in liquid binary alloys

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Keita, M.; Steinemann, S.; Kuenzi, H.U.

1976-01-01

New measurements of the chemical diffusion coefficient in liquid binary alloys are presented. The wellknown geometry of the 'capillary-reservoir' is used and the concentration is obtained from a resistivity measurement. The method allows to follow continuously the diffusion process in the liquid state. A precision of at least 10% in the diffusion coefficient is obtained with a reproductibility better than 5%. The systems Hg-In, Al-Sn, Al-Si have been studied. Diffusion coefficients are obtained as a function of temperature, concentration, and geometrical factors related to the capillary (diameter, relative orientation of density gradient and gravity). (orig.) [de

Impact of time-of-day on diffusivity measures of brain tissue derived from diffusion tensor imaging.

Science.gov (United States)

Thomas, Cibu; Sadeghi, Neda; Nayak, Amrita; Trefler, Aaron; Sarlls, Joelle; Baker, Chris I; Pierpaoli, Carlo

2018-06-01

Diurnal fluctuations in MRI measures of structural and functional properties of the brain have been reported recently. These fluctuations may have a physiological origin, since they have been detected using different MRI modalities, and cannot be explained by factors that are typically known to confound MRI measures. While preliminary evidence suggests that measures of structural properties of the brain based on diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) fluctuate as a function of time-of-day (TOD), the underlying mechanism has not been investigated. Here, we used a longitudinal within-subjects design to investigate the impact of time-of-day on DTI measures. In addition to using the conventional monoexponential tensor model to assess TOD-related fluctuations, we used a dual compartment tensor model that allowed us to directly assess if any change in DTI measures is due to an increase in CSF/free-water volume fraction or due to an increase in water diffusivity within the parenchyma. Our results show that Trace or mean diffusivity, as measured using the conventional monoexponential tensor model tends to increase systematically from morning to afternoon scans at the interface of grey matter/CSF, most prominently in the major fissures and the sulci of the brain. Interestingly, in a recent study of the glymphatic system, these same regions were found to show late enhancement after intrathecal injection of a CSF contrast agent. The increase in Trace also impacts DTI measures of diffusivity such as radial and axial diffusivity, but does not affect fractional anisotropy. The dual compartment analysis revealed that the increase in diffusivity measures from PM to AM was driven by an increase in the volume fraction of CSF-like free-water. Taken together, our findings provide important insight into the likely physiological origins of diurnal fluctuations in MRI measurements of structural properties of the brain. Published by Elsevier Inc.

Measurements of charged fusion product diffusion in TFTR

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Boivin, Rejean Louis [Princeton Univ., NJ (United States)

1991-12-01

The single particle confinement of charged fusion products, namely the 1 MeV triton and the 3 MeV proton, has been studied using a detector located near the outer midplane of TFTR. The detector, which measure the flux of escaping particles, is composed of a scintillator [ZnS(Ag)] and a system of collimating apertures, which permit pitch angle, energy and time resolution. It is mounted on a movable probe which can be inserted 25 cm into the vacuum vessel. Measurements indicate a level of losses higher than expected from a first-orbit loss mechanism alone. The primary candidate for explaining the observed anomalous losses is the toroidal field (TF) stochastic ripple diffusion, theoretically discovered by Goldston, White and Boozer. This loss mechanism is expected to be localized near the outer midplane where, at least at high current (≳ 1.0 MA) it would locally dominate over first-orbit losses. Calculations made with a mapping particle orbit code (MAPLOS) show a semi-quantitative agreement with the measurements. The predominant uncertainties in the numerical simulations were found to originate from the modeling of the first wall geometry and also from the assumed plasma current and source profiles. Direct measurements of the diffusion rate were performed by shadowing the detector with a second movable probe used as an obstacle. The diffusion rate was also measured by moving the detector behind the radius of the RF limiters, located on the outer wall. Comparisons of these experimental results with numerical simulations, which include diffusive mechanisms, indicate a quantitative agreement with the TF stochastic ripple diffusion model.

Measuring minority-carrier diffusion length using a Kelvin probe force microscope

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Shikler, R.; Fried, N.; Meoded, T.; Rosenwaks, Y.

2000-01-01

A method based on Kelvin probe force microscopy for measuring minority-carrier diffusion length in semiconductors is described. The method is based on measuring the surface photovoltage between the tip of an atomic force microscope and the surface of an illuminated semiconductor junction. The photogenerated carriers diffuse to the junction and change the contact potential difference between the tip and the sample, as a function of the distance from the junction. The diffusion length L is then obtained by fitting the measured contact potential difference using the minority-carrier continuity equation. The method was applied to measurements of electron diffusion length in GaP pn and Schottky junctions. The measured diffusion length was found to be ∼2 μm, in good agreement with electron beam induced current measurements

DIFFUSION MEASUREMENTS DURING PERVAPORATION THROUGH A ZEOLITE MEMBRANE

Science.gov (United States)

An isotopic-transient technique was used to directly measure diffusion times of H2O, methanol, ethanol, 2-propanol, and acetone in pure and binary mixture feeds transporting through a zeolite membrane under steady-state pervaporation conditions. Diffusivities can be determ...

Construction, characterization and evaluation of the protective efficacy of the Streptococcus suis double mutant strain ΔSsPep/ΔSsPspC as a live vaccine candidate in mice.

Science.gov (United States)

Hu, Jin; You, Wujin; Wang, Bin; Hu, Xueying; Tan, Chen; Liu, Jinlin; Chen, Huanchun; Bei, Weicheng

2015-01-01

Streptococcus suis serotype 2 (S. suis 2) causes sepsis and meningitis in piglets and humans, and results in one of the most serious bacterial diseases affecting the production of commercial pigs around the world. Due to the failure of the current inactivated vaccine to protect against the disease, development of a new attenuated live vaccine against S. suis 2 by deleting essential virulence factors is urgently needed. We have previously reported the construction and characterization of an SsPep single gene deletion mutant strain ΔSsPep based on S. suis 2. Our previous results have shown that SsPep plays a critical role in the pathogenesis of S. suis 2. In this study, a precisely defined double-deletion mutant ΔSsPep/ΔSsPspC of S. suis 2 without antibiotic-resistance markers was constructed based on ΔSsPep, and the levels of virulence of the wild-type (WT) and ΔSsPep/ΔSsPspC were compared in a mouse experimental infection model. We demonstrated that the double mutant ΔSsPep/ΔSsPspC was less virulent than the WT, and could induce a noticeable antibody response. Analysis of IgG subclasses (IgG1 and IgG2a) indicated that both Th1 and Th2 responses were induced by ΔSsPep/ΔSsPspC, although the IgG2a (Th1) response predominated over the IgG1 (Th2) response. Moreover, ΔSsPep/ΔSsPspC could confer 90% protective efficacy against challenge with a lethal dose of fully virulent S. suis 2. Taken together, these data demonstrate that ΔSsPep/ΔSsPspC can be used as an effective live vaccine and provide a novel strategy against infection of S. suis 2. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier GmbH. All rights reserved.

Measurements of charged fusion product diffusion in TFTR

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Boivin, R.L.

1991-12-01

The single particle confinement of charged fusion products, namely the 1 MeV triton and the 3 MeV proton, has been studied using a detector located near the outer midplane of TFTR. The detector, which measure the flux of escaping particles, is composed of a scintillator (ZnS(Ag)) and a system of collimating apertures, which permit pitch angle, energy and time resolution. It is mounted on a movable probe which can be inserted 25 cm into the vacuum vessel. Measurements indicate a level of losses higher than expected from a first-orbit loss mechanism alone. The primary candidate for explaining the observed anomalous losses is the toroidal field (TF) stochastic ripple diffusion, theoretically discovered by Goldston, White and Boozer. This loss mechanism is expected to be localized near the outer midplane where, at least at high current ({approx gt} 1.0 MA) it would locally dominate over first-orbit losses. Calculations made with a mapping particle orbit code (MAPLOS) show a semi-quantitative agreement with the measurements. The predominant uncertainties in the numerical simulations were found to originate from the modeling of the first wall geometry and also from the assumed plasma current and source profiles. Direct measurements of the diffusion rate were performed by shadowing the detector with a second movable probe used as an obstacle. The diffusion rate was also measured by moving the detector behind the radius of the RF limiters, located on the outer wall. Comparisons of these experimental results with numerical simulations, which include diffusive mechanisms, indicate a quantitative agreement with the TF stochastic ripple diffusion model.

Measurements of charged fusion product diffusion in TFTR

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Boivin, R.L.

1991-12-01

The single particle confinement of charged fusion products, namely the 1 MeV triton and the 3 MeV proton, has been studied using a detector located near the outer midplane of TFTR. The detector, which measure the flux of escaping particles, is composed of a scintillator [ZnS(Ag)] and a system of collimating apertures, which permit pitch angle, energy and time resolution. It is mounted on a movable probe which can be inserted 25 cm into the vacuum vessel. Measurements indicate a level of losses higher than expected from a first-orbit loss mechanism alone. The primary candidate for explaining the observed anomalous losses is the toroidal field (TF) stochastic ripple diffusion, theoretically discovered by Goldston, White and Boozer. This loss mechanism is expected to be localized near the outer midplane where, at least at high current (approx-gt 1.0 MA) it would locally dominate over first-orbit losses. Calculations made with a mapping particle orbit code (MAPLOS) show a semi-quantitative agreement with the measurements. The predominant uncertainties in the numerical simulations were found to originate from the modeling of the first wall geometry and also from the assumed plasma current and source profiles. Direct measurements of the diffusion rate were performed by shadowing the detector with a second movable probe used as an obstacle. The diffusion rate was also measured by moving the detector behind the radius of the RF limiters, located on the outer wall. Comparisons of these experimental results with numerical simulations, which include diffusive mechanisms, indicate a quantitative agreement with the TF stochastic ripple diffusion model

Modeling dendrite density from magnetic resonance diffusion measurements

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Jespersen, Sune Nørhøj; Kroenke, CD; Østergaard, Leif

2007-01-01

in this model: (i) the dendrites and axons, which are modeled as long cylinders with two diffusion coefficients, parallel (DL) and perpendicular (DT) to the cylindrical axis, and (ii) an isotropic monoexponential diffusion component describing water diffusion within and across all other structures, i.......e., in extracellular space and glia cells. The model parameters are estimated from 153 diffusion-weighted images acquired from a formalin-fixed baboon brain. A close correspondence between the data and the signal model is found, with the model parameters consistent with literature values. The model provides......Diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI) provides a noninvasive tool to probe tissue microstructure. We propose a simplified model of neural cytoarchitecture intended to capture the essential features important for water diffusion as measured by NMR. Two components contribute to the NMR signal...

Direct measurement of VOC diffusivities in tree tissues

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Baduru, K.K.; Trapp, Stefan; Burken, Joel G.

2008-01-01

Recent discoveries in the phytoremediation of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) show that vapor-phase transport into roots leads to VOC removal from the vadose zone and diffusion and volatilization out of plants is an important fate following uptake. Volatilization to the atmosphere constitutes one...... in numerous vegetation−VOC interactions, including the phytoremediation of soil vapors and dissolved aqueous-phase contaminants. The diffusion of VOCs through freshly excised tree tissue was directly measured for common groundwater contaminants, chlorinated compounds such as trichloroethylene, perchloroethene......, and tetrachloroethane and aromatic hydrocarbons such as benzene, toluene, and methyl tert-butyl ether. All compounds tested are currently being treated at full scale with tree-based phytoremediation. Diffusivities were determined by modeling the diffusive transport data with a one-dimensional diffusive flux model...

Disease-specific structural changes in thalamus and dentatorubrothalamic tract in progressive supranuclear palsy

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Surova, Yulia; Hall, Sara; Widner, Haakan [Lund University, Department of Clinical Sciences, Lund (Sweden); Skaane University Hospital, Department of Neurology, Lund (Sweden); Nilsson, Markus [Lund University, Lund University Bioimaging Center, Lund (Sweden); Laett, Jimmy [Skaane University Hospital, Center for Medical Imaging and Physiology, Lund (Sweden); Lampinen, Bjoern [Lund University, Department of Medical Radiation Physics, Lund (Sweden); Lindberg, Olof [Malmoe, Lund University, Department of Clinical Sciences, Malmoe (Sweden); Nilsson, Christer [Skaane University Hospital, Department of Neurology, Lund (Sweden); Malmoe, Lund University, Department of Clinical Sciences, Malmoe (Sweden); Westen, Danielle van [Lund University, Department of Clinical Sciences, Lund (Sweden); Skaane University Hospital, Center for Medical Imaging and Physiology, Lund (Sweden); Hansson, Oskar [Malmoe, Lund University, Department of Clinical Sciences, Malmoe (Sweden); Skaane University Hospital, Memory Clinic, Lund (Sweden)

2015-11-15

The aim of this study is to identify disease-specific changes of the thalamus, basal ganglia, pons, and midbrain in patients with progressive supranuclear palsy (PSP), Parkinson's disease (PD), and multiple system atrophy with predominant parkinsonism (MSA-P) using diffusion tensor imaging and volumetric analysis. MRI diffusion and volumetric data were acquired in a derivation of 30 controls and 8 patients with PSP and a validation cohort comprised of controls (n = 21) and patients with PSP (n = 27), PD (n = 10), and MSA-P (n = 11). Analysis was performed using regions of interest (ROI), tract-based spatial statistic (TBSS), and tractography and results compared between diagnostic groups. In the derivation cohort, we observed increased mean diffusivity (MD) in the thalamus, superior cerebellar peduncle, and the midbrain in PSP compared to controls. Furthermore, volumetric analysis showed reduced thalamic volumes in PSP. In the validation cohort, the observations of increased MD were replicated by ROI-based analysis and in the thalamus by TBSS-based analysis. Such differences were not found for patients with PD in any of the cohorts. Tractography of the dentatorubrothalamic tract (DRTT) showed increased MD in PSP patients from both cohorts compared to controls and in the validation cohort in PSP compared to PD and MSA patients. Increased MD in the thalamus and along the DRTT correlated with disease stage and motor function in PSP. Patients with PSP, but not PD or MSA-P, exhibit signs of structural abnormalities in the thalamus and in the DRTT. These changes are associated with disease stage and impaired motor function. (orig.)

Disease-specific structural changes in thalamus and dentatorubrothalamic tract in progressive supranuclear palsy

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Surova, Yulia; Hall, Sara; Widner, Haakan; Nilsson, Markus; Laett, Jimmy; Lampinen, Bjoern; Lindberg, Olof; Nilsson, Christer; Westen, Danielle van; Hansson, Oskar

2015-01-01

The aim of this study is to identify disease-specific changes of the thalamus, basal ganglia, pons, and midbrain in patients with progressive supranuclear palsy (PSP), Parkinson's disease (PD), and multiple system atrophy with predominant parkinsonism (MSA-P) using diffusion tensor imaging and volumetric analysis. MRI diffusion and volumetric data were acquired in a derivation of 30 controls and 8 patients with PSP and a validation cohort comprised of controls (n = 21) and patients with PSP (n = 27), PD (n = 10), and MSA-P (n = 11). Analysis was performed using regions of interest (ROI), tract-based spatial statistic (TBSS), and tractography and results compared between diagnostic groups. In the derivation cohort, we observed increased mean diffusivity (MD) in the thalamus, superior cerebellar peduncle, and the midbrain in PSP compared to controls. Furthermore, volumetric analysis showed reduced thalamic volumes in PSP. In the validation cohort, the observations of increased MD were replicated by ROI-based analysis and in the thalamus by TBSS-based analysis. Such differences were not found for patients with PD in any of the cohorts. Tractography of the dentatorubrothalamic tract (DRTT) showed increased MD in PSP patients from both cohorts compared to controls and in the validation cohort in PSP compared to PD and MSA patients. Increased MD in the thalamus and along the DRTT correlated with disease stage and motor function in PSP. Patients with PSP, but not PD or MSA-P, exhibit signs of structural abnormalities in the thalamus and in the DRTT. These changes are associated with disease stage and impaired motor function. (orig.)

Local carbon diffusion coefficient measurement in the S-1 spheromak

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mayo, R.M.; Levinton, F.M.; Meyerhofer, D.D.; Chu, T.K.; Paul, S.F.; Yamada, M.

1988-10-01

The local carbon diffusion coefficient was measured in the S - 1 spheromak by detecting the radial spread of injected carbon impurity. The radial impurity density profile is determined by the balance of ionization and diffusion. Using measured local electron temperature T/sub e/ and density n/sub e/, the ionization rate is determined from which the particle diffusion coefficient is inferred. The results found in this work are consistent with Bohm diffusion. The absolute magnitude of D/sub /perpendicular// was determined to be (4/approximately/6) /times/ D/sub Bohm/. 25 refs., 13 figs., 2 tabs

Detection of small-amplitude periodic surface pressure fluctuation by pressure-sensitive paint measurements using frequency-domain methods

Science.gov (United States)

Noda, Takahiro; Nakakita, Kazuyki; Wakahara, Masaki; Kameda, Masaharu

2018-06-01

Image measurement using pressure-sensitive paint (PSP) is an effective tool for analyzing the unsteady pressure field on the surface of a body in a low-speed air flow, which is associated with wind noise. In this study, the surface pressure fluctuation due to the tonal trailing edge (TE) noise for a two-dimensional NACA 0012 airfoil was quantitatively detected using a porous anodized aluminum PSP (AA-PSP). The emission from the PSP upon illumination by a blue laser diode was captured using a 12-bit high-speed complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor (CMOS) camera. The intensities of the captured images were converted to pressures using a standard intensity-based method. Three image-processing methods based on the fast Fourier transform (FFT) were tested to determine their efficiency in improving the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) of the unsteady PSP data. In addition to two fundamental FFT techniques (the full data and ensemble averaging FFTs), a technique using the coherent output power (COP), which involves the cross correlation between the PSP data and the signal measured using a pointwise sound-level meter, was tested. Preliminary tests indicated that random photon shot noise dominates the intensity fluctuations in the captured PSP emissions above 200 Hz. Pressure fluctuations associated with the TE noise, whose dominant frequency is approximately 940 Hz, were successfully measured by analyzing 40,960 sequential PSP images recorded at 10 kfps. Quantitative validation using the power spectrum indicates that the COP technique is the most effective method of identification of the pressure fluctuation directly related to TE noise. It is possible to distinguish power differences with a resolution of 10 Pa^2 (4 Pa in amplitude) when the COP was employed without use of another wind-off data. This resolution cannot be achieved by the ensemble averaging FFT because of an insufficient elimination of the background noise.

Overexpression of PSP1 enhances growth of transgenic Arabidopsis plants under ambient air conditions.

Science.gov (United States)

Han, Xiaofang; Peng, Keli; Wu, Haixia; Song, Shanshan; Zhu, Yerong; Bai, Yanling; Wang, Yong

2017-07-01

The importance of the phosphorylated pathway (PPSB) of L-serine (Ser) biosynthesis in plant growth and development has been demonstrated, but its specific role in leaves and interaction with photorespiration, the main leaf Ser biosynthetic pathway at daytime, are still unclear. To investigate whether changes in biosynthesis of Ser by the PPSB in leaves could have an impact on photorespiration and plant growth, we overexpressed PSP1, the last enzyme of this pathway, under control of the Cauliflower Mosaic Virus 35S promoter in Arabidopsis thaliana. Overexpressor plants grown in normal air displayed larger rosette diameter and leaf area as well as higher fresh and dry weight than the wild type. By contrast, no statistically significant differences to the wild type were observed when the overexpressor seedlings were transferred to elevated CO 2 , indicating a relationship between PSP1 overexpression and photorespiration. Additionally, the transgenic plants displayed higher photorespiration, an increase in CO 2 net-uptake and stronger expression in the light of genes encoding enzymes involved in photorespiration. We further demonstrated that expression of many genes involved in nitrogen assimilation was also promoted in leaves of transgenic plants and that leaf nitrate reductase activity increased in the light, too, although not in the dark. Our results suggest a close correlation between the function of PPSB and photorespiration, and also nitrogen metabolism in leaves.

Comparison of field-measured radon diffusion coefficients with laboratory-measured coefficients

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lepel, E.A.; Silker, W.B.; Thomas, V.W.; Kalkwarf, D.R.

1983-04-01

Experiments were conducted to compare radon diffusion coefficients determined for 0.1-m depths of soils by a steady-state method in the laboratory and diffusion coefficients evaluated from radon fluxes through several-fold greater depths of the same soils covering uranium-mill tailings. The coefficients referred to diffusion in the total pore volume of the soils and are equivalent to values for the quantity, D/P, in the Generic Environmental Impact Statement on Uranium Milling prepared by the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission. Two soils were tested: a well-graded sand and an inorganic clay of low plasticity. For the flux evaluations, radon was collected by adsorption on charcoal following passive diffusion from the soil surface and also from air recirculating through an aluminum tent over the soil surface. An analysis of variance in the flux evaluations showed no significant difference between these two collection methods. Radon diffusion coefficients evaluated from field data were statistically indistinguishable, at the 95% confidence level, from those measured in the laboratory; however, the low precision of the field data prevented a sensitive validation of the laboratory measurements. From the field data, the coefficients were calculated to be 0.03 +- 0.03 cm 2 /s for the sand cover and 0.0036 +- 0.0004 cm 2 /s for the clay cover. The low precision in the coefficients evaluated from field data was attributed to high variation in radon flux with time and surface location at the field site

Anisotropy in "isotropic diffusion" measurements due to nongaussian diffusion

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Jespersen, Sune Nørhøj; Olesen, Jonas Lynge; Ianuş, Andrada

2017-01-01

Designing novel diffusion-weighted NMR and MRI pulse sequences aiming to probe tissue microstructure with techniques extending beyond the conventional Stejskal-Tanner family is currently of broad interest. One such technique, multidimensional diffusion MRI, has been recently proposed to afford...... model-free decomposition of diffusion signal kurtosis into terms originating from either ensemble variance of isotropic diffusivity or microscopic diffusion anisotropy. This ability rests on the assumption that diffusion can be described as a sum of multiple Gaussian compartments, but this is often...

Pressure-Sensitive Paint Measurements on the NASA Common Research Model in the NASA 11-ft Transonic Wind Tunnel

Science.gov (United States)

Bell, James H.

2011-01-01

The luminescence lifetime technique was used to make pressure-sensitive paint (PSP) measurements on a 2.7% Common Research Model in the NASA Ames 11ft Transonic Wind Tunnel. PSP data were obtained on the upper and lower surfaces of the wing and horizontal tail, as well as one side of the fuselage. Data were taken for several model attitudes of interest at Mach numbers between 0.70 and 0.87. Image data were mapped onto a three-dimensional surface grid suitable both for comparison with CFD and for integration of pressures to determine loads. Luminescence lifetime measurements were made using strobed LED (light-emitting diode) lamps to illuminate the PSP and fast-framing interline transfer cameras to acquire the PSP emission.

The putative thiosulfate sulfurtransferases PspE and GlpE contribute to virulence of Salmonella Typhimurium in the mouse model of systemic disease.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Inke Wallrodt

Full Text Available The phage-shock protein PspE and GlpE of the glycerol 3-phosphate regulon of Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium are predicted to belong to the class of thiosulfate sulfurtransferases, enzymes that traffic sulfur between molecules. In the present study we demonstrated that the two genes contribute to S. Typhimurium virulence, as a glpE and pspE double deletion strain showed significantly decreased virulence in a mouse model of systemic infection. However, challenge of cultured epithelial cells and macrophages did not reveal any virulence-associated phenotypes. We hypothesized that their contribution to virulence could be in sulfur metabolism or by contributing to resistance to nitric oxide, oxidative stress, or cyanide detoxification. In vitro studies demonstrated that glpE but not pspE was important for resistance to H2O2. Since the double mutant, which was the one affected in virulence, was not affected in this assay, we concluded that resistance to oxidative stress and the virulence phenotype was most likely not linked. The two genes did not contribute to nitric oxid stress, to synthesis of essential sulfur containing amino acids, nor to detoxification of cyanide. Currently, the precise mechanism by which they contribute to virulence remains elusive.

Rapid yet accurate measurement of mass diffusion coefficients by phase shifting interferometer

CERN Document Server

Guo Zhi Xiong; Komiya, A

1999-01-01

The technique of using a phase-shifting interferometer is applied to the study of diffusion in transparent liquid mixtures. A quick method is proposed for determining the diffusion coefficient from the measurements of the location of fringes on a grey level picture. The measurement time is very short (within 100 s) and a very small transient diffusion field can be observed and recorded accurately with a rate of 30 frames per second. The measurement can be completed using less than 0.12 cc of solutions. The influence of gravity on the measurement of the diffusion coefficient is eliminated in the present method. Results on NaCl-water diffusion systems are presented and compared with the reference data. (author)

Flow structures in large-angle conical diffusers measured by PIV

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Meyer, Knud Erik; Nielsen, L.; Nielsen, N.F.

2004-01-01

Flow in two different conical diffusers with large opening angles (30° and 18°) have been measured with stereoscopic Particle Image Velocimetry (PIV). The measurements were done in a cross section just after the exit of the diffuser. The Reynolds number was 100000 based on upstream diameter...

New sensitive micro-measurements of dynamic surface tension and diffusion coefficients

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Kinoshita, Koji; Ortiz, Elisa Parra; Needham, David

2017-01-01

Currently available dynamic surface tension (DST) measurement methods, such as Wilhelmy plate, droplet- or bubble-based methods, still have various experimental limitations such as the large size of the interface, convection in the solution, or a certain “dead time” at initial measurement....... These limitations create inconsistencies for the kinetic analysis of surfactant adsorption/desorption, especially significant for ionic surfactants. Here, the “micropipette interfacial area-expansion method” was introduced and validated as a new DST measurement having a high enough sensitivity to detect diffusion...... for surface excess concentration. We found that the measured diffusion coefficient of 1-Octanol, 7.2 ± 0.8 × 10−6 cm2/s, showed excellent agreement with the result from an alternative method, “single microdroplet catching method”, to measure the diffusion coefficient from diffusion-controlled microdroplet...

Measurements of cesium and strontium diffusion in biotite gneiss

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Skagius, K.; Neretnieks, I.

1988-01-01

A significant retardation of radionuclides transported by flowing water from an underground repository can be expected if the nuclides are able to diffuse into the water filled micropores in the rock. This diffusion into the pores will also increase the surface available to interactions between the nuclides in the ground water and the rock material, such as sorption. To calculate the retardation, it is necessary to know the sorption properties and the diffusivities in the rock matrix for the radionuclides. Diffusion experiments with cesium and strontium in biotite gneiss samples have been performed. Both the transport of strontium and cesium through rock samples and the concentration profiles of cesium and strontium inside rock samples have been determined. The result shows that diffusion of cesium and strontium occurs in the rock material. A diffusion model has been used to evaluate the diffusivity. Both pore diffusion and surface diffusion had to be included in the model to give good agreement with the experimental data. If surface diffusion is not included in the model, the effective pore diffusivity that gives the best fit to the experimental data is found to be higher than expected from earlier measurement of iodide diffusion in the same type of rock material. This indicates that the diffusion of cesium and strontium (sorbing components) in rock material is caused by both pore diffusion and surface diffusion acting in parallel

Diffusion measurements of cesium and strontium in biotite gneiss

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Skagius, K.; Neretnieks, I.

1985-01-01

A significant retardation of radionuclides transported by flowing water from an underground repository can be expected if the nuclides are able to diffuse into the water filled micropores in the rock. This diffusion into the pores will also increase the surface available to interaction between the nuclides in the groundwater and the rock material, such as sorption. To calculate the retardation it is necessary to know the sorption properties and the diffusivities in the rock matrix for the radionuclides. Diffusion experiments with cesium and strontium in biotite gneiss samples have been performed. Both the transport of strontium and cesium through rock samples and the concentration profiles of cesium and strontium inside rock samples have been determined. The result show that diffusion of cesium and strontium occurs in the rock material. A diffusion model has been used to evaluate the diffusivity. Both pore diffusion and surface diffusion had to be included in the model to give good agreement with the experimental data. If surface diffusion is not included in the model, the effective pore diffusivity that gives the best fit to the experimental data is found to be higher than expected from earlier measurements of iodide diffusion in the same type of rock material. This indicates that the diffusion of cesium and strontium (sorbing components) in rock material is caused by both pore diffusion and surface diffusion acting in parallel. (author)

High-Temperature Thermal Diffusivity Measurements of Silicate Glasses

Science.gov (United States)

Pertermann, M.; Hofmeister, A. M.; Whittington, A. G.; Spera, F. J.; Zayac, J.

2005-12-01

Transport of heat in geologically relevant materials is of great interest because of its key role in heat transport, magmatism and volcanic activity on Earth. To better understand the thermal properties of magmatic materials at high temperatures, we measured the thermal diffusivity of four synthetic end-member silicate glasses with the following compositions: albite (NaAlSi3O8), orthoclase (KAlSi3O8), anorthite (CaAl2Si2O8), and diopside (CaMgSi2O6). Thermal diffusivity measurements were conducted with the laser-flash technique and data were acquired from room temperature to a maximum temperature near 1100°C, depending on the glass transition temperature. The presence of sub-mm sized bubbles in one of the orthoclase samples had no discernable effect on measured diffusivities. At room temperature, the three feldspar-type glasses have thermal diffusivity (D) values of 0.58-0.61 mm2/s, whereas the diopside glass has 0.52 mm2/s. With increasing temperature, D decreases by 5-10% (relative) for all samples and becomes virtually constant at intermediate temperatures. At higher temperatures, the anorthite and diopside glasses exhibit significant drops in thermal diffusivity over a 50-100°C interval, correlating with previously published heat capacity changes near the glass transition for these compositions. For anorthite, D (in mm2/s) decreases from 0.48 at 750-860°C to 0.36 at 975-1075°C; for diopside, D changes from 0.42 at 630-750°C to 0.30 at 850-910°C, corresponding to relative drops of 24 and 29%, respectively. Albite and orthoclase glasses do not exhibit this change and also lack significant changes in heat capacity near the glass transition. Instead, D is constant at 400-800°C for albite, and for orthoclase values go through a minimum at 500-600°C before increasing slightly towards 1100°C but it never exceeds the room temperature D. Our data on thermal diffusivity correlate closely with other thermophysical properties. Thus, at least in case of simple

Diffusivity and electrical resistivity measurements in rock matrix around fractures

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kumpulainen, H.; Uusheimo, K.

1989-12-01

Microfracturing of rock matrix around permeable fractures was studied experimentally from drill core samples around major fractures. The methods used were diffusion measurements using a 36 Cl-tracer and electrical resistivity measurements. Rock samples were from the Romuvaara investigation site, the granite specimen around a partially filled carbonate fracture (KR4/333 m) and gneiss specimen around a slickenside fracture (KR1/645 m). A consistent difference of one to two orders of magnitude in the levels of the methods with regard to the effective diffusion coefficients for Cl - -ion was found, the electrical resistivity measurement giving higher values. On the basis of the diffusion measurements the diffusion porosities could be calculated but these remained one to two orders of magnitude lower than that expected for granitic rocks using the water saturation method. A possible reason for these differences could have been the low, in some cases 0.004 M NaC1-concentration in the diffusion experiments vs. the 1 M NaCl-concentration used in the electrical resistivity measurements. Due to the small number of specimens and cross sectional areas of only 2 cm 2 , rock inhomogeneity effects were significant making the interpretation of the results somewhat troublesome. Porosities on fracture surfaces seemed to be higher than in the deeper, more intact rock matrix

Measurements and theoretical calculations of diffused radiation and atmosphere lucidity

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Pelece, I.; Iljins, U.; Ziemelis, I.

2009-01-01

Align with other environment friendly renewable energy sources solar energy is widely used in the world. Also in Latvia solar collectors are used. However, in Latvia because of its geographical and climatic conditions there are some specific features in comparison with traditional solar energy using countries. These features lead to the necessity to pay more attention to diffused irradiance. Another factor affecting the received irradiance of any surface is lucidity of atmosphere. This factor has not been studied in Latvia yet. This article deals with evaluation of diffused irradiance, and also of lucidity of atmosphere. The diffused irradiance can be measured directly or as a difference between the global irradiance and the beam one. The lucidity of atmosphere can be calculated from the measurements of both global and beam irradiance, if the height of the sun is known. Therefore, measurements of both global and beam irradiance have been carried out, and the diffused irradiance calculated as a difference between the global irradiance and the beam one. For measuring of the global irradiance the dome solarimeter has been used. For measuring of the direct irradiance tracking to sun pirheliometer has been used. The measurements were performed in Riga from October 2008 till March 2009. The measurements were executed automatically after every 5 minutes. The obtained results have been analyzed taking into account also the data on nebulosity from the State agency Latvian Environment, Geology and Meteorology Agency. Also efforts to calculate theoretically the diffused irradiance from the height of the sun and the data of the nebulosity have been done. These calculated values have been compared with the measured ones. Good accordance is obtained. (author)

Diffusion measurement in ferrous infused gel dosimeters

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zahmatkesh, M. H.; Healy, B. J.

2003-01-01

Background: The compositions of Ferrous sulphate, Agarose and Xylenol orange dye and Ferrous sulphate, Gelatin and Xylenol orange dye in solution of distilled water and sulphuric acid are two tissue-equivalent gel dosimeters. Ionizing radiation causes oxidation of Fe 2+ ion to Fe 3+ ions which diffuse through the gel matrix and blur the image of absorbed dose over a period of hours after irradiation. Materials and methods: 25 m M sulphuric acid, 0.4 mm ferrous ammonium sulphate, 0.2 mm xylenol orange dye and 1% by weight agarose in distilled water named Agarose and Xylenol orange dye and 0.1 mm ferrous ammonium sulphate, 0.1 mm xylenol orange dye, 50 mm sulphuric acid and 5% by weight gelatin in distilled water named Gelatin and Xylenol orange dye are used as two gel dosimeters. All chemicals were supplied by Sigma Ald ridge Company, Germany. The gels were poured in Perspex casts and were irradiated to a beam of X ray from linear accelerators or X ray machine. Results: In this study diffusion coefficients of Agarose and Xylenol orange dye and Gelatin and Xylenol orange dye dosimeters have been measured through a computer program for different temperature. The ferric ion diffusion coefficient (D) for the Agarose and Xylenol orange dye and Gelatin and Xylenol orange dye dosimeters were measured as (1.19.±0.03) x 10 -2 cm 2 .hr -1 and (0.83±0.03) x 10 -2 cm 2 .hr -1 respectively at room temperature. Conclusion: For both dosimeters the diffusion coefficients decreased with gel storage temperatures down to 6 d ig C . Gelatin and Xylenol orange dye dosimeters have advantage of lower diffusion coefficient for a specified temperature

Serum levels of pancreatic stone protein (PSP/reg1A as an indicator of beta-cell apoptosis suggest an increased apoptosis rate in hepatocyte nuclear factor 1 alpha (HNF1A-MODY carriers from the third decade of life onward

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Bacon Siobhan

2012-07-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Mutations in the transcription factor hepatocyte nuclear factor-1-alpha (HNF1A result in the commonest type of maturity onset diabetes of the young (MODY. HNF1A-MODY carriers have reduced pancreatic beta cell mass, partially due to an increased rate of apoptosis. To date, it has not been possible to determine when apoptosis is occurring in HNF1A-MODY.We have recently demonstrated that beta cell apoptosis stimulates the expression of the pancreatic stone protein/regenerating (PSP/reg gene in surviving neighbour cells, and that PSP/reg1A protein is subsequently secreted from these cells. The objective of this study was to determine whether serum levels of PSP/reg1A are elevated during disease progression in HNF1A-MODY carriers, and whether it may provide information regarding the onset of beta-cell apoptosis. Methods We analysed serum PSP/reg1A levels and correlated with clinical and biochemical parameters in subjects with HNF1A-MODY, glucokinase (GCK-MODY, and type 1 diabetes mellitus. A control group of normoglycaemic subjects was also analysed. Results PSP/reg1A serum levels were significantly elevated in HNF1A-MODY (n = 37 subjects compared to controls (n = 60 (median = 12.50 ng/ml, IQR = 10.61-17.87 ng/ml versus median = 10.72 ng/ml, IQR = 8.94-12.54 ng/ml, p = 0.0008. PSP/reg1A correlated negatively with insulin levels during OGTT, (rho = −0.40, p = 0.02. Interestingly we noted a significant positive correlation of PSP/reg1A with age of the HNF1A-MODY carriers (rho = 0.40 p = 0.02 with an age of 25 years separating carriers with low and high PSP/reg1A levels. Patients with type 1 diabetes mellitus also had elevated serum levels of PSP/reg1A compared to controls, however this was independent of the duration of diabetes. Conclusion Our data suggest that beta cell apoptosis contributes increasingly to the pathophysiology of HNF1A-MODY in patients 25 years and over

Serum levels of pancreatic stone protein (PSP)/reg1A as an indicator of beta-cell apoptosis suggest an increased apoptosis rate in hepatocyte nuclear factor 1 alpha (HNF1A-MODY) carriers from the third decade of life onward

LENUS (Irish Health Repository)

Bacon, Siobhan

2012-07-18

AbstractBackgroundMutations in the transcription factor hepatocyte nuclear factor-1-alpha (HNF1A) result in the commonest type of maturity onset diabetes of the young (MODY). HNF1A-MODY carriers have reduced pancreatic beta cell mass, partially due to an increased rate of apoptosis. To date, it has not been possible to determine when apoptosis is occurring in HNF1A-MODY.We have recently demonstrated that beta cell apoptosis stimulates the expression of the pancreatic stone protein\\/regenerating (PSP\\/reg) gene in surviving neighbour cells, and that PSP\\/reg1A protein is subsequently secreted from these cells. The objective of this study was to determine whether serum levels of PSP\\/reg1A are elevated during disease progression in HNF1A-MODY carriers, and whether it may provide information regarding the onset of beta-cell apoptosis.MethodsWe analysed serum PSP\\/reg1A levels and correlated with clinical and biochemical parameters in subjects with HNF1A-MODY, glucokinase (GCK-MODY), and type 1 diabetes mellitus. A control group of normoglycaemic subjects was also analysed.ResultsPSP\\/reg1A serum levels were significantly elevated in HNF1A-MODY (n = 37) subjects compared to controls (n = 60) (median = 12.50 ng\\/ml, IQR = 10.61-17.87 ng\\/ml versus median = 10.72 ng\\/ml, IQR = 8.94-12.54 ng\\/ml, p = 0.0008). PSP\\/reg1A correlated negatively with insulin levels during OGTT, (rho = −0.40, p = 0.02). Interestingly we noted a significant positive correlation of PSP\\/reg1A with age of the HNF1A-MODY carriers (rho = 0.40 p = 0.02) with an age of 25 years separating carriers with low and high PSP\\/reg1A levels. Patients with type 1 diabetes mellitus also had elevated serum levels of PSP\\/reg1A compared to controls, however this was independent of the duration of diabetes.ConclusionOur data suggest that beta cell apoptosis contributes increasingly to the pathophysiology of HNF1A-MODY in patients 25 years and

Measurements of the Fe3+ diffusion coefficient in Fricke Xylenol gel using optical density measurements

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nonato de Oliveira, Lucas; Sampaio, Francisco Glaildo Almeida; Moreira, Marcos Vasques; Almeida, Adelaide de

2014-01-01

In Fricke dosimetry, optical density measurements are performed some time after dosimeter irradiation. Values of the diffusion coefficient of Fe 3+ in Fricke Xylenol gel (FXG) are necessary for determining the spatial distribution of the absorbed dose from measurements of the optical density. Five sets of FXG dosimeters, kept at different constant temperatures, were exposed to collimated 6 MV photons. The optical density profile, proportional to the Fe 3+ concentration, at the boundary between irradiated and non-irradiated parts of each dosimeter was measured periodically over a period of 60 h. By comparing the experimental data with a function that accounts for the unobserved initial concentration profile of Fe 3+ in the FXG, we obtained diffusion coefficients 0.30±0.05, 0.40±0.05, 0.50±0.05, 0.60±0.05 and 0.80±0.05 mm 2 /h for the temperatures 283.0±0.5, 286.0±0.5, 289.0±0.5, 292.0±0.5, and 296.0±0.5 K, respectively. The activation energy of Fe 3+ diffusion in the gel, 0.54±0.06 eV, was determined from the temperature dependence of the diffusion coefficients. - Highlights: • A new analytical method to determine diffusion coefficients of ions in gels is proposed. • The method is applied for measurements of the diffusion coefficients of Fe 3+ ions in a Fricke gel dosimeter. • Activation energy of the Fe 3+ ions in the gel was found to be 0.54 ±0.06 eV

Exciton diffusion coefficient measurement in ZnO nanowires under electron beam irradiation

Science.gov (United States)

Donatini, Fabrice; Pernot, Julien

2018-03-01

In semiconductor nanowires (NWs) the exciton diffusion coefficient can be determined using a scanning electron microscope fitted with a cathodoluminescence system. High spatial and temporal resolution cathodoluminescence experiments are needed to measure independently the exciton diffusion length and lifetime in single NWs. However, both diffusion length and lifetime can be affected by the electron beam bombardment during observation and measurement. Thus, in this work the exciton lifetime in a ZnO NW is measured versus the electron beam dose (EBD) via a time-resolved cathodoluminescence experiment with a temporal resolution of 50 ps. The behavior of the measured exciton lifetime is consistent with our recent work on the EBD dependence of the exciton diffusion length in similar NWs investigated under comparable SEM conditions. Combining the two results, the exciton diffusion coefficient in ZnO is determined at room temperature and is found constant over the full span of EBD.

Measuring Charge Carrier Diffusion in Coupled Colloidal Quantum Dot Solids

KAUST Repository

Zhitomirsky, David

2013-06-25

Colloidal quantum dots (CQDs) are attractive materials for inexpensive, room-temperature-, and solution-processed optoelectronic devices. A high carrier diffusion length is desirable for many CQD device applications. In this work we develop two new experimental methods to investigate charge carrier diffusion in coupled CQD solids under charge-neutral, i.e., undepleted, conditions. The methods take advantage of the quantum-size-effect tunability of our materials, utilizing a smaller-bandgap population of quantum dots as a reporter system. We develop analytical models of diffusion in 1D and 3D structures that allow direct extraction of diffusion length from convenient parametric plots and purely optical measurements. We measure several CQD solids fabricated using a number of distinct methods and having significantly different doping and surface ligand treatments. We find that CQD materials recently reported to achieve a certified power conversion efficiency of 7% with hybrid organic-inorganic passivation have a diffusion length of 80 ± 10 nm. The model further allows us to extract the lifetime, trap density, mobility, and diffusion coefficient independently in each material system. This work will facilitate further progress in extending the diffusion length, ultimately leading to high-quality CQD solid semiconducting materials and improved CQD optoelectronic devices, including CQD solar cells. © 2013 American Chemical Society.

A multi-slice sliding cell technique for diffusion measurements in liquid metals

Science.gov (United States)

Zhong, Langxiang; Hu, Jinliang; Geng, Yongliang; Zhu, Chunao; Zhang, Bo

2017-09-01

The long capillary and shear-cell techniques are traditionally used for diffusion measurements in liquid metals. Inspired by the idea of the shear-cell method, we have built a multi-slice sliding cell device for inter-diffusion measurements in liquid metals. The device is designed based on a linear sliding movement rather than a rotational shearing as used in the traditional shear-cell method. Compared with the normal shear-cell method, the present device is a more compact setup thus easier to handle. Also, it is expected to be easier to monitor with X-rays or neutrons if used in in situ experiments. A series of benchmark time-dependent diffusion experiments in Al-Cu melts carried out with the present technique reveal that accurate diffusion constants can be achieved only after a sufficient time. For short annealing times, the initial shearing process causing convective flow dominates the measurement and leads to an increase of the measured diffusion coefficient by a factor three. The diffusion data obtained for Al-Cu liquids are consistent with the most accurate data measured by the in situ X-ray radiography method under well controlled conditions of no temperature gradient or other perturbation. High accuracy and easy handling as well as superior adaptability make the present technique suitable for diffusion studies in liquid metals.

Cerebral blood flow SPECT may be helpful in establishing the diagnosis of progressive supranuclear palsy and corticobasal degeneration

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Slawek, J.; Lass, P.; Derejko, M.; Dubaniewicz, M.

2001-01-01

We present 4 cases, which illustrate the usefulness of neuroimaging studies in atypical forms of Parkinsonism. Progressive Supranuclear Palsy (PSP) and Corticobasal Degeneration (CBD) are rare neurodegenerative progressive disorders of the central nervous system of unknown cause. The clinical accuracy in this diagnosis is not very high even in centres specialising in movement disorders. Functional imaging can be helpful in diagnosing PSP and CBD. We present the results of cerebral blood flow (CBF) SPECT scanning in 2 patients with PSP and 2 patients with CBD. This was performed using a triple-head gammacamera and 99m Tc-HMPAO. In PSP patients a diffuse frontal perfusion deficit was seen, eventually with striatal and occipital hypoperfusion. CT/MRI was either normal or showed a diffuse cortical-subcortical atrophy. In CBD patients left fronto-parieto-temporal cortex and a striatal hypoperfusion were shown. CT scanning was normal in one case and showed an asymmetrical temporo-parietal atrophy in second one. The pattern of diffuse frontal perfusions deficit in PSP and asymmetrical, contralateral to symptoms of CBD, cortico-subcortical hypoperfusion may be helpful in establishing the correct diagnosis. (author)

Analysis and correction of gradient nonlinearity bias in apparent diffusion coefficient measurements.

Science.gov (United States)

Malyarenko, Dariya I; Ross, Brian D; Chenevert, Thomas L

2014-03-01

Gradient nonlinearity of MRI systems leads to spatially dependent b-values and consequently high non-uniformity errors (10-20%) in apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) measurements over clinically relevant field-of-views. This work seeks practical correction procedure that effectively reduces observed ADC bias for media of arbitrary anisotropy in the fewest measurements. All-inclusive bias analysis considers spatial and time-domain cross-terms for diffusion and imaging gradients. The proposed correction is based on rotation of the gradient nonlinearity tensor into the diffusion gradient frame where spatial bias of b-matrix can be approximated by its Euclidean norm. Correction efficiency of the proposed procedure is numerically evaluated for a range of model diffusion tensor anisotropies and orientations. Spatial dependence of nonlinearity correction terms accounts for the bulk (75-95%) of ADC bias for FA = 0.3-0.9. Residual ADC non-uniformity errors are amplified for anisotropic diffusion. This approximation obviates need for full diffusion tensor measurement and diagonalization to derive a corrected ADC. Practical scenarios are outlined for implementation of the correction on clinical MRI systems. The proposed simplified correction algorithm appears sufficient to control ADC non-uniformity errors in clinical studies using three orthogonal diffusion measurements. The most efficient reduction of ADC bias for anisotropic medium is achieved with non-lab-based diffusion gradients. Copyright © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

The Measurement of Thermal Diffusivity in Conductor and Insulator by Photodeflection Technique

Science.gov (United States)

Achathongsuk, U.; Rittidach, T.; Tipmonta, P.; Kijamnajsuk, P.; Chotikaprakhan, S.

2017-09-01

The purpose of this study is to estimate thermal diffusivities of high thermal diffusivity bulk material as well as low thermal diffusivity bulk material by using many types of fluid such as Ethyl alcohol and water. This method is studied by measuring amplitude and phase of photodeflection signal in various frequency modulations. The experimental setup consists of two laser lines: 1) a pump laser beams through a modulator, varied frequency, controlled by lock-in amplifier and focused on sample surface by lens. 2) a probe laser which parallels with the sample surface and is perpendicular to the pump laser beam. The probe laser deflection signal is obtained by a position sensor which controlled by lock-in amplifier. Thermal diffusivity is calculated by measuring the amplitude and phase of the photodeflection signal and compared with the thermal diffusivity of a standard value. The thermal diffusivity of SGG agrees well with the literature but the thermal diffusivity of Cu is less than the literature value by a factor of ten. The experiment requires further improvement to measure the thermal diffusivity of Cu. However, we succeed in using ethyl alcohol as the coupling medium instead of CCl4 which is highly toxic.

Calculating the diffuse solar radiation in regions without solar radiation measurements

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Li, Huashan; Bu, Xianbiao; Long, Zhen; Zhao, Liang; Ma, Weibin

2012-01-01

Correlations for calculating diffuse solar radiation can be classified into models with global solar radiation (H-based method) and without it (Non-H method). The objective of the present study is to compare the performance of H-based and Non-H methods for calculating the diffuse solar radiation in regions without solar radiation measurements. The comparison is carried out at eight meteorological stations in China focusing on the monthly average daily diffuse solar radiation. Based on statistical error tests, the results show that the Non-H method that includes other readily available meteorological elements gives better estimates. Therefore, it can be concluded that the Non-H method is more appropriate than the H-based one for calculating the diffuse solar radiation in regions without solar radiation measurements. -- Highlights: ► Methods for calculating diffuse solar radiation in regions without solar radiation measurements are investigated. ► Diffuse solar radiation models can be classified into two groups according to global solar radiation. ► Two approaches are compared at the eight meteorological stations in China. ► The method without global solar radiation is recommended.

Method for measurement of radon diffusion and solubility in solid materials

Science.gov (United States)

Maier, Andreas; Weber, Uli; Dickmann, Jannis; Breckow, Joachim; van Beek, Patrick; Schardt, Dieter; Kraft, Gerhard; Fournier, Claudia

2018-02-01

In order to study the permeation i.e. the diffusion and solubility of radon gas in biological material, a new setup was constructed and a novel analysis was applied to obtain diffusion and solubility coefficients. Thin slabs of solid materials were installed between detector housing and the surrounding radon exposure chamber of 50 Ls volume. In this setup radon can diffuse through thin test samples into a cylindrical volume of 5 mm height and 20 mm diameter and reach an α-particle detector. There the 5.49 MeV α-decay of the penetrating radon atoms is measured by a silicon surface barrier detector. The time dependent activities inside the small detector volume are recorded after injection of a known radon activity concentration into the outer chamber. Analyzing the time behavior of the integral α-activity from radon in the small vessel, both, the diffusion coefficient and solubility of the test material can be determined, based on a new mathematical model of the diffusion process concerning the special boundary conditions given by the experimental setup. These first measurements were intended as proof of concept for the detection system and the data analysis. Thin polyethylene foils (LDPE) were selected as material for the diffusion measurements and the results were in agreement with data from literature. In further measurements, we will concentrate on biological material like bone, fat and other tissues.

A method to calibrate a solar pyranometer for measuring reference diffuse irradiance

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Reda, I.; Stoffel, T.; Myers, D. [National Renewable Energy Laboratory, Golden, CO (United States)

2003-02-01

Accurate pyranometer calibrations, traceable to internationally recognized standards, are critical for solar irradiance measurements. One calibration method is the component summation, where the pyranometers are calibrated outdoors under clear sky conditions, and the reference global solar irradiance is calculated as the sum of two reference components, the diffuse and subtended beam solar irradiances. The beam component is measured with pyrheliometers traceable to the World Radiometric Reference, while there is no internationally recognized reference for the diffuse component. In the absence of such a reference, we present a method to consistently calibrate pyranometers for measuring the diffuse component with an estimated uncertainty of {+-} (3% of reading +1 W/m{sup 2}). The method is based on using a modified shade/unshade method, and pyranometers with less than 1 W/m{sup 2} thermal offset errors. We evaluated the consistency of our method by calibrating three pyranometers four times. Calibration results show that the responsivity change is within {+-} 0.52% for the three pyranometers. We also evaluated the effect of calibrating pyranometers unshaded, then using them shaded to measure diffuse irradiance. We calibrated three unshaded pyranometers using the component summation method. Their outdoor measurements of clear sky diffuse irradiance, from sunrise to sundown, showed that the three calibrated pyranometers can be used to measure the diffuse irradiance to within {+-} 1.4 W/m{sup 2} variation from the reference irradiance. (author)

Measurement of the local particle diffusion coefficient in a magnetized plasma

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Meyerhofer, D.D.; Levinton, F.M.

1987-02-01

Local impurity particle diffusion coefficients have been measured in a low temperature plasma by the injection of test particles at the center of the plasma. The injection is accomplished by a high voltage discharge between two small graphite electrodes on a probe. The probe can be located anywhere in the plasma. The diffusion is observed spectroscopically. An analysis of the spatial and temporal evolution of the CII radiation from the carbon discharge can determine the parallel and perpendicular diffusion of the impurity ions. Results with the diagnostic have been obtained in the Proto S-1/C spheromak. The measured value of the diffusion coefficient in the afterglow plasma is in good agreement with classical predictions

Use of glow discharge in measurement of diffusion profile

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Baudin, Guy

1976-05-01

The composition of a glow discharge plasma is a good image of the composition of the surface being erroded without fusion. The depth of metal eated away is a linear function of time in 10 to 60μ range, that is too say between 2 and 20 minutes after lightning of the lamp. So measuring the emission of the discharge is function of time gives the diffusion profile of elements either by measuring instantaneous signal or by integrating during short periods of time for weak concentration. Examples of application for diffusion of N 2 and C in steel will be given [fr

The putative thiosulfate sulfurtransferases PspE and GlpE contribute to virulence of Salmonella Typhimurium in the mouse model of systemic disease

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Wallrodt, Inke; Jelsbak, Lotte; Thorndahl, Lotte

2013-01-01

contribute to S. Typhimurium virulence, as a glpE and pspE double deletion strain showed significantly decreased virulence in a mouse model of systemic infection. However, challenge of cultured epithelial cells and macrophages did not reveal any virulence-associated phenotypes. We hypothesized...

Permeability estimation from NMR diffusion measurements in reservoir rocks.

Science.gov (United States)

Balzarini, M; Brancolini, A; Gossenberg, P

1998-01-01

It is well known that in restricted geometries, such as in porous media, the apparent diffusion coefficient (D) of the fluid depends on the observation time. From the time dependence of D, interesting information can be derived to characterise geometrical features of the porous media that are relevant in oil industry applications. In particular, the permeability can be related to the surface-to-volume ratio (S/V), estimated from the short time behaviour of D(t), and to the connectivity of the pore space, which is probed by the long time behaviour of D(t). The stimulated spin-echo pulse sequence, with pulsed magnetic field gradients, has been used to measure the diffusion coefficients on various homogeneous and heterogeneous sandstone samples. It is shown that the petrophysical parameters obtained by our measurements are in good agreement with those yielded by conventional laboratory techniques (gas permeability and electrical conductivity). Although the diffusing time is limited by T1, eventually preventing an observation of the real asymptotic behaviour, and the surface-to-volume ratio measured by nuclear magnetic resonance is different from the value obtained by BET because of the different length scales probed, the measurement remains reliable and low-time consuming.

Measurement of methanol diffusion coefficient in polymer electrode membrane by small NMR sensor. 1st report. Development of method of measure methanol diffusion coefficient and evaluation of measured results

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ogawa, Kuniyasu; Haishi, Tomoyuki; Ito, Kohei

2010-01-01

A method for measuring the diffusion coefficient of methanol in a polymer electrolyte membrane (PEM) was developed using the NMR method. A circular coil of 0.6mm inside diameter was used as a small NMR sensor. The PEM was inserted in a penetration cell, where methanol solvent is supplied to one side of the PEM and nitrogen gas is supplied to the other side of the PEM. The small NMR sensor was placed on the nitrogen gas side of the PEM. The small NMR sensor detects the NMR signal from the methanol solvent which permeates the PEM. The CH and OH components of the methanol solvent were obtained from the NMR signal by spectral analysis. The methanol concentration in the PEM was determined by the ratio of CH to OH components. The methanol concentration was acquired at intervals of 30s and was measured for 2000s. After 1500 seconds, the methanol concentration in the PEM reaches a steady state. The final methanol concentration was about 20% of the methanol concentration of the solvent. It assumed that the diffusion phenomenon of methanol in a PEM was a one-dimensional transport phenomenon, and the time-dependent change of methanol concentration was analyzed by parameterizing the diffusion coefficient. The diffusion coefficient of methanol in a PEM was determined by comparison with the measurement result of the time change of methanol concentration and the analysis results. The concentration difference diffusion coefficient of methanol in PEM obtained using this method was 3.5 * 10 -10 m 2 /s. (author)

Cortical thickness, surface area and volume measures in Parkinson's disease, multiple system atrophy and progressive supranuclear palsy.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Amanda Worker

Full Text Available Parkinson's disease (PD, Multiple System Atrophy (MSA and Progressive Supranuclear Palsy (PSP are neurodegenerative diseases that can be difficult to distinguish clinically. The objective of the current study was to use surface-based analysis techniques to assess cortical thickness, surface area and grey matter volume to identify unique morphological patterns of cortical atrophy in PD, MSA and PSP and to relate these patterns of change to disease duration and clinical features.High resolution 3D T1-weighted MRI volumes were acquired from 14 PD patients, 18 MSA, 14 PSP and 19 healthy control participants. Cortical thickness, surface area and volume analyses were carried out using the automated surface-based analysis package FreeSurfer (version 5.1.0. Measures of disease severity and duration were assessed for correlation with cortical morphometric changes in each clinical group.Results show that in PSP, widespread cortical thinning and volume loss occurs within the frontal lobe, particularly the superior frontal gyrus. In addition, PSP patients also displayed increased surface area in the pericalcarine. In comparison, PD and MSA did not display significant changes in cortical morphology.These results demonstrate that patients with clinically established PSP exhibit distinct patterns of cortical atrophy, particularly affecting the frontal lobe. These results could be used in the future to develop a useful clinical application of MRI to distinguish PSP patients from PD and MSA patients.

Observation of structural universality in disordered systems using bulk diffusion measurement

Science.gov (United States)

Papaioannou, Antonios; Novikov, Dmitry S.; Fieremans, Els; Boutis, Gregory S.

2017-12-01

We report on an experimental observation of classical diffusion distinguishing between structural universality classes of disordered systems in one dimension. Samples of hyperuniform and short-range disorder were designed, characterized by the statistics of the placement of micrometer-thin parallel permeable barriers, and the time-dependent diffusion coefficient was measured by NMR methods over three orders of magnitude in time. The relation between the structural exponent, characterizing disorder universality class, and the dynamical exponent of the diffusion coefficient is experimentally verified. The experimentally established relation between structure and transport exemplifies the hierarchical nature of structural complexity—dynamics are mainly determined by the universality class, whereas microscopic parameters affect the nonuniversal coefficients. These results open the way for noninvasive characterization of structural correlations in porous media, complex materials, and biological tissues via a bulk diffusion measurement.

Experimental hot-wire measurements in a centrifugal compressor with vaned diffuser

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Pinarbasi, Ali

2008-01-01

The purpose of this study was to improve the understanding of the flow physics in a centrifugal compressor with vaned diffuser. For this reason three component hot wire measurements in the vaneless space and vane region of a low speed centrifugal compressor are presented. A low speed compressor with a 19 bladed backswept impeller and diffuser with 16 wedge vanes were used. The measurements were made at three inter-vane positions and are presented as mean velocity, turbulent kinetic energy and flow angle distributions. The flow entering the diffuser closely resembles the classic jet-wake flow characteristic of centrifugal impeller discharges. A strong upstream influence of the diffuser vanes is observed which results in significant variations in flow quantities between the vane-to-vane locations. The circumferential variations due to the passage and blade wakes rapidly mix out in the vaneless space, although some variations are still discernible in the vaned region. The impeller blade wakes mix out rapidly within the vaneless space and more rapidly than in an equivalent vaneless diffuser. Although the flow is highly non uniform in velocity at the impeller exit, there is no evidence in the results of any separation from the diffuser vanes

Finite element approximation for time-dependent diffusion with measure-valued source

Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

Seidman, T.; Gobbert, M.; Trott, D.; Kružík, Martin

2012-01-01

Roč. 122, č. 4 (2012), s. 709-723 ISSN 0029-599X R&D Projects: GA AV ČR IAA100750802 Institutional support: RVO:67985556 Keywords : measure-valued source * diffusion equation Subject RIV: BA - General Mathematics Impact factor: 1.329, year: 2012 http://library.utia.cas.cz/separaty/2012/MTR/kruzik-finite element approximation for time - dependent diffusion with measure-valued source.pdf

Laboratory measurements of radon diffusion through multilayered cover systems for uranium tailings

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nielson, K.K.; Rogers, V.C.; Rich, D.C.; Nederhand, F.A.; Sandquist, G.M.; Jensen, C.M.

1981-12-01

Laboratory measurements of radon fluxes and radon concentration profiles were conducted to characterize the effectiveness of multilayer cover systems for uranium tailings. The cover systems utilized soil and clay materials from proposed disposal sites for the Vitro, Durango, Shiprock, Grand Junction and Riverton tailings piles. Measured radon fluxes were in reasonable agreement with values predicted by multilayer diffusion theory. Results obtained by using air-filled porosities in the diffusion calculations were similar to those obtained by using total porosities. Measured diffusion coefficients were a better basis for predicting radon fluxes than were correlations of diffusion coefficient with moisture or with air porosity. Radon concentration profiles were also fitted by equations for multilayer diffusion in the air-filled space. Layer-order effects in the multilayer cover systems were examined and estimated to amount to 10 to 20 percent for the systems tested. Quality control measurements in support of the multilayer diffusion tests indicated that moisture absorption was not a significant problem in radon flux sampling with charcoal canisters, but that the geometry of the sampler was critical. The geometric design of flux-can samplers was also shown to be important. Enhanced radon diffusion along the walls of the test columns was examined and was found to be insignificant except when the columns had been physically disturbed. Additional moisture injected into two test columns decreased the radon flux, as expected, but appeared to migrate into surrounding materials or to be lost by evaporation. Control of moisture content and compaction in the test columns appeared to be the critical item affecting the accuracies of the experiments

Shear-induced diffusion of red blood cells measured with dynamic light scattering-optical coherence tomography.

Science.gov (United States)

Tang, Jianbo; Erdener, Sefik Evren; Li, Baoqiang; Fu, Buyin; Sakadzic, Sava; Carp, Stefan A; Lee, Jonghwan; Boas, David A

2018-02-01

Quantitative measurements of intravascular microscopic dynamics, such as absolute blood flow velocity, shear stress and the diffusion coefficient of red blood cells (RBCs), are fundamental in understanding the blood flow behavior within the microcirculation, and for understanding why diffuse correlation spectroscopy (DCS) measurements of blood flow are dominantly sensitive to the diffusive motion of RBCs. Dynamic light scattering-optical coherence tomography (DLS-OCT) takes the advantages of using DLS to measure particle flow and diffusion within an OCT resolution-constrained three-dimensional volume, enabling the simultaneous measurements of absolute RBC velocity and diffusion coefficient with high spatial resolution. In this work, we applied DLS-OCT to measure both RBC velocity and the shear-induced diffusion coefficient within penetrating venules of the somatosensory cortex of anesthetized mice. Blood flow laminar profile measurements indicate a blunted laminar flow profile and the degree of blunting decreases with increasing vessel diameter. The measured shear-induced diffusion coefficient was proportional to the flow shear rate with a magnitude of ~0.1 to 0.5 × 10 -6  mm 2 . These results provide important experimental support for the recent theoretical explanation for why DCS is dominantly sensitive to RBC diffusive motion. © 2017 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Advancing Solar Irradiance Measurement for Climate-Related Studies: Accurate Constraint on Direct Aerosol Radiative Effect (DARE)

Science.gov (United States)

Tsay, Si-Chee; Ji, Q. Jack

2011-01-01

Earth's climate is driven primarily by solar radiation. As summarized in various IPCC reports, the global average of radiative forcing for different agents and mechanisms, such as aerosols or CO2 doubling, is in the range of a few W/sq m. However, when solar irradiance is measured by broadband radiometers, such as the fleet of Eppley Precision Solar Pyranometers (PSP) and equivalent instrumentation employed worldwide, the measurement uncertainty is larger than 2% (e.g., WMO specification of pyranometer, 2008). Thus, out of the approx. 184 W/sq m (approx.263 W/sq m if cloud-free) surface solar insolation (Trenberth et al. 2009), the measurement uncertainty is greater than +/-3.6 W/sq m, overwhelming the climate change signals. To discern these signals, less than a 1 % measurement uncertainty is required and is currently achievable only by means of a newly developed methodology employing a modified PSP-like pyranometer and an updated calibration equation to account for its thermal effects (li and Tsay, 2010). In this talk, we will show that some auxiliary measurements, such as those from a collocated pyrgeometer or air temperature sensors, can help correct historical datasets. Additionally, we will also demonstrate that a pyrheliometer is not free of the thermal effect; therefore, comparing to a high cost yet still not thermal-effect-free "direct + diffuse" approach in measuring surface solar irradiance, our new method is more economical, and more likely to be suitable for correcting a wide variety of historical datasets. Modeling simulations will be presented that a corrected solar irradiance measurement has a significant impact on aerosol forcing, and thus plays an important role in climate studies.

Relative distance between tracers as a measure of diffusivity within moving aggregates

Science.gov (United States)

Pönisch, Wolfram; Zaburdaev, Vasily

2018-02-01

Tracking of particles, be it a passive tracer or an actively moving bacterium in the growing bacterial colony, is a powerful technique to probe the physical properties of the environment of the particles. One of the most common measures of particle motion driven by fluctuations and random forces is its diffusivity, which is routinely obtained by measuring the mean squared displacement of the particles. However, often the tracer particles may be moving in a domain or an aggregate which itself experiences some regular or random motion and thus masks the diffusivity of tracers. Here we provide a method for assessing the diffusivity of tracer particles within mobile aggregates by measuring the so-called mean squared relative distance (MSRD) between two tracers. We provide analytical expressions for both the ensemble and time averaged MSRD allowing for direct identification of diffusivities from experimental data.

PIV measurements in a compact return diffuser under multi-conditions

Science.gov (United States)

Zhou, L.; Lu, W. G.; Shi, W. D.

2013-12-01

Due to the complex three-dimensional geometries of impellers and diffusers, their design is a delicate and difficult task. Slight change could lead to significant changes in hydraulic performance and internal flow structure. Conversely, the grasp of the pump's internal flow pattern could benefit from pump design improvement. The internal flow fields in a compact return diffuser have been investigated experimentally under multi-conditions. A special Particle Image Velocimetry (PIV) test rig is designed, and the two-dimensional PIV measurements are successfully conducted in the diffuser mid-plane to capture the complex flow patterns. The analysis of the obtained results has been focused on the flow structure in diffuser, especially under part-load conditions. The vortex and recirculation flow patterns in diffuser are captured and analysed accordingly. Strong flow separation and back flow appeared at the part-load flow rates. Under the design and over-load conditions, the flow fields in diffuser are uniform, and the flow separation and back flow appear at the part-load flow rates, strong back flow is captured at one diffuser passage under 0.2Qdes.

Measurement of the apparent diffusion coefficient in paediatric mitochondrial encephalopathy cases and a comparison of parenchymal changes associated with the disease using follow-up diffusion coefficient measurements

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Uysal, Fatma, E-mail: afatmauysal@gmail.com [Dokuz Eylül University, Department of Pediatric Radiology, Izmir (Turkey); Çakmakçı, Handan, E-mail: handan.cakmakci@deu.edu.tr [Dokuz Eylül University, Department of Pediatric Radiology, Izmir (Turkey); Yiş, Uluç, E-mail: ulucyis@deu.edu.tr [Dokuz Eylül University, Department of Pediatric Neurology, Izmir (Turkey); Ellidokuz, Hülya, E-mail: hulyaellidokuz@deu.edu.tr [Dokuz Eylül University, Department of Medical Statistics, Izmir (Turkey); Hız, Ayşe Semra, E-mail: aysesemrahiz@deu.edu.tr [Dokuz Eylül University, Department of Pediatric Neurology, Izmir (Turkey)

2014-01-15

Objectives: To reveal the contribution of MRI and diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI) to the diagnosis of mitochondrial encephalopathy (ME) and to evaluate the parenchymal changes associated with this disease in the involved parenchymal areas using the apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) parameter. Methods: Ten patients who had undergone MRI and DWI analysis with a pre-diagnosis of neurometabolic disease, and who were subsequently diagnosed with ME in laboratory and/or genetic studies, were included in our study. ADC values were compared with a control group composed of 20 patients of similar age with normal brains. Evaluations involved measurements made in 20 different areas determined on the ADC map. The dominance or contribution of ADC coefficient measurements to the conventional sequences was compared with the controls. Results: In the first examination, an increase in both diffusion and ADC values was detected in six cases and diffusion restriction and a decrease in ADC values in three patients. While an increase in both diffusion and ADC values was demonstrated in four cases, there was diffusion restriction and a decrease in ADC values in three cases in the control examinations. Conclusions: DWI provides information that complements conventional MRI sequences in the diagnosis of ME.

[Measurement of CO diffusion capacity (II): Standardization and quality criteria].

Science.gov (United States)

Salcedo Posadas, A; Villa Asensi, J R; de Mir Messa, I; Sardón Prado, O; Larramona, H

2015-08-01

The diffusion capacity is the technique that measures the ability of the respiratory system for gas exchange, thus allowing a diagnosis of the malfunction of the alveolar-capillary unit. The most important parameter to assess is the CO diffusion capacity (DLCO). New methods are currently being used to measure the diffusion using nitric oxide (NO). There are other methods for measuring diffusion, although in this article the single breath technique is mainly referred to, as it is the most widely used and best standardized. Its complexity, its reference equations, differences in equipment, inter-patient variability and conditions in which the DLCO is performed, lead to a wide inter-laboratory variability, although its standardization makes this a more reliable and reproductive method. The practical aspects of the technique are analyzed, by specifying the recommendations to carry out a suitable procedure, the calibration routine, calculations and adjustments. Clinical applications are also discussed. An increase in the transfer of CO occurs in diseases in which there is an increased volume of blood in the pulmonary capillaries, such as in the polycythemia and pulmonary hemorrhage. There is a decrease in DLCO in patients with alveolar volume reduction or diffusion defects, either by altered alveolar-capillary membrane (interstitial diseases) or decreased volume of blood in the pulmonary capillaries (pulmonary embolism or primary pulmonary hypertension). Other causes of decreased or increased DLCO are also highlighted. Copyright © 2014 Asociación Española de Pediatría. Published by Elsevier España, S.L.U. All rights reserved.

Some notes on experiments measuring diffusion of sorbed nuclides through porous media

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lever, D.A.

1986-11-01

Various experimental techniques for measuring the important parameters governing diffusion of sorbed nuclides through water-saturated porous media are described, and the particular parameters obtained from each technique are discussed. Recent experiments in which diffusive transport takes place more rapidly than expected are reviewed. The author recommends that through-transport diffusion experiments are the most satisfactory method of determining whether this arises from surface diffusion of sorbed nuclides. (author)

Pulsed neutron method for diffusion, slowing down, and reactivity measurements

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sjoestrand, N.G.

1985-01-01

An outline is given on the principles of the pulsed neutron method for the determination of thermal neutron diffusion parameters, for slowing-down time measurements, and for reactivity determinations. The historical development is sketched from the breakthrough in the middle of the nineteen fifties and the usefulness and limitations of the method are discussed. The importance for the present understanding of neutron slowing-down, thermalization and diffusion are point out. Examples are given of its recent use for e.g. absorption cross section measurements and for the study of the properties of heterogeneous systems

Beam diffusion measurements using collimator scans in the LHC

CERN Document Server

Valentino, Gianluca; Bruce, Roderik; Burkart, Florian; Previtali, Valentina; Redaelli, Stefano; Salvachua, Belen; Stancari, Giuliov; Valishev, Alexander

2013-01-01

The time evolution of beam losses during a collimator scan provides information on halo diffusion and population. This is an essential input for machine performance characterization and for the design of collimation systems. Beam halo measurements in the CERN Large Hadron Collider were conducted through collimator scrapings in a dedicated beam study for the first time at 4 TeV. Four scans were performed with two collimators, in the vertical plane for beam 1 and horizontally for beam 2, before and after bringing the beams into collisions. Inward and outward steps were performed. A diffusion model was used to interpret the observed loss rate evolution in response to the collimator steps. With this technique, diffusion coefficients were estimated as a function of betatron oscillation amplitude from approximately 3 to 7 standard deviations of the transverse beam distribution. A comparison of halo diffusion and core emittance growth rates is also presented.

Estimation of diffuse from measured global solar radiation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Moriarty, W.W.

1991-01-01

A data set of quality controlled radiation observations from stations scattered throughout Australia was formed and further screened to remove residual doubtful observations. It was then divided into groups by solar elevation, and used to find average relationships for each elevation group between relative global radiation (clearness index - the measured global radiation expressed as a proportion of the radiation on a horizontal surface at the top of the atmosphere) and relative diffuse radiation. Clear-cut relationships were found, which were then fitted by polynomial expressions giving the relative diffuse radiation as a function of relative global radiation and solar elevation. When these expressions were used to estimate the diffuse radiation from the global, the results had a slightly smaller spread of errors than those from an earlier technique given by Spencer. It was found that the errors were related to cloud amount, and further relationships were developed giving the errors as functions of global radiation, solar elevation, and the fraction of sky obscured by high cloud and by opaque (low and middle level) cloud. When these relationships were used to adjust the first estimates of diffuse radiation, there was a considerable reduction in the number of large errors

Estimation and prediction of convection-diffusion-reaction systems from point measurement

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Vries, D.

2008-01-01

Different procedures with respect to estimation and prediction of systems characterized by convection, diffusion and reactions on the basis of point measurement data, have been studied. Two applications of these convection-diffusion-reaction (CDR) systems have been used as a case study of the

PIV measurements in a compact return diffuser under multi-conditions

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zhou, L; Lu, W G; Shi, W D

2013-01-01

Due to the complex three-dimensional geometries of impellers and diffusers, their design is a delicate and difficult task. Slight change could lead to significant changes in hydraulic performance and internal flow structure. Conversely, the grasp of the pump's internal flow pattern could benefit from pump design improvement. The internal flow fields in a compact return diffuser have been investigated experimentally under multi-conditions. A special Particle Image Velocimetry (PIV) test rig is designed, and the two-dimensional PIV measurements are successfully conducted in the diffuser mid-plane to capture the complex flow patterns. The analysis of the obtained results has been focused on the flow structure in diffuser, especially under part-load conditions. The vortex and recirculation flow patterns in diffuser are captured and analysed accordingly. Strong flow separation and back flow appeared at the part-load flow rates. Under the design and over-load conditions, the flow fields in diffuser are uniform, and the flow separation and back flow appear at the part-load flow rates, strong back flow is captured at one diffuser passage under 0.2Q des

In vivo magnetic resonance diffusion measurement in the brain of patients with multiple sclerosis

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Larsson, H B; Thomsen, C; Frederiksen, J

1992-01-01

Measurement of water self-diffusion in the brain in 25 patients with multiple sclerosis was performed by magnetic resonance imaging. Quantitative diffusion measurements were obtained using single spin-echo pulse sequences with pulsed magnetic field gradients of different magnitude. Twenty......-two of these patients also underwent measurement of the transverse relaxation time (T2). Only one plaque was evaluated in each patient. Based on prior knowledge, 12 plaques were classified as being 3 mo or less in age, and 7 plaques were classified as being more than 3 mo old. In all 25 plaques, water self......-diffusion was found to be higher than in apparently normal white matter. Furthermore, water self-diffusion was found to be higher in acute plaques compared with chronic plaques. Finally, a slight tendency toward a relationship between the diffusion capability and T2 was found. We believe that an increased diffusion...

Beam diffusion measurements using collimator scans in the LHC

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Gianluca Valentino

2013-02-01

Full Text Available The time evolution of beam losses during a collimator scan provides information on halo diffusion and population. This is an essential input for machine performance characterization and for the design of collimation systems. Beam halo measurements in the CERN Large Hadron Collider were conducted through collimator scrapings in a dedicated beam study for the first time at 4 TeV. Four scans were performed with two collimators, in the vertical plane for beam 1 and horizontally for beam 2, before and after bringing the beams into collisions. Inward and outward steps were performed. A diffusion model was used to interpret the observed loss rate evolution in response to the collimator steps. With this technique, diffusion coefficients were estimated as a function of betatron oscillation amplitude from approximately 3 to 7 standard deviations of the transverse beam distribution. A comparison of halo diffusion and core emittance growth rates is also presented.

Water cooling thermal power measurement in a vacuum diffusion pump

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Luís Henrique Cardozo Amorin

2012-04-01

Full Text Available Diffusion vacuum pumps are used both in industry and in laboratory science for high vacuum production. For its operation they must be refrigerated, and it is done by circulating water in open circuit. Considering that, vacuum systems stays operating by hours, the water consumption may be avoided if the diffusion vacuum pumps refrigeration were done in closed circuit. However, it is necessary to know the diffusion vacuum pump thermal power (the heat transferred to circulate water by time units to implement one of these and get in the refrigeration system dimension. In this paper the diffusion vacuum pump thermal power was obtained by measuring water flow and temperature variation and was calculated through the heat quantity variation equation time function. The thermal power value was 935,6 W, that is 397 W smaller and 35 W bigger than, respectively, the maximum and minimum diffusion pump thermal power suggested by its operation manual. This procedure have been shown useful to precisely determine the diffusion pump thermal power or of any other system that needs to be refrigerated in water closed circuit.

How to measure atomic diffusion processes in the sub-nanometer range

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Schmidt, H.; Gupta, M.; Gutberlet, T.; Stahn, J.; Bruns, M.

2008-01-01

Self-diffusion of the atomic constituents in the solid state is a fundamental transport process that controls various materials properties. With established methods of diffusivity determination it is only possible to measure diffusion processes on a length scale down to 10 nm at corresponding diffusivities of 10 -23 m 2 s -1 . However, for complex materials like amorphous or nano-structured solids the given values are often not sufficient for a proper characterization. Consequently, it is necessary to detect diffusion length well below 1 nm. Here, we present the method of neutron reflectometry on isotope multilayers. For two model systems, an amorphous semiconductor and an amorphous metallic alloy, the efficiency of this method is demonstrated to detect minimum diffusion lengths of only 0.6-0.7 nm. It is further shown that diffusivities can be derived which are more than two orders of magnitude lower than those obtainable with conventional methods. Prospects of this method in order to solve actual kinetic problems in materials science are given

Diffusion abnormalities of the uncinate fasciculus in Alzheimer's disease: diffusion tensor tract-specific analysis using a new method to measure the core of the tract

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yasmin, Hasina; Nakata, Yasuhiro; Abe, Osamu; Masutani, Yoshitaka; Ohtomo, Kuni; Aoki, Shigeki; Sato, Noriko; Nemoto, Kiyotaka; Arima, Kunimasa; Furuta, Nobuo; Uno, Masatake; Hirai, Shigeo

2008-01-01

Our aim was to determine diffusion abnormalities in the uncinate fasciculus (UF) in Alzheimer's disease (AD) by diffusion tensor tractography (DTT) using a new method for measuring the core of the tract. We studied 19 patients with AD and 19 age-matched control subjects who underwent MRI using diffusion tensor imaging (DTI). DTT of the UF was generated. The mean diffusivity (MD) and fractional anisotropy (FA) of the core of the tract were measured after voxelized tract shape processing. Student's t-test was used to compare results between patients with AD and controls. Intraobserver correlation tests were also performed. FA was significantly lower (P 0.93 for measured FA and r > 0.92 for measured MD. Our results suggest that FA reflects progression of AD-related histopathological changes in the UF of the white matter and may represent a useful biological index in monitoring AD. Diffusion tensor tract-specific analysis with voxelized tract shape processing to measure the core of the tract may be a sensitive tool for evaluation of diffusion abnormalities of white matter tracts in AD. (orig.)

Unsaturated soil moisture drying and wetting diffusion coefficient measurements in the laboratory.

Science.gov (United States)

2009-09-01

ABSTRACTTransient moisture flow in an unsaturated soil in response to suction changes is controlled by the unsaturated moisture diffusion coefficient. The moisture diffusion coefficient can be determined by measuring suction profiles over time. The l...

Measurement of the diffusion length of thermal neutrons inside graphite

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ertaud, A.; Beauge, R.; Fauquez, H.; De Laboulay, H.; Mercier, C.; Vautrey, L.

1948-11-01

The diffusion length of thermal neutrons inside a given industrial graphite is determined by measuring the neutron density inside a parallelepipedal piling up of graphite bricks (2.10 x 2.10 x 2.442 m). A 3.8 curies (Ra α → Be) source is placed inside the parallelepipedal block of graphite and thin manganese detectors are used. Corrections are added to the unweighted measurements to take into account the effects of the damping of supra-thermal neutrons in the measurement area. These corrections are experimentally deduced from the differential measurements made with a cadmium screen interposed between the source and the first plane of measurement. An error analysis completes the report. The diffusion length obtained is: L = 45.7 cm ± 0.3. The average density of the graphite used is 1.76 and the average apparent density of the piling up is 1.71. (J.S.)

Diffusivity measurements of volatile organics in levitated viscous aerosol particles

Science.gov (United States)

Bastelberger, Sandra; Krieger, Ulrich K.; Luo, Beiping; Peter, Thomas

2017-07-01

Field measurements indicating that atmospheric secondary organic aerosol (SOA) particles can be present in a highly viscous, glassy state have spurred numerous studies addressing low diffusivities of water in glassy aerosols. The focus of these studies is on kinetic limitations of hygroscopic growth and the plasticizing effect of water. In contrast, much less is known about diffusion limitations of organic molecules and oxidants in viscous matrices. These may affect atmospheric chemistry and gas-particle partitioning of complex mixtures with constituents of different volatility. In this study, we quantify the diffusivity of a volatile organic in a viscous matrix. Evaporation of single particles generated from an aqueous solution of sucrose and small amounts of volatile tetraethylene glycol (PEG-4) is investigated in an electrodynamic balance at controlled relative humidity (RH) and temperature. The evaporative loss of PEG-4 as determined by Mie resonance spectroscopy is used in conjunction with a radially resolved diffusion model to retrieve translational diffusion coefficients of PEG-4. Comparison of the experimentally derived diffusivities with viscosity estimates for the ternary system reveals a breakdown of the Stokes-Einstein relationship, which has often been invoked to infer diffusivity from viscosity. The evaporation of PEG-4 shows pronounced RH and temperature dependencies and is severely depressed for RH ≲ 30 %, corresponding to diffusivities pollutant molecules such as polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs).

A Simple Educational Method for the Measurement of Liquid Binary Diffusivities

Science.gov (United States)

Rice, Nicholas P.; de Beer, Martin P.; Williamson, Mark E.

2014-01-01

A simple low-cost experiment has been developed for the measurement of the binary diffusion coefficients of liquid substances. The experiment is suitable for demonstrating molecular diffusion to small or large undergraduate classes in chemistry or chemical engineering. Students use a cell phone camera in conjunction with open-source image…

Combined measurement of surface, grain boundary and lattice diffusion coefficients on olivine bi-crystals

Science.gov (United States)

Marquardt, Katharina; Dohmen, Ralf; Wagner, Johannes

2014-05-01

Diffusion along interface and grain boundaries provides an efficient pathway and may control chemical transport in rocks as well as their mechanical strength. Besides the significant relevance of these diffusion processes for various geologic processes, experimental data are still very limited (e.g., Dohmen & Milke, 2010). Most of these data were measured using polycrystalline materials and the formalism of LeClaire (1951) to fit integrated concentration depth profiles. To correctly apply this formalism, certain boundary conditions of the diffusion problem need to be fulfilled, e.g., surface diffusion is ignored, and furthermore the lattice diffusion coefficient has to be known from other studies or is an additional fitting parameter, which produces some ambiguity in the derived grain boundary diffusion coefficients. We developed an experimental setup where we can measure the lattice and grain boundary diffusion coefficients simultaneously but independent and demonstrate the relevance of surface diffusion for typical grain boundary diffusion experiments. We performed Mg2SiO4 bicrystal diffusion experiments, where a single grain boundary is covered by a thin-film of pure Ni2SiO4 acting as diffusant source, produced by pulsed laser deposition. The investigated grain boundary is a 60° (011)/[100]. This specific grain boundary configuration was modeled using molecular dynamics for comparison with the experimental observations in the transmission electron microscope (TEM). Both, experiment and model are in good agreement regarding the misorientation, whereas there are still some disagreements regarding the strain fields along the grain boundary that are of outmost importance for the strengths of the material. The subsequent diffusion experiments were carried out in the temperature range between 800° and 1450° C. The inter diffusion profiles were measured using the TEMs energy dispersive x-ray spectrometer standardized using the Cliff-Lorimer equation and EMPA

Measurement and Analysis of the Diffusible Hydrogen in Underwater Wet Welding Joint

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Kong Xiangfeng

2016-01-01

Full Text Available The diffusible hydrogen in steel weldments is one of the main reasons that led to hydrogen assisted cracking. In this paper, the results of literatures survey and preliminary tests of the diffusible hydrogen in underwater wet welding joint were presented. A fluid-discharge method of for measuring the diffusible hydrogen in weldment was introduced in detail. Two kinds of underwater welding electrode diffusible hydrogen are 26.5 mL/100g and 35.5 mL/100g by fluid-discharge method, which are high levels. The diffusible hydrogen of underwater welding is higher than atmospheric welding, and the result is closely related to welding material. The best way to control the diffusible hydrogen is adjusting welding material and improving fluidity of slag.

Measurement of molecular diffusion coefficients of carbon dioxide and methane in heavy oil

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Gu, Y.; Tharanivasan, A.K.; Yang, C. [Regina Univ., SK (Canada)

2004-07-01

Vapour extraction (VAPEX) is a solvent-based thermal recovery process which is considered to be a viable process for recovering heavy oil. In order to develop a solvent-based enhanced oil recovery (EOR) operation, it is necessary to know the rate and extent of oil mobilization by the solvent. The molecular diffusion coefficient of solvent gas in heavy oil must be known. In this study, the pressure decay method was used to measure the molecular diffusivity of a gas solvent in heavy oil by monitoring the decaying pressure. The pressure decay method is a non-intrusive method in which physical contact is made between the gas solvent and the heavy oil. The pressure versus time data are measured until the heavy oil reaches complete saturation. The diffusion coefficient can be determined from the measured data and a mathematical model. In this study, the molecular diffusion coefficients of carbon dioxide-heavy oil and methane-heavy oil systems were measured and compared. The experiments were performed in closed high-pressure cells at constant reservoir temperature. An analytical solution was also obtained to predict the pressure in the gas phase and for the boundary conditions at the solvent-heavy oil interface for each solvent. Solvent diffusivity was determined by finding the best match of the numerically predicted and experimentally measured pressures.

Cumulant expansions for measuring water exchange using diffusion MRI

Science.gov (United States)

Ning, Lipeng; Nilsson, Markus; Lasič, Samo; Westin, Carl-Fredrik; Rathi, Yogesh

2018-02-01

The rate of water exchange across cell membranes is a parameter of biological interest and can be measured by diffusion magnetic resonance imaging (dMRI). In this work, we investigate a stochastic model for the diffusion-and-exchange of water molecules. This model provides a general solution for the temporal evolution of dMRI signal using any type of gradient waveform, thereby generalizing the signal expressions for the Kärger model. Moreover, we also derive a general nth order cumulant expansion of the dMRI signal accounting for water exchange, which has not been explored in earlier studies. Based on this analytical expression, we compute the cumulant expansion for dMRI signals for the special case of single diffusion encoding (SDE) and double diffusion encoding (DDE) sequences. Our results provide a theoretical guideline on optimizing experimental parameters for SDE and DDE sequences, respectively. Moreover, we show that DDE signals are more sensitive to water exchange at short-time scale but provide less attenuation at long-time scale than SDE signals. Our theoretical analysis is also validated using Monte Carlo simulations on synthetic structures.

Matrix diffusion studies by electrical conductivity methods. Comparison between laboratory and in-situ measurements

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ohlsson, Y.; Neretnieks, I.

1998-01-01

Traditional laboratory diffusion experiments in rock material are time consuming, and quite small samples are generally used. Electrical conductivity measurements, on the other hand, provide a fast means for examining transport properties in rock and allow measurements on larger samples as well. Laboratory measurements using electrical conductivity give results that compare well to those from traditional diffusion experiments. The measurement of the electrical resistivity in the rock surrounding a borehole is a standard method for the detection of water conducting fractures. If these data could be correlated to matrix diffusion properties, in-situ diffusion data from large areas could be obtained. This would be valuable because it would make it possible to obtain data very early in future investigations of potentially suitable sites for a repository. This study compares laboratory electrical conductivity measurements with in-situ resistivity measurements from a borehole at Aespoe. The laboratory samples consist mainly of Aespoe diorite and fine-grained granite and the rock surrounding the borehole of Aespoe diorite, Smaaland granite and fine-grained granite. The comparison shows good agreement between laboratory measurements and in-situ data

Measurement of Rapid Protein Diffusion in the Cytoplasm by Photo-Converted Intensity Profile Expansion

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Rotem Gura Sadovsky

2017-03-01

Full Text Available The fluorescence microscopy methods presently used to characterize protein motion in cells infer protein motion from indirect observables, rather than measuring protein motion directly. Operationalizing these methods requires expertise that can constitute a barrier to their broad utilization. Here, we have developed PIPE (photo-converted intensity profile expansion to directly measure the motion of tagged proteins and quantify it using an effective diffusion coefficient. PIPE works by pulsing photo-convertible fluorescent proteins, generating a peaked fluorescence signal at the pulsed region, and analyzing the spatial expansion of the signal. We demonstrate PIPE’s success in measuring accurate diffusion coefficients in silico and in vitro and compare effective diffusion coefficients of native cellular proteins and free fluorophores in vivo. We apply PIPE to measure diffusion anomality in the cell and use it to distinguish free fluorophores from native cellular proteins. PIPE’s direct measurement and ease of use make it appealing for cell biologists.

Portable diffusion battery. It's application to measuring aerosol size characteristics

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sinclair, D.

1972-01-01

A miniature portable cluster-tube diffusion battery for measurement of the size and size distribution of submicron aerosols (1-100 nm) is described. A series of commercially available Collimated Holes Structures are mounted in sleeves with O-rings so that aerosol penetration can be measured at a number of outlets along the series. The CHS are stainless-steel discs of several different diameters and thicknesses, containing a large number of nearly circular holes. The actual length of the apparatus is about 2 ft but the equivalent length is 3.25 mi. Calculated curves of penetration versus particle size are used to evaluate size distribution and show that the equivalent size frequently reported from one measurement with a rectangular diffusion battery is practically meaningless. The value depends as much on the characteristics and mode of the operation of the diffusion battery as on the aerosol; the longer the battery and the lower the air flow, the greater the equivalent size will appear to be. Graphical plots of the cumulative size distribution of room aerosol and silver aerosol are illustrated for large battery and miniature battery measurements and appear to be in close agreement. Measurements on radon daughters in uranium mines with the miniature batteries show activity median diameters from 0.1 to 0.17 micron, with standard deviations from 2 to 4. Two similar measurements made in the laboratory on room air tagged with about 50 pCi/l radon daughters show activity median diameters of 0.15 and 0.17 micron, with geometric standard deviations of 2.2 and 2.6, respectively

Simulation study on the measurements of diffusion coefficients in solid materials by short-lived radiotracer beams

CERN Document Server

Jeong, S C; Kawakami, H

2003-01-01

We have examined, by a computer simulation, an on-line measurement of diffusion coefficients by using a short-lived alpha particle emitter, sup 8 Li (half life of 0.84s), as a radiotracer. The energy spectra of alpha particles emitted from diffusing sup 8 Li primarily implanted in the sample of LiAl ar simulated as a measure of the diffusion of sup 8 Li in the sample. As a possible time sequence for the measurement, a time cycle of 6s, i.e. the implantation of sup 8 Li for 1.5s and subsequent diffusion for 4.5s, is supposed. The sample is primarily set on a given temperature for the measurement. The time-dependent yields of alpha particles during the time cycle reveal the possibility to measure the diffusion coefficient with an accuracy of 10% if larger than 1 x 10 sup - sup 9 cm sup 2 /s, by the comparison with the experimental spectra measured at the temperature, i.e. at a certain diffusion coefficient. (author)

Estimation of the thermal diffusion coefficient in fusion plasmas taking frequency measurement uncertainties into account

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Van Berkel, M; Hogeweij, G M D; Van den Brand, H; De Baar, M R; Zwart, H J; Vandersteen, G

2014-01-01

In this paper, the estimation of the thermal diffusivity from perturbative experiments in fusion plasmas is discussed. The measurements used to estimate the thermal diffusivity suffer from stochastic noise. Accurate estimation of the thermal diffusivity should take this into account. It will be shown that formulas found in the literature often result in a thermal diffusivity that has a bias (a difference between the estimated value and the actual value that remains even if more measurements are added) or have an unnecessarily large uncertainty. This will be shown by modeling a plasma using only diffusion as heat transport mechanism and measurement noise based on ASDEX Upgrade measurements. The Fourier coefficients of a temperature perturbation will exhibit noise from the circular complex normal distribution (CCND). Based on Fourier coefficients distributed according to a CCND, it is shown that the resulting probability density function of the thermal diffusivity is an inverse non-central chi-squared distribution. The thermal diffusivity that is found by sampling this distribution will always be biased, and averaging of multiple estimated diffusivities will not necessarily improve the estimation. Confidence bounds are constructed to illustrate the uncertainty in the diffusivity using several formulas that are equivalent in the noiseless case. Finally, a different method of averaging, that reduces the uncertainty significantly, is suggested. The methodology is also extended to the case where damping is included, and it is explained how to include the cylindrical geometry. (paper)

Measurement of lateral charge diffusion in thick, fully depleted, back-illuminated CCDs

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Karcher, Armin; Bebek, Christopher J.; Kolbe, William F.; Maurath, Dominic; Prasad, Valmiki; Uslenghi, Michela; Wagner, Martin

2004-06-30

Lateral charge diffusion in back-illuminated CCDs directly affects the point spread function (PSF) and spatial resolution of an imaging device. This can be of particular concern in thick, back-illuminated CCDs. We describe a technique of measuring this diffusion and present PSF measurements for an 800 x 1100, 15 mu m pixel, 280 mu m thick, back-illuminated, p-channel CCD that can be over-depleted. The PSF is measured over a wavelength range of 450 nm to 650 nm and at substrate bias voltages between 6 V and 80 V.

Diffusivity measurements of volatile organics in levitated viscous aerosol particles

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

S. Bastelberger

2017-07-01

Full Text Available Field measurements indicating that atmospheric secondary organic aerosol (SOA particles can be present in a highly viscous, glassy state have spurred numerous studies addressing low diffusivities of water in glassy aerosols. The focus of these studies is on kinetic limitations of hygroscopic growth and the plasticizing effect of water. In contrast, much less is known about diffusion limitations of organic molecules and oxidants in viscous matrices. These may affect atmospheric chemistry and gas–particle partitioning of complex mixtures with constituents of different volatility. In this study, we quantify the diffusivity of a volatile organic in a viscous matrix. Evaporation of single particles generated from an aqueous solution of sucrose and small amounts of volatile tetraethylene glycol (PEG-4 is investigated in an electrodynamic balance at controlled relative humidity (RH and temperature. The evaporative loss of PEG-4 as determined by Mie resonance spectroscopy is used in conjunction with a radially resolved diffusion model to retrieve translational diffusion coefficients of PEG-4. Comparison of the experimentally derived diffusivities with viscosity estimates for the ternary system reveals a breakdown of the Stokes–Einstein relationship, which has often been invoked to infer diffusivity from viscosity. The evaporation of PEG-4 shows pronounced RH and temperature dependencies and is severely depressed for RH ≲ 30 %, corresponding to diffusivities < 10−14 cm2 s−1 at temperatures < 15 °C. The temperature dependence is strong, suggesting a diffusion activation energy of about 300 kJ mol−1. We conclude that atmospheric volatile organic compounds can be subject to severe diffusion limitations in viscous organic aerosol particles. This may enable an important long-range transport mechanism for organic material, including pollutant molecules such as polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs.

Measurement of heat and momentum eddy diffusivities in recirculating LMFBR outlet plenum flows

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Manno, V.P.; Golay, M.W.

1978-06-01

An optical technique has been developed for the measurement of the eddy diffusivity of heat in a transparent flowing medium. The method uses a combination of two established measurement tools: a Mach-Zehnder interferometer for the monitoring of turbulently fluctuating temperature and a Laser Doppler Anemometer (LDA) for the measurement of turbulent velocity fluctuations. The technique is applied to the investigation of flow fields characteristic of the LMFBR outlet plenum. The study is accomplished using air as the working fluid in a small scale Plexiglas test section. Lows are introduced into both the 1 / 15 scale FFTF outlet plenum and the 3 / 80 scale CRBR geometry plenum at inlet Reynolds numbers of 22,000. Measurements of the eddy diffusivity of heat and the eddy diffusivity of momentum are performed at a total of 11 measurement stations. Significant differences of the turbulence parameters are found between the two geometries, and the higher chimney structure of the CRBR case is found to be the major cause of the distinction. Spectral intensity studies of the fluctuating electronic analog signals of velocity and temperature are also performed. Error analysis of the overall technique indicates an experimental error of 10% in the determination of the eddy diffusivity of heat and 6% in the evaluation of turbulent momentum viscosity. In general it is seen that the turbulence in the cases observed is not isotropic, and use of isotropic turbulent heat and momentum diffusivities in transport modelling would not be a valid procedure

Measurement of shear-induced diffusion of red blood cells using dynamic light scattering-optical coherence tomography

Science.gov (United States)

Tang, Jianbo; Erdener, Sefik Evren; Li, Baoqiang; Fu, Buyin; Sakadzic, Sava; Carp, Stefan A.; Lee, Jonghwan; Boas, David A.

2018-02-01

Dynamic Light Scattering-Optical Coherence Tomography (DLS-OCT) takes the advantages of using DLS to measure particle flow and diffusion within an OCT resolution-constrained 3D volume, enabling the simultaneous measurements of absolute RBC velocity and diffusion coefficient with high spatial resolution. In this work, we applied DLS-OCT to measure both RBC velocity and the shear-induced diffusion coefficient within penetrating venules of the somatosensory cortex of anesthetized mice. Blood flow laminar profile measurements indicate a blunted laminar flow profile, and the degree of blunting decreases with increasing vessel diameter. The measured shear-induced diffusion coefficient was proportional to the flow shear rate with a magnitude of 0.1 to 0.5 × 10-6 mm2 . These results provide important experimental support for the recent theoretical explanation for why DCS is dominantly sensitive to RBC diffusive motion.

Quantitation of chemical exchange rates using pulsed-field-gradient diffusion measurements

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Andrec, Michael; Prestegard, James H.

1997-01-01

A new approach to the quantitation of chemical exchange rates is presented, and its utility is illustrated with application to the exchange of protein amide protons with bulk water. The approach consists of a selective-inversion exchange HMQC experiment in which a short spin echo diffusion filter has been inserted into the exchange period. In this way, the kinetics of exchange are encoded directly in an apparent diffusion coefficient which is a function of the position of the diffusion filter in the pulse sequence. A detailed theoretical analysis of this experiment indicates that, in addition to the measurement of simple exchange rates, the experiment is capable of measuring the effect of mediated exchange, e.g. the transfer of magnetization from bulk water to an amide site mediated by an internal bound water molecule or a labile protein side-chain proton in fast exchange with bulk water. Experimental results for rapid water/amide exchange in acyl carrier protein are shown to be quantitatively consistent with the exchange rates measured using a selective-inversion exchange experiment

On copper diffusion in silicon measured by glow discharge mass spectrometry.

Science.gov (United States)

Modanese, Chiara; Gaspar, Guilherme; Arnberg, Lars; Di Sabatino, Marisa

2014-11-01

Copper contamination occurs frequently in silicon for photovoltaic applications due to its very fast diffusion coupled with a low solid solubility, especially at room temperature. The combination of these properties exerts a challenge on the direct analysis of Cu bulk concentration in Si by sputtering techniques like glow discharge mass spectrometry (GDMS). This work aims at addressing the challenges in quantitative analysis of fast diffusing elements in Si matrix by GDMS. N-type, monocrystalline (Czochralski) silicon samples were intentionally contaminated with Cu after solidification and consequently annealed at 900 °C to ensure a homogeneous distribution of Cu in the bulk. The samples were quenched after annealing to control the extent of the diffusion to the surface prior to the GDMS analyses, which were carried out at different time intervals from within few minutes after cooling onward. The Cu profiles were measured by high-resolution GDMS operating in a continuous direct current mode, where the integration step length was set to ∼0.5 μm over a total sputtered depth of 8-30 μm. The temperature of the samples during the GDMS analyses was also measured in order to evaluate the diffusion. The Cu contamination of n-type Si samples was observed to be highly material dependent. The practical impact of Cu out-diffusion on the calculation of the relative sensitivity factor (RSF) of Cu in Si is discussed.

Thermal conductivity and diffusivity of biomaterials measured with self-heated thermistors

Science.gov (United States)

Valvano, J. W.; Cochran, J. R.; Diller, K. R.

1985-05-01

This paper presents an experimental method to measure the thermal conductivity and thermal diffusivity of biomaterials. Self-heated thermistor probes, inserted into the tissue of interest, are used to deliver heat as well as to monitor the rate of heat removal. An empirical calibration procedure allows accurate thermal-property measurements over a wide range of tissue temperatures. Operation of the instrument in three media with known thermal properties shows the uncertainty of measurements to be about 2%. The reproducibility is 0.5% for the thermal-conductivity measurements and 2% for the thermal-diffusivity measurements. Thermal properties were measured in dog, pig, rabbit, and human tissues. The tissues included kidney, spleen, liver, brain, heart, lung, pancreas, colon cancer, and breast cancer. Thermal properties were measured for 65 separate tissue samples at 3, 10, 17, 23, 30, 37, and 45°C. The results show that the temperature coefficient of biomaterials approximates that of water.

Characterization of TCHQ-induced genotoxicity and mutagenesis using the pSP189 shuttle vector in mammalian cells

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Wang Jing, E-mail: avaecn@gmail.com [State Key Laboratory of Environmental Chemistry and Ecotoxicology, Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100085 (China); Yu Shouyi [State Key Laboratory of Environmental Chemistry and Ecotoxicology, Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100085 (China); Jiao Shouhai [State Key Laboratory of Environmental Chemistry and Ecotoxicology, Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100085 (China); Shandong Institute of Endocrine and Metabolic Diseases, Shandong Academy of Medical Sciences, Jinan 250062 (China); Lv Xiaowen [Feed Safety Reference Laboratory of Ministry of Agriculture, Feed Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing 100081 (China); Ma Min [Laboratory of Environmental Biotechnology, Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100085 (China); Zhu Benzhan; Du Yuguo [State Key Laboratory of Environmental Chemistry and Ecotoxicology, Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100085 (China)

2012-01-03

Tetrachlorohydroquinone (TCHQ) is a major toxic metabolite of the widely used wood preservative, pentachlorophenol (PCP), and it has also been implicated in PCP genotoxicity. However, the underlying mechanisms of genotoxicity and mutagenesis induced by TCHQ remain unclear. In this study, we examined the genotoxicity of TCHQ by using comet assays to detect DNA breakage and formation of TCHQ-DNA adducts. Then, we further verified the levels of mutagenesis by using the pSP189 shuttle vector in A549 human lung carcinoma cells. We demonstrated that TCHQ causes significant genotoxicity by inducing DNA breakage and forming DNA adducts. Additionally, DNA sequence analysis of the TCHQ-induced mutations revealed that 85.36% were single base substitutions, 9.76% were single base insertions, and 4.88% were large fragment deletions. More than 80% of the base substitutions occurred at G:C base pairs, and the mutations were G:C to C:G, G:C to T:A or G:C to A:T transversions and transitions. The most common types of mutations in A549 cells were G:C to A:T (37.14%) and A:T to C:G transitions (14.29%) and G:C to C:G (34.29%) and G:C to T:A (11.43%) transversions. We identified hotspots at nucleotides 129, 141, and 155 in the supF gene of plasmid pSP189. These mutation hotspots accounted for 63% of all single base substitutions. We conclude that TCHQ induces sequence-specific DNA mutations at high frequencies. Therefore, the safety of using this product would be carefully examined.

Choice of reference measurements affects quantification of long diffusion time behaviour using stimulated echoes.

Science.gov (United States)

Kleinnijenhuis, Michiel; Mollink, Jeroen; Lam, Wilfred W; Kinchesh, Paul; Khrapitchev, Alexandre A; Smart, Sean C; Jbabdi, Saad; Miller, Karla L

2018-02-01

To demonstrate how reference data affect the quantification of the apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) in long diffusion time measurements with diffusion-weighted stimulated echo acquisition mode (DW-STEAM) measurements, and to present a modification to avoid contribution from crusher gradients in DW-STEAM. For DW-STEAM, reference measurements at long diffusion times have significant b 0 value, because b = 0 cannot be achieved in practice as a result of the need for signal spoiling. Two strategies for acquiring reference data over a range of diffusion times were considered: constant diffusion weighting (fixed-b 0 ) and constant gradient area (fixed-q 0 ). Fixed-b 0 and fixed-q 0 were compared using signal calculations for systems with one and two diffusion coefficients, and experimentally using data from postmortem human corpus callosum samples. Calculations of biexponential diffusion decay show that the ADC is underestimated for reference images with b > 0, which can induce an apparent time-dependence for fixed-q 0 . Restricted systems were also found to be affected. Experimentally, the exaggeration of the diffusion time-dependent effect under fixed-q 0 versus fixed-b 0 was in a range predicted theoretically, accounting for 62% (longitudinal) and 35% (radial) of the time dependence observed in white matter. Variation in the b-value of reference measurements in DW-STEAM can induce artificial diffusion time dependence in ADC, even in the absence of restriction. Magn Reson Med 79:952-959, 2018. © 2017 The Authors Magnetic Resonance in Medicine published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. on behalf of International Society for Magnetic Resonance in Medicine. This is an open access article under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits use, distribution and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. © 2017 The Authors Magnetic Resonance in Medicine published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. on behalf of

In vivo measurement of water self diffusion in the human brain by magnetic resonance imaging

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Thomsen, C; Henriksen, O; Ring, P

1987-01-01

A new pulse sequence for in vivo diffusion measurements by magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is introduced. The pulse sequence was tested on phantoms to evaluate the accuracy, reproducibility and inplane variations. The sensitivity of the sequence was tested by measuring the self diffusion...... coefficient of water with different temperatures. This phantom study showed that the water self diffusion could be measured accurately and that the inplane deviation was less than +/- 10 per cent. Seven healthy volunteers were studied with a 10 mm thick slice through the lateral ventricles, clear differences...... between grey and white matter as well as regional differences within the white matter were seen. In two patients with infarction, alternations in water self diffusion were seen in the region of the infarct. Likewise, pronounced changes in brain water self diffusion were observed in a patient with benign...

Effective diffusion coefficient of radon in concrete, theory and method for field measurements

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Culot, M.V.J.; Olson, H.G.; Schiager, K.J.

1976-01-01

A linear diffusion model serves as the basis for determination of an effective radon diffusion coefficient in concrete. The coefficient was needed to later allow quantitative prediction of radon accumulation within and behind concrete walls after application of an impervious radon barrier. A resolution of certain discrepancies noted in the literature in the use of an effective diffusion coefficient to model diffusion of a radioactive gas through a porous medium is suggested. An outline of factors expected to affect the concrete physical structure and the effective diffusion coefficient of radon through it is also presented. Finally, a field method for evaluating effective radon diffusion coefficients in concrete is proposed and results of measurements performed on a concrete foundation wall are compared with similar published values of gas diffusion coefficients in concrete. (author)

The Shannon entropy as a measure of diffusion in multidimensional dynamical systems

Science.gov (United States)

Giordano, C. M.; Cincotta, P. M.

2018-05-01

In the present work, we introduce two new estimators of chaotic diffusion based on the Shannon entropy. Using theoretical, heuristic and numerical arguments, we show that the entropy, S, provides a measure of the diffusion extent of a given small initial ensemble of orbits, while an indicator related with the time derivative of the entropy, S', estimates the diffusion rate. We show that in the limiting case of near ergodicity, after an appropriate normalization, S' coincides with the standard homogeneous diffusion coefficient. The very first application of this formulation to a 4D symplectic map and to the Arnold Hamiltonian reveals very successful and encouraging results.

Diffusivity measurements in some organic solvents by a gas-liquid diaphragm cell

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Littel, R.J.; Littel, R.J.; Versteeg, Geert; van Swaaij, Willibrordus Petrus Maria

1992-01-01

A diaphragm cell has been developed for the measurement of diffusion coefficients of gases In liquids. The diaphragm cell is operated batchwise with respect to both gas and liquid phases, and the diffusion process Is followed by means of the gas pressure decrease which is recorded by means of a

Diffusivity Measurements in Some Organic Solvents by a Gas-Liquid Diaphragm Cell

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Littel, Rob J.; Versteeg, Geert F.; Swaaij, Wim P.M. van

1992-01-01

A diaphragm cell has been developed for the measurement of diffusion coefficients of gases in liquids. The diaphragm cell is operated batchwise with respect to both gas and liquid phases, and the diffusion process is followed by means of the gas pressure decrease which is recorded by means of a

Direct measurement of Cu surface self-diffusion on a checked surface

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Cousty, Jacques; Peix, Roger; Perraillon, Bernard.

1976-01-01

A radiotracer technique ( 64 Cu) was developed to measure surface diffusion on copper surfaces of total impurity concentration not exceeding some 10 -3 monolayers. The apparatus used consists of a slow electron diffraction device, an Auger analysis spectrometer (CMA), an ion gun and an evaporation device assembled in an ultra-vacuum chamber holding a residual pressure below 10 -10 Torr. A sample handler enables the surface studied to be positioned in front of each of these instruments. During the diffusion treatment the chemical composition of the surface is checked intermittently, and afterwards the spread of the deposit is measured outside the ultravacuum chamber. Slices several microns thick are removed and dissolved separately in dishes containing HNO 3 . The activity is then measured with a flow counter [fr

The role of diffusion measurements in the study of crystal lattice defects

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kidson, G V

1965-07-15

Measurements of atomic mobility in solids are frequently of direct interest to those concerned with the design, development and utilization of materials in engineering. Increasing attention, however, is currently devoted to an under standing of such properties in terms of the occurrence and nature of point and line defects in the crystals. This paper reviews some recent diffusion studies conducted at C.R,N.L. that provide, in addition to data of interest in nuclear technology, a means of gaining some insight into the more fundamental nature of the lattice defects occurring in the materials. The systems discussed are (i) self diffusion in the high temperature phase of pure zirconium (ii) solute diffusion in lead and (iii) interdiffusion of aluminum and zirconium The unusual and at present incompletely understood results described in (i) are briefly reviewed. Evidence is given to suggest that diffusion occurs either through a dense dislocation network produced as a result of a martensitic phase transformation, or, alternatively, by excess vacancies introduced into the crystal by impurities. In (ii) the extraordinarily rapid diffusion of noble metal solutes in high purity lead single crystals will be discussed n terms of the state of solution of the solute atoms. It will be shown that their diffusion behaviour can be understood by assuming that a fraction f{sub i} of the dissolved solute atoms occupy interstitial sites, The measured diffusion coefficient D{sub m} is related to the interstitial diffusion coefficient by D{sub m} = f{sub i} D{sub i}. In (iii) the formation and rapid growth of single intermetallic compound ZrAl{sub 3} in the diffusion zone formed between pure zirconium and pure aluminum is described and the diffusion mechanism is interpreted in terms of the structure of the compound lattice. The results indicate that ZrAl{sub 3} forms a defect lattice, leading to the relatively rapid migration of aluminum atoms. (author)

Self-consistent photothermal techniques: Application for measuring thermal diffusivity in vegetable oils

Science.gov (United States)

Balderas-López, J. A.; Mandelis, Andreas

2003-01-01

The thermal wave resonator cavity (TWRC) was used to measure the thermal properties of vegetable oils. The thermal diffusivity of six commercial vegetable oils (olive, corn, soybean, canola, peanut, and sunflower) was measured by means of this device. A linear relation between both the amplitude and phase as functions of the cavity length for the TWRC was observed and used for the measurements. Three significant figure precisions were obtained. A clear distinction between extra virgin olive oil and other oils in terms of thermal diffusivity was shown. The high measurement precision of the TWRC highlights the potential of this relatively new technique for assessing the quality of this kind of fluids in terms of their thermophysical properties.

Separate measurement of local diffusion coefficients in grain boundaries and in adjacent regions

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Klotsman, S.M.; Kajgorodov, V.N.

1994-01-01

A new measuring technique is presented that allows one separate determination of grain boundary width and local diffusion coefficients. With the use of the technique presented phenomenological description is accompished for time and temperature dependences of relative and absolute level populations in a zone of preferential intercrystalline diffusion. Local diffusion coefficients obtained for the upper temperature limit of applicability of the technique proposed are in a good agreement with values calculated form coordinate distribution of atoic probes. Local diffusion coefficients determined at lower temperatures essentially differ from those calculated assuming that suction coefficient is equal to a coefficient of volume diffusion. Experimental dta are given for diffusion parameters in Ag, Pd and W polycrystals. 16 refs., 3 figs., 2 tabs

Measurement of thermal diffusivity of depleted uranium metal microspheres

Science.gov (United States)

Humrickhouse-Helmreich, Carissa J.; Corbin, Rob; McDeavitt, Sean M.

2014-03-01

The high void space of nuclear fuels composed of homogeneous uranium metal microspheres may allow them to achieve ultra-high burnup by accommodating fuel swelling and reducing fuel/cladding interactions; however, the relatively low thermal conductivity of microsphere nuclear fuels may limit their application. To support the development of microsphere nuclear fuels, an apparatus was designed in a glovebox and used to measure the apparent thermal diffusivity of a packed bed of depleted uranium (DU) microspheres with argon fill in the void spaces. The developed Crucible Heater Test Assembly (CHTA) recorded radial temperature changes due to an initial heat pulse from a central thin-diameter cartridge heater. Using thermocouple positions and time-temperature data, the apparent thermal diffusivity was calculated. The thermal conductivity of the DU microspheres was calculated based on the thermal diffusivity from the CHTA, known material densities and specific heat capacities, and an assumed 70% packing density based on prior measurements. Results indicate that DU metal microspheres have very low thermal conductivity, relative to solid uranium metal, and rapidly form an oxidation layer even in a low oxygen environment. At 500 °C, the thermal conductivity of the DU metal microsphere bed was 0.431 ± 0.0560 W/m-K compared to the literature value of approximately 32 W/m-K for solid uranium metal.

Measurement of thermal diffusivity of depleted uranium metal microspheres

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Humrickhouse-Helmreich, Carissa J., E-mail: carissahelmreich@tamu.edu [Texas A and M University, Department of Nuclear Engineering, 337 Zachry Engineering Center, 3133 TAMU, College Station, TX 77843 (United States); Corbin, Rob, E-mail: rcorbin@terrapower.com [TerraPower, LLC, 330 120th Ave NE, Suite 100, Bellevue, WA 98005 (United States); McDeavitt, Sean M., E-mail: mcdeavitt@tamu.edu [Texas A and M University, Department of Nuclear Engineering, 337 Zachry Engineering Center, 3133 TAMU, College Station, TX 77843 (United States)

2014-03-15

The high void space of nuclear fuels composed of homogeneous uranium metal microspheres may allow them to achieve ultra-high burnup by accommodating fuel swelling and reducing fuel/cladding interactions; however, the relatively low thermal conductivity of microsphere nuclear fuels may limit their application. To support the development of microsphere nuclear fuels, an apparatus was designed in a glovebox and used to measure the apparent thermal diffusivity of a packed bed of depleted uranium (DU) microspheres with argon fill in the void spaces. The developed Crucible Heater Test Assembly (CHTA) recorded radial temperature changes due to an initial heat pulse from a central thin-diameter cartridge heater. Using thermocouple positions and time–temperature data, the apparent thermal diffusivity was calculated. The thermal conductivity of the DU microspheres was calculated based on the thermal diffusivity from the CHTA, known material densities and specific heat capacities, and an assumed 70% packing density based on prior measurements. Results indicate that DU metal microspheres have very low thermal conductivity, relative to solid uranium metal, and rapidly form an oxidation layer even in a low oxygen environment. At 500 °C, the thermal conductivity of the DU metal microsphere bed was 0.431 ± 0.0560 W/m-K compared to the literature value of approximately 32 W/m-K for solid uranium metal.

Measurement of thermal diffusivity of depleted uranium metal microspheres

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Humrickhouse-Helmreich, Carissa J.; Corbin, Rob; McDeavitt, Sean M.

2014-01-01

The high void space of nuclear fuels composed of homogeneous uranium metal microspheres may allow them to achieve ultra-high burnup by accommodating fuel swelling and reducing fuel/cladding interactions; however, the relatively low thermal conductivity of microsphere nuclear fuels may limit their application. To support the development of microsphere nuclear fuels, an apparatus was designed in a glovebox and used to measure the apparent thermal diffusivity of a packed bed of depleted uranium (DU) microspheres with argon fill in the void spaces. The developed Crucible Heater Test Assembly (CHTA) recorded radial temperature changes due to an initial heat pulse from a central thin-diameter cartridge heater. Using thermocouple positions and time–temperature data, the apparent thermal diffusivity was calculated. The thermal conductivity of the DU microspheres was calculated based on the thermal diffusivity from the CHTA, known material densities and specific heat capacities, and an assumed 70% packing density based on prior measurements. Results indicate that DU metal microspheres have very low thermal conductivity, relative to solid uranium metal, and rapidly form an oxidation layer even in a low oxygen environment. At 500 °C, the thermal conductivity of the DU metal microsphere bed was 0.431 ± 0.0560 W/m-K compared to the literature value of approximately 32 W/m-K for solid uranium metal

Measuring the diffusion of linguistic change.

Science.gov (United States)

Nerbonne, John

2010-12-12

We examine situations in which linguistic changes have probably been propagated via normal contact as opposed to via conquest, recent settlement and large-scale migration. We proceed then from two simplifying assumptions: first, that all linguistic variation is the result of either diffusion or independent innovation, and, second, that we may operationalize social contact as geographical distance. It is clear that both of these assumptions are imperfect, but they allow us to examine diffusion via the distribution of linguistic variation as a function of geographical distance. Several studies in quantitative linguistics have examined this relation, starting with Séguy (Séguy 1971 Rev. Linguist. Romane 35, 335-357), and virtually all report a sublinear growth in aggregate linguistic variation as a function of geographical distance. The literature from dialectology and historical linguistics has mostly traced the diffusion of individual features, however, so that it is sensible to ask what sort of dynamic in the diffusion of individual features is compatible with Séguy's curve. We examine some simulations of diffusion in an effort to shed light on this question.

New limit theorems for regular diffusion processes with finite speed measure

NARCIS (Netherlands)

J.H. van Zanten (Harry)

2000-01-01

textabstractWe derive limit theorems for diffusion processes that have a finite speed measure. First we prove a number of asymptotic properties of the density $rho_t = dmu_t /dmu$ of the empirical measure $mu_t$ with respect to the normalized speed measure $mu$. These results are then used to derive

Photographic measurements of the diffuse light in the coma cluster

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Thuan, T.X.; Kormendy, J.

1977-01-01

The diffuse background light in the Coma cluster is measured using isodensity tracings of B, G, V, and R photographic plates taken with the Palomar 1.2-m Schmidt telescope. The isodensity contours are calibrated using the star profile derived by Kormendy (1973). Between 4 and 14 arc min from the center, the surface brightness of the diffuse light decreases from approximately 26 to approximately 28 G magnitudes arc sec -2 . The total magnitude in this annulus is G = 11.22, which is approximately 45 percent of the light in galaxies alone, or approximately 30 percent of the total. This does little to alleviate the ''missing mass'' problem. The isodensity contours and the equivalent profile of the diffuse light closely parallel the distribution of light in galaxies, implying no strong mass segregation. However, the background light appears to be bluer than the galaxies. This is consistent with the hypothesis that the background consists of stars tidally stripped from galaxies, which generally become bluer at larger radii. The present technique is very different from methods used in the past. Comparison of a variety of measurements shows that a reasonably consistent body of data on the background light now exists

The measurement problem on classical diffusion process: inverse method on stochastic processes

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bigerelle, M.; Iost, A.

2004-01-01

In a high number of diffusive systems, measures are processed to calculate material parameters such as diffusion coefficients, or to verify the accuracy of mathematical models. However, the precision of the parameter determination or of the model relevance depends on the location of the measure itself. The aim of this paper is first to analyse, for a mono-dimensional system, the precision of the measure in relation with its location by an inverse problem algorithm and secondly to examine the physical meaning of the results. Statistical mechanic considerations show that, passing over a time-distance criterion, measurement becomes uncertain whatever the initial conditions. The criterion proves that this chaotic mode is related to the production of anti-entropy at a mesoscopique scale that is in violation to quantum theory about measurement

Diffuse optical tomography using semiautomated coregistered ultrasound measurements

Science.gov (United States)

Mostafa, Atahar; Vavadi, Hamed; Uddin, K. M. Shihab; Zhu, Quing

2017-12-01

Diffuse optical tomography (DOT) has demonstrated huge potential in breast cancer diagnosis and treatment monitoring. DOT image reconstruction guided by ultrasound (US) improves the diffused light localization and lesion reconstruction accuracy. However, DOT reconstruction depends on tumor geometry provided by coregistered US. Experienced operators can manually measure these lesion parameters; however, training and measurement time are needed. The wide clinical use of this technique depends on its robustness and faster imaging reconstruction capability. This article introduces a semiautomated procedure that automatically extracts lesion information from US images and incorporates it into the optical reconstruction. An adaptive threshold-based image segmentation is used to obtain tumor boundaries. For some US images, posterior shadow can extend to the chest wall and make the detection of deeper lesion boundary difficult. This problem can be solved using a Hough transform. The proposed procedure was validated from data of 20 patients. Optical reconstruction results using the proposed procedure were compared with those reconstructed using extracted tumor information from an experienced user. Mean optical absorption obtained from manual measurement was 0.21±0.06 cm-1 for malignant and 0.12±0.06 cm-1 for benign cases, whereas for the proposed method it was 0.24±0.08 cm-1 and 0.12±0.05 cm-1, respectively.

Interferometric measurement of a diffusion coefficient: comparison of two methods and uncertainty analysis

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Riquelme, Rodrigo; Lira, Ignacio; Perez-Lopez, Carlos; Rayas, Juan A; RodrIguez-Vera, Ramon

2007-01-01

Two methods to measure the diffusion coefficient of a species in a liquid by optical interferometry were compared. The methods were tested on a 1.75 M NaCl aqueous solution diffusing into water at 26 deg. C. Results were D = 1.587 x 10 -9 m 2 s -1 with the first method and D = 1.602 x 10 -9 m 2 s -1 with the second method. Monte Carlo simulation was used to assess the possible dispersion of these results. The standard uncertainties were found to be of the order of 0.05 x 10 -9 m 2 s -1 with both methods. We found that the value of the diffusion coefficient obtained by either method is very sensitive to the magnification of the optical system, and that if diffusion is slow the measurement of time does not need to be very accurate

Ionic diffusion in quartz studied by transport measurements, SIMS and atomistic simulations

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sartbaeva, Asel; Wells, Stephen A; Redfern, Simon A T; Hinton, Richard W; Reed, Stephen J B

2005-01-01

Ionic diffusion in the quartz-β-eucryptite system is studied by DC transport measurements, SIMS and atomistic simulations. Transport data show a large transient increase in ionic current at the α-β phase transition of quartz (the Hedvall effect). The SIMS data indicate two diffusion processes, one involving rapid Li + motion and the other involving penetration of Al and Li atoms into quartz at the phase transition. Atomistic simulations explain why the fine microstructure of twin domain walls in quartz near the transition does not hinder Li + diffusion

Argon Diffusion Measured in Rhyolite Melt at 100 MPa

Science.gov (United States)

Weldon, N.; Edwards, P. M.; Watkins, J. M.; Lesher, C. E.

2016-12-01

Argon diffusivity (D_{Ar} ) controls the rate and length scale of argon exchange between melt and gas phases and is used as a parameter to model noble gas fractionation during magma degassing. D_{Ar} may also be useful in geochronology to estimate the distribution of excess (non-radiogenic) atmospheric argon in lavas. Our measurements of D_{Ar} in molten anhydrous rhyolite near 1000 °C and 100 MPa add to the existing dataset. Using a rapid-quench cold seal pressure apparatus we exposed cylindrical charges drilled from a Miocene rhyolite flow near Buck Mtn., CA to a pure argon atmosphere resulting in a gradually lengthening argon concentration gradient between the saturated surface and the argon poor interior. Argon concentration was measured by electron microprobe along radial transects from the center to the surface of bisected samples. D_{Ar} was calculated for each transect by fitting relative argon concentration (as a function of distance from the surface) to Green's function (given each experiment's specific temperature, pressure and runtime). Variability (σ = 1.202{μm }^{2} /s) was smaller than in previous studies, but still greater than what is likely due to analytical or experimental uncertainty. We observed a symmetric geometric bias in the distribution of argon in our samples, possibly related to advective redistribution of argon accompanying the deformation of cylindrical charges into spheroids driven by surface tension. Average diffusivity, D_{Ar} = 4.791{μm }^{2} /s, is close to the predicted value, D_{Ar} = {μm }^{2} /s ( σ_{ \\bar{x} } = 1.576 {μm }^{2} /s), suggesting that Behrens and Zhang's (2001) empirical model is valid for anhydrous rhyolite melts to relatively higher temperatures and lower pressures. Behrens, H. and Y. Zhang (2001). "Ar diffusion in hydrous silicic melts: implications for volatile diffusion mechanisms and fractionation." Earth and Planetary Science Letters 192: 363-376.

Direct measurement of gaseous activities by diffusion-in long proportional counter method

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yoshida, M.; Yamamoto, T.; Wu, Y.; Aratani, T.; Uritani, A.; Mori, C.

1993-01-01

Direct measurement of gaseous activities by the diffusion-in long proportional counter method (DLPC method) was studied. The measuring time without end effect was estimated by observing the behavior of 37 Ar in the counter and was long enough to carry out the accurate activity measurement. The correction for wall effect was also examined on the basis of the measured and calculated correction factors. Among the tested gases of methane, P10 gas and propane, P10 gas was made clear to be a suitable counting gas for the DLPC method because of good diffusion properties and small wall effect. This method is quite effective for standardization of gaseous activities used for tracer experiments and calibration works of radioactive gas monitoring instruments. (orig.)

Characteristics of Laser Flash Technique for Thermal Diffusivity Measurement

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Park, D. G.; Kim, H. M.; Hong, G. P

2008-08-15

In relation to selection of thermal conductivity measurement technology, various thermal conductivity measurement technique are investigated for characteristics of each technique and it's measurable range. For the related laser flash techniques, various technical characteristics are reviewed and discussed. Especially, Parker adiabatic model are reviewed because of importance for basic theory of the thermal diffusivity determination. Finite pulse time effect, heat loss effect and non-uniform heating effect, which are main technical factors for laser flash technique, are considered. Finally, characteristics of constituent elements for laser flash measurement system are reviewed and investigated in detail.

NMR diffusion and relaxation measurements of organic molecules adsorbed in porous media

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gjerdaaker, Lars

2002-01-01

The work in this thesis can be divided into two parts. The first part is focused on dynamic investigations of plastic crystals, both in bulk phases but also confined in porous materials (paper 1-3). This part was done together with professor Liudvikas Kimtys, Vilnius, Lithuania. The second part, with emphasis on diffusion, employed PFG NMR to measure the true intra-crystalline diffusivity, including development of a new pulse sequence with shorter effective diffusion time. This work was performed in collaboration with Dr. Geir H. Soerland, Trondheim, Norway and has resulted in three papers (paper 4-6). Paper 1-3: In these papers the dynamics of three organic compounds confined within mesoporous silica have been studied, and the results are discussed with reference to the bulk material. The three investigated compounds form disordered (plastic) phases of high symmetry on solidification (solid I). Thus, bulk cyclohexane exhibits a disordered phase between the solid-solid phase transition at 186 K and the melting point at 280 K. X-ray diffraction measurements have shown that solid I is face-centred cubic (Z=4, a=0.861 nm at 195 K), while the ordered solid II is monoclinic. Tert-butyl cyanide exhibits a plastic phase between the solid-solid transition point at 233 K and the melting point at 292 K. Neutron scattering techniques have established that solid I is tetragonal (Z=2, a=b=0.683 nm, c=0.674 nm, beta=90 deg at 234 K), while solid II is monoclinic. Finally, the disordered phase of pivalic acid melts at 310 K and undergoes a solid-solid phase transition at 280 K. The disordered phase is face-centred cubic, (Z=4, a=0.887 nm), while the low temperature phase (solid II) is triclinic. Paper 4-6; If one is aiming to measure true intra-crystallite diffusivities in porous media the distance travelled by the molecules during the pulse must be shorter than the size of the crystallite. The length of the diffusion time is therefore important. Working with heterogeneous media

Thermal Diffusivity Measurements in Edible Oils using Transient Thermal Lens

Science.gov (United States)

Valdez, R. Carbajal.; Pérez, J. L. Jiménez.; Cruz-Orea, A.; Martín-Martínez, E. San.

2006-11-01

Time resolved thermal lens (TL) spectrometry is applied to the study of the thermal diffusivity of edible oils such as olive, and refined and thermally treated avocado oils. A two laser mismatched-mode experimental configuration was used, with a He Ne laser as a probe beam and an Ar+ laser as the excitation one. The characteristic time constant of the transient thermal lens was obtained by fitting the experimental data to the theoretical expression for a transient thermal lens. The results showed that virgin olive oil has a higher thermal diffusivity than for refined and thermally treated avocado oils. This measured thermal property may contribute to a better understanding of the quality of edible oils, which is very important in the food industry. The thermal diffusivity results for virgin olive oil, obtained from this technique, agree with those reported in the literature.

Direct measurement of time dependent diffusion for Ag and Au under ambient conditions

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Yoo, Pil Sun; Jo, Han Yeol; Kim, Tae Kyeong [Hankuk University of Foreign Studies, Yongin (Korea, Republic of)

2014-12-15

Time-dependent diffusion for Ag and Au metal atoms was measured using the scanning tunneling microscope break-junction technique in ambient conditions. We observed that Ag contacts do not form long single-atomic chains compared to Au contacts during the elongation of each metal electrode, and Ag atoms diffuse more quickly than Au atoms after metal contact rupture. This is consistent with previous results of molecular dynamic simulations. Further, we found a correlation between diffusion length and the evolution time on an atomic scale to reveal the time-dependent diffusion for Ag and Au metal atoms.

Measurement of striatal dopamine metabolism with 6-[18F]-fluoro-L-dopa and PET

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kuwabara, Y.; Otsuka, M.; Ichiya, Y.; Yoshikai, T.; Fukumura, T.; Masuda, K.; Kato, M.; Taniwaki, T.

1992-01-01

Striatal dopamine metabolism was studied with 6-[ 18 F]-fluoro-L-dopa ( 18 F-DOPA) and PET. The subjects were normal controls, and patients with Parkinson's disease (PD), parkinsonism, multiple system atrophy (MSA), progressive supranuclear palsy (PSP), Alzheimer's disease (AD), Huntington's disease (HD) and other cerebral disorders. Cerebral glucose metabolism (CMRGlc) was also measured in these patients. Striatal dopamine metabolism was evaluated by the relative striatal uptake of 18 F-DOPA referring cerebellum (S/C ratio). In normal controls, the S/C ratio was 2.82 ± 0.32 (n = 6, mean ± SD) at 120 min after injection of 18 F-DOPA. The S/C ratio was low in patients with PD, parkinsonism, MSA and PSP compared to the normal controls and thus coincident with the symptoms of parkinsonism due to decrease in striatal dopamine concentration. The decrease in the striatal CMRGlc was also observed in patients with parkinsonism and PSP, and it was preserved in patients with PD, thus representing that more neurons were damaged in patients with parkinsonism and PSP than in patients with PD. A patient with AD having symptoms of parkinsonism also showed a decrease in S/C ratio. In a patient with HD, the striatal CMRGlc sharply decreased, but the S/C ratio was normal. The measurements of striatal dopamine and glucose metabolism with PET may be useful for studying the pathophysiological mechanism in patients with cerebral disorders. (author)

Fusion product measurements of the local ion thermal diffusivity in the PLT tokamak

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Heidbrink, W.W.; Lovberg, J.; Strachan, J.D.; Bell, R.E.

1986-03-01

Measurement of the gradient of the d-d fusion rate profile in an ohmic PLT plasma is used to deduce the gradient of the ion temperature and, thus, the local ion thermal diffusivity through an energy balance analysis. The inferred ion diffusivity is consistent with neoclassical theory

Interaction between lactose and cadmium chloride in aqueous solutions as seen by diffusion coefficients measurements

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Verissimo, Luis M.P.; Gomes, Joselaine C.S.; Romero, Carmen; Esteso, Miguel A.; Sobral, Abilio J.F.N.; Ribeiro, Ana C.F.

2013-01-01

Highlights: ► Diffusion coefficients of aqueous systems containing lactose and cadmium chloride. ► Influence of the lactose on the diffusion of cadmium chloride. ► Interactions between Cd 2+ and lactose. -- Abstract: Diffusion coefficients of an aqueous system containing cadmium chloride 0.100 mol · dm −3 and lactose at different concentrations at 25 °C have been measured, using a conductimetric cell and an automatic apparatus to follow diffusion. The cell relies on an open-ended capillary method and a conductimetric technique is used to follow the diffusion process by measuring the resistance of a solution inside the capillaries, at recorded times. From these results and by ab initio calculations, it was possible to obtain a better understanding of the effect of lactose on transport of cadmium chloride in aqueous solutions

Measuring the temperature dependent thermal diffusivity of geomaterials using high-speed differential scanning calorimetry

Science.gov (United States)

von Aulock, Felix W.; Wadsworth, Fabian B.; Vasseur, Jeremie; Lavallée, Yan

2016-04-01

Heat diffusion in the Earth's crust is critical to fundamental geological processes, such as the cooling of magma, heat dissipation during and following transient heating events (e.g. during frictional heating along faults), and to the timescales of contact metamorphosis. The complex composition and multiphase nature of geomaterials prohibits the accurate modeling of thermal diffusivities and measurements over a range of temperatures are sparse due to the specialized nature of the equipment and lack of instrument availability. We present a novel method to measure the thermal diffusivity of geomaterials such as minerals and rocks with high precision and accuracy using a commercially available differential scanning calorimeter (DSC). A DSC 404 F1 Pegasus® equipped with a Netzsch high-speed furnace was used to apply a step-heating program to corundum single crystal standards of varying thicknesses. The standards were cylindrical discs of 0.25-1 mm thickness with 5.2-6 mm diameter. Heating between each 50 °C temperature interval was conducted at a rate of 100 °C/min over the temperature range 150-1050 °C. Such large heating rates induces temperature disequilibrium in the samples used. However, isothermal segments of 2 minutes were used during which the temperature variably equilibrated with the furnace between the heating segments and thus the directly-measured heat-flow relaxed to a constant value before the next heating step was applied. A finite-difference 2D conductive heat transfer model was used in cylindrical geometry for which the measured furnace temperature was directly applied as the boundary condition on the sample-cylinder surfaces. The model temperature was averaged over the sample volume per unit time and converted to heat-flow using the well constrained thermal properties for corundum single crystals. By adjusting the thermal diffusivity in the model solution and comparing the resultant heat-flow with the measured values, we obtain a model

Measurement of thermal conductivity and diffusivity in situ: Literature survey and theoretical modelling of measurements

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kukkonen, I.; Suppala, I. [Geological Survey of Finland, Espoo (Finland)

1999-01-01

In situ measurements of thermal conductivity and diffusivity of bedrock were investigated with the aid of a literature survey and theoretical simulations of a measurement system. According to the surveyed literature, in situ methods can be divided into `active` drill hole methods, and `passive` indirect methods utilizing other drill hole measurements together with cutting samples and petrophysical relationships. The most common active drill hole method is a cylindrical heat producing probe whose temperature is registered as a function of time. The temperature response can be calculated and interpreted with the aid of analytical solutions of the cylindrical heat conduction equation, particularly the solution for an infinite perfectly conducting cylindrical probe in a homogeneous medium, and the solution for a line source of heat in a medium. Using both forward and inverse modellings, a theoretical measurement system was analysed with an aim at finding the basic parameters for construction of a practical measurement system. The results indicate that thermal conductivity can be relatively well estimated with borehole measurements, whereas thermal diffusivity is much more sensitive to various disturbing factors, such as thermal contact resistance and variations in probe parameters. In addition, the three-dimensional conduction effects were investigated to find out the magnitude of axial `leak` of heat in long-duration experiments. The radius of influence of a drill hole measurement is mainly dependent on the duration of the experiment. Assuming typical conductivity and diffusivity values of crystalline rocks, the measurement yields information within less than a metre from the drill hole, when the experiment lasts about 24 hours. We propose the following factors to be taken as basic parameters in the construction of a practical measurement system: the probe length 1.5-2 m, heating power 5-20 Wm{sup -1}, temperature recording with 5-7 sensors placed along the probe, and

Measurement of thermal conductivity and diffusivity in situ: Literature survey and theoretical modelling of measurements

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kukkonen, I.; Suppala, I.

1999-01-01

In situ measurements of thermal conductivity and diffusivity of bedrock were investigated with the aid of a literature survey and theoretical simulations of a measurement system. According to the surveyed literature, in situ methods can be divided into 'active' drill hole methods, and 'passive' indirect methods utilizing other drill hole measurements together with cutting samples and petrophysical relationships. The most common active drill hole method is a cylindrical heat producing probe whose temperature is registered as a function of time. The temperature response can be calculated and interpreted with the aid of analytical solutions of the cylindrical heat conduction equation, particularly the solution for an infinite perfectly conducting cylindrical probe in a homogeneous medium, and the solution for a line source of heat in a medium. Using both forward and inverse modellings, a theoretical measurement system was analysed with an aim at finding the basic parameters for construction of a practical measurement system. The results indicate that thermal conductivity can be relatively well estimated with borehole measurements, whereas thermal diffusivity is much more sensitive to various disturbing factors, such as thermal contact resistance and variations in probe parameters. In addition, the three-dimensional conduction effects were investigated to find out the magnitude of axial 'leak' of heat in long-duration experiments. The radius of influence of a drill hole measurement is mainly dependent on the duration of the experiment. Assuming typical conductivity and diffusivity values of crystalline rocks, the measurement yields information within less than a metre from the drill hole, when the experiment lasts about 24 hours. We propose the following factors to be taken as basic parameters in the construction of a practical measurement system: the probe length 1.5-2 m, heating power 5-20 Wm -1 , temperature recording with 5-7 sensors placed along the probe, and

Diffusion abnormalities of the uncinate fasciculus in Alzheimer's disease: diffusion tensor tract-specific analysis using a new method to measure the core of the tract

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Yasmin, Hasina; Nakata, Yasuhiro; Abe, Osamu; Masutani, Yoshitaka; Ohtomo, Kuni [University of Tokyo, Department of Radiology, Tokyo (Japan); Aoki, Shigeki [University of Tokyo, Department of Radiology, Tokyo (Japan); Sato, Noriko [National Center of Neurology and Psychiatry, Department of Radiology, National Center Hospital for Mental, Nervous and Muscular Disorders, Tokyo (Japan); Nemoto, Kiyotaka [Ibaraki Prefectural Tomobe Hospital, Department of Psychiatry, Ibaraki (Japan); Arima, Kunimasa; Furuta, Nobuo [National Center of Neurology and Psychiatry, Department of Psychiatry, National Center Hospital for Mental, Nervous and Muscular Disorders, Tokyo (Japan); Uno, Masatake [Yoshioka Rehabilitation Clinic, Department of Psychiatry, Tokyo (Japan); Hirai, Shigeo [Iruma Hirai Clinic, Department of Psychiatry, Saitama (Japan)

2008-04-15

Our aim was to determine diffusion abnormalities in the uncinate fasciculus (UF) in Alzheimer's disease (AD) by diffusion tensor tractography (DTT) using a new method for measuring the core of the tract. We studied 19 patients with AD and 19 age-matched control subjects who underwent MRI using diffusion tensor imaging (DTI). DTT of the UF was generated. The mean diffusivity (MD) and fractional anisotropy (FA) of the core of the tract were measured after voxelized tract shape processing. Student's t-test was used to compare results between patients with AD and controls. Intraobserver correlation tests were also performed. FA was significantly lower (P < 0.0001) in the UF of patients with AD than of controls. There was no significant difference in MD along the UF between the two groups. Intraobserver reliability (intraclass correlation coefficient) for the first and second measurement was r > 0.93 for measured FA and r > 0.92 for measured MD. Our results suggest that FA reflects progression of AD-related histopathological changes in the UF of the white matter and may represent a useful biological index in monitoring AD. Diffusion tensor tract-specific analysis with voxelized tract shape processing to measure the core of the tract may be a sensitive tool for evaluation of diffusion abnormalities of white matter tracts in AD. (orig.)

Gallium surface diffusion on GaAs (001) surfaces measured by crystallization dynamics of Ga droplets

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bietti, Sergio; Somaschini, Claudio; Esposito, Luca; Sanguinetti, Stefano; Fedorov, Alexey

2014-01-01

We present accurate measurements of Ga cation surface diffusion on GaAs surfaces. The measurement method relies on atomic force microscopy measurement of the morphology of nano–disks that evolve, under group V supply, from nanoscale group III droplets, earlier deposited on the substrate surface. The dependence of the radius of such nano-droplets on crystallization conditions gives direct access to Ga diffusion length. We found an activation energy for Ga on GaAs(001) diffusion E A =1.31±0.15 eV, a diffusivity prefactor of D 0  = 0.53(×2.1±1) cm 2 s −1 that we compare with the values present in literature. The obtained results permit to better understand the fundamental physics governing the motion of group III ad–atoms on III–V crystal surfaces and the fabrication of designable nanostructures.

Thermal Diffusivity Measurement for Thermal Spray Coating Attached to Substrate Using Laser Flash Method

Science.gov (United States)

Akoshima, Megumi; Tanaka, Takashi; Endo, Satoshi; Baba, Tetsuya; Harada, Yoshio; Kojima, Yoshitaka; Kawasaki, Akira; Ono, Fumio

2011-11-01

Ceramic-based thermal barrier coatings are used as heat and wear shields of gas turbine blades. There is a strong need to evaluate the thermal conductivity of coating for thermal design and use. The thermal conductivity of a bulk material is obtained as the product of thermal diffusivity, specific heat capacity, and density above room temperature in many cases. Thermal diffusivity and thermal conductivity are unique for a given material because they are sensitive to the structure of the material. Therefore, it is important to measure them in each sample. However it is difficult to measure the thermal diffusivity and thermal conductivity of coatings because coatings are attached to substrates. In order to evaluate the thermal diffusivity of a coating attached to the substrate, we have examined the laser flash method with the multilayer model on the basis of the response function method. We carried out laser flash measurements in layered samples composed of a CoNiCrAlY bond coating and a 8YSZ top coating by thermal spraying on a Ni-based superalloy substrate. It was found that the procedure using laser flash method with the multilayer model is useful for the thermal diffusivity evaluation of a coating attached to a substrate.

Apparent diffusion coefficient measurement in a moving phantom simulating linear respiratory motion.

Science.gov (United States)

Kwee, Thomas C; Takahara, Taro; Muro, Isao; Van Cauteren, Marc; Imai, Yutaka; Nievelstein, Rutger A J; Mali, Willem P T M; Luijten, Peter R

2010-10-01

The aim of this study was to examine the effect of simulated linear respiratory motion on apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) measurements. Six rectangular test tubes (14 × 92 mm) filled with either water, tomato ketchup, or mayonnaise were positioned in a box containing agarose gel. This box was connected to a double-acting pneumatic cylinder, capable of inducing periodic linear motion in the long-axis direction of the magnetic bore (23-mm stroke). Diffusion-weighted magnetic resonance imaging was performed for both the static and moving phantoms, and ADC measurements were made in the six test tubes in both situations. In the three test tubes whose long axes were parallel to the direction of motion, ADCs agreed well between the moving and static phantom situations. However, in two test tubes that were filled with fluids that had a considerably lower diffusion coefficient than the surrounding agarose gel, and whose long axes were perpendicular to the direction of motion, the ADCs agreed poorly between the moving and static phantom situations. ADC measurements of large homogeneous structures are not affected by linear respiratory motion. However, ADC measurements of inhomogeneous or small structures are affected by linear respiratory motion due to partial volume effects.

Apparent diffusion coefficient measurement in a moving phantom simulating linear respiratory motion

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kwee, T.C.; Takahara, Taro; Nievelstein, R.A.J.; Mali, W.P.T.M.; Luijten, P.R.; Muro, Isao; Imai, Yutaka; Cauteren, M. Van

2010-01-01

The aim of this study was to examine the effect of simulated linear respiratory motion on apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) measurements. Six rectangular test tubes (14 x 92 mm) filled with either water, tomato ketchup, or mayonnaise were positioned in a box containing agarose gel. This box was connected to a double-acting pneumatic cylinder, capable of inducing periodic linear motion in the long-axis direction of the magnetic bore (23-mm stroke). Diffusion-weighted magnetic resonance imaging was performed for both the static and moving phantoms, and ADC measurements were made in the six test tubes in both situations. In the three test tubes whose long axes were parallel to the direction of motion, ADCs agreed well between the moving and static phantom situations. However, in two test tubes that were filled with fluids that had a considerably lower diffusion coefficient than the surrounding agarose gel, and whose long axes were perpendicular to the direction of motion, the ADCs agreed poorly between the moving and static phantom situations. ADC measurements of large homogeneous structures are not affected by linear respiratory motion. However, ADC measurements of inhomogeneous or small structures are affected by linear respiratory motion due to partial volume effects. (author)

Fractional order analysis of Sephadex gel structures: NMR measurements reflecting anomalous diffusion

Science.gov (United States)

Magin, Richard L.; Akpa, Belinda S.; Neuberger, Thomas; Webb, Andrew G.

2011-12-01

We report the appearance of anomalous water diffusion in hydrophilic Sephadex gels observed using pulse field gradient (PFG) nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR). The NMR diffusion data was collected using a Varian 14.1 Tesla imaging system with a home-built RF saddle coil. A fractional order analysis of the data was used to characterize heterogeneity in the gels for the dynamics of water diffusion in this restricted environment. Several recent studies of anomalous diffusion have used the stretched exponential function to model the decay of the NMR signal, i.e., exp[-( bD) α], where D is the apparent diffusion constant, b is determined the experimental conditions (gradient pulse separation, durations and strength), and α is a measure of structural complexity. In this work, we consider a different case where the spatial Laplacian in the Bloch-Torrey equation is generalized to a fractional order model of diffusivity via a complexity parameter, β, a space constant, μ, and a diffusion coefficient, D. This treatment reverts to the classical result for the integer order case. The fractional order decay model was fit to the diffusion-weighted signal attenuation for a range of b-values (0 < b < 4000 s mm -2). Throughout this range of b values, the parameters β, μ and D, were found to correlate with the porosity and tortuosity of the gel structure.

A technique to measure the thermal diffusivity of high-Tc superconductors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Powers, C.E.

1991-01-01

High T(sub c) superconducting electrical current leads and ground straps will be used in cryogenic coolers in future NASA Goddard Space Flight Center missions. These superconducting samples are long, thin leads with a typical diameter of two millimeters. A longitudinal method is developed to measure the thermal diffusivity of candidate materials for this application. This technique uses a peltier junction to supply an oscillatory heat wave into one end of a sample and will use low mass thermocouples to follow the heat wave along the sample. The thermal diffusivity is calculated using both the exponential decay of the heat wave and the phase shift to the wave. Measurements are performed in a cryostat between 10 K and room temperature

A new technique to measure fission-product diffusion coefficients in UO2 fuel

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hocking, W.H.; Verrall, R.A.; Bushby, S.J.

1999-01-01

This paper describes a new out-reactor technique for the measurement of fission-product diffusion rates in UO 2 . The technique accurately simulates in-reactor fission-fragment effects: a thermal diffusion that is due to localized mixing in the fission track, radiation-enhanced diffusion that is due to point-defect creation by fission fragments, and bubble resolution. The technique utilizes heavy-ion accelerators - low energy (40 keV to 1 MeV) for fission-product implantation, high energy (72 MeV) to create fission-fragment damage effects, and secondary ion mass spectrometry (SIMS) for measuring the depth profile of the implanted species. Preliminary results are presented from annealing tests (not in the 72 MeV ion flux) at 1465 deg. C and 1650 deg. C at low and high concentrations of fission products. (author)

Measurements of diffusive sublayer thicknesses in the ocean by alabaster dissolution, and their implications for the measurements of benthic fluxes

Science.gov (United States)

Santschi, Peter H.; Anderson, Robert F.; Fleisher, Martin Q.; Bowles, Walter

1991-06-01

Fluxes of reactive chemical species across the sediment-water interface can profoundly influence the dominant biogeochemical cycles in the worlds ocean. However, reliable in-situ measurements of benthic fluxes of many reactive species cannot be carried out without adjustment of stirring rates inside benthic flux chambers to match boundary layer conditions prevailing outside. A simple method to compare flow levels consists of measurements of gypsum dissolution rates inside benthic chambers and on the seafloor. The measurement of the diffusion-controlled dissolution rate of gypsum allows the estimation of the diffusive sublayer thickness and the time-averaged bottom stress on the seafloor. This method had previously been intercalibrated with the stress sensor method in flumes and inside benthic chambers. We describe here free-vehicle deployments of alabaster plates on the bottom of the ocean which gave results consistent with hydrodynamic theory. Errors in the calculated diffusive sublayer thicknesses were estimated to be about 10-15% for typical deployment conditions in the ocean. Current velocities 5 m off the bottom, which were measured concurrently during two deployments, allowed for comparisons with hydrodynamic predictions of diffusive sublayer thicknesses. The values obtained this way agreed within 15%. The measured mass transfer velocity was found to correlate with the plate dimension L, to the power of ⅓. This confirms the theoretical procedure for extrapolating to infinite plate size when calculating the sublayer impedance of solute fluxes from sediments (where L is large). Typical values of diffusive sublayer thicknesses, corrected to infinite plate size, were 1200 μm for current velocities, U100, of 2 cm s-1, and 500 μm at 8 cm s-1. Furthermore, values of friction velocities calculated from alabaster dissolution were compared with those using stress sensors. Gypsum plate values of u* were 0 and 30% lower than skin friction values of u*, at u* values

PIV Measurements of Flows around the Wind Turbines with a Flanged-Diffuser Shroud

Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

Kazuhiko Toshimitsu; Koutarou Nishikawa; Wataru Haruki; Shinichi Oono; Manabu Takao; Yuji Ohya

2008-01-01

The wind turbines with a flanged-diffuser shroud -so called "wind lens turbine"- are developed as one of high performance wind turbines by Ohya et al. In order to investigate the flow characteristics and flow acceleration, the paper presents the flow velocity measurements of a long-type and a compact-type wind turbines with a flanged-diffuser shroud by particle image velocimetry. In the case of the long type wind turbine, the velocity vec-tors of the inner flow field of the diffuser for turbine blades rotating and no blades rotating are presented at Rey-nolds number, 0.9x105. Furthermore the flow fields between with and without rotating are compared. Through the PIV measurement results, one can realize that the turbine blades rotating affects as suppress the disturbance and the flow separation near the inner wall of the diffuser. The time average velocity vectors are made on the av-erage of the instantaneous velocity data. There are two large vortices in downstream region of the diffuser. One vortex behind the flange acts as suck in wind to the diffuser and raise the inlet flow velocity. Another large vortex appears in downstream. It might be act as blockage vortex of main flow. The large blockage vortex is not clear in the instantaneous velocity vectors, however it exists clearly in the time average flow field. The flow field around the wind turbine with a compact-type flanged-diffuser shroud is also investigated. The flow pattern behind the flange of the compact-type turbine is the same as the long-type one. It means that the effect of flow acceleration is caused by the unsteady vortices behind the flange. The comparison with CFD and PIV results of meridional time-average streamlines after the compact-type diffuser is also presented.

Chapter 9: Experimental measurements of the diffusion area of neutrons in graphite

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Brown, G.; McCulloch, D.B.

1963-01-01

This report describes measurements of the diffusion area of neutrons in a solid graphite exponential stack, and in a stack containing cylindrical air channels of 4.5 in. diameter, arranged on a square lattice of 8 in. pitch. The resulting diffusion area ratios are compared with the theoretical predictions of a number of authors. The diffusion area ratios deduced from a pair of experiments in which the orientation of the air channels with respect to the source-plane is changed are found to be in agreement with those deduced from experiments in which the stack size is changed but a constant air channel orientation maintained. (author)

Experimental Measurement of Self-Diffusion in a Strongly Coupled Plasma

Science.gov (United States)

2016-08-04

the calculation of the self-diffusion constant through the Green- Kubo integral of hΔvxðtÞiþ=hΔvxð0Þiþ over the scaled time. Overall, the estimate of... Kubo relation D ¼ Z ∞ 0 ZðtÞdt; which describes the long-time mean-square displacement of a given particle through D ¼ limt→∞hjrðtÞ − rð0Þj2i=6t [25...ion VAF, the self-diffusion coefficient D may be calculated from our measurements. As is normally the case with calculations of this type, proper

Thermal diffusivity measurements with a photothermal method of fusion solid breeder materials

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bertolotti, M.; Fabri, L.; Ferrari, A.; Sibilia, C.; Alvani, C.; Casadio, S.

1989-01-01

The Photothermal Deflection method is employed in thermal diffusivity measurements. A theoretical analysis is performed to reduce the influence of arbitrary parameters. Measurements on gamma-lithium aluminate samples as a function of temperatures are performed. (author). 5 refs.; 4 figs

Peptide self-association in aqueous trifluoroethanol monitored by pulsed field gradient NMR diffusion measurements

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Yao Shenggen [Biomolecular Research Institute (Australia); Howlett, Geoffrey J. [University of Melbourne, Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology (Australia); Norton, Raymond S. [Biomolecular Research Institute (Australia)

2000-02-15

Defining the self-association state of a molecule in solution can be an important step in NMR-based structure determination. This is particularly true of peptides, where there can be a relatively small number of long-range interactions and misinterpretation of an intermolecular NOE as an intramolecular contact can have a dramatic influence on the final calculated structure. In this paper, we have investigated the use of translational self-diffusion coefficient measurements to detect self-association in aqueous trifluoroethanol of three peptides which are analogues of the C-terminal region of human neuropeptide Y. Experimentally measured diffusion coefficients were extrapolated to D{sup 0}, the limiting value as the peptide concentration approaches zero, and then converted to D{sub 20,w}, the diffusion coefficient after correction for temperature and the viscosity of the solvent. A decrease in D{sub 20,w} of about 16% was found for all three peptides in aqueous TFE (30% by volume) compared with water, which is in reasonable agreement with the expected decrease upon dimerisation, the presence of which was indicated by sedimentation equilibrium measurements. Apparent molecular masses of these peptides in both solutions were also calculated from their diffusion coefficients and similar results were obtained. Several potential internal standards, including acetone, acetonitrile, dimethylsulfoxide and dioxane, were assessed as monitors of solution viscosity over a range of trifluoroethanol concentrations. Compared with independent measurements of viscosity, acetonitrile was the most accurate standard among these four. The practical limitations of a quantitative assessment of peptide self-association from translational diffusion coefficients measured by PFGNMR, including the calculation of apparent molecular mass, are also discussed.

Techniques for Ultra-high Magnetic Field Gradient NMR Diffusion Measurements

Science.gov (United States)

Sigmund, Eric E.; Mitrovic, Vesna F.; Calder, Edward S.; Will Thomas, G.; Halperin, William P.; Reyes, Arneil P.; Kuhns, Philip L.; Moulton, William G.

2001-03-01

We report on development and application of techniques for ultraslow diffusion coefficient measurements through nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) in high magnetic field gradients. We have performed NMR experiments in a steady fringe field gradient of 175 T/m from a 23 T resistive Bitter magnet, as well as in a gradient of 42 T/m from an 8 T superconducting magnet. New techniques to provide optimum sensitivity in these experiments are described. To eliminate parasitic effects of the temporal instability of the resistive magnet, we have introduced a passive filter: a highly conductive cryogen-cooled inductive shield. We show experimental demonstration of such a shield’s effect on NMR performed in the Bitter magnet. For enhanced efficiency, we have employed “frequency jumping” in our spectrometer system. Application of these methods has made possible measurements of diffusion coefficients as low as 10-10 cm^2/s, probing motion on a 250 nm length scale.

An extended laser flash technique for thermal diffusivity measurement of high-temperature materials

Science.gov (United States)

Shen, F.; Khodadadi, J. M.

1993-01-01

Knowledge of thermal diffusivity data for high-temperature materials (solids and liquids) is very important in analyzing a number of processes, among them solidification, crystal growth, and welding. However, reliable thermal diffusivity versus temperature data, particularly those for high-temperature liquids, are still far from complete. The main measurement difficulties are due to the presence of convection and the requirement for a container. Fortunately, the availability of levitation techniques has made it possible to solve the containment problem. Based on the feasibility of the levitation technology, a new laser flash technique which is applicable to both levitated liquid and solid samples is being developed. At this point, the analysis for solid samples is near completion and highlights of the technique are presented here. The levitated solid sample which is assumed to be a sphere is subjected to a very short burst of high power radiant energy. The temperature of the irradiated surface area is elevated and a transient heat transfer process takes place within the sample. This containerless process is a two-dimensional unsteady heat conduction problem. Due to the nonlinearity of the radiative plus convective boundary condition, an analytic solution cannot be obtained. Two options are available at this point. Firstly, the radiation boundary condition can be linearized, which then accommodates a closed-form analytic solution. Comparison of the analytic curves for the temperature rise at different points to the experimentally-measured values will then provide the thermal diffusivity values. Secondly, one may set up an inverse conduction problem whereby experimentally obtained surface temperature history is used as the boundary conditions. The thermal diffusivity can then be elevated by minimizing the difference between the real heat flux boundary condition (radiation plus convection) and the measurements. Status of an experimental study directed at measuring the

Using a simple apparatus to measure direct and diffuse photosynthetically active radiation at remote locations.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Michael J Cruse

Full Text Available Plant canopy interception of photosynthetically active radiation (PAR drives carbon dioxide (CO2, water and energy cycling in the soil-plant-atmosphere system. Quantifying intercepted PAR requires accurate measurements of total incident PAR above canopies and direct beam and diffuse PAR components. While some regional data sets include these data, e.g. from Atmospheric Radiation Measurement (ARM Program sites, they are not often applicable to local research sites because of the variable nature (spatial and temporal of environmental variables that influence incoming PAR. Currently available instrumentation that measures diffuse and direct beam radiation separately can be cost prohibitive and require frequent adjustments. Alternatively, generalized empirical relationships that relate atmospheric variables and radiation components can be used but require assumptions that increase the potential for error. Our goal here was to construct and test a cheaper, highly portable instrument alternative that could be used at remote field sites to measure total, diffuse and direct beam PAR for extended time periods without supervision. The apparatus tested here uses a fabricated, solar powered rotating shadowband and other commercially available parts to collect continuous hourly PAR data. Measurements of total incident PAR had nearly a one-to-one relationship with total incident radiation measurements taken at the same research site by an unobstructed point quantum sensor. Additionally, measurements of diffuse PAR compared favorably with modeled estimates from previously published data, but displayed significant differences that were attributed to the important influence of rapidly changing local environmental conditions. The cost of the system is about 50% less than comparable commercially available systems that require periodic, but not continual adjustments. Overall, the data produced using this apparatus indicates that this instrumentation has the

Increased self-diffusion of brain water in hydrocephalus measured by MR imaging

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Gideon, P; Thomsen, C; Gjerris, F

1994-01-01

We used MR imaging to measure the apparent brain water self-diffusion in 5 patients with normal pressure hydrocephalus (NPH), in 2 patients with high pressure hydrocephalus (HPH), and in 8 age-matched controls. In all patients with NPH significant elevations of the apparent diffusion coefficients...... white matter, and in one patient reexamined one year after surgery, ADCs were unchanged in nearly all brain regions. The increased ADC values in hydrocephalus patients may be caused by factors such as changes in myelin-associated bound water, increased Virchow-Robin spaces, and increased extracellular...... brain water fraction. For further studies of brain water diffusion in hydrocephalus patients, echo-planar imaging techniques with imaging times of a few seconds may be valuable....

Automatic actinometric system for diffuse radiation measurement

Science.gov (United States)

Litwiniuk, Agnieszka; Zajkowski, Maciej

2015-09-01

Actinometric station is using for measuring solar of radiation. The results are helpful in determining the optimal position of solar panels relative to the Sun, especially in today's world, when the energy coming from the Sun and other alternative sources of energy become more and more popular. Polish climate does not provide as much energy as in countries in southern Europe, but it is possible to increase the amount of energy produced by appropriate arrangement of photovoltaic panels. There is the possibility of forecasting the amount of produced energy, the cost-effectiveness and profitability of photovoltaic installations. This implies considerable development opportunities for domestic photovoltaic power plants. This article presents description of actinometric system for diffuse radiation measurement, which is equipped with pyranometer - thermopile temperature sensor, amplifier AD620, AD Converter ADS1110, microcontroller Atmega 16, SD card, GPS module and LCD screen.

Thermal diffusivity measurement for p-Si and Ag/p-Si by photoacoustic technique

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Hussein, Mohammed Jabbar; Yunus, W. Mahmood Mat; Kamari, Halimah Mohamed; Zakaria, Azmi, E-mail: mohammed55865@yahoo.com [Department of Physics, Faculty of Science, Universiti PutraMalaysia (UPM), Serdang (Malaysia)

2015-10-15

Thermal diffusivity (TD) of p-Si and Ag/p-Si samples were measured by photoacoustic technique using open photoacoustic cell (OPC). The samples were annealed by heating them at 960, 1050, 1200, and 1300 °C for 3 h in air. The thermal diffusivity of Ag-coated samples was obtained by fitting the photoacoustic experimental data to the thermally thick equation for Rosencwaig and Gersho (RG) theory. For the single layer samples, the thermal diffusivity can be obtained by fitting as well as by obtaining the critical frequency f{sub c.} In this study, the thermal diffusivity of the p-Si samples increased with increasing the annealing temperature. The thermal diffusivity of the Ag/p-Si samples, after reaching the maximum value of about 2.73 cm{sup 2}/s at a temperature of 1200 °C, decreased due to the silver complete melt in the surface of the silicon. (author)

Thermal Diffusivity Measurement for p-Si and Ag/p-Si by Photoacoustic Technique

Science.gov (United States)

Hussein, Mohammed Jabbar; Yunus, W. Mahmood Mat; Kamari, Halimah Mohamed; Zakaria, Azmi

2015-10-01

Thermal diffusivity (TD) of p-Si and Ag/p-Si samples were measured by photoacoustic technique using open photoacoustic cell (OPC). The samples were annealed by heating them at 960, 1050, 1200, and 1300 °C for 3 h in air. The thermal diffusivity of Ag-coated samples was obtained by fitting the photoacoustic experimental data to the thermally thick equation for Rosencwaig and Gersho (RG) theory. For the single layer samples, the thermal diffusivity can be obtained by fitting as well as by obtaining the critical frequency f c . In this study, the thermal diffusivity of the p-Si samples increased with increasing the annealing temperature. The thermal diffusivity of the Ag/p-Si samples, after reaching the maximum value of about 2.73 cm2/s at a temperature of 1200 °C, decreased due to the silver complete melt in the surface of the silicon.

Electroluminescence pulse shape and electron diffusion in liquid argon measured in a dual-phase TPC

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Agnes, P.; et al.

2018-02-05

We report the measurement of the longitudinal diffusion constant in liquid argon with the DarkSide-50 dual-phase time projection chamber. The measurement is performed at drift electric fields of 100 V/cm, 150 V/cm, and 200 V/cm using high statistics $^{39}$Ar decays from atmospheric argon. We derive an expression to describe the pulse shape of the electroluminescence signal (S2) in dual-phase TPCs. The derived S2 pulse shape is fit to events from the uppermost portion of the TPC in order to characterize the radial dependence of the signal. The results are provided as inputs to the measurement of the longitudinal diffusion constant DL, which we find to be (4.12 $\\pm$ 0.04) cm$^2$/s for a selection of 140keV electron recoil events in 200V/cm drift field and 2.8kV/cm extraction field. To study the systematics of our measurement we examine datasets of varying event energy, field strength, and detector volume yielding a weighted average value for the diffusion constant of (4.09 $\\pm$ 0.09) cm$^2$ /s. The measured longitudinal diffusion constant is observed to have an energy dependence, and within the studied energy range the result is systematically lower than other results in the literature.

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

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

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

1994-01-01

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

Conventional 3T brain MRI and diffusion tensor imaging in the diagnostic workup of early stage parkinsonism

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Meijer, Frederick J.A.; Rumund, Anouke van; Tuladhar, Anil M.; Aerts, Marjolein B.; Titulaer, Imke; Esselink, Rianne A.J.; Bloem, Bastiaan R.; Verbeek, Marcel M.; Goraj, Bozena

2015-01-01

The aim of this study is to evaluate whether the diagnostic accuracy of 3 T brain MRI is improved by region of interest (ROI) measures of diffusion tensor imaging (DTI), to differentiate between neurodegenerative atypical parkinsonism (AP) and Parkinson's disease (PD) in early stage parkinsonism. We performed a prospective observational cohort study of 60 patients presenting with early stage parkinsonism and initial uncertain diagnosis. At baseline, patients underwent a 3 T brain MRI including DTI. After clinical follow-up (mean 28.3 months), diagnoses could be made in 49 patients (30 PD and 19 AP). Conventional brain MRI was evaluated for regions of atrophy and signal intensity changes. Tract-based spatial statistics and ROI analyses of DTI were performed to analyze group differences in mean diffusivity (MD) and fractional anisotropy (FA), and diagnostic thresholds were determined. Diagnostic accuracy of conventional brain MRI and DTI was assessed with the receiver operating characteristic (ROC). Significantly higher MD of the centrum semiovale, body corpus callosum, putamen, external capsule, midbrain, superior cerebellum, and superior cerebellar peduncles was found in AP. Significantly increased MD of the putamen was found in multiple system atrophy-parkinsonian form (MSA-P) and increased MD in the midbrain and superior cerebellar peduncles in progressive supranuclear palsy (PSP). The diagnostic accuracy of brain MRI to identify AP as a group was not improved by ROI measures of MD, though the diagnostic accuracy to identify MSA-P was slightly increased (AUC 0.82 to 0.85). The diagnostic accuracy of brain MRI to identify AP as a group was not improved by the current analysis approach to DTI, though DTI measures could be of added value to identify AP subgroups. (orig.)

Conventional 3T brain MRI and diffusion tensor imaging in the diagnostic workup of early stage parkinsonism

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Meijer, Frederick J.A. [Radboud University Nijmegen Medical Center, Department of Radiology and Nuclear Medicine, Nijmegen (Netherlands); Rumund, Anouke van; Tuladhar, Anil M.; Aerts, Marjolein B.; Titulaer, Imke; Esselink, Rianne A.J.; Bloem, Bastiaan R. [Radboud University Nijmegen Medical Center, Department of Neurology, Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour, Nijmegen (Netherlands); Verbeek, Marcel M. [Radboud University Nijmegen Medical Center, Department of Neurology, Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour, Nijmegen (Netherlands); Radboud University Nijmegen Medical Center, Department of Laboratory Medicine, Nijmegen (Netherlands); Goraj, Bozena [Radboud University Nijmegen Medical Center, Department of Radiology and Nuclear Medicine, Nijmegen (Netherlands); Medical Center of Postgraduate Education, Department of Diagnostic Imaging, Warsaw (Poland)

2015-07-15

The aim of this study is to evaluate whether the diagnostic accuracy of 3 T brain MRI is improved by region of interest (ROI) measures of diffusion tensor imaging (DTI), to differentiate between neurodegenerative atypical parkinsonism (AP) and Parkinson's disease (PD) in early stage parkinsonism. We performed a prospective observational cohort study of 60 patients presenting with early stage parkinsonism and initial uncertain diagnosis. At baseline, patients underwent a 3 T brain MRI including DTI. After clinical follow-up (mean 28.3 months), diagnoses could be made in 49 patients (30 PD and 19 AP). Conventional brain MRI was evaluated for regions of atrophy and signal intensity changes. Tract-based spatial statistics and ROI analyses of DTI were performed to analyze group differences in mean diffusivity (MD) and fractional anisotropy (FA), and diagnostic thresholds were determined. Diagnostic accuracy of conventional brain MRI and DTI was assessed with the receiver operating characteristic (ROC). Significantly higher MD of the centrum semiovale, body corpus callosum, putamen, external capsule, midbrain, superior cerebellum, and superior cerebellar peduncles was found in AP. Significantly increased MD of the putamen was found in multiple system atrophy-parkinsonian form (MSA-P) and increased MD in the midbrain and superior cerebellar peduncles in progressive supranuclear palsy (PSP). The diagnostic accuracy of brain MRI to identify AP as a group was not improved by ROI measures of MD, though the diagnostic accuracy to identify MSA-P was slightly increased (AUC 0.82 to 0.85). The diagnostic accuracy of brain MRI to identify AP as a group was not improved by the current analysis approach to DTI, though DTI measures could be of added value to identify AP subgroups. (orig.)

Measurement of time series variation of thermal diffusivity of magnetic fluid under magnetic field by forced Rayleigh scattering method

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Motozawa, Masaaki, E-mail: motozawa.masaaki@shizuoka.ac.jp [Shizuoka University, 3-5-1 Johoku, Naka-ku, Hamamatsu-shi, Shizuoka 432-8561 (Japan); Muraoka, Takashi [Shizuoka University, 3-5-1 Johoku, Naka-ku, Hamamatsu-shi, Shizuoka 432-8561 (Japan); Motosuke, Masahiro, E-mail: mot@rs.tus.ac.jp [Tokyo University of Science, 6-3-1 Niijuku, Katsushika-ku, Tokyo 125-8585 (Japan); Fukuta, Mitsuhiro, E-mail: fukuta.mitsuhiro@shizuoka.ac.jp [Shizuoka University, 3-5-1 Johoku, Naka-ku, Hamamatsu-shi, Shizuoka 432-8561 (Japan)

2017-04-15

It can be expected that the thermal diffusivity of a magnetic fluid varies from time to time after applying a magnetic field because of the growth of the inner structure of a magnetic fluid such as chain-like clusters. In this study, time series variation of the thermal diffusivity of a magnetic fluid caused by applying a magnetic field was investigated experimentally. For the measurement of time series variation of thermal diffusivity, we attempted to apply the forced Rayleigh scattering method (FRSM), which has high temporal and high spatial resolution. We set up an optical system for the FRSM and measured the thermal diffusivity. A magnetic field was applied to a magnetic fluid in parallel and perpendicular to the heat flux direction, and the magnetic field intensity was 70 mT. The FRSM was successfully applied to measurement of the time series variation of the magnetic fluid from applying a magnetic field. The results show that a characteristic configuration in the time series variation of the thermal diffusivity of magnetic fluid was obtained in the case of applying a magnetic field parallel to the heat flux direction. In contrast, in the case of applying a magnetic field perpendicular to the heat flux, the thermal diffusivity of the magnetic fluid hardly changed during measurement. - Highlights: • Thermal diffusivity was measured by forced Rayleigh scattering method (FRSM). • FRSM has high temporal and high spatial resolutions for measurement. • We attempted to apply FRSM to magnetic fluid (MF). • Time series variation of thermal diffusivity of MF was successfully measured by FRSM. • Anisotropic thermal diffusivity of magnetic fluid was also successfully confirmed.

Inter-atomic force constants of BaF{sub 2} by diffuse neutron scattering measurement

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Sakuma, Takashi, E-mail: sakuma@mx.ibaraki.ac.jp; Makhsun,; Sakai, Ryutaro [Institute of Applied Beam Science, Ibaraki University, Mito 310-8512 (Japan); Xianglian [College of Physics and Electronics Information, Inner Mongolia University for the Nationalities, Tongliao 028043 (China); Takahashi, Haruyuki [Institute of Applied Beam Science, Ibaraki University, Hitachi 316-8511 (Japan); Basar, Khairul [Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences, Institut Teknologi Bandung, Bandung 40132 (Indonesia); Igawa, Naoki [Quantum Beam Science Directorate, Japan Atomic Energy Agency, Tokai 319-1195 (Japan); Danilkin, Sergey A. [Bragg Institute, Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation, Kirrawee DC NSW 2232 (Australia)

2015-04-16

Diffuse neutron scattering measurement on BaF{sub 2} crystals was performed at 10 K and 295 K. Oscillatory form in the diffuse scattering intensity of BaF{sub 2} was observed at 295 K. The correlation effects among thermal displacements of F-F atoms were obtained from the analysis of oscillatory diffuse scattering intensity. The force constants among neighboring atoms in BaF{sub 2} were determined and compared to those in ionic crystals and semiconductors.

Measurement of the thermal diffusivity on ceramics and metals using the laser flash method

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Blumm, J.; Sauseng, B.

2001-01-01

Full Text: In the past few decades measurement of the thermophysical properties such as thermal expansion, specific heat, thermal diffusivity or thermal conductivity has become increasingly important for industrial applications. One example is the optimization of the heat transfer in industrial assemblies used for automotive or space applications. The thermal diffusivity and thermal conductivity of all components exposed to high and/or sub-ambient temperatures or large temperature gradients should be accurately known. Another well known example is the characterization of materials such as graphite used in nuclear reactors. Furthermore, analysis of solid and liquid metals is of paramount importance for the simulation of casting processes using finite element software programs. Thermal barrier coatings (zirconia) are used more and more often for high-temperature turbine blades. Reducing the thermal conductivity and the heat transfer through such coatings usually allows higher working temperatures and therefore higher efficiency of the gas turbine. These examples clearly demonstrate the need of instrumentation for the accurate measurement of the required thermophysical properties. The laser flash method has been developed to become one of the most commonly used techniques for the measurement of the thermal diffusivity of various kinds of solids and liquids. Easy sample preparation, small sample dimensions, fast measurement times and high accuracy are only some of the advantages of this non-destructive measurement technique. In addition, temperature dependent measurements can easily be realized. Since the development of the method by Parker et al. new routines for processing of the raw data have been established. Analytical mathematical descriptions were found to compensate for heat loss and finite pulse effects. Using modern personal computers and non-linear regression routines, mathematical models can be used to fit the raw data, yielding improved results for thermal

Multiplexed measurement of protein diffusion in Caenorhabditis elegans embryos with SPIM-FCS

Science.gov (United States)

Struntz, Philipp; Weiss, Matthias

2016-02-01

Quantifying the diffusion behavior of proteins in different environments, e.g. on cellular membranes, is a key step in uncovering the vital action of protein networks in living organisms. While several established techniques for local diffusion measurements exist, the life sciences are currently in need of a multiplexed, i.e. spatially parallelized, data acquisition that allows for obtaining diffusion maps with high spatiotemporal resolution. Following this demand, the combination of camera-based single-plane illumination microscopy (SPIM) and fluorescence correlation spectroscopy (FCS) has recently emerged as a promising approach. So far, SPIM-FCS has mainly been used to assess the diffusion of soluble particles and proteins in vitro and in culture cells, but due to a particularly low photobleaching and -toxicity the method is also well applicable to developmental organisms. Here, we have probed the performance of SPIM-FCS on an established developmental model organism, the small nematode Caenorhabditis elegans. In particular, we have quantified the diffusion of the peripheral membrane protein PLC1δ 1 in the embryo’s cytoplasm and on the plasma membrane. As a result, we were able to derive diffusion maps of PLC1δ 1 in both compartments in multiple individuals, showing the spatially varying diffusion coefficients across the embryo. Our data also report on the dissociation kinetics of PLC1δ 1 from the plasma membrane, hence underlining that SPIM-FCS can be used to explore key features of peripheral membrane proteins in fragile developmental model organisms.

Measurement of the diffusion length of thermal neutrons inside graphite; Mesure de la longueur de diffusion des neutrons thermiques dans le graphite

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Ertaud, A; Beauge, R; Fauquez, H; De Laboulay, H; Mercier, C; Vautrey, L

1948-11-01

The diffusion length of thermal neutrons inside a given industrial graphite is determined by measuring the neutron density inside a parallelepipedal piling up of graphite bricks (2.10 x 2.10 x 2.442 m). A 3.8 curies (Ra {alpha} {yields} Be) source is placed inside the parallelepipedal block of graphite and thin manganese detectors are used. Corrections are added to the unweighted measurements to take into account the effects of the damping of supra-thermal neutrons in the measurement area. These corrections are experimentally deduced from the differential measurements made with a cadmium screen interposed between the source and the first plane of measurement. An error analysis completes the report. The diffusion length obtained is: L = 45.7 cm {+-} 0.3. The average density of the graphite used is 1.76 and the average apparent density of the piling up is 1.71. (J.S.)

Light diffuseness metric, part 2 : Describing, measuring and visualizing the light flow and diffuseness in three-dimensional spaces

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Xia, L.; Pont, S.C.; Heynderickx, I.E.J.

2017-01-01

We introduce a way to simultaneously measure the light density, light vector and diffuseness of the light field using a cubic illumination meter based on the spherical harmonics representation of the light field. This approach was applied to six light probe images of natural scenes and four real

Non-Contact Measurement of Thermal Diffusivity in Ion-Implanted Nuclear Materials

Science.gov (United States)

Hofmann, F.; Mason, D. R.; Eliason, J. K.; Maznev, A. A.; Nelson, K. A.; Dudarev, S. L.

2015-11-01

Knowledge of mechanical and physical property evolution due to irradiation damage is essential for the development of future fission and fusion reactors. Ion-irradiation provides an excellent proxy for studying irradiation damage, allowing high damage doses without sample activation. Limited ion-penetration-depth means that only few-micron-thick damaged layers are produced. Substantial effort has been devoted to probing the mechanical properties of these thin implanted layers. Yet, whilst key to reactor design, their thermal transport properties remain largely unexplored due to a lack of suitable measurement techniques. Here we demonstrate non-contact thermal diffusivity measurements in ion-implanted tungsten for nuclear fusion armour. Alloying with transmutation elements and the interaction of retained gas with implantation-induced defects both lead to dramatic reductions in thermal diffusivity. These changes are well captured by our modelling approaches. Our observations have important implications for the design of future fusion power plants.

Non-Contact Measurement of Thermal Diffusivity in Ion-Implanted Nuclear Materials

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hofmann, F.; Mason, D. R.; Eliason, J. K.; Maznev, A. A.; Nelson, K. A.; Dudarev, S. L.

2015-01-01

Knowledge of mechanical and physical property evolution due to irradiation damage is essential for the development of future fission and fusion reactors. Ion-irradiation provides an excellent proxy for studying irradiation damage, allowing high damage doses without sample activation. Limited ion-penetration-depth means that only few-micron-thick damaged layers are produced. Substantial effort has been devoted to probing the mechanical properties of these thin implanted layers. Yet, whilst key to reactor design, their thermal transport properties remain largely unexplored due to a lack of suitable measurement techniques. Here we demonstrate non-contact thermal diffusivity measurements in ion-implanted tungsten for nuclear fusion armour. Alloying with transmutation elements and the interaction of retained gas with implantation-induced defects both lead to dramatic reductions in thermal diffusivity. These changes are well captured by our modelling approaches. Our observations have important implications for the design of future fusion power plants

Measurement of through-thickness thermal diffusivity of thermoplastics using thermal wave method

Science.gov (United States)

Singh, R.; Mellinger, A.

2015-04-01

Thermo-physical properties, such as thermal conductivity, thermal diffusivity and specific heat are important quantities that are needed to interpret and characterize thermoplastic materials. Such characterization is necessary for many applications, ranging from aerospace engineering to food packaging, electrical and electronic industry and medical science. In this work, the thermal diffusivity of commercially available polymeric films is measured in the thickness direction at room temperature using thermal wave method. The results obtained with this method are in good agreement with theoretical and experimental values.

Experimental Setup for Measuring Diffusive and Advective Transport of Radon through Building Materials

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Pal, van der M.; Graaf, van der E.R.; Meijer, de R.J.; Wit, de M.H.; Hendriks, N.A.

2000-01-01

This study describes an approach for measuring and modelling diffusive and advective transport of radon through building materials. The goal of these measurements and model calculations is to improve our understanding concerning the factors influencing the transport of radon through building

Measurement of neutron diffusion length in heavy concrete

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Krejci, D.

2007-04-01

Using an aluminium sampler filled with heavy concrete the neutron diffusion length was determined, measuring thermal and fast neutrons over the whole beam hole with various threshold detectors using gold samples. These calculations should describe the neutron distribution in the whole concrete shield of the reactor and contribute to the investigation of the activation of the concrete shield using reactor parameters like operating time, power and neutron flux. Instrumentation, activation and positioning of the samples in the beam hole of the TRIGA Mark II reactor are described. (nevyjel)

Measurements of the angular distribution of diffuse irradiance

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Andersen, Elsa; Nielsen, Kristian Pagh; Dragsted, Janne

2015-01-01

Advanced solar resource assessment and forecasting is necessary for optimal solar energy utilization. In order to investigate the short-term resource variability, for instance caused by clouds it is necessary to investigate how clouds affect the solar irradiance, including the angular distribution...... of the solar irradiance. The investigation is part of the Danish contribution to the taskforce 46 within the International Energy Agency and financed by the Danish Energy Agency. The investigation focuses on the distribution of the diffuse solar irradiance and is based on horizontal measurements of the solar...

Glucocorticoid treatment of brain tumor patients: changes of apparent diffusion coefficient values measured by MR diffusion imaging

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Minamikawa, Sosuke; Kono, Kinuko; Nakayama, Keiko; Yokote, Hiroyuki; Tashiro, Takahiko; Inoue, Yuichi; Nishio, Akimasa; Hara, Mitsuhiro

2004-01-01

Glucocorticoids (GCC) generally are administered to patients with brain tumors to relieve neurological symptoms by decreasing the water content in a peritumoral zone of edema. We hypothesized that diffusion imaging and apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) values could detect subtle changes of water content in brain tumors and in peritumoral edema after GCC therapy. The study consisted of 13 patients with intra-axial brain tumor, and ADC was measured in the tumor, within peritumoral edema, and in normal white matter remote from the tumor before and after GCC therapy. ADC also was measured in normal white matter in four control patients with no intracranial disease who were treated with GCC for other indications. Conventional MR images showed no visually evident interval change in tumor size or the extent of peritumoral edema in any subject after GCC therapy, which nonetheless resulted in a decrease in mean ADC of 7.0% in tumors (P 0.05, not significant) and 5.8% in normal white matter (P<0.05). In patients with no intracranial disease, GCC therapy decreased mean ADC in white matter by 5.4% (P<0.05). ADC measurement can demonstrate subtle changes in the brain after GCC therapy that cannot be observed by conventional MR imaging. Measurement of ADC proved to be a sensitive means of assessing the effect of GCC therapy, even in the absence of visually discernible changes in conventional MR images. (orig.)

Accuracy analysis of the thermal diffusivity measurement of molten salts by stepwise heating method

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kato, Yoshio; Furukawa, Kazuo

1976-11-01

The stepwise heating method for measuring thermal diffusivity of molten salts is based on the electrical heating of a thin metal plate as a plane heat source in the molten salt. In this method, the following estimations on error are of importance: (1) thickness effect of the metal plate, (2) effective length between the plate and a temperature measuring point and (3) effect of the noise on the temperature rise signal. In this report, a measuring apparatus is proposed and measuring conditions are suggested on the basis of error estimations. The measurements for distilled water and glycerine were made first to test the performance; the results agreed well with standard values. The thermal diffusivities of molten NaNO 3 at 320-380 0 C and of molten Li 2 BeF 4 at 470-700 0 C were measured. (auth.)

Combined measurement of plasma cystatin C and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol: A valuable tool for evaluating progressive supranuclear palsy.

Science.gov (United States)

Weng, Ruihui; Wei, Xiaobo; Yu, Bin; Zhu, Shuzhen; Yang, Xiaohua; Xie, Fen; Zhang, Mahui; Jiang, Ying; Feng, Zhong-Ping; Sun, Hong-Shuo; Xia, Ying; Jin, Kunlin; Chan, Piu; Wang, Qing; Gao, Xiaoya

2018-07-01

Progressive supranuclear palsy (PSP) was previously thought as a cause of atypical Parkinsonism. Although Cystatin C (Cys C) and low-density cholesterol lipoprotein-C (LDL-C) are known to play critical roles in Parkinsonism, it is unknown whether they can be used as markers to distinguish PSP patients from healthy subjects and to determine disease severity. We conducted a cross-sectional study to determine plasma Cys C/HDL/LDL-C levels of 40 patients with PSP and 40 healthy age-matched controls. An extended battery of motor and neuropsychological tests, including the PSP-Rating Scale (PSPRS), the Non-Motor Symptoms Scale (NMSS), Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS) and Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE), was used to evaluate the disease severity. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves were adopted to assess the prognostic accuracy of Cys C/LDL-C levels in distinguishing PSP from healthy subjects. Patients with PSP exhibited significantly higher plasma levels of Cys C and lower LDL-C. The levels of plasma Cys C were positively and inversely correlated with the PSPRS/NMSS and MMSE scores, respectively. The LDL-C/HDL-C ratio was positively associated with PSPRS/NMSS and GDS scores. The ROC curve for the combination of Cys C and LDL-C yielded a better accuracy for distinguishing PSP from healthy subjects than the separate curves for each parameter. Plasma Cys C and LDL-C may be valuable screening tools for differentiating PSP from healthy subjects; while they could be useful for the PSP intensifies and severity evaluation. A better understanding of Cys C and LDL-C may yield insights into the pathogenesis of PSP. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Radial diffusion with outer boundary determined by geosynchronous measurements: Storm and post-storm intervals

Science.gov (United States)

Chu, F.; Haines, P.; Hudson, M.; Kress, B.; Freidel, R.; Kanekal, S.

2007-12-01

Work is underway by several groups to quantify diffusive radial transport of radiation belt electrons, including a model for pitch angle scattering losses to the atmosphere. The radial diffusion model conserves the first and second adiabatic invariants and breaks the third invariant. We have developed a radial diffusion code which uses the Crank Nicholson method with a variable outer boundary condition. For the radial diffusion coefficient, DLL, we have several choices, including the Brautigam and Albert (JGR, 2000) diffusion coefficient parameterized by Kp, which provides an ad hoc measure of the power level at ULF wave frequencies in the range of electron drift (mHz), breaking the third invariant. Other diffusion coefficient models are Kp-independent, fixed in time but explicitly dependent on the first invariant, or energy at a fixed L, such as calculated by Elkington et al. (JGR, 2003) and Perry et al. (JGR, 2006) based on ULF wave model fields. We analyzed three periods of electron flux and phase space density (PSD) enhancements inside of geosynchronous orbit: March 31 - May 31, 1991, and July 2004 and Nov 2004 storm intervals. The radial diffusion calculation is initialized with a computed phase space density profile for the 1991 interval using differential flux values from the CRRES High Energy Electron Fluxmeter instrument, covering 0.65 - 7.5 MeV. To calculate the initial phase space density, we convert Roederer L* to McIlwain's L- parameter using the ONERA-DESP program. A time averaged model developed by Vampola1 from the entire 14 month CRRES data set is applied to the July 2004 and Nov 2004 storms. The online CRESS data for specific orbits and the Vampola-model flux are both expressed in McIlwain L-shell, while conversion to L* conserves phase space density in a distorted non-dipolar magnetic field model. A Tsyganenko (T04) magnetic field model is used for conversion between L* and L. The outer boundary PSD is updated using LANL GEO satellite fluxes

Measurement of Retinalamin diffusion coefficient in human sclera by optical spectroscopy

Science.gov (United States)

Genina, Elina A.; Bashkatov, Alexey N.; Zubkova, Elena A.; Kamenskikh, Tatiana G.; Tuchin, Valery V.

2008-12-01

The use of cytomedines (such as Retinalamin) in clinical practice has shown high effectiveness of the medicaments in ophthalmology. The study of diffusion of Retinalamin in scleral tissue is important for estimation of a drug dose delivered into inner tissue of eye, time of drug action, etc. In vitro measurements of spectral reflectance of sclera interacting with aqueous solution of Retinalamin have been carried out. Ten human sclera samples were included in the study. The results of the experiments have shown that penetration of Retinalamin into scleral tissue leads to the decrease of scleral reflectance due to optical immersion. Estimation of diffusion coefficient of studied solution has been made on the basis of analysis of optical reflectance dynamics of the sclera samples. The diffusion coefficient of Retinalamin in human scleral tissue was evaluated as (1.82±0.14)×10 -6 cm 2/s. The results are important for treatment of partial optic atrophy observed at primary open-angle glaucoma and others eye diseases.

Fe and N diffusion in nitrogen-rich FeN measured using neutron ...

Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

E-mail: mgupta@csr.ernet.in. Abstract. Grazing incidence neutron reflectometry provides an opportunity to measure the depth profile of a thin film sample with a resolution <1 nm, in a non-destructive way. In this way the diffusion across the interfaces can also be measured. In addition, neutrons have contrast among the ...

Optical measurements of absorption changes in two-layered diffusive media

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Fabbri, Francesco; Sassaroli, Angelo; Henry, Michael E; Fantini, Sergio

2004-01-01

We have used Monte Carlo simulations for a two-layered diffusive medium to investigate the effect of a superficial layer on the measurement of absorption variations from optical diffuse reflectance data processed by using: (a) a multidistance, frequency-domain method based on diffusion theory for a semi-infinite homogeneous medium; (b) a differential-pathlength-factor method based on a modified Lambert-Beer law for a homogeneous medium and (c) a two-distance, partial-pathlength method based on a modified Lambert-Beer law for a two-layered medium. Methods (a) and (b) lead to a single value for the absorption variation, whereas method (c) yields absorption variations for each layer. In the simulations, the optical coefficients of the medium were representative of those of biological tissue in the near-infrared. The thickness of the first layer was in the range 0.3-1.4 cm, and the source-detector distances were in the range 1-5 cm, which is typical of near-infrared diffuse reflectance measurements in tissue. The simulations have shown that (1) method (a) is mostly sensitive to absorption changes in the underlying layer, provided that the thickness of the superficial layer is ∼0.6 cm or less; (2) method (b) is significantly affected by absorption changes in the superficial layer and (3) method (c) yields the absorption changes for both layers with a relatively good accuracy of ∼4% for the superficial layer and ∼10% for the underlying layer (provided that the absorption changes are less than 20-30% of the baseline value). We have applied all three methods of data analysis to near-infrared data collected on the forehead of a human subject during electroconvulsive therapy. Our results suggest that the multidistance method (a) and the two-distance partial-pathlength method (c) may better decouple the contributions to the optical signals that originate in deeper tissue (brain) from those that originate in more superficial tissue layers

Procedures and apparatus for measuring diffusion and distribution coefficients in compacted clays

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Hume, H B

1993-12-01

Diffusion and distribution coefficients are needed to assess the migration of radionuclides through the compacted clay-based buffer and backfill materials proposed for use in a nuclear fuel waste disposal vault. This report describes the techniques used to measure these coefficients. Both steady-state and transient diffusion experiments are discussed. The procedures used to prepare the clay plug, assemble the cell, conduct the experiment and calculate the results are described. In addition, methods for obtaining distribution coefficients for radionuclides on both loose and compacted clays are discussed. (author). 18 refs., 3 tabs., 16 figs.

Procedures and apparatus for measuring diffusion and distribution coefficients in compacted clays

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hume, H.B.

1993-12-01

Diffusion and distribution coefficients are needed to assess the migration of radionuclides through the compacted clay-based buffer and backfill materials proposed for use in a nuclear fuel waste disposal vault. This report describes the techniques used to measure these coefficients. Both steady-state and transient diffusion experiments are discussed. The procedures used to prepare the clay plug, assemble the cell, conduct the experiment and calculate the results are described. In addition, methods for obtaining distribution coefficients for radionuclides on both loose and compacted clays are discussed. (author). 18 refs., 3 tabs., 16 figs

Methodology for using prompt gamma activation analysis to measure the binary diffusion coefficient of a gas in a porous medium

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rios Perez, Carlos A.; Biegalski, Steve R.; Deinert, Mark R.

2012-01-01

Highlights: ► Prompt gamma activation analysis is used to study gas diffusion in a porous system. ► Diffusion coefficients are determined using prompt gamma activation analysis. ► Predictions concentrations fit experimental measurements with an R 2 of 0.98. - Abstract: Diffusion plays a critical role in determining the rate at which gases migrate through porous systems. Accurate estimates of diffusion coefficients are essential if gas transport is to be accurately modeled and better techniques are needed that can be used to measure these coefficients non-invasively. Here we present a novel method for using prompt gamma activation analysis to determine the binary diffusion coefficients of a gas in a porous system. Argon diffusion experiments were conducted in a 1 m long, 10 cm diameter, horizontal column packed with a SiO 2 sand. The temporal variation of argon concentration within the system was measured using prompt gamma activation analysis. The binary diffusion coefficient was obtained by comparing the experimental data with the predictions from a numerical model in which the diffusion coefficient was varied until the sum of square errors between experiment and model data was minimized. Predictions of argon concentration using the optimal diffusivity fit experimental measurements with an R 2 of 0.983.

Measurement of Three-Dimensional Anisotropic Thermal Diffusivities for Carbon Fiber-Reinforced Plastics Using Lock-In Thermography

Science.gov (United States)

Ishizaki, Takuya; Nagano, Hosei

2015-11-01

A new measurement technique to measure the in-plane thermal diffusivity, the distribution of in-plane anisotropy, and the out-of-plane thermal diffusivity has been developed to evaluate the thermal conductivity of anisotropic materials such as carbon fiber-reinforced plastics (CFRPs). The measurements were conducted by using a laser-spot-periodic-heating method. The temperature of the sample is detected by using lock-in thermography. Thermography can analyze the phase difference between the periodic heat input and the temperature response of the sample. Two kinds of samples, unidirectional (UD) and cross-ply (CP) pitch-based CFRPs, were fabricated and tested in an atmospheric condition. All carbon fibers of the UD sample run in one direction [90°]. The carbon fibers of the CP sample run in two directions [0°/90°]. It is found that, by using lock-in thermography, it is able to visualize the thermal anisotropy and calculate the angular dependence of the in-plane thermal diffusivity of the CFRPs. The out-of-plane thermal diffusivity of CFRPs was also measured by analyzing the frequency dependence of the phase difference.

Measurement of pore diffusion in catalytic materials. Report 1997-07-01--1997-12-31

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Papadias, Dennis; Barbesta, Fabio; Foresti, Laura; Thevenin, Philippe; Bjoernbom, Pehr; Jaeraas, Sven [Royal Inst. of Tech., Stockholm (Sweden). Dept. of Chemical Technology

2000-05-01

This report covers the work during the period (97-07-01--97-12-31) of NUTEK project P10313-1 'Measurement of pore diffusion in catalytic materials'. The project was carried out at the Department of Chemical Engineering and Technology - Chemical Technology at Kungliga Tekniska Hoegskolan. The performance of heterogeneous catalysts is strongly dependent of the combined rate of pore diffusion and chemical reaction. In order to describe correctly the interactions between physical and chemical phenomena in porous media, it is necessary to know the effective values of the diffusion coefficients in the catalyst. Existing mathematical correlations of the diffusivity coefficients may give misleading results so there is a need to determine those values experimentally. Literature studies and previous work in this laboratory have shown that pulse chromatography is to prefer as a fast and reliable method to measure effective diffusivities. In this study, the pulse chromatographic technique was used to determine the effective diffusivity in commercial cylindrical ring-shaped catalysts in order to validate and further develop this technique. The pellets, approximately 5-mm long, were mounted axially side by side and a dense polymer was shrunk at the outer wall, fastening the catalyst particles in a column of arbitrary length and with a rigid structure. The value of the diffusivity coefficient was determined by matching the experimental response curve by the theoretical one, solved numerically in the time domain using the finite difference method. Two types of model equations relating the transport processes occurring in the column were derived. In both models the stationary phase was treated as homogeneous and the axial diffusion in it was neglected. The more rigorous, or two dimensional model, accounted for radial diffusion in the gas phase, while in the simpler, or one dimensional model, the solute in the gas phase was averaged in terms of a local mean concentration

Diffuse Reflectance Spectroscopy for Surface Measurement of Liver Pathology.

Science.gov (United States)

Nilsson, Jan H; Reistad, Nina; Brange, Hannes; Öberg, Carl-Fredrik; Sturesson, Christian

2017-01-01

Liver parenchymal injuries such as steatosis, steatohepatitis, fibrosis, and sinusoidal obstruction syndrome can lead to increased morbidity and liver failure after liver resection. Diffuse reflectance spectroscopy (DRS) is an optical measuring method that is fast, convenient, and established. DRS has previously been used on the liver with an invasive technique consisting of a needle that is inserted into the parenchyma. We developed a DRS system with a hand-held probe that is applied to the liver surface. In this study, we investigated the impact of the liver capsule on DRS measurements and whether liver surface measurements are representative of the whole liver. We also wanted to confirm that we could discriminate between tumor and liver parenchyma by DRS. The instrumentation setup consisted of a light source, a fiber-optic contact probe, and two spectrometers connected to a computer. Patients scheduled for liver resection due to hepatic malignancy were included, and DRS measurements were performed on the excised liver part with and without the liver capsule and alongside a newly cut surface. To estimate the scattering parameters and tissue chromophore volume fractions, including blood, bile, and fat, the measured diffuse reflectance spectra were applied to an analytical model. In total, 960 DRS spectra from the excised liver tissue of 18 patients were analyzed. All factors analyzed regarding tumor versus liver tissue were significantly different. When measuring through the capsule, the blood volume fraction was found to be 8.4 ± 3.5%, the lipid volume fraction was 9.9 ± 4.7%, and the bile volume fraction was 8.2 ± 4.6%. No differences could be found between surface measurements and cross-sectional measurements. In measurements with/without the liver capsule, the differences in volume fraction were 1.63% (0.75-2.77), -0.54% (-2.97 to 0.32), and -0.15% (-1.06 to 1.24) for blood, lipid, and bile, respectively. This study shows that it is possible to manage DRS

Laser-induced pressure-wave and barocaloric effect during flash diffusivity measurements

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wang, Hsin; Porter, Wallace D.; Dinwiddie, Ralph Barton

2017-01-01

We report laser-induced pressure-wave and barocaloric effect captured by an infrared detector during thermal diffusivity measurements. Very fast (< 1 ms) and negative transients during laser flash measurements were captured by the infrared detector on thin, high thermal conductivity samples. Standard thermal diffusivity analysis only focuses the longer time scale thermal transient measured from the back surface due to thermal conduction. These negative spikes are filtered out and ignored as noise or anomaly from instrument. This study confirmed that the initial negative signal was indeed a temperature drop induced by the laser pulse. The laser pulse induced instantaneous volume expansion and the associated cooling in the specimen can be explained by the barocaloric effect. The initial cooling (< 100 microsecond) is also known as thermoelastic effect in which a negative temperature change is generated when the material is elastically deformed by volume expansion. A subsequent temperature oscillation in the sample was observed and only lasted about one millisecond. The pressure-wave induced thermal signal was systematically studied and analyzed. In conclusion, the underlying physics of photon-mechanical-thermal energy conversions and the potential of using this signal to study barocaloric effects in solids are discussed.

Measurement of the ion temperature in the tokamak TCA by collective Thomson diffusion in the far infrared

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Salito, S.A.

1989-07-01

This paper covers the analysis of spectra obtained by collective Thomson diffusion and the measurement, by this method, of the ionic temperature in the plasmas of the TCA tokamak. The experimental equipment we have used consists of a D 2 O laser and of a heterodyne detection system analyzing the spectra diffused by the plasma. The diffused spectra were obtained using a geometry determining a diffusion angle Θ s of 90 o . We could choose two different angles β between the wave vector k and the direction of the magnetic field (β=90 o , β=86 o ). We have performed the measurement of the coherent (collective) spectrum in the hydrogen, deuterium and helium plasmas of the TCA tokamak. When the electron density exceeded 4x10 19 m -3 , the diffused spectra were analyzed on the basis of a single laser shot of 1.4 μs duration. The ionic acoustic resonance was observed in the helium plasma for an angle β of 86 o . When β was 90 o , we observed that the experimental spectra were heavily disturbed by the effects of the magnetic field, and their shapes became triangular. A small concentration of light impurities affected the shape of the spectra up to their extremities. By collective diffusion we could measure the typical ionic temperatures of 330 eV for the hydrogen plasmas and of 390 eV for the deuterium and helium plasmas. The precision of this measurement was 10% at an average of 10 shots, and it was 25% for a single measurement of 1.4 μs duration. It is mainly limited by the signal/noise ratio which is in the order of 3 for one measurement during a single laser shot of 1.4 μs. (author) 70 figs., 5 tabs., 106 refs

Cosmic ray diffusion: report of the workshop in cosmic ray diffusion theory

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Birmingham, T.J.; Jones, F.C.

1975-02-01

A workshop in cosmic ray diffusion theory was held at Goddard Space Flight Center on May 16-17, 1974. Topics discussed and summarized are: (1) cosmic ray measurements as related to diffusion theory; (2) quasi-linear theory, nonlinear theory, and computer simulation of cosmic ray pitch-angle diffusion; and (3) magnetic field fluctuation measurements as related to diffusion theory. (auth)

Experimental measurement of electron heat diffusivity in a tokamak

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Callen, J.D.; Jahns, G.L.

1976-06-01

The electron temperature perturbation produced by internal disruptions in the center of the Oak Ridge Tokamak (ORMAK) is followed with a multi-chord soft x-ray detector array. The space-time evolution is found to be diffusive in character, with a conduction coefficient larger by a factor of 2.5 - 15 than that implied by the energy containment time, apparently because it is a measurement for the small group of electrons whose energies exceed the cut-off energy of the detectors

Diffusion MRI for rectal cancer staging: ADC measurements before and after ultrasonographic gel lumen distension

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Palmucci, S., E-mail: spalmucci@sirm.org; Piccoli, M.; Piana, S.; Foti, P.V.; Siverino, R.O.A.; Mauro, L.A.; Milone, P.; Ettorre, G.C.

2017-01-15

Objectives: To compare Apparent Diffusion Coefficient (ADC) measurements in rectal neoplastic lesions before and after lumen distension obtained with sonography transmission gel. Methods: From January 2014 to July 2016, 25 patients (average age 63.7, range 41–85, 18 males) were studied for pre-treatment rectal cancer staging using a 1.5 T MRI. Diffusion MRI was obtained using echo-planar imaging with b = 800 value; all patients were studied acquiring diffusion sequences with and without rectal lumen distension obtained using sonography transmission gel. In both diffusion sequences, two blinded readers calculated border ADC values and small ADC values, drawing regions of interest respectively along tumour borders and far from tumour borders. Mean ADC values among readers − for each type of ADC measurement − were compared using Wilcoxon matched pairs signed rank test. Correlation was assessed using Pearson analysis. Results: Border ADC mean value for diffusion MR sequences without endorectal contrast was 1.122 mm{sup 2}/sec, with 95% Confidence Interval (CI) = 1.02–1.22; using gel lumen distension, higher border ADC mean value of 1.269 mm{sup 2}/s (95% CI = 1.16–1.38) was obtained. Wilcoxon matched pairs signed rank test revealed statistical difference (p < 0.01); a strong Pearson correlation was reported, with r value of 0.69. Small-ADC mean value was 1.038 mm{sup 2}/s (95% CI = 0.91–1.16) for diffusion sequences acquired without endorectal distension and 1.127 mm{sup 2}/s (95% CI = 0.98–1.27) for diffusion sequences obtained after endorectal gel lumen distension. Wilcoxon analysis did not show statistical difference (p = 0.13). A very strong positive correlation was observed, with r value of 0.81. Conclusions: ADC measurements are slightly higher using endorectal sonographic transmission gel; ROI should be traced far from tumour borders, to minimize gel filled-pixel along the interface between lumen and lesion. Further studies are needed to

Diffusion MRI for rectal cancer staging: ADC measurements before and after ultrasonographic gel lumen distension

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Palmucci, S.; Piccoli, M.; Piana, S.; Foti, P.V.; Siverino, R.O.A.; Mauro, L.A.; Milone, P.; Ettorre, G.C.

2017-01-01

Objectives: To compare Apparent Diffusion Coefficient (ADC) measurements in rectal neoplastic lesions before and after lumen distension obtained with sonography transmission gel. Methods: From January 2014 to July 2016, 25 patients (average age 63.7, range 41–85, 18 males) were studied for pre-treatment rectal cancer staging using a 1.5 T MRI. Diffusion MRI was obtained using echo-planar imaging with b = 800 value; all patients were studied acquiring diffusion sequences with and without rectal lumen distension obtained using sonography transmission gel. In both diffusion sequences, two blinded readers calculated border ADC values and small ADC values, drawing regions of interest respectively along tumour borders and far from tumour borders. Mean ADC values among readers − for each type of ADC measurement − were compared using Wilcoxon matched pairs signed rank test. Correlation was assessed using Pearson analysis. Results: Border ADC mean value for diffusion MR sequences without endorectal contrast was 1.122 mm 2 /sec, with 95% Confidence Interval (CI) = 1.02–1.22; using gel lumen distension, higher border ADC mean value of 1.269 mm 2 /s (95% CI = 1.16–1.38) was obtained. Wilcoxon matched pairs signed rank test revealed statistical difference (p < 0.01); a strong Pearson correlation was reported, with r value of 0.69. Small-ADC mean value was 1.038 mm 2 /s (95% CI = 0.91–1.16) for diffusion sequences acquired without endorectal distension and 1.127 mm 2 /s (95% CI = 0.98–1.27) for diffusion sequences obtained after endorectal gel lumen distension. Wilcoxon analysis did not show statistical difference (p = 0.13). A very strong positive correlation was observed, with r value of 0.81. Conclusions: ADC measurements are slightly higher using endorectal sonographic transmission gel; ROI should be traced far from tumour borders, to minimize gel filled-pixel along the interface between lumen and lesion. Further studies are needed to investigate better

Development of an Automated Diffusion Scrubber-Conductometry System for Measuring Atmospheric Ammonia

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lee, Bok Young; Lee, Chong Keun; Lee, Dong Soo

2011-01-01

A semi-continuous and automated method for quantifying atmospheric ammonia at the parts per billion level has been developed. The instrument consists of a high efficiency diffusion scrubber, an electrolytic on-line anion exchange device, and a conductivity detector. Water soluble gases in sampled air diffuse through the porous membrane and are absorbed in an absorbing solution. Interferences are eliminated by using an anion exchange devises. The electrical conductivity of the solution is measured without chromatographic separation. The collection efficiency was over 99%. Over the 0-200 ppbv concentration range, the calibration was linear with r"2 = 0.99. The lower limit of detection was 0.09 ppbv. A parallel analysis of Seoul air over several days using this method and a diffusion scrubber coupled to an ion chromatography system showed acceptable agreement, r"2 = 0.940 (n = 686). This method can be applied for ambient air monitoring of ammonia

Permeability and Diffusion Coefficients of Single Methyl Lactate Enantiomers in Nafion® and Cellophane Membranes Measured in Diffusion Cell.

Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

Hovorka, Š.; Randová, A.; Borbášová, T.; Sysel, P.; Vychodilová, Hana; Červenková Šťastná, Lucie; Brožová, Libuše; Žitka, Jan; Storch, Jan; Kačírková, Marie; Drašar, P.; Izák, Pavel

2016-01-01

Roč. 158, JAN 28 (2016), s. 322-332 ISSN 1383-5866 R&D Projects: GA ČR(CZ) GAP106/12/0569 Institutional support: RVO:67985858 ; RVO:61389013 Keywords : diffusion coefficient measurement * permeability * nafion * cellophane * chirality of polymer membrane Subject RIV: CI - Industrial Chemistry, Chemical Engineering Impact factor: 3.359, year: 2016

DCCO and SCCO: measurements of diffusion coefficients and of thermodiffusion in microgravity; DCCO et SCCO: mesures de coefficients de diffusion et de thermodiffusion en microgravite

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Legros, J.C.; Van Vaerenbergh, S.; Dubois, F.; Decroly, Y. [Universite Libre de Bruxelles (Belgium); Montel, F. [ELF-Aquitaine Production, 64 - Pau (France); Goodman, S. [C-CORE, New Foundland, (Canada); Bekaert, G. [SABCA, Bruxelles (Belgium); Van Ransbeek, E. [IASB-BIRA, Bruxelles (Belgium)

1996-12-31

Measurements of diffusion coefficients of ternary systems and of thermodiffusion coefficients of multicomponent systems, including crude oils, have been undertaken by MRC and Elf-Aquitaine. The experiments DCCO and SCCO (respectively Diffusion and Soret Coefficients of Crude Oils) will be performed in 1997 and 1998 in GAS containers on the Space Shuttle. The 9 systems of DCCO are analyzed by Mach-Zehnder bicolor interferometry. The samples of the 18 systems of SCCO, among which three at 300 bars and at a mean temperature of 60 deg. C, will be analyzed after recovery on ground by a chromatographic technique. Such measurements performed in microgravity, like the measurements of Soret coefficients of binary solutions performed in the microgravity SCM experiments, are necessary reference measurements. (authors) 12 refs.

Methods for quantitative infrared directional-hemispherical and diffuse reflectance measurements using an FTIR and a commercial integrating sphere

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Blake, Thomas A.; Johnson, Timothy J.; Tonkyn, Russell G.; Forland, Brenda M.; Myers, Tanya L.; Brauer, Carolyn S.; Su, Yin-Fong; Bernacki, Bruce E.; Hanssen, Leonard; Gonzalez, Gerardo

2018-01-01

Infrared integrating sphere measurements of solid samples are important in providing reference data for contact, standoff and remote sensing applications. At the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) we have developed protocols to measure both the directional-hemispherical ( and diffuse (d) reflectances of powders, liquids, and disks of powders and solid materials using a commercially available, matte gold-coated integrating sphere and Fourier transform infrared spectrometer. Detailed descriptions of the sphere alignment and its use for making these reflectance measurements are given. Diffuse reflectance values were found to be dependent on the bidirectional reflection distribution function (BRDF) of the sample and the solid angle intercepted by the sphere’s specular exclusion port. To determine how well the sphere and protocols produce quantitative reflectance data, measurements were made of three diffuse and two specular standards prepared by the National institute of Standards and Technology (NIST, USA), LabSphere Infragold and Spectralon standards, hand-loaded sulfur and talc powder samples, and water. The five NIST standards behaved as expected: the three diffuse standards had a high degree of “diffuseness,” d/ = D > 0.9, whereas the two specular standards had D ≤ 0.03. The average absolute differences between the NIST and PNNL measurements of the NIST standards for both directional-hemispherical and diffuse reflectances are on the order of 0.01 reflectance units. Other quantitative differences between the PNNL-measured and calibration (where available) or literature reflectance values for these standards and materials are given and the possible origins of discrepancies are discussed. Random uncertainties and estimates of systematic uncertainties are presented. Corrections necessary to provide better agreement between the PNNL reflectance values as measured for the NIST standards and the NIST reflectance values for these same standards are also

A systematic determination of diffusion coefficients of trace elements in open and restricted diffusive layers used by the diffusive gradients in a thin film technique

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Shiva, Amir Houshang; Teasdale, Peter R.; Bennett, William W.

2015-01-01

A systematic comparison of the diffusion coefficients of cations (Al, Cd, Co, Cu, Mn, Ni, Pb, Zn) and oxyanions (Al, As, Mo, Sb, V, W) in open (ODL) and restricted (RDL) diffusive layers used by the DGT technique was undertaken. Diffusion coefficients were measured using both the diffusion cell...... concentrations required with the Dcell measurements. This is the first time that D values have been reported for several oxyanions using RDL. Except for Al at pH 8.30 with ODL, all DDGT measurements were retarded relative to diffusion coefficients in water (DW) for both diffusive hydrogels. Diffusion in RDL...

Easy measurement of diffusion coefficients of EGFP-tagged plasma membrane proteins using k-space Image Correlation Spectroscopy

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Christensen, Eva Arnspang; Koffman, Jennifer Skaarup; Marlar, Saw

2014-01-01

Lateral diffusion and compartmentalization of plasma membrane proteins are tightly regulated in cells and thus, studying these processes will reveal new insights to plasma membrane protein function and regulation. Recently, k-Space Image Correlation Spectroscopy (kICS)1 was developed to enable...... routine measurements of diffusion coefficients directly from images of fluorescently tagged plasma membrane proteins, that avoided systematic biases introduced by probe photophysics. Although the theoretical basis for the analysis is complex, the method can be implemented by nonexperts using a freely...... to the correlation function yields the diffusion coefficient. This paper provides a step-by-step guide to the image analysis and measurement of diffusion coefficients via kICS. First, a high frame rate image sequence of a fluorescently labeled plasma membrane protein is acquired using a fluorescence microscope Then...

Experimental Determination of Drug Diffusion Coefficients in Unstirred Aqueous Environments by Temporally Resolved Concentration Measurements

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Di Cagno, Massimiliano Pio; Clarelli, Fabrizio; Vabenø, Jon

2018-01-01

or the need for dedicated instrumentation. In this work, a simple but reliable method based on time resolved concentration measurements by UV-visible spectroscopy in an unstirred aqueous environment was developed. This method is based on spectroscopic measurement of the variation of the local concentration...... characteristics (i.e. ionic strength and presence of complexing agents) on the diffusivity. The method can be employed in any research laboratory equipped with a standard UV-visible spectrophotometer, and could become a useful and straightforward tool in order to characterize diffusion coefficients...

Diffusion measurements in binary liquid mixtures by Raman spectroscopy

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Berg, Rolf W.; Hansen, Susanne Brunsgaard; Shapiro, Alexander

2007-01-01

It is shown that Raman spectroscopy allows determination of the molar fractions in mixtures subjected to molecular diffusion. Spectra of three binary systems, benzene/n-hexane, benzene/cyclohexane, and benzene/ acetone, were obtained during vertical (exchange) diffusion at several different heights...... in the literature were found, even in a thermostatically controlled diffusion cell, recording spectra through circulating water. For the system benzene/acetone, the determined diffusion coefficients were in good agreement with the literature data. The limitations of the Raman method are discussed...

Flow characteristics of guide vane of diffuser pump by PIV measurement

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kim, J. H.; Lee, Young Ho; Choi, J. W.; Kim, M. Y.; Lee, H.

2000-01-01

The present experimental study is focused on the application of multi-point simultaneous measurement by PIV(Particle Image Velocimetry) to guide vane region within a diffuser pump. Various different kinds of clearance were selected as experimental conditions. Optimized cross correlation identification to obtain velocity vectors was implemented with direct calculation of correlation coefficients. Fine optical setup important in PIV performance is arranged for the accurate PIV measurement of high-speed complex flow. Various flow patterns are represented quantitatively at the stator passages

Development of high time-resolution laser flash equipment for thermal diffusivity measurements using miniature-size specimens

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Shikama, Tatsuo; Namba, Chusei; Kosuda, Michinori; Maeda, Yukio.

1994-01-01

For measurements of thermal diffusivity of miniature-size specimens heavily irradiated by neutrons, a new Q-switched laser-flash instrument was developed. In the present instrument the time-resolution was improved to 0.1 ms by using a laser-pulse width of 25 ns. The realization of high time-resolution made it possible to measure the thermal diffusivity of thin specimens. It is expected that copper of 0.7 mm thick, and SUS 304 of 0.1 mm could be used for the measurements. In case of ATJ graphite, 0.5 mm thick specimen could be used for the reliable measurement in the temperature range of 300-1300 K. (author)

A transient divided-bar method for simultaneous measurements of thermal conductivity and thermal diffusivity

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Bording, Thue Sylvester; Nielsen, Søren Bom; Balling, Niels

2016-01-01

and volumetric heat capacity, and thereby also thermal diffusivity, are measured simultaneously. As the density of samples is easily determined independently, specific heat capacity may also be determined. Finite element formulation provides a flexible forward solution for heat transfer across the bar...... and thermal properties are estimated by inverse Monte Carlo modelling. This methodology enables a proper quantification of experimental uncertainties on measured thermal properties. The developed methodology was applied to laboratory measurements of various materials, including a standard ceramic material......-3 %, and for diffusivity uncertainty may be reduced to about 3-5 %. The main uncertainty originates from the presence of thermal contact resistance associated with the internal interfaces of the bar. They are not resolved during inversion, and it is highly important that they are minimized by careful sample preparation....

Measurement of the diffusion length of thermal neutrons in the beryllium oxide

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Koechlin, J.C.; Martelly, J.; Duggal, V.P.

1955-01-01

The diffusion length of thermal neutrons in the beryllium oxide has been obtained while studying the spatial distribution of the neutrons in a massive parallelepiped of this matter placed before the thermal column of the reactor core of Saclay. The mean density of the beryllium oxide (BeO) is 2,95 gr/cm 3 , the mean density of the massif is 2,92 gr/cm 3 . The value of the diffusion length, deducted of the done measures, is: L = 32,7 ± 0,5 cm (likely gap). Some remarks are formulated about the influence of the spectral distribution of the neutrons flux used. (authors) [fr

Development of an Automated Diffusion Scrubber-Conductometry System for Measuring Atmospheric Ammonia

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Lee, Bok Young; Lee, Chong Keun; Lee, Dong Soo [Yonsei University, Seoul (Korea, Republic of)

2011-06-15

A semi-continuous and automated method for quantifying atmospheric ammonia at the parts per billion level has been developed. The instrument consists of a high efficiency diffusion scrubber, an electrolytic on-line anion exchange device, and a conductivity detector. Water soluble gases in sampled air diffuse through the porous membrane and are absorbed in an absorbing solution. Interferences are eliminated by using an anion exchange devises. The electrical conductivity of the solution is measured without chromatographic separation. The collection efficiency was over 99%. Over the 0-200 ppbv concentration range, the calibration was linear with r{sup 2} = 0.99. The lower limit of detection was 0.09 ppbv. A parallel analysis of Seoul air over several days using this method and a diffusion scrubber coupled to an ion chromatography system showed acceptable agreement, r{sup 2} = 0.940 (n = 686). This method can be applied for ambient air monitoring of ammonia.

Increased self-diffusion of brain water in hydrocephalus measured by MR imaging

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gideon, P.; Thomsen, C.; Gjerris, F.; Soerensen, P.S.; Henriksen, O.

1994-01-01

We used MR imaging to measure the apparent brain water self-diffusion in 5 patients with normal pressure hydrocephalus (NPH), in 2 patients with high pressure hydrocephalus (HPH), and in 8 agematched controls. In all patients with NPH significant elevations of the apparent diffusion coefficients (ADC) of brain water were found within periventricular white matter, in the corpus callosum, in the internal capsule, within cortical gray matter, and in cerebrospinal fluid, whereas normal ADCs were found within the basal ganglia. In 2 patients with HPH elevated ADCs were found most prominently within white matter and in one patient reexamined one year after surgery. ADCs were unchanged in nearly all brain regions. The increased ADC values in hydrocephalus patients may be caused by factors such as changes in myelin-associated bound water, increased Virchow-Robin spaces, and increased extracellular brain water fraction. For further studies of brain water diffusion in hydrocephalus patients, echo-planar imaging techniques with imaging times of a few seconds may be valuable. (orig.)

Self diffusion in tungsten

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mundy, J.N.; Rothman, S.J.; Lam, N.Q.; Nowicki, L.J.; Hoff, H.A.

1978-01-01

The lack of understanding of self-diffusion in Group VI metals together with the wide scatter in the measured values of tungsten self-diffusion has prompted the present measurements to be made over a wide temperature range (1/2Tsub(m) to Tsub(m)). The diffusion coefficients have been measured in the temperature range 1430-2630 0 C. The present measurements show non-linear Arrhenius behavior but a reliable two-exponential fit of the data should await further measurements. (Auth.)

Drift tube measurements of mobilities and longitudinal diffusion coefficients of ions in gases

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chelf, R.D.

1982-01-01

The zero-field mobilities of Br - and NH 4+ in O 2 were determined as a function of gas temperature in a high pressure drift tube mass spectrometer. The mobilities and longitudinal diffusion coefficients of the ion-gas combinations Br - in Ne and Kr, Li + in Xe, and Tl/ + in Kr and Xe were determined as a function of E/N, where E is the electric field strength and N is the gas number density in a low pressure drift tube mass spectrometer. The measured longitudinal diffusion coefficients were used for a test and comparison of the generalized Einstein relations of Viehland-Mason and Waldman-Mason theories. The measured mobilities of Br - in Kr and Tl/ + in Kr were used in an iterative-inversion scheme from which the ion-neutral interaction potentials were determined

Thermal diffusion (1963); Diffusion thermique (1963)

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Lemarechal, A [Commissariat a l' Energie Atomique, Saclay (France). Centre d' Etudes Nucleaires

1963-07-01

This report brings together the essential principles of thermal diffusion in the liquid and gaseous phases. The macroscopic and molecular aspects of the thermal diffusion constant are reviewed, as well as the various measurement method; the most important developments however concern the operation of the CLUSIUS and DICKEL thermo-gravitational column and its applications. (author) [French] Ce rapport rassemble les principes essentiels de la diffusion thermique en phase liquide et en phase gazeuse. Les aspects macroscopique et moleculaire de la constante de diffusion thermique sont passes en revue ainsi que ses differentes methodes de mesure; mais les developpements les plus importants concernent le fonctionnement de ls colonne thermogravitationnelle de CLUSIUS et DICKEL et ses applications. (auteur)

Comparison of diffusion charging and mobility-based methods for measurement of aerosol agglomerate surface area.

Science.gov (United States)

Ku, Bon Ki; Kulkarni, Pramod

2012-05-01

We compare different approaches to measure surface area of aerosol agglomerates. The objective was to compare field methods, such as mobility and diffusion charging based approaches, with laboratory approach, such as Brunauer, Emmett, Teller (BET) method used for bulk powder samples. To allow intercomparison of various surface area measurements, we defined 'geometric surface area' of agglomerates (assuming agglomerates are made up of ideal spheres), and compared various surface area measurements to the geometric surface area. Four different approaches for measuring surface area of agglomerate particles in the size range of 60-350 nm were compared using (i) diffusion charging-based sensors from three different manufacturers, (ii) mobility diameter of an agglomerate, (iii) mobility diameter of an agglomerate assuming a linear chain morphology with uniform primary particle size, and (iv) surface area estimation based on tandem mobility-mass measurement and microscopy. Our results indicate that the tandem mobility-mass measurement, which can be applied directly to airborne particles unlike the BET method, agrees well with the BET method. It was also shown that the three diffusion charging-based surface area measurements of silver agglomerates were similar within a factor of 2 and were lower than those obtained from the tandem mobility-mass and microscopy method by a factor of 3-10 in the size range studied. Surface area estimated using the mobility diameter depended on the structure or morphology of the agglomerate with significant underestimation at high fractal dimensions approaching 3.

PSP-CBS with Dopamine Deficiency in a Female with a FMR1 Premutation.

Science.gov (United States)

Paucar, Martin; Beniaminov, Stanislav; Paslawski, Wojciech; Svenningsson, Per

2016-10-01

Premutations in the fragile X mental retardation 1 (FMR1) gene cause fragile X-associated tremor/ataxia syndrome (FXTAS) and FMR1-related primary ovarian insufficiency (POI). Female FMR1 premutation carriers rarely develop motor features. Dual pathology is an emerging phenomenon among FMR1 premutation carriers. Here, we describe a family affected by FMR1-related disorders in which the female index case has developed a rapidly progressive and disabling syndrome of atypical parkinsonism. This syndrome consists of early onset postural instability, echolalia, dystonia, and varying types of apraxia like early onset orobuccal apraxia and oculomotor apraxia. She has also developed supranuclear gaze palsy, increased latency of saccade initiation, and slow saccades. These features are compatible with progressive supranuclear palsy (PSP) of a corticobasal syndrome (CBS) variant. Imaging displays a marked reduction of presynaptic dopaminergic uptake and cerebrospinal fluid analysis showed reduced dopamine metabolism; however, the patient is unresponsive to levodopa. Midbrain atrophy ("hummingbird sign") and mild cerebellar atrophy were found on brain MRI. Her father was affected by a typical FXTAS presentation but also displayed dopamine deficiency along with the hummingbird sign. The mechanisms by which FMR1 premutations predispose to atypical parkinsonism and dopamine deficiency await further elucidation.

Thermal diffusivity measurement of erythritol and numerical analysis of heat storage performance on a fin-type heat exchanger

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zamengo, Massimiliano; Funada, Tomohiro; Morikawa, Junko

2017-01-01

Highlights: • Thermal diffusivity of Erythritol was measured by temperature wave method. • Thermal diffusivity was measured in function of temperature and during phase change. • Database of temperature-dependent thermal properties is used for numerical analysis. • Heat transfer and heat storage were analyzed in a fin-type heat exchanger. • Use of temperature-dependent properties in calculations lead to longer melting time. - Abstract: Temperature dependency of thermal diffusivity of erythritol was measured by temperature wave analysis (TWA) method. This modulating technique allowed measuring thermal diffusivity continuously, even during the phase transition solid-liquid. Together with specific heat capacity and specific enthalpy measured by differential scanning calorimetry, the values of measured properties were utilized in a bi-dimensional numerical model for analysis of heat transfer and heat storage performance. The geometry of the model is representative of a cross section of a fin-type heat exchanger, in which erythritol is filling the interspaces between fins. Time-dependent temperature change and heat storage performance were analyzed by considering the variation of thermophysical properties as a function of temperature. The numerical method can be utilized for a fast parametric analysis of heat transfer and heat storage performance into heat storage systems of phase-change materials and composites.

Self-diffusion measurements in heterogeneous systems using NMR pulsed field gradient technique

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Heink, W.; Kaerger, J.; Walter, A.

1978-01-01

The experimental pecularities of the NMR pulsed field gradient technique are critical surveyed in its application to zeolite adsorbate adsorbent systems. After a presentation of the different transport parameters accessible by this technique, the consequences of the existence of inner field gradients being inherent to heterogeneous systems are analyzed. Experimental conditions and consequences of an application of pulsed field gradients of high intensity which are necessary for the measurement of small intracrystalline self-diffusion coefficients, are discussed. Gradient pulses of 0.15 Tcm -1 with pulse widths of 2 ms maximum and relative deviations of less than 0.01 per mille can be realized. Since for a number of adsorbate adsorbent systems a distinct dependence of the intracrystalline self-diffusion coeffcients on adsorbate concentration is observed, determination of zeolite pore fiiling factor is of considerable importance for the interpretation of the diffusivities obtained. It is demonstrated that also this information can be obtained by NMR technique in a straightforward way with a mean error of less than 5 to 10 %. Applying this new method and using an optimum experimental device as described, pore filling factor dependences of the self-diffusion coefficients of alkanes in NaX zeolites can be followed over more than two orders of magnitude. (author)

High-precision real-time 3D shape measurement based on a quad-camera system

Science.gov (United States)

Tao, Tianyang; Chen, Qian; Feng, Shijie; Hu, Yan; Zhang, Minliang; Zuo, Chao

2018-01-01

Phase-shifting profilometry (PSP) based 3D shape measurement is well established in various applications due to its high accuracy, simple implementation, and robustness to environmental illumination and surface texture. In PSP, higher depth resolution generally requires higher fringe density of projected patterns which, in turn, lead to severe phase ambiguities that must be solved with additional information from phase coding and/or geometric constraints. However, in order to guarantee the reliability of phase unwrapping, available techniques are usually accompanied by increased number of patterns, reduced amplitude of fringe, and complicated post-processing algorithms. In this work, we demonstrate that by using a quad-camera multi-view fringe projection system and carefully arranging the relative spatial positions between the cameras and the projector, it becomes possible to completely eliminate the phase ambiguities in conventional three-step PSP patterns with high-fringe-density without projecting any additional patterns or embedding any auxiliary signals. Benefiting from the position-optimized quad-camera system, stereo phase unwrapping can be efficiently and reliably performed by flexible phase consistency checks. Besides, redundant information of multiple phase consistency checks is fully used through a weighted phase difference scheme to further enhance the reliability of phase unwrapping. This paper explains the 3D measurement principle and the basic design of quad-camera system, and finally demonstrates that in a large measurement volume of 200 mm × 200 mm × 400 mm, the resultant dynamic 3D sensing system can realize real-time 3D reconstruction at 60 frames per second with a depth precision of 50 μm.

IN-SITU MEASURING METHOD OF RADON AND THORON DIFFUSION COEFFICIENT IN SOIL

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

V.S. Yakovleva

2014-06-01

Full Text Available A simple and valid in-situ measurement method of effective diffusion coefficient of radon and thoron in soil and other porous materials was designed. The analysis of numerical investigation of radon and thoron transport in upper layers of soil revealed that thoron flux density from the earth surface does not depend on soil gas advective velocity and varies only with diffusion coefficient changes. This result showed the advantages of thoron using versus radon using in the suggested method. The comparison of the new method with existing ones previously developed. The method could be helpful for solving of problems of radon mass-transport in porous media and gaseous exchange between soil and atmosphere.

Wavenumber-frequency Spectra of Pressure Fluctuations Measured via Fast Response Pressure Sensitive Paint

Science.gov (United States)

Panda, J.; Roozeboom, N. H.; Ross, J. C.

2016-01-01

The recent advancement in fast-response Pressure-Sensitive Paint (PSP) allows time-resolved measurements of unsteady pressure fluctuations from a dense grid of spatial points on a wind tunnel model. This capability allows for direct calculations of the wavenumber-frequency (k-?) spectrum of pressure fluctuations. Such data, useful for the vibro-acoustics analysis of aerospace vehicles, are difficult to obtain otherwise. For the present work, time histories of pressure fluctuations on a flat plate subjected to vortex shedding from a rectangular bluff-body were measured using PSP. The light intensity levels in the photographic images were then converted to instantaneous pressure histories by applying calibration constants, which were calculated from a few dynamic pressure sensors placed at selective points on the plate. Fourier transform of the time-histories from a large number of spatial points provided k-? spectra for pressure fluctuations. The data provides first glimpse into the possibility of creating detailed forcing functions for vibro-acoustics analysis of aerospace vehicles, albeit for a limited frequency range.

A method to measure the diffusion coefficient by neutron wave propagation for limited samples

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Woznicka, U.

1986-03-01

A study has been made of the use of the neutron wave and pulse propagation method for measurement of thermal neutron diffusion parameters. Earlier works an homogenous and heterogeneous media are reviewed. A new method is sketched for the determination of the diffusion coefficient for samples of limited size. The principle is to place a relatively thin slab of the material between two blocks of a medium with known properties. The advantages and disadvantages of the method are discussed. (author)

Nanotechnology knowledge diffusion: measuring the impact of the research networking and a strategy for improvement

Science.gov (United States)

Liu, Xuan; Jiang, Shan; Chen, Hsinchun; Larson, Catherine A.; Roco, Mihail C.

2014-09-01

Given the global increase in public funding for nanotechnology research and development, it is even more important to support projects with promising return on investment. A main return is the benefit to other researchers and to the entire field through knowledge diffusion, invention, and innovation. The social network of researchers is one of the channels through which this happens. This study considers the scientific publication network in the field of nanotechnology, and evaluates how knowledge diffusion through coauthorship and citations is affected in large institutions by the location and connectivity of individual researchers in the network. The relative position and connectivity of a researcher is measured by various social network metrics, including degree centrality, Bonacich Power centrality, structural holes, and betweenness centrality. Leveraging the Cox regression model, we analyzed the temporal relationships between knowledge diffusion and social network measures of researchers in five leading universities in the United States using papers published from 2000 to 2010. The results showed that the most significant effects on knowledge diffusion in the field of nanotechnology were from the structural holes of the network and the degree centrality of individual researchers. The data suggest that a researcher has potential to perform better in knowledge creation and diffusion on boundary-spanning positions between different communities and when he or she has a high level of connectivity in the knowledge network. These observations may lead to improved strategies in planning, conducting, and evaluating multidisciplinary nanotechnology research. The paper also identifies the researchers who made most significant contributions to nanotechnology knowledge diffusion in the networks of five leading U.S. universities.

Fast-ion diffusion measurements from radial triton burn up studies

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

McCauley, J.S.; Budny, R.; McCune, D.; Strachan, J.D.

1993-08-01

A fast-ion diffusion coefficient of 0.1 ± 0.1 m 2 s -1 has been deduced from the triton burnup neutron emission profile measured by a collimated array of helium-4 spectrometers. The experiment was performed with high-power deuterium discharges produced by Princeton University's Tokamak Fusion Test Reactor (TFTR). The fast ions monitored were the 1.0 MeV tritons produced from the d(d,t)p. These tritons ''burn up'' with deuterons and emit a 14 MeV neutron by the d(t,α)n reaction. The ratio of the measured to calculated DT yield is typically 70%. The measured DT profile width is comparable to that predicted by the TRANSP transport code during neutral beam heating and narrower after the beam heating ended

Diffusion in membranes: Toward a two-dimensional diffusion map

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Toppozini Laura

2015-01-01

Full Text Available For decades, quasi-elastic neutron scattering has been the prime tool for studying molecular diffusion in membranes over relevant nanometer distances. These experiments are essential to our current understanding of molecular dynamics of lipids, proteins and membrane-active molecules. Recently, we presented experimental evidence from X-ray diffraction and quasi-elastic neutron scattering demonstrating that ethanol enhances the permeability of membranes. At the QENS 2014/WINS 2014 conference we presented a novel technique to measure diffusion across membranes employing 2-dimensional quasi-elastic neutron scattering. We present results from our preliminary analysis of an experiment on the cold neutron multi-chopper spectrometer LET at ISIS, where we studied the self-diffusion of water molecules along lipid membranes and have the possibility of studying the diffusion in membranes. By preparing highly oriented membrane stacks and aligning them horizontally in the spectrometer, our aim is to distinguish between lateral and transmembrane diffusion. Diffusion may also be measured at different locations in the membranes, such as the water layer and the hydrocarbon membrane core. With a complete analysis of the data, 2-dimensional mapping will enable us to determine diffusion channels of water and ethanol molecules to quantitatively determine nanoscale membrane permeability.

A simple calculation algorithm to separate high-resolution CH4 flux measurements into ebullition and diffusion-derived components

Science.gov (United States)

Hoffmann, Mathias; Schulz-Hanke, Maximilian; Garcia Alba, Joana; Jurisch, Nicole; Hagemann, Ulrike; Sachs, Torsten; Sommer, Michael; Augustin, Jürgen

2016-04-01

Processes driving methane (CH4) emissions in wetland ecosystems are highly complex. Especially, the separation of CH4 emissions into ebullition and diffusion derived flux components, a perquisite for the mechanistic process understanding and identification of potential environmental driver is rather challenging. We present a simple calculation algorithm, based on an adaptive R-script, which separates open-water, closed chamber CH4 flux measurements into diffusion- and ebullition-derived components. Hence, flux component specific dynamics are revealed and potential environmental driver identified. Flux separation is based on a statistical approach, using ebullition related sudden concentration changes obtained during high resolution CH4 concentration measurements. By applying the lower and upper quartile ± the interquartile range (IQR) as a variable threshold, diffusion dominated periods of the flux measurement are filtered. Subsequently, flux calculation and separation is performed. The algorithm was verified in a laboratory experiment and tested under field conditions, using flux measurement data (July to September 2013) from a flooded, former fen grassland site. Erratic ebullition events contributed 46% to total CH4 emissions, which is comparable to values reported by literature. Additionally, a shift in the diurnal trend of diffusive fluxes throughout the measurement period, driven by the water temperature gradient, was revealed.

Measurement of exhalation and diffusion parameters of radon in solids by plastic track detectors

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Somogyi, G.; Haffez, A.-F.; Hunyadi, I.; Toth-Szilagyi, M.

1986-01-01

There are large discrepancies in data available in the literature for the exhalation and diffusion behaviour of radon in various materials. Therefore there is a need for more studies in this field. For this purpose we have developed and used track methods to measure mass and areal exhalation rates of radon from different fly ashes and sand. In addition, methods were also developed to determine the diffusion length of radon and the porosity of materials. For getting the radon emanation coefficient we have applied the autoradiographic method and the ''can-technique'' for determining the real and effective radium contents. The disturbing effect expected from the geometry of measuring cans and samples is discussed. Relations are derived for the correction of such effect.

Immunogenicity of a Live Recombinant Salmonella enterica Serovar Typhimurium Vaccine Expressing pspA in Neonates and Infant Mice Born from Naïve and Immunized Mothers▿ †

OpenAIRE

Shi, Huoying; Wang, Shifeng; Roland, Kenneth L.; Gunn, Bronwyn M.; Curtiss, Roy

2010-01-01

We are developing a Salmonella vectored vaccine to prevent infant pneumonia and other diseases caused by Streptococcus pneumoniae. One prerequisite for achieving this goal is to construct and evaluate new recombinant attenuated Salmonella vaccine (RASV) strains suitable for use in neonates and infants. Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium strain χ9558(pYA4088) specifies delivery of the pneumococcal protective antigen PspA and can protect adult mice from challenge with S. pneumoniae. This s...

Spatial Mapping of Translational Diffusion Coefficients Using Diffusion Tensor Imaging: A Mathematical Description.

Science.gov (United States)

Shetty, Anil N; Chiang, Sharon; Maletic-Savatic, Mirjana; Kasprian, Gregor; Vannucci, Marina; Lee, Wesley

2014-01-01

In this article, we discuss the theoretical background for diffusion weighted imaging and diffusion tensor imaging. Molecular diffusion is a random process involving thermal Brownian motion. In biological tissues, the underlying microstructures restrict the diffusion of water molecules, making diffusion directionally dependent. Water diffusion in tissue is mathematically characterized by the diffusion tensor, the elements of which contain information about the magnitude and direction of diffusion and is a function of the coordinate system. Thus, it is possible to generate contrast in tissue based primarily on diffusion effects. Expressing diffusion in terms of the measured diffusion coefficient (eigenvalue) in any one direction can lead to errors. Nowhere is this more evident than in white matter, due to the preferential orientation of myelin fibers. The directional dependency is removed by diagonalization of the diffusion tensor, which then yields a set of three eigenvalues and eigenvectors, representing the magnitude and direction of the three orthogonal axes of the diffusion ellipsoid, respectively. For example, the eigenvalue corresponding to the eigenvector along the long axis of the fiber corresponds qualitatively to diffusion with least restriction. Determination of the principal values of the diffusion tensor and various anisotropic indices provides structural information. We review the use of diffusion measurements using the modified Stejskal-Tanner diffusion equation. The anisotropy is analyzed by decomposing the diffusion tensor based on symmetrical properties describing the geometry of diffusion tensor. We further describe diffusion tensor properties in visualizing fiber tract organization of the human brain.

Diffusion in flowing gas

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Reus, K.W.

1979-01-01

This thesis is concerned with the back-diffusion method of calculating the mutual diffusion coefficient of two gases. The applicability of this method for measuring diffusion coefficients at temperatures up to 1300 K is considered. A further aim of the work was to make a contribution to the description of the interatomic potential energy of noble gases at higher energies as a function of the internuclear distance. This was achieved with the measured diffusion coefficients, especially with those for high temperatures. (Auth.)

Measurement of turbulent diffusivity of both gas and liquid phases in quasi-2D two-phase flow

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sato, Yoshifusa; Sadatomi, Michio; Kawahara, Akimaro

1993-01-01

The turbulent diffusion process has been studied experimentally by observing a tracer plume emitted continuously from a line source in a uniform, quasi-2D two-phase flow. The test section was a vertical, relatively narrow, concentric annular channel consisting of two large pipes. Air and water were used as the working fluids, and methane and acid organge II were used as tracers for the respective phases. Measurements of local, time-averaged tracer concentrations were made by means of a sampling method and image processing for bubbly flows and churn flows, and the turbulent diffusivity, the coefficient of turbulent diffusion, was determined from the concentration distributions measured. The diffusivities for the gas and liquid phases, ε DG and ε DL respectively, are presented and compared with each other in this paper. When a flow is bubbly, ε DG is close to or slightly smaller than ε DL . In a churn flow, on the contrary, ε DG is much greater than ε DL . Regarding bubbly flow, a plausible model on turbulent diffusivity of the liquid phase is presented and examined by the present data. (orig.)

Diagnostic value of structural and diffusion imaging measures in schizophrenia

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jungsun Lee

Full Text Available Objectives: Many studies have attempted to discriminate patients with schizophrenia from healthy controls by machine learning using structural or functional MRI. We included both structural and diffusion MRI (dMRI and performed random forest (RF and support vector machine (SVM in this study. Methods: We evaluated the performance of classifying schizophrenia using RF method and SVM with 504 features (volume and/or fractional anisotropy and trace from 184 brain regions. We enrolled 47 patients and 23 age- and sex-matched healthy controls and resampled our data into a balanced dataset using a Synthetic Minority Oversampling Technique method. We randomly permuted the classification of all participants as a patient or healthy control 100 times and ran the RF and SVM with leave one out cross validation for each permutation. We then compared the sensitivity and specificity of the original dataset and the permuted dataset. Results: Classification using RF with 504 features showed a significantly higher rate of performance compared to classification by chance: sensitivity (87.6% vs. 47.0% and specificity (95.9 vs. 48.4% performed by RF, sensitivity (89.5% vs. 48.0% and specificity (94.5% vs. 47.1% performed by SVM. Conclusions: Machine learning using RF and SVM with both volume and diffusion measures can discriminate patients with schizophrenia with a high degree of performance. Further replications are required. Keywords: Classification, Diffusion MRI, Random forest, Support vector machine, Schizophrenia

Measurements of diffusion parameters of methanol on gamma-irradiated polycarbonate

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Silva, Pietro P.J.C.G.P.O.; Araujo, Elmo S.

2013-01-01

Polycarbonate (PC) is an engineering polymer which presents interesting properties such as toughness, light weight and transparency. This material has been used for several important applications including in the medical field. In this particular application, polycarbonate has been exposed frequently to gamma irradiation and to chemical environment that can be able to product significant changes in polymer structure that may lead to future catastrophic fail and rupture. Polymer structural damages induced by gamma irradiation or chemical attack (environment stress cracking) have been studied by several research groups for many years and for many solvent-polymer systems, but few reporters present informations about the simultaneous occurrence of these effects. This present work has the goal to understand the diffusion process of methanol in polycarbonate and to determinate the diffusion parameters on polymer system under 100 kGy of gamma irradiation. Swelling experiments were performed at the samples of polycarbonate divided in two groups: PC-0 (without dose) and PC-100 (with 100 kGy of dose). Diffusion parameters (D) may be measured by slope of the sorption curve for polymers with Fickian behavior. A comparison of the D parameters was made for each set of sample. There were no significant differences on D values of sample groups observed due to the radiation effects. However, stress strain curves obtained show that methanol has great influence on mechanical behavior of PC but the radiation dose don't have significant influence on this mechanical behavior. (author)

Thermal diffusivity measurements of molten salts using a three-layered cell by the laser flash method

Science.gov (United States)

Ohta, Hiromichi; Ogura, Gaku; Waseda, Yoshio; Suzuki, Mustumi

1990-10-01

A simple cell and easy data processing are described for measuring the thermal diffusivity of a liquid sample at high temperatures using the laser flash method. A cell consists of a liquid sample sandwiched by two metallic plates. The front surface of one metallic plate is exposed to a single pulse of beam laser and the resulting temperature rise of the back surface of the other metallic plate is measured. The logarithmic analysis proposed by James using the initial time region of the temperature response curve of a two layered cell system has been extended to apply to the present three layered cell system in order to estimate the thermal diffusivity value of a liquid sample. Measurements of distilled water and methanol were made first and the results were found to be in good agreement with the reference data. Then, the thermal diffusivities of molten NaNO3 at 593-660 K and of molten KNO3 at 621-694 K were determined and the results also appear to agree reasonably well with those reported in the literature.

Quantitative measurement of water diffusion lifetimes at a protein/DNA interface by NMR

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gruschus, James M.; Ferretti, James A.

2001-01-01

Hydration site lifetimes of slowly diffusing water molecules at the protein/DNA interface of the vnd/NK-2 homeodomain DNA complex were determined using novel three-dimensional NMR techniques. The lifetimes were calculated using the ratios of ROE and NOE cross-relaxation rates between the water and the protein backbone and side chain amides. This calculation of the lifetimes is based on a model of the spectral density function of the water-protein interaction consisting of three timescales of motion: fast vibrational/rotational motion, diffusion into/out of the hydration site, and overall macromolecular tumbling. The lifetimes measured ranged from approximately 400 ps to more than 5 ns, and nearly all the slowly diffusing water molecules detected lie at the protein/DNA interface. A quantitative analysis of relayed water cross-relaxation indicated that even at very short mixing times, 5 ms for ROESY and 12 ms for NOESY, relay of magnetization can make a small but detectable contribution to the measured rates. The temperature dependences of the NOE rates were measured to help discriminate direct dipolar cross-relaxation from chemical exchange. Comparison with several X-ray structures of homeodomain/DNA complexes reveals a strong correspondence between water molecules in conserved locations and the slowly diffusing water molecules detected by NMR. A homology model based on the X-ray structures was created to visualize the conserved water molecules detected at the vnd/NK-2 homeodomain DNA interface. Two chains of water molecules are seen at the right and left sides of the major groove, adjacent to the third helix of the homeodomain. Two water-mediated hydrogen bond bridges spanning the protein/DNA interface are present in the model, one between the backbone of Phe8 and a DNA phosphate, and one between the side chain of Asn51 and a DNA phosphate. The hydrogen bond bridge between Asn51 and the DNA might be especially important since the DNA contact made by the invariant

Diffusion of condenser water discharge

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Iwakiri, Toshio

1977-01-01

Thermal and nuclear power stations in Japan are mostly located in coastal area, and the cooling water is discharged into sea as warm water. Recently, large interest is taken in this matter, and it is desirable to predict the diffusion of warm discharge accurately and to take effective measures for lowering the temperature. As for the methods of predicting the diffusion of warm discharge, simplified estimation, mathematical analysis and hydrographical model experiment are used corresponding to objects and conditions. As for the measures to lower temperature, the method of discharging warm water into deep sea bottom was confirmed to be very effective. In this paper, the phenomena of diffusion of warm discharge in sea, the methods of predicting the diffusion of warm discharge, and the deep sea discharge as the measure for lowering temperature are outlined. The factors concerning the diffusion of warm discharge in sea are the conditions of discharge, topography and sea state, and the diffusion is roughly divided into mixing diffusion in the vicinity of warm water outlet and eddy diffusion in distant region. It is difficult to change artificially the conditions of diffusion in distant region, and the measures of raising the rate of dilution in near region are effective, therefore the deep sea discharge is adopted. (Kako, I.)

MRI measurements of water diffusion: impact of region of interest selection on ischemic quantification

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ozsunar, Yelda; Koseoglu, Kutsi; Huisman, Thierry A.G.M.; Koroshetz, Walter; Sorensen, A. Gregory

2004-01-01

Objective: To investigate the effect of ADC heterogeneity on region of interest (ROI) measurement of isotropic and anisotropic water diffusion in acute (<12 h) cerebral infarctions. Methods and materials: Full diffusion tensor images were retrospectively analyzed in 32 patients with acute cerebral infarction. Fractional anisotropy (FA) and apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) values were measured in ischemic lesions and in the corresponding contralateral, normal appearing brain by using four ROIs for each patient. The 2x2 pixel square ROIs were placed in the center, the lateral rim and the medial rim of the infarction. In addition, the whole volume of the infarction was measured using a free hand method. Each ROI value obtained from the ischemic lesion was normalized using contralateral normal ROI values. Results: The localization of the ROIs in relation to the ischemic lesion significantly affected ADC measurement (P<0.01, using Friedman test), but not FA measurement (P=0.25). Significant differences were found between ADC values of the center of the infarction versus whole volume (P<0.01), and medial rim versus whole volume of infarction (P<0.001) with variation of relative ADC values up to 11%. The differences of absolute ADC for these groups were 22 and 23%, respectively. The lowest ADC was found in the center, followed by medial rim, lateral rim and whole volume of infarction. Conclusion: ADC quantification may provide variable results depending on ROI method. The ADC and FA values, obtained from the center of infarction tend to be lower compared to the periphery. The researchers who try to compare studies or work on ischemic quantification should be aware of these differences and effects

Measurement of internal quality of watermelon by Vis/NIR diffuse transmittance technique

Science.gov (United States)

Tian, Haiqing; Xu, Huirong; Ying, Yibin; Lu, Huishan; Yu, Haiyan

2006-10-01

Watermelon is a popular fruit in the world. Soluble solids content (SSC) is major characteristic used for assessing watermelon internal quality. This study was about a method for nondestructive internal quality detection of watermelons by means of visible/Near Infrared (Vis/NIR) diffuse transmittance technique. Vis/NIR transmittance spectra of intact watermelons were acquired using a low-cost commercially available spectrometer when the watermelon was in motion (1.4m/s) and in static state. Spectra data were analyzed by partial least squares (PLS) method. The influences of different data preprocessing and spectra treatments were also investigated. Performance of different models was assessed in terms of root mean square errors of calibration (RMSEC), root mean square errors of prediction (RMSEP) and correlation coefficient (r) between the predicted and measured parameter values. Results showed that spectra data preprocessing influenced the performance of the calibration models and the PLS method can provide good results. The nondestructive Vis/NIR measurements provided good estimates of SSC index of watermelon both in motion and in static state, and the predicted values were highly correlated with destructively measured values. The results indicated the feasibility of Vis/NIR diffuse transmittance spectral analysis for predicting watermelon internal quality in a nondestructive way.

Time-resolved measurements of laser-induced diffusion of CO molecules on stepped Pt(111)-surfaces; Zeitaufgeloeste Untersuchung der laser-induzierten Diffusion von CO-Molekuelen auf gestuften Pt(111)-Oberflaechen

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Lawrenz, M.

2007-10-30

In the present work the dynamics of CO-molecules on a stepped Pt(111)-surface induced by fs-laser pulses at low temperatures was studied by using laser spectroscopy. In the first part of the work, the laser-induced diffusion for the CO/Pt(111)-system could be demonstrated and modelled successfully for step diffusion. At first, the diffusion of CO-molecules from the step sites to the terrace sites on the surface was traced. The experimentally discovered energy transfer time of 500 fs for this process confirms the assumption of an electronically induced process. In the following it was explained how the experimental results were modelled. A friction coefficient which depends on the electron temperature yields a consistent model, whereas for the understanding of the fluence dependence and time-resolved measurements parallel the same set of parameters was used. Furthermore, the analysis was extended to the CO-terrace diffusion. Small coverages of CO were adsorbed to the terraces and the diffusion was detected as the temporal evolution of the occupation of the step sites acting as traps for the diffusing molecules. The additional performed two-pulse correlation measurements also indicate an electronically induced process. At the substrate temperature of 40 K the cross-correlation - where an energy transfer time of 1.8 ps was extracted - suggests also an electronically induced energy transfer mechanism. Diffusion experiments were performed for different substrate temperatures. (orig.)

Influence of diffuse reflectance measurement accuracy on the scattering coefficient in determination of optical properties with integrating sphere optics (a secondary publication).

Science.gov (United States)

Horibe, Takuro; Ishii, Katsunori; Fukutomi, Daichi; Awazu, Kunio

2015-12-30

An estimation error of the scattering coefficient of hemoglobin in the high absorption wavelength range has been observed in optical property calculations of blood-rich tissues. In this study, the relationship between the accuracy of diffuse reflectance measurement in the integrating sphere and calculated scattering coefficient was evaluated with a system to calculate optical properties combined with an integrating sphere setup and the inverse Monte Carlo simulation. Diffuse reflectance was measured with the integrating sphere using a small incident port diameter and optical properties were calculated. As a result, the estimation error of the scattering coefficient was improved by accurate measurement of diffuse reflectance. In the high absorption wavelength range, the accuracy of diffuse reflectance measurement has an effect on the calculated scattering coefficient.

Frequency-dependent photothermal measurement of transverse thermal diffusivity of organic semiconductors

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Brill, J. W.; Shahi, Maryam; Yao, Y. [Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Kentucky, Lexington, Kentucky 40506-0055 (United States); Payne, Marcia M.; Anthony, J. E. [Department of Chemistry, University of Kentucky, Lexington, Kentucky 40506-0055 (United States); Edberg, Jesper; Crispin, Xavier [Department of Science and Technology, Organic Electronics, Linköping University, SE-601 74 Norrköping (Sweden)

2015-12-21

We have used a photothermal technique, in which chopped light heats the front surface of a small (∼1 mm{sup 2}) sample and the chopping frequency dependence of thermal radiation from the back surface is measured with a liquid-nitrogen-cooled infrared detector. In our system, the sample is placed directly in front of the detector within its dewar. Because the detector is also sensitive to some of the incident light, which leaks around or through the sample, measurements are made for the detector signal that is in quadrature with the chopped light. Results are presented for layered crystals of semiconducting 6,13-bis(triisopropylsilylethynyl) pentacene (TIPS-pn) and for papers of cellulose nanofibrils coated with semiconducting poly(3,4-ethylene-dioxythiophene):poly(styrene-sulfonate) (NFC-PEDOT). For NFC-PEDOT, we have found that the transverse diffusivity, smaller than the in-plane value, varies inversely with thickness, suggesting that texturing of the papers varies with thickness. For TIPS-pn, we have found that the interlayer diffusivity is an order of magnitude larger than the in-plane value, consistent with previous estimates, suggesting that low-frequency optical phonons, presumably associated with librations in the TIPS side groups, carry most of the heat.

The assessment of four different correction models applied to the diffuse radiation measured with a shadow ring using global and normal beam radiation measurements for Beer Sheva, Israel

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kudish, Avraham I.; Evseev, Efim G. [Blaustein Institutes for Desert Research, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, E D Bergmann Campus, Beer Sheva 84105 (Israel)

2008-02-15

The measurement of the diffuse radiation incident on a horizontal surface, a priori a straightforward task, is fraught with difficulties. It is possible to measure the diffuse radiation by three different techniques: two of which measure it directly and the third indirectly. The most accurate is the indirect one, which is based upon the concurrent measurements of the horizontal global and the normal incidence beam radiation. The disadvantage of this being the relatively expensive tracking system required for measuring the latter. The diffuse radiation can be measured directly with a pyranometer outfitted with either an occulting disk or shadow ring, which prevent the beam radiation from impinging on the pyranometer sensor. The occulting disk can provide accurate measurements of the diffuse radiation but it requires a relatively expensive sun tracking system in the east-west axis. The shadow ring is a stationary device with regard to the east-west axis and blocks the beam radiation component by creating a permanent shadow on the pyranometer sensor. The major disadvantage of the shadow ring is that it also blocks that portion of the diffuse radiation obscured by the shadow ring. This introduces a measurement error that must be corrected to account for that portion of the sky obscured by the shadow band. In addition to this geometric correction factor there is a need to correct for anisotropic sky conditions. Four correction models have been applied to the data for Beer Sheva, Israel and the results have been evaluated both graphically and statistically. An attempt has been made to score the relative performance of the models under different sky conditions. (author)

Chamber and Diffusive Based Carbon Flux Measurements in an Alaskan Arctic Ecosystem

Science.gov (United States)

Wilkman, E.; Oechel, W. C.; Zona, D.

2013-12-01

Eric Wilkman, Walter Oechel, Donatella Zona Comprising an area of more than 7 x 106 km2 and containing over 11% of the world's organic matter pool, Arctic terrestrial ecosystems are vitally important components of the global carbon cycle, yet their structure and functioning are sensitive to subtle changes in climate and many of these functional changes can have large effects on the atmosphere and future climate regimes (Callaghan & Maxwell 1995, Chapin et al. 2002). Historically these northern ecosystems have acted as strong C sinks, sequestering large stores of atmospheric C due to photosynthetic dominance in the short summer season and low rates of decomposition throughout the rest of the year as a consequence of cold, nutrient poor, and generally water-logged conditions. Currently, much of this previously stored carbon is at risk of loss to the atmosphere due to accelerated soil organic matter decomposition in warmer future climates (Grogan & Chapin 2000). Although there have been numerous studies on Arctic carbon dynamics, much of the previous soil flux work has been done at limited time intervals, due to both the harshness of the environment and labor and time constraints. Therefore, in June of 2013 an Ultraportable Greenhouse Gas Analyzer (UGGA - Los Gatos Research Inc.) was deployed in concert with the LI-8100A Automated Soil Flux System (LI-COR Biosciences) in Barrow, AK to gather high temporal frequency soil CO2 and CH4 fluxes from a wet sedge tundra ecosystem. An additional UGGA in combination with diffusive probes, installed in the same location, provides year-round soil and snow CO2 and CH4 concentrations. When used in combination with the recently purchased AlphaGUARD portable radon monitor (Saphymo GmbH), continuous soil and snow diffusivities and fluxes of CO2 and CH4 can be calculated (Lehmann & Lehmann 2000). Of particular note, measuring soil gas concentration over a diffusive gradient in this way allows one to separate both net production and

Measurement of radiation-enhanced diffusion of La in single crystal thin film CeO{sub 2}

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Pappas, Harrison K. [Department of Nuclear, Radiological, and Plasma Engineering, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL 61801 (United States); Heuser, Brent J., E-mail: bheuser@illinois.ed [Department of Nuclear, Radiological, and Plasma Engineering, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL 61801 (United States); Strehle, Melissa M. [Department of Nuclear, Radiological, and Plasma Engineering, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL 61801 (United States)

2010-10-15

The diffusion of La, a trivalent cation dopant, actinide surrogate, and high-yield fission product, in CeO{sub 2}, a UO{sub 2} nuclear fuel surrogate, during 1.8 MeV Kr{sup +} ion bombardment over a temperature range from 673 K to 1206 K has been measured with secondary ion mass spectroscopy. The diffusivity under these irradiation conditions has been analyzed with a model based on a combination of sink-limited and recombination-limited kinetics. This analysis yielded a cation vacancy migration energy of E{sub m}{sup v} {approx} 0.4 eV below {approx}800 K, were recombination-limited kinetics dominated the behavior. The thermal diffusivity of La in the same system was measured over a range of 873-1073 K and was characterized by an activation enthalpy of E{sub a}=E{sub f}{sup v}+E{sub m}{sup v{approx}}1.4eV. The measurement of both the migration enthalpy and total activation enthalpy separately allows the vacancy formation enthalpy on the cation sublattice to be determined; E{sub f}{sup v} {approx} 1 eV. The mixing parameter under energetic heavy-ion bombardment at room temperature was measured as well and found to be {approx}4 x 10{sup -5} nm{sup 5}/eV.

ICP-MS measurement of silver diffusion coefficient in graphite IG-110 between 1048K and 1284K

Science.gov (United States)

Carter, L. M.; Seelig, J. D.; Brockman, J. D.; Robertson, J. D.; Loyalka, S. K.

2018-01-01

Silver-110m has been shown to permeate intact silicon carbide and pyrolytic carbon coating layers of the TRISO fuel particles during normal High Temperature Gas-Cooled Reactor (HTGR) operational conditions. The diffusion coefficients for silver in graphite IG-110 measured using a release method designed to simulate HTGR conditions of high temperature and flowing helium in the temperature range 1048-1253 K are reported. The measurements were made using spheres milled from IG-110 graphite that were infused with silver using a pressure vessel technique. The Ag diffusion was measured using a time release technique with an ICP-MS instrument for detection. The results of this work are:

Ambiguity in measuring matrix diffusion with single-well injection/recovery tracer tests

Science.gov (United States)

Lessoff, S.C.; Konikow, Leonard F.

1997-01-01

Single-well injection/recovery tracer tests are considered for use in characterizing and quantifying matrix diffusion in dual-porosity aquifers. Numerical modeling indicates that neither regional drift in homogeneous aquifers, nor heterogeneity in aquifers having no regional drift, nor hydrodynamic dispersion significantly affects these tests. However, when drift is coupled simultaneously with heterogeneity, they can have significant confounding effects on tracer return. This synergistic effect of drift and heterogeneity may help explain irreversible flow and inconsistent results sometimes encountered in previous single-well injection/recovery tracer tests. Numerical results indicate that in a hypothetical single-well injection/recovery tracer test designed to demonstrate and measure dual-porosity characteristics in a fractured dolomite, the simultaneous effects of drift and heterogeneity sometimes yields responses similar to those anticipated in a homogeneous dual-porosity formation. In these cases, tracer recovery could provide a false indication of the occurrence of matrix diffusion. Shortening the shut-in period between injection and recovery periods may make the test less sensitive to drift. Using multiple tracers having different diffusion characteristics, multiple tests having different pumping schedules, and testing the formation at more than one location would decrease the ambiguity in the interpretation of test data.

Measurements of Plasma Expansion due to Background Gas in the Electron Diffusion Gauge Experiment

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Morrison, Kyle A.; Paul, Stephen F.; Davidson, Ronald C.

2003-01-01

The expansion of pure electron plasmas due to collisions with background neutral gas atoms in the Electron Diffusion Gauge (EDG) experiment device is observed. Measurements of plasma expansion with the new, phosphor-screen density diagnostic suggest that the expansion rates measured previously were observed during the plasma's relaxation to quasi-thermal-equilibrium, making it even more remarkable that they scale classically with pressure. Measurements of the on-axis, parallel plasma temperature evolution support the conclusion

Variability of non-Gaussian diffusion MRI and intravoxel incoherent motion (IVIM) measurements in the breast.

Science.gov (United States)

Iima, Mami; Kataoka, Masako; Kanao, Shotaro; Kawai, Makiko; Onishi, Natsuko; Koyasu, Sho; Murata, Katsutoshi; Ohashi, Akane; Sakaguchi, Rena; Togashi, Kaori

2018-01-01

We prospectively examined the variability of non-Gaussian diffusion magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and intravoxel incoherent motion (IVIM) measurements with different numbers of b-values and excitations in normal breast tissue and breast lesions. Thirteen volunteers and fourteen patients with breast lesions (seven malignant, eight benign; one patient had bilateral lesions) were recruited in this prospective study (approved by the Internal Review Board). Diffusion-weighted MRI was performed with 16 b-values (0-2500 s/mm2 with one number of excitations [NEX]) and five b-values (0-2500 s/mm2, 3 NEX), using a 3T breast MRI. Intravoxel incoherent motion (flowing blood volume fraction [fIVIM] and pseudodiffusion coefficient [D*]) and non-Gaussian diffusion (theoretical apparent diffusion coefficient [ADC] at b value of 0 sec/mm2 [ADC0] and kurtosis [K]) parameters were estimated from IVIM and Kurtosis models using 16 b-values, and synthetic apparent diffusion coefficient (sADC) values were obtained from two key b-values. The variabilities between and within subjects and between different diffusion acquisition methods were estimated. There were no statistical differences in ADC0, K, or sADC values between the different b-values or NEX. A good agreement of diffusion parameters was observed between 16 b-values (one NEX), five b-values (one NEX), and five b-values (three NEX) in normal breast tissue or breast lesions. Insufficient agreement was observed for IVIM parameters. There were no statistical differences in the non-Gaussian diffusion MRI estimated values obtained from a different number of b-values or excitations in normal breast tissue or breast lesions. These data suggest that a limited MRI protocol using a few b-values might be relevant in a clinical setting for the estimation of non-Gaussian diffusion MRI parameters in normal breast tissue and breast lesions.

Measurements of the electron particle diffusion coefficient with the JET multichannel reflectometer

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sips, A.C.C.; Haas, J.C.M. de; Costley, A.E.; Prentice, R.

1989-01-01

Experimental determinations of the cross-field particle diffusion coefficient (D p ) are important in studies of transport in tokamak plasmas. D p has been determined from measurements of density perturbations following a sawtooth collapse, oscillating gas puff, and injected high velocity pellets. In each case the density changes have been measured using multichord interferometry and D p is obtained with an accuracy of typically 20%. In this paper, we present our most recent measurements of D p . The experimental data are compared with the prediction of a comprehensive numerical transport model which includes both outward going and inward going density pulses. (author) 8 refs., 6 figs

Mathematical basis for the measurement of absolute and fractional cardiac output with diffusible tracers by compartmental analysis methods

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Charkes, N.D.

1984-01-01

Using compartmental analysis methods, a mathematical basis is given for the measurement of absolute and fractional cardiac output with diffusible tracers. Cardiac output is shown to be the product of the blood volume and the sum of the rate constants of tracer egress from blood, modified by a factor reflecting transcapillary diffusibility, the transfer fraction. The return of tracer to the blood and distant (intracellular) events are shown to play no role in the solution. Fractional cardiac output is the ratio of the rate constant of tracer egress from blood to an organ, divided by the sum of the egress constants from blood. Predominantly extracellular ions such as sodium or bromide are best suited for this technique, although theoretically any diffusible tracer whose compartmental model can be solved may be used. It is shown that fractional cardiac output is independent of the transfer fraction, and therefore can be measured accurately by tracers which are not freely diffusible

Direct rotating ring-disk measurement of the sodium borohydride diffusion coefficient in sodium hydroxide solutions

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Chatenet, M. [Laboratoire d' Electrochimie et de Physico-chimie des Materiaux et des Interfaces, LEPMI, UMR 5631 CNRS/Grenoble-INP/UJF, 1130 rue de la piscine, BP75, 38402 Saint Martin d' Heres Cedex (France)], E-mail: Marian.Chatenet@phelma.grenoble-inp.fr; Molina-Concha, M.B. [Laboratoire d' Electrochimie et de Physico-chimie des Materiaux et des Interfaces, LEPMI, UMR 5631 CNRS/Grenoble-INP/UJF, 1130 rue de la piscine, BP75, 38402 Saint Martin d' Heres Cedex (France); El-Kissi, N. [Laboratoire de Rheologie, UMR 5520 CNRS/Grenoble-INP/UJF, 1301 rue de la piscine, 38041 Grenoble Cedex 9 (France); Parrour, G.; Diard, J.-P. [Laboratoire d' Electrochimie et de Physico-chimie des Materiaux et des Interfaces, LEPMI, UMR 5631 CNRS/Grenoble-INP/UJF, 1130 rue de la piscine, BP75, 38402 Saint Martin d' Heres Cedex (France)

2009-07-15

This paper presents the experimental determination of the diffusion coefficient of borohydride anion and solution kinematic viscosity for a large panel of NaOH + NaBH{sub 4} electrolytic solutions relevant for use as anolyte in Direct Borohydride Fuel Cells (DBFC). The diffusion coefficients have been measured by the transit-time technique on gold rotating ring-disk electrodes, and verified using other classical techniques reported in the literature, namely the Levich method and Electrochemical Impedance Spectroscopy on a gold RDE, or chronoamperometry at a gold microdisk. The agreement between these methods is generally good. The diffusion coefficients measured from the RRDE technique are however ca. twice larger than those previously reported in the literature (e.g. ca. 3 x 10{sup -5} cm{sup 2} s{sup -1} in 1 M NaOH + 0.01 M NaBH{sub 4} at 25 deg. C in the present study vs. ca. 1.6 x 10{sup -5} cm{sup 2} s{sup -1} in 1 M NaOH + 0.02 M NaBH{sub 4} at 30 deg. C in the literature, as measured by chronoamperometry at a gold microsphere), which is thoroughly discussed. Our measurements using chronoamperometry at a gold microdisk showed that such technique can yield diffusion coefficient values below what expected. The origin of such finding is explained in the frame of the formation of both a film of boron-oxide(s) at the surface of the (static) gold microdisk and the generation of H{sub 2} bubbles at the electrode surface (as a result of the heterogeneous hydrolysis at Au), which alter the access to the electrode surface and thus prevents efficient measurements. Such film formation and H{sub 2} bubbles generation is not so much of an issue for rotating electrodes thanks to the convection of electrolyte which sweeps the electrode surface. In addition, should such film be present, the transit-time determination technique on a RRDE displays the advantage of not being very sensible to its presence: the parameter measured is the time taken by a perturbation generated the

Direct rotating ring-disk measurement of the sodium borohydride diffusion coefficient in sodium hydroxide solutions

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chatenet, M.; Molina-Concha, M.B.; El-Kissi, N.; Parrour, G.; Diard, J.-P.

2009-01-01

This paper presents the experimental determination of the diffusion coefficient of borohydride anion and solution kinematic viscosity for a large panel of NaOH + NaBH 4 electrolytic solutions relevant for use as anolyte in Direct Borohydride Fuel Cells (DBFC). The diffusion coefficients have been measured by the transit-time technique on gold rotating ring-disk electrodes, and verified using other classical techniques reported in the literature, namely the Levich method and Electrochemical Impedance Spectroscopy on a gold RDE, or chronoamperometry at a gold microdisk. The agreement between these methods is generally good. The diffusion coefficients measured from the RRDE technique are however ca. twice larger than those previously reported in the literature (e.g. ca. 3 x 10 -5 cm 2 s -1 in 1 M NaOH + 0.01 M NaBH 4 at 25 deg. C in the present study vs. ca. 1.6 x 10 -5 cm 2 s -1 in 1 M NaOH + 0.02 M NaBH 4 at 30 deg. C in the literature, as measured by chronoamperometry at a gold microsphere), which is thoroughly discussed. Our measurements using chronoamperometry at a gold microdisk showed that such technique can yield diffusion coefficient values below what expected. The origin of such finding is explained in the frame of the formation of both a film of boron-oxide(s) at the surface of the (static) gold microdisk and the generation of H 2 bubbles at the electrode surface (as a result of the heterogeneous hydrolysis at Au), which alter the access to the electrode surface and thus prevents efficient measurements. Such film formation and H 2 bubbles generation is not so much of an issue for rotating electrodes thanks to the convection of electrolyte which sweeps the electrode surface. In addition, should such film be present, the transit-time determination technique on a RRDE displays the advantage of not being very sensible to its presence: the parameter measured is the time taken by a perturbation generated the disk to reach the ring trough a distance several orders

Measurement of the Diffusion Coefficient of Water in RP-3 and RP-5 Jet Fuels Using Digital Holography Interferometry

Science.gov (United States)

Li, Chaoyue; Feng, Shiyu; Shao, Lei; Pan, Jun; Liu, Weihua

2018-04-01

The diffusion coefficient of water in jet fuel was measured employing double-exposure digital holographic interferometry to clarify the diffusion process and make the aircraft fuel system safe. The experimental method and apparatus are introduced in detail, and the digital image processing program is coded in MATLAB according to the theory of the Fourier transform. At temperatures ranging from 278.15 K to 333.15 K in intervals of 5 K, the diffusion coefficient of water in RP-3 and RP-5 jet fuels ranges from 2.6967 × 10 -10 m2·s-1 to 8.7332 × 10 -10 m2·s-1 and from 2.3517 × 10 -10 m2·s-1 to 8.0099 × 10-10 m2·s-1, respectively. The relationship between the measured diffusion coefficient and temperature can be well fitted by the Arrhenius law. The diffusion coefficient of water in RP-3 jet fuel is higher than that of water in RP-5 jet fuel at the same temperature. Furthermore, the viscosities of the two jet fuels were measured and found to be expressible in the form of the Arrhenius equation. The relationship among the diffusion coefficient, viscosity and temperature is analyzed according to the classic prediction model, namely the Stokes-Einstein correlation, and this correlation is further revised via experimental data to obtain a more accurate predication result.

Noninvasive measurement of carboxyhemoglobin levels for adjustment of diffusion capacity measured during pulmonary function testing.

Science.gov (United States)

Mahoney, Anne M; Stimpson, Claudia L; Scott, Karen L; Hampson, Neil B

2007-12-01

The diffusing capacity of the lungs for carbon monoxide (D(LCO)) is commonly measured during pulmonary function testing (PFT). Although adjustment of the measured D(LCO) for an elevated baseline carboxyhemoglobin level is recommended, carboxyhemoglobin is not routinely measured, which may reduce the accuracy of D(LCO) measurements. We sought to assess the utility of routine carboxyhemoglobin measurement and subsequent D(LCO) correction in patients referred for PFT. We retrospectively reviewed 100 consecutive PFT results, including D(LCO) assessment. We used a pulse CO-oximeter (recently approved by the Food and Drug Administration) to noninvasively measure baseline carboxyhemoglobin (S(pCO)). We used simple descriptive statistics to compare the S(pCO) values. In subjects with elevated S(pCO) (> 2%) we adjusted the percent-of-predicted D(LCO). Interpretation of D(LCO) was categorized according to the American Thoracic Society classification scheme for respiratory impairment. The self-reported smokers had higher average S(pCO) than did self-reported nonsmokers (1.6% vs 3.5%, p carboxyhemoglobin is easy to perform during PFT. When precise measurement of D(LCO) is important, noninvasive measurement of carboxyhemoglobin may be of value. If routine S(pCO) measurement is considered, the highest yield is among current smokers.

Comparison of measured and satellite-derived spectral diffuse attenuation coefficients for the Arabian Sea

Digital Repository Service at National Institute of Oceanography (India)

Suresh, T.; Talaulikar, M.; Desa, E.; Matondkar, S.G.P.; Mascarenhas, A.

The results of study comparing the spectral diffuse attenuation coefficients Kd(Lambda) measured in the Arabian Sea with those derived from the Sea-Viewing Wide Field-of-View Sensor (SeaWiFS) using three algorithms, of which two are empirical...

Derivation of Inter-Atomic Force Constants of Cu2O from Diffuse Neutron Scattering Measurement

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

T. Makhsun

2013-04-01

Full Text Available Neutron scattering intensity from Cu2O compound has been measured at 10 K and 295 K with High Resolution Powder Diffractometer at JRR-3 JAEA. The oscillatory diffuse scattering related to correlations among thermal displacements of atoms was observed at 295 K. The correlation parameters were determined from the observed diffuse scattering intensity at 10 and 295 K. The force constants between the neighboring atoms in Cu2O were estimated from the correlation parameters and compared to those of Ag2O

A study of the diffusion mechanisms in amorphous metallic alloys: diffusion and diffusion under high pressure in an amorphous NiZr alloy

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Grandjean, A.

1996-01-01

The aim of this work is a better understanding of the diffusion mechanism in amorphous metallic alloys. Then interdiffusion and hafnium diffusion in amorphous NiZr alloy have been studied. Samples used are made by sputtering co-deposition under vacuum and are well relaxed before the diffusion measurements. The time evolution of resistivity during annealing due to the decay of a composition modulated film has been measured and from this change in resistivity interdiffusion coefficients have been determined. Dependence of Hf diffusion on temperature and pressure has been studied using (SIMS). In this two cases, the diffusion process obeys an Arrhenius law and gives an activation energy of 1.33 eV for interdiffusion, and 0.76 eV for Hf diffusion. An effect of pressure on Hf diffusion has been found leading to an activation volume of 8.5 angstrom 3 . Thanks to these results, two approaches of the diffusion mechanisms in these systems have been proposed. The first comes from a comparison with the diffusion mechanisms in crystalline metals, that is to say by point defects. The second is an hypothesis of collective motions in these non crystalline alloys. (author)

Continuous diffusion signal, EAP and ODF estimation via Compressive Sensing in diffusion MRI.

Science.gov (United States)

Merlet, Sylvain L; Deriche, Rachid

2013-07-01

In this paper, we exploit the ability of Compressed Sensing (CS) to recover the whole 3D Diffusion MRI (dMRI) signal from a limited number of samples while efficiently recovering important diffusion features such as the Ensemble Average Propagator (EAP) and the Orientation Distribution Function (ODF). Some attempts to use CS in estimating diffusion signals have been done recently. However, this was mainly an experimental insight of CS capabilities in dMRI and the CS theory has not been fully exploited. In this work, we also propose to study the impact of the sparsity, the incoherence and the RIP property on the reconstruction of diffusion signals. We show that an efficient use of the CS theory enables to drastically reduce the number of measurements commonly used in dMRI acquisitions. Only 20-30 measurements, optimally spread on several b-value shells, are shown to be necessary, which is less than previous attempts to recover the diffusion signal using CS. This opens an attractive perspective to measure the diffusion signals in white matter within a reduced acquisition time and shows that CS holds great promise and opens new and exciting perspectives in diffusion MRI (dMRI). Copyright © 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Bayesian regularization of diffusion tensor images

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Frandsen, Jesper; Hobolth, Asger; Østergaard, Leif

2007-01-01

Diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) is a powerful tool in the study of the course of nerve fibre bundles in the human brain. Using DTI, the local fibre orientation in each image voxel can be described by a diffusion tensor which is constructed from local measurements of diffusion coefficients along...... several directions. The measured diffusion coefficients and thereby the diffusion tensors are subject to noise, leading to possibly flawed representations of the three dimensional fibre bundles. In this paper we develop a Bayesian procedure for regularizing the diffusion tensor field, fully utilizing...

Demonstration of non-Gaussian restricted diffusion in tumor cells using diffusion-time dependent diffusion weighted MR contrast

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Tuva Roaldsdatter Hope

2016-08-01

Full Text Available The diffusion weighted imaging (DWI technique enables quantification of water mobility for probing microstructural properties of biological tissue, and has become an effective tool for collecting information about the underlying pathology of cancerous tissue. Measurements using multiple b-values have indicated a bi-exponential signal attenuation, ascribed to fast (high ADC and slow (low ADC diffusion components. In this empirical study, we investigate the properties of the diffusion time (∆ - dependent components of the diffusion-weighted (DW signal in a constant b-value experiment. A Xenograft GBM mouse was imaged using ∆ = 11 ms, 20 ms, 40 ms, 60 ms and b=500-4000 s/mm2 in intervals of 500s/mm2. Data was corrected for EPI distortions and the ∆-dependence on the DW signal was measured within three regions of interest (intermediate- and high-density tumor regions and normal appearing brain tissue regions (NAB. In this empirical study we verify the assumption that the slow decaying component of the DW-signal is non-Gaussian and dependent on ∆, consistent with restricted diffusion of the intracellular space. As the DW-signal as a function of ∆ is specific to restricted diffusion, manipulating ∆ at constant b-value (cb provides a complementary and direct approach for separating the restricted from the hindered diffusion component. Our results show that only tumor tissue signal of our data demonstrate ∆-dependence, based on a bi-exponential model with a restricted diffusion component, we successfully estimated the restricted ADC, signal volume fraction and cell size within each tumor ROI.

Apparent Diffusion Coefficient Measurement in Mediastinal Lymphadenopathies: Differentiation between Benign and Malignant Lesions

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Fethi Emre Ustabasioglu

2017-01-01

Full Text Available Objectives: We aimed to prospectively assess the diagnostic value of apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC measurement in the differentiation of benign and malignant mediastinal lymphadenopathies. Materials and Methods: The study included 63 consecutive patients (28 women, 35 men; mean age 59.3 years with 125 mediastinal lymphadenopathies. Echoplanar diffusion-weighted magnetic resonance imaging of the mediastinum was performed with b-factors of 0 and 600 mm2/s before mediastinoscopy and mediastinotomy, and ADC values were measured. The ADC values were compared with the histological results, and statistical analysis was done. P < 0.05 was considered statistically significant. Results: The mean ADC value of malignant mediastinal lymphadenopathy (1.030 ± 0.245 × 10−3 mm2/s was significantly lower (P < 0.05 when compared to benign lymphadenopathies (1.571 ± 0.559 × 10−3 mm2/s. For differentiating malignant from benign mediastinal lymphadenopathy, the best result was obtained when an ADC value of 1.334 × 10−3 mm2/s was used as a threshold value; area under the curve 0.848, accuracy 78.4%, sensitivity 66%, specificity of 86%, positive predictive value 76.7%, and negative predictive value of 79.2%. Interobserver agreement was excellent for ADC measurements. Conclusions: ADC measurements could be considered an important supportive method in differentiating benign from malignant mediastinal lymphadenopathies.

In situ resistance measurements of bronze process Nb-Sn-Cu-Ta multifilamentary composite conductors during reactive diffusion

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tan, K S; Hopkins, S C; Glowacki, B A; Majoros, M; Astill, D

2004-01-01

The conditions under which the Nb 3 Sn intermetallic layer is formed by solid-state reactive diffusion processes in bronze process multifilamentary conductors greatly influence the performance of the conductors. By convention, isothermal heat treatment is used and often causes non-uniformity of A15 layers formed across the wire. Therefore, characterization and optimization of the conductor during the reactive diffusion processes is crucial in order to improve the overall conductor's performance. In this paper, a different characterization approach and perhaps an optimization technique is presented, namely in situ resistance measurement by an alternating current (AC) method. By treating the components of such multifilamentary wires as a set of parallel resistors, the resistances of the components may be combined using the usual rules for resistors in parallel. The results show that the resistivity of the entire wire changes significantly during the reactive diffusion processes. The development of the Nb 3 Sn layer in bronze process Nb-Sn-Cu-Ta multifilamentary wires at different stages of the reactive diffusion processes has been monitored using measured resistivity changes, and correlated with results from DTA, ACS, SEM and EDS

Semi-empirical approach for calibration of CR-39 detectors in diffusion chambers for radon measurements

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Pereyra A, P.; Lopez H, M. E.; Palacios F, D.; Sajo B, L.; Valdivia, P.

2016-10-01

Simulated and measured calibration of PADC detectors is given for cylindrical diffusion chambers employed in environmental radon measurements. The method is based on determining the minimum alpha energy (E min ), average critical angle (<Θ c >), and fraction of 218 Po atoms; the volume of the chamber (f 1 ), are compared to commercially available devices. Radon concentration for exposed detectors is obtained from induced track densities and the well-established calibration coefficient for NRPB monitor. Calibration coefficient of a PADC detector in a cylindrical diffusion chamber of any size is determined under the same chemical etching conditions and track analysis methodology. In this study the results of numerical examples and comparison between experimental calibration coefficients and simulation purpose made code. Results show that the developed method is applicable when uncertainties of 10% are acceptable. (Author)

U diffusion in Ti-α

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gordillo, J.; Perez, R.A.; Di Lalla, N.

2012-01-01

The spectrometry was used to measure the diffusion of u in Ti-α in the range of temperatures from 863 to 1123 k (590-850 o C). The diffusion parameters found Q = 294 kj / mol and D o = 4x10 -3 m2 / s are similar to obtained for the self-diffusion in Ti-? measured using a base material containing impurities like this work. This is consistent with the hypothesis that u diffuses via a vacancy mechanism in the grid of Ti-α and it contrasted with older results, in which the activation energy is significantly lower and incompatible with said diffusion mechanism (author)

Algorithm of extraction optics properties from the measurement of spatially resolved diffuse reflectance

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Cunill Rodriguez, Margarita; Delgado Atencio, Jose Alberto; Castro Ramos, Jorge; Vazquez y Montiel, Sergio

2009-01-01

There are several methods to obtain the optical parameters of biological tissues from the measurement of spatially resolved diffuse reflectance. One of them is well-known as Video Reflectometry in which a camera CCD is used as detection and recording system of the lateral distribution of diffuse reflectance Rd(r) when an infinitely narrow light beam impinges on the tissue. In this paper, we present an algorithm that we have developed for the calibration and application of an experimental set-up of Video Reflectometry destined to extract the optical properties of models of biological tissues with optical properties similar to the human skin. The results of evaluation of the accuracy of the algorithm for optical parameters extraction is shown for a set of proofs reflectance curves with known values of these parameters. In the generation of these curves the simulation of measurement errors was also considered. The results show that it is possible to extract the optical properties with an accuracy error of less than 1% for all the proofs curves. (Author)

Spatially Resolved Two-Color Diffusion Measurements in Human Skin Applied to Transdermal Liposome Penetration

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Brewer, Jonathan; Bloksgaard, Maria; Kubiak, Jakub

2013-01-01

A multiphoton excitation-based fluorescence fluctuation spectroscopy method, Raster image correlation spectroscopy (RICS), was used to measure the local diffusion coefficients of distinct model fluorescent substances in excised human skin. In combination with structural information obtained by mu......; doi:10.1038/jid.2012.461....

Diffusion through statically compacted clay

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ho, C.L.; Shebl, M.A.A.

1994-01-01

This paper presents experimental work on the effect of compaction on contaminant flow through clay liners. The experimental program included evaluation of soil properties, compaction, permeability and solute diffusion. A permeameter was built of non reactive materials to test samples compacted at different water contents and compactive efforts. The flow of a permeating solute, LiCl, was monitored. Effluent samples were collected for solute concentration measurements. The concentrations were measured by performing atomic adsorption tests. The analyzed results showed different diffusion characteristics when compaction conditions changed. At each compactive effort, permeability decreased as molding water content increased. Consequently, transit time (measured at relative concentration 50%) increased and diffusivity decreased. As compactive effort increased for soils compacted dry of optimum, permeability and diffusion decreased. On the other hand, as compactive effort increased for soils compacted wet of optimum, permeability and diffusivity increased. Tortuosity factor was indirectly measured from the diffusion and retardation rate. Tortuosity factor also decreased as placement water content was increased from dry of optimum to wet of optimum. Then decreases were more pronounced for low compactive effort tests. 27 refs., 7 figs., 5 tabs

Evaluation of policy measures and methods to reduce diffuse water pollution

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Lange, Ute; Doehler, Helmut; Eurich-Menden, Brigitte; Goemann, Horst; Jaeger, Peter; Kreins, Peter; Moeller, Christine; Prigge, Achim; Ristenpart, Erik; Schultheiss, Ute

2006-11-15

After considerable improvements of wastewater treatment, the loads of nutrients and plant protection agents, deriving from agriculture and heavy metals from urban drainages effluents as well as from erosion of agricultural soils are the main sources of nutrients and harmful substances in the loads of water bodies. The targets of the project were on the one hand the analysis of the political and legislative framework of both policy fields and on the other hand the evaluation of several, selected water protection measures with regard to their contribution to reduce water pollution, their economical effects as well as their political enforceability. The focus was laid on diffuse water pollution caused by agriculture. As main reasons for the diffuse water pollution stagnating at high level, the analysis of the political framework identified a lack of implementation discipline of water law, followed by the fragmented and insufficient water protection legislation itself and the previous design of the common agricultural policy slanted towards increasing productivity. For the future co-operation of agricultural and water authorities in implementation of their reforms and better definition of 'Good Farming Practice' are recommended. The second investigation level focuses on the analysis and assessment of selected measures to reduce the input of nutrients and plant protection agents. This part was done with help of calculation models focussing on the specific cost/benefit ratios for water protection. In detail the following measures have been analysed: decoupling of direct payments, coupling of livestock farming to areas, tax on mineral nitrogen, pesticide levy, buffer stripes alongside of watercourses, all season crop cover on arable land, soil cultivation procedures, changing the use of arable land, optimisation of animal nutrition, optimisation of manure storage and application, co-operative agreements, education and training. Co-operations and water protection

Correcting PSP electron measurements for the effects of spacecraft electrostatic and magnetic fields

Science.gov (United States)

McGinnis, D.; Halekas, J. S.; Larson, D. E.; Whittlesey, P. L.; Kasper, J. C.

2017-12-01

The near-Sun environment which the Parker Solar Probe will investigate presents a unique challenge for the measurement of thermal and suprathermal electrons. Over one orbital period, the ionizing photon flux and charged particle densities vary to such an extent that the spacecraft could charge to electrostatic potentials ranging from a few volts to tens of volts or more, and it may even develop negative electrostatic potentials near closest approach. In addition, significant permanent magnetic fields from spacecraft components will perturb thermal electron trajectories. Given these effects, electron distribution function (EDF) measurements made by the SWEAP/SPAN electron sensors will be significantly affected. It is thus important to try to understand the extent and nature of such effects, and to remediate them as much as possible. To this end, we have incorporated magnetic fields and a model electrostatic potential field into particle tracing simulations to predict particle trajectories through the near spacecraft environment. These simulations allow us to estimate how the solid angle elements measured by SPAN deflect and stretch in the presence of these fields and therefore how and to what extent EDF measurements will be distorted. In this work, we demonstrate how this technique can be used to produce a `dewarping' correction factor. Further, we show that this factor can correct synthetic datasets simulating the warped EDFs that the SPAN instruments are likely to measure over a wide range of spacecraft potentials and plasma Debye lengths.

Anomalous diffusion in niobium. Study of solute diffusion mechanism of iron in niobium

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ablitzer, D.

1977-01-01

In order to explain anomalously high diffusion velocities observed for iron diffusion in niobium, the following parameters were measured: isotope effect, b factor (which expresses the effect of iron on niobium self-diffusion), self-diffusion coefficient of niobium, solute diffusion coefficient of iron in niobium. The results obtained show that neither pure vacancy models, nor diffusion in the lattice defects (dislocations, sub-boundaries, grain boundaries), nor pure interstitialy mechanisms, nor simple or cyclic exchange mechanisms agree with experiments. A mechanism is proposed which considers an equilibrium between substitution iron atoms and interstitial iron atoms. The diffusion of iron then occurs through interstitial vancancy pairs [fr

Measurements of thermal diffusivity, specific heat capacity and thermal conductivity with LFA 447 apparatus

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Zajas, Jan Jakub; Heiselberg, Per

The LFA 447 can be successfully used for measurements of thermal diffusivity, specific heat and thermal conductivity of various samples. It is especially useful when determining the properties of materials on a very small scale. The matrix measurement mode allows for determining the local...... that the heat losses from both samples during the measurement are similar. Finally, the leveling of the samples is very important. Very small discrepancies can cause a massive error in the derivation of specific heat capacity and, as a result, thermal conductivity....

Measurement of relative permeability of fuel cell diffusion media

KAUST Repository

Hussaini, I.S.

2010-06-01

Gas diffusion layer (GDL) in PEM fuel cells plays a pivotal role in water management. Modeling of liquid water transport through the GDL relies on knowledge of relative permeability functions in the in-plane and through-plane directions. In the present work, air and water relative permeabilities are experimentally determined as functions of saturation for typical GDL materials such as Toray-060, -090, -120 carbon paper and E-Tek carbon cloth materials in their plain, untreated forms. Saturation is measured using an ex situ gravimetric method. Absolute and relative permeability functions in the two directions of interest are presented and new correlations for in-plane relative permeability of water and air are established. © 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

A noninvasive method for measuring the velocity of diffuse hydrothermal flow by tracking moving refractive index anomalies

Science.gov (United States)

Mittelstaedt, Eric; Davaille, Anne; van Keken, Peter E.; Gracias, Nuno; Escartin, Javier

2010-10-01

Diffuse flow velocimetry (DFV) is introduced as a new, noninvasive, optical technique for measuring the velocity of diffuse hydrothermal flow. The technique uses images of a motionless, random medium (e.g., rocks) obtained through the lens of a moving refraction index anomaly (e.g., a hot upwelling). The method works in two stages. First, the changes in apparent background deformation are calculated using particle image velocimetry (PIV). The deformation vectors are determined by a cross correlation of pixel intensities across consecutive images. Second, the 2-D velocity field is calculated by cross correlating the deformation vectors between consecutive PIV calculations. The accuracy of the method is tested with laboratory and numerical experiments of a laminar, axisymmetric plume in fluids with both constant and temperature-dependent viscosity. Results show that average RMS errors are ˜5%-7% and are most accurate in regions of pervasive apparent background deformation which is commonly encountered in regions of diffuse hydrothermal flow. The method is applied to a 25 s video sequence of diffuse flow from a small fracture captured during the Bathyluck'09 cruise to the Lucky Strike hydrothermal field (September 2009). The velocities of the ˜10°C-15°C effluent reach ˜5.5 cm/s, in strong agreement with previous measurements of diffuse flow. DFV is found to be most accurate for approximately 2-D flows where background objects have a small spatial scale, such as sand or gravel.

Measurement of grain-boundary diffusion at low temperature by the surface-accumulation method. II. Results for gold-silver system

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hwang, J.C.M.; Pan, J.D.; Balluffi, R.W.

1979-01-01

Grain-boundary diffusion rates in the gold-silver system were measured at relatively low temperatures by the surface-accumulation method which was analyzed in Paper I. The specimen was a polycrystalline gold film possessing columnar grains on which a silver layer was initially deposited epitaxially on one surface. During subsequent low-temperature annealing lattice diffusion was frozen out, and diffusion then occurred along the grain boundary and free-surface short circuits. The silver, therefore, diffused into the film from the silver layer along the boundaries, eventually reaching the opposite surface where it accumulated and was measured by Auger spectroscopy. The silver layer acted as an effective constant silver source, and grain-boundary diffusivities were calculated from the accumulation data. However, the exact location of the effective constant source in the silver layer could not be determined and this led to an uncertainty in the values of the grain-boundary diffusivities of a factor of 10. Lower- and upper-bound values were therefore described by D/sub b/(lower bound) =7.8 x 10 -6 exp(-0.62eV/kT) and D/sub b/(upper bound) =7.8 x 10 -5 exp(-0.62eV/kT) cm 2 /s in the temperature range 30--269 0 C. An examination of available grain-boundary diffusion data (including the present) suggests a tendency for the observed activation energy to decrease with decreasing temperature, and this was ascribed to a spectrum of activated jumps in the grain boundary and/or a spectrum of grain-boundary types in the specimen employed. The constant source behavior was tentatively ascribed, at least in part, to a grain-boundary ''Kirkendall effect'' resulting from the faster diffusion of silver than gold. The work indicates a need for increased understanding of the details of grain-boundary diffusion in alloys

Radon-222 measurements aboard an airplane for the description of atmospheric diffusion

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bogen, J.

1973-01-01

Radon-222 is absorbed aboard an airplane in tubes filled with 50 g of selected charcoal and cooked in Dewars by carbon dioxide and freon. After air collection at different heights up to 5 km, the tubes are evacuated and heated in the laboratory for desorption of the gas molecules and for transfer into a decay chamber covered with zinc-sulfide serving as a scintillator for the detection of alpha activity from radon-222 and its daughters. In general, the measurements show an exponential decrease of the concentration up to 5 km in height, if there is no cloud layer. The height for a reduction by a factor of two is about 900 meters. Assuming a constant diffusion coefficient K 0 up to 5 km, the measurements yield a K 0 of approximately 3.7 x 10 4 cm 2 s -1 . For flights in stratiform clouds a decrease is observed of the concentration up to a certain height, then radon-222 is again increasing or remains constant. This must be explained with respect to the meteorological situation. Assuming only a constant value for K 0 between the different flying heights, it was possible to appraise the development of the eddy diffusion coefficient with height

Characterization of highly scattering media by measurement of diffusely backscattered polarized light

Science.gov (United States)

Hielscher, Andreas H.; Mourant, Judith R.; Bigio, Irving J.

2000-01-01

An apparatus and method for recording spatially dependent intensity patterns of polarized light that is diffusely backscattered from highly scattering media are described. These intensity patterns can be used to differentiate different turbid media, such as polystyrene-sphere and biological-cell suspensions. Polarized light from a He-Ne laser (.lambda.=543 nm) is focused onto the surface of the scattering medium, and a surface area of approximately 4.times.4 cm centered on the light input point is imaged through polarization analysis optics onto a CCD camera. A variety of intensity patterns may be observed by varying the polarization state of the incident laser light and changing the analyzer configuration to detect different polarization components of the backscattered light. Experimental results for polystyrene-sphere and Intralipid suspensions demonstrate that the radial and azimuthal variations of the observed pattern depend on the concentration, size, and anisotropy factor, g, of the particles constituting the scattering medium. Measurements performed on biological cell suspensions show that intensity patterns can be used to differentiate between suspensions of cancerous and non-cancerous cells. Introduction of the Mueller-matrix for diffusely backscattered light, permits the selection of a subset of measurements which comprehensively describes the optical properties of backscattering media.

Diffusion measurement of intraplaque hemorrhage and intramural hematoma using diffusion weighted MRI at 3T in cervical artery

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yao, Bin; Yang, Li; Wang, Guangbin; Shi, Honglu; Wang, Shanshan; Li, Huihua; Chen, Weibo; Chan, Queenie

2016-01-01

To assess the difference between carotid haemorrhagic plaque and non-haemorrhagic plaque by using diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI) and to evaluate carotid intraplaque haemorrhage (IPH) and intramural hematoma (IMH) of cervical artery dissection with apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) measurement. Fifty-one symptomatic patients underwent 3.0-T carotid MR imaging, including conventional sequences, three-dimensional (3D) magnetization-prepared rapid acquisition gradient-echo (MPRAGE) sequence, and DWI. Thirty-nine patients with carotid plaque and eight patients with IMH of cervical artery dissection were finally included. The groups of hemorrhagic plaque, non-hemorrhagic plaque and IMH were divided according to 3D MPRAGE sequence. ADC values of different groups were measured, and t tests were performed. The mean ADC values of hemorrhagic plaques, non-hemorrhagic plaque and IMH were (1.284 ± 0.327) x 10 -3 mm 2 /s, (1.766 ± 0.477) x 10 -3 mm 2 /s, and (0.563 ± 0.119) x 10 -3 mm 2 /s, respectively. The mean ADC values of hemorrhagic and non-hemorrhagic regions in the hemorrhagic plaque group were (0.985 ± 0.376) x 10 -3 mm 2 /s and (1.480 ± 0.465) x 10 -3 mm 2 /s, respectively. The differences between the hemorrhagic plaque and non-hemorrhagic plaque, hemorrhagic region and non-hemorrhagic region in hemorrhagic plaque, and the hemorrhagic region in the hemorrhagic plaque and IMH of artery dissection were significant (P < 0.05). DWI may be a useful complement to conventional MR imaging for identifying haemorrhage of carotid plaques and differentiate IMHs from IPH. (orig.)

Semi-empirical approach for calibration of CR-39 detectors in diffusion chambers for radon measurements

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Pereyra A, P.; Lopez H, M. E. [Pontificia Universidad Catolica del Peru, Av. Universitaria 1801, San Miguel Lima 32 (Peru); Palacios F, D.; Sajo B, L. [Universidad Simon Bolivar, Laboratorio de Fisica Nuclear, Apartado 89000 Caracas (Venezuela, Bolivarian Republic of); Valdivia, P., E-mail: ppereyr@pucp.edu.pe [Universidad Nacional de Ingenieria, Av. Tupac Amaru s/n, Rimac, Lima 25 (Peru)

2016-10-15

Simulated and measured calibration of PADC detectors is given for cylindrical diffusion chambers employed in environmental radon measurements. The method is based on determining the minimum alpha energy (E{sub min}), average critical angle (<Θ{sub c}>), and fraction of {sup 218}Po atoms; the volume of the chamber (f{sub 1}), are compared to commercially available devices. Radon concentration for exposed detectors is obtained from induced track densities and the well-established calibration coefficient for NRPB monitor. Calibration coefficient of a PADC detector in a cylindrical diffusion chamber of any size is determined under the same chemical etching conditions and track analysis methodology. In this study the results of numerical examples and comparison between experimental calibration coefficients and simulation purpose made code. Results show that the developed method is applicable when uncertainties of 10% are acceptable. (Author)

Diffuse reflectance relations based on diffusion dipole theory for large absorption and reduced scattering.

Science.gov (United States)

Bremmer, Rolf H; van Gemert, Martin J C; Faber, Dirk J; van Leeuwen, Ton G; Aalders, Maurice C G

2013-08-01

Diffuse reflectance spectra are used to determine the optical properties of biological samples. In medicine and forensic science, the turbid objects under study often possess large absorption and/or scattering properties. However, data analysis is frequently based on the diffusion approximation to the radiative transfer equation, implying that it is limited to tissues where the reduced scattering coefficient dominates over the absorption coefficient. Nevertheless, up to absorption coefficients of 20  mm-1 at reduced scattering coefficients of 1 and 11.5  mm-1, we observed excellent agreement (r2=0.994) between reflectance measurements of phantoms and the diffuse reflectance equation proposed by Zonios et al. [Appl. Opt.38, 6628-6637 (1999)], derived as an approximation to one of the diffusion dipole equations of Farrell et al. [Med. Phys.19, 879-888 (1992)]. However, two parameters were fitted to all phantom experiments, including strongly absorbing samples, implying that the reflectance equation differs from diffusion theory. Yet, the exact diffusion dipole approximation at high reduced scattering and absorption also showed agreement with the phantom measurements. The mathematical structure of the diffuse reflectance relation used, derived by Zonios et al. [Appl. Opt.38, 6628-6637 (1999)], explains this observation. In conclusion, diffuse reflectance relations derived as an approximation to the diffusion dipole theory of Farrell et al. can analyze reflectance ratios accurately, even for much larger absorption than reduced scattering coefficients. This allows calibration of fiber-probe set-ups so that the object's diffuse reflectance can be related to its absorption even when large. These findings will greatly expand the application of diffuse reflection spectroscopy. In medicine, it may allow the use of blue/green wavelengths and measurements on whole blood, and in forensic science, it may allow inclusion of objects such as blood stains and cloth at crime

Histogram analysis of diffusion measures in clinically isolated syndromes and relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yu Chunshui; Lin Fuchun; Liu Yaou; Duan Yunyun; Lei Hao; Li Kuncheng

2008-01-01

Objective: The purposes of our study were to employ diffusion tensor imaging (DTI)-based histogram analysis to determine the presence of occult damage in clinically isolated syndrome (CIS), to compare its severity with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS), and to determine correlations between DTI histogram measures and clinical and MRI indices in these two diseases. Materials and methods: DTI scans were performed in 19 CIS and 19 RRMS patients and 19 matched healthy volunteers. Histogram analyses of mean diffusivity and fractional anisotropy were performed in normal-appearing brain tissue (NABT), normal-appearing white matter (NAWM) and gray matter (NAGM). Correlations were analyzed between these measures and expanded disability status scale (EDSS) scores, T 2 WI lesion volumes (LV) and normalized brain tissue volumes (NBTV) in CIS and RRMS patients. Results: Significant differences were found among CIS, RRMS and control groups in the NBTV and most of the DTI histogram measures of the NABT, NAWM and NAGM. In CIS patients, some DTI histogram measures showed significant correlations with LV and NBTV, but none of them with EDSS. In RRMS patients, however, some DTI histogram measures were significantly correlated with LV, NBTV and EDSS. Conclusion: Occult damage occurs in both NAGM and NAWM in CIS, but the severity is milder than that in RRMS. In CIS and RRMS, the occult damage might be related to both T2 lesion load and brain tissue atrophy. Some DTI histogram measures might be useful for assessing the disease progression in RRMS patients

Digital PIV Measurements in the Diffuser of a High Speed Centrifugal Compressor

Science.gov (United States)

Wernet, Mark P.

1998-01-01

Particle Imaging Velocimetry (PIV) is a powerful measurement technique which can be used as an alternative or complementary approach to Laser Doppler Velocimetry (LDV) in a wide range of research applications. PIV data are measured simultaneously at multiple points in space, which enables the investigation of the non-stationary spatial structures typically encountered in turbomachinery. Obtaining ample optical access, sufficiently high seed particle concentrations and accurate synchronization of image acquisition relative to impeller position are the most formidable tasks in the successful implementation of PIV in turbomachinery. Preliminary results from the successful application of the standard 2-D digital PIV technique in the diffuser of a high speed centrifugal compressor are presented. Instantaneous flow. measurements were also obtained during compressor surge.

Determination of malignancy and characterization of hepatic tumor type with diffusion-weighted magnetic resonance imaging: comparison of apparent diffusion coefficient and intravoxel incoherent motion-derived measurements.

Science.gov (United States)

Doblas, Sabrina; Wagner, Mathilde; Leitao, Helena S; Daire, Jean-Luc; Sinkus, Ralph; Vilgrain, Valérie; Van Beers, Bernard E

2013-10-01

The objective of this study was to compare the value of the apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) determined with 3 b values and the intravoxel incoherent motion (IVIM)-derived parameters in the determination of malignancy and characterization of hepatic tumor type. Seventy-six patients with 86 solid hepatic lesions, including 8 hemangiomas, 20 lesions of focal nodular hyperplasia, 9 adenomas, 30 hepatocellular carcinomas, 13 metastases, and 6 cholangiocarcinomas, were assessed in this prospective study. Diffusion-weighted images were acquired with 11 b values to measure the ADCs (with b = 0, 150, and 500 s/mm) and the IVIM-derived parameters, namely, the pure diffusion coefficient and the perfusion-related diffusion fraction and coefficient. The diffusion parameters were compared between benign and malignant tumors and between tumor types, and their diagnostic value in identifying tumor malignancy was assessed. The apparent and pure diffusion coefficients were significantly higher in benign than in malignant tumors (benign: 2.32 [0.87] × 10 mm/s and 1.42 [0.37] × 10 mm/s vs malignant: 1.64 [0.51] × 10 mm/s and 1.14 [0.28] × 10 mm/s, respectively; P coefficients provided similar accuracy in assessing tumor malignancy (areas under the receiver operating characteristic curve of 0.770 and 0.723, respectively). In the multigroup analysis, the ADC was found to be significantly higher in hemangiomas than in hepatocellular carcinomas, metastases, and cholangiocarcinomas. In the same manner, it was higher in lesions of focal nodular hyperplasia than in metastases and cholangiocarcinomas. However, the pure diffusion coefficient was significantly higher only in hemangiomas versus hepatocellular and cholangiocellular carcinomas. Compared with the ADC, the diffusion parameters derived from the IVIM model did not improve the determination of malignancy and characterization of hepatic tumor type.

Studies of matrix diffusion in gas phase

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hartikainen, K.; Timonen, J.; Vaeaetaeinen, K.; Pietarila, H.

1994-03-01

The diffusion of solutes from fractures into rock matrix is an important factor in the safety analysis of disposal of radioactive waste. Laboratory measurements are needed to complement field investigations for a reliable determination of the necessary transport parameters. Measurements of diffusion coefficients in tight rock samples are usually time consuming because the diffusion processes are slow. On the other hand it is well known that diffusion coefficients in the gas phase are roughly four orders of magnitude larger than those in the liquid phase. Therefore, for samples whose structures do not change much upon drying, it is possible to estimate the diffusion properties of the liquid phase when the properties of the gas phase are known. Advantages of the gas method are quick and easy measurements. In the measurements nitrogen was used as the carrier gas and helium as the tracer gas, and standard techniques have been used for helium detection. Techniques have been developed for both channel flow and through-diffusion measurements. The breakthrough curves have been measured in every experiment and all measurements have been modelled by using appropriate analytical models. As a result matrix porosities and effective diffusion coefficients in the gas phase have been determined. (12 refs., 21 figs., 6 tabs.)

A biomimetic tumor tissue phantom for validating diffusion-weighted MRI measurements.

Science.gov (United States)

McHugh, Damien J; Zhou, Feng-Lei; Wimpenny, Ian; Poologasundarampillai, Gowsihan; Naish, Josephine H; Hubbard Cristinacce, Penny L; Parker, Geoffrey J M

2018-07-01

To develop a biomimetic tumor tissue phantom which more closely reflects water diffusion in biological tissue than previously used phantoms, and to evaluate the stability of the phantom and its potential as a tool for validating diffusion-weighted (DW) MRI measurements. Coaxial-electrospraying was used to generate micron-sized hollow polymer spheres, which mimic cells. The bulk structure was immersed in water, providing a DW-MRI phantom whose apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) and microstructural properties were evaluated over a period of 10 months. Independent characterization of the phantom's microstructure was performed using scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The repeatability of the construction process was investigated by generating a second phantom, which underwent high resolution synchrotron-CT as well as SEM and MR scans. ADC values were stable (coefficients of variation (CoVs) < 5%), and varied with diffusion time, with average values of 1.44 ± 0.03 µm 2 /ms (Δ = 12 ms) and 1.20 ± 0.05 µm 2 /ms (Δ = 45 ms). Microstructural parameters showed greater variability (CoVs up to 13%), with evidence of bias in sphere size estimates. Similar trends were observed in the second phantom. A novel biomimetic phantom has been developed and shown to be stable over 10 months. It is envisaged that such phantoms will be used for further investigation of microstructural models relevant to characterizing tumor tissue, and may also find application in evaluating acquisition protocols and comparing DW-MRI-derived biomarkers obtained from different scanners at different sites. Magn Reson Med 80:147-158, 2018. © 2017 The Authors Magnetic Resonance in Medicine published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. on behalf of International Society for Magnetic Resonance in Medicine. This is an open access article under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits use, distribution and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is

Measuring diffusion-relaxation correlation maps using non-uniform field gradients of single-sided NMR devices.

Science.gov (United States)

Nogueira d'Eurydice, Marcel; Galvosas, Petrik

2014-11-01

Single-sided NMR systems are becoming a relevant tool in industry and laboratory environments due to their low cost, low maintenance and capacity to evaluate quantity and quality of hydrogen based materials. The performance of such devices has improved significantly over the last decade, providing increased field homogeneity, field strength and even controlled static field gradients. For a class of these devices, the configuration of the permanent magnets provides a linear variation of the magnetic field and can be used in diffusion measurements. However, magnet design depends directly on its application and, according to the purpose, the field homogeneity may significantly be compromised. This may prevent the determination of diffusion properties of fluids based on the natural inhomogeneity of the field using known techniques. This work introduces a new approach that extends the applicability of diffusion-editing CPMG experiments to NMR devices with highly inhomogeneous magnetic fields, which do not vary linearly in space. Herein, we propose a method to determine a custom diffusion kernel based on the gradient distribution, which can be seen as a signature of each NMR device. This new diffusion kernel is then utilised in the 2D inverse Laplace transform (2D ILT) in order to determine diffusion-relaxation correlation maps of homogeneous multi-phasic fluids. The experiments were performed using NMR MObile Lateral Explore (MOLE), which is a single-sided NMR device designed to maximise the volume at the sweet spot with enhanced depth penetration. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Models of diffuse solar radiation

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Boland, John; Ridley, Barbara [Centre for Industrial and Applied Mathematics, University of South Australia, Mawson Lakes Boulevard, Mawson Lakes, SA 5095 (Australia); Brown, Bruce [Department of Statistics and Applied Probability, National University of Singapore, Singapore 117546 (Singapore)

2008-04-15

For some locations both global and diffuse solar radiation are measured. However, for many locations, only global is measured, or inferred from satellite data. For modelling solar energy applications, the amount of radiation on a tilted surface is needed. Since only the direct component on a tilted surface can be calculated from trigonometry, we need to have diffuse on the horizontal available. There are regression relationships for estimating the diffuse on a tilted surface from diffuse on the horizontal. Models for estimating the diffuse radiation on the horizontal from horizontal global that have been developed in Europe or North America have proved to be inadequate for Australia [Spencer JW. A comparison of methods for estimating hourly diffuse solar radiation from global solar radiation. Sol Energy 1982; 29(1): 19-32]. Boland et al. [Modelling the diffuse fraction of global solar radiation on a horizontal surface. Environmetrics 2001; 12: 103-16] developed a validated model for Australian conditions. We detail our recent advances in developing the theoretical framework for the approach reported therein, particularly the use of the logistic function instead of piecewise linear or simple nonlinear functions. Additionally, we have also constructed a method, using quadratic programming, for identifying values that are likely to be erroneous. This allows us to eliminate outliers in diffuse radiation values, the data most prone to errors in measurement. (author)

Simple simulation of diffusion bridges with application to likelihood inference for diffusions

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Bladt, Mogens; Sørensen, Michael

2014-01-01

the accuracy and efficiency of the approximate method and compare it to exact simulation methods. In the study, our method provides a very good approximation to the distribution of a diffusion bridge for bridges that are likely to occur in applications to statistical inference. To illustrate the usefulness......With a view to statistical inference for discretely observed diffusion models, we propose simple methods of simulating diffusion bridges, approximately and exactly. Diffusion bridge simulation plays a fundamental role in likelihood and Bayesian inference for diffusion processes. First a simple......-dimensional diffusions and is applicable to all one-dimensional diffusion processes with finite speed-measure. One advantage of the new approach is that simple simulation methods like the Milstein scheme can be applied to bridge simulation. Another advantage over previous bridge simulation methods is that the proposed...

Diffuse and localized reflectance measurements of hemoglobin and hematocrit in human skin

Science.gov (United States)

Khalil, Omar S.; Wu, Xiaomao; Yeh, Shu-Jen; Jeng, Tzyy-Wen

2001-05-01

We conducted visible/near infrared optical measurements on the forearm of human subjects using a commercial diffuse reflectance spectrophotometer, and a breadboard temperature- controlled localized reflectance tissue photometer. Calibration relationships were established between skin reflectance signal and reference blood hemoglobin (Hb) concentration, or hematocrit values (Hct). These were then used to predict Hb and Hct values from optical measurement in a cross validation analysis. Different linear least- squares models for the prediction of Hb and Hct are presented and shows the ability to predict both. It was possible to screen prospective blood donors with low Hb concentration. It was possible to predict anemic subjects in the limited prospective blood donor population.

Theory and experiments on surface diffusion

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Silvestri, W.L.

1998-11-01

The following topics were dealt with: adatom formation and self-diffusion on the Ni(100) surface, helium atom scattering measurements, surface-diffusion parameter measurements, embedded atom method calculations.

A study of the diffusion mechanisms in amorphous metallic alloys: diffusion and diffusion under high pressure in an amorphous NiZr alloy; Contribution a l`etude des mecanismes de transport dans les materiaux metalliques amorphes: diffusion et diffusion sous pression dans NiZr amorphe

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Grandjean, A.

1996-03-01

The aim of this work is a better understanding of the diffusion mechanism in amorphous metallic alloys. Then interdiffusion and hafnium diffusion in amorphous NiZr alloy have been studied. Samples used are made by sputtering co-deposition under vacuum and are well relaxed before the diffusion measurements. The time evolution of resistivity during annealing due to the decay of a composition modulated film has been measured and from this change in resistivity interdiffusion coefficients have been determined. Dependence of Hf diffusion on temperature and pressure has been studied using (SIMS). In this two cases, the diffusion process obeys an Arrhenius law and gives an activation energy of 1.33 eV for interdiffusion, and 0.76 eV for Hf diffusion. An effect of pressure on Hf diffusion has been found leading to an activation volume of 8.5 angstrom{sup 3}. Thanks to these results, two approaches of the diffusion mechanisms in these systems have been proposed. The first comes from a comparison with the diffusion mechanisms in crystalline metals, that is to say by point defects. The second is an hypothesis of collective motions in these non crystalline alloys. (author).

An objective measure for the sensitivity of room impulse response and its link to a diffuse sound field

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Prislan, Rok; Brunskog, Jonas; Jacobsen, Finn

2014-01-01

This study is relevant to acoustic measurements in reverberation rooms such as measurements of sound transmission, sound absorption, and sound power levels of noise sources. The study presents a quantitative measure for the diffuseness in a room, which is first introduced theoretically and sub...

A cryostatic setup for the low-temperature measurement of thermal diffusivity with the photothermal method

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bertolotti, M.; Liakhou, G.; Li Voti, R.; Paoloni, S.; Sibilia, C.; Sparvieri, N.

1995-01-01

A cryostatic setup is described to perform photothermal deflection measurements from room temperature to 77 K. The setup uses gaseous nitrogen as a medium where the photodeflection is produced. The ability of the system to work is demonstrated presenting some measurements of thermal diffusivity of high-temperature superconductor samples and of yttrium-iron garnets with variable aluminum content. copyright 1995 American Institute of Physics

Retrieval of optical properties of skin from measurement and modeling the diffuse reflectance

Science.gov (United States)

Douven, Lucien F. A.; Lucassen, Gerald W.

2000-06-01

We present results on the retrieval of skin optical properties obtained by fitting of measurements of the diffuse reflectance of human skin. Reflectance spectra are simulated using an analytical model based on the diffusion approximation. This model is implemented in a simplex fit routine. The skin optical model used consists of five layers representing epidermis, capillary blood plexus, dermis, deep blood plexus and hypodermis. The optical properties of each layer are assumed homogeneously distributed. The main optical absorbers included are melanin in epidermis and blood. The experimental setup consists of a HP photospectrometer equipped with a remote fiber head. Total reflectance spectra were measured in the 400 - 820 nm wavelength range on the volar underarm of 19 volunteers under various conditions influencing the blood content and oxygenation degree. Changes in the reflectance spectra were observed. Using the fit routine changes in blood content in the capillary blood plexus and in the deep blood plexus could be quantified. These showed different influences on the total reflectance. The method can be helpful to quantitatively assess changes in skin color appearance such as occurs in the treatment of port wine stains, blanching, skin irritation and tanning.

A technique to identify annual growth rings in Eucalyptus grandis using annual measurements of diameter at breast height and gamma ray densitometry

CSIR Research Space (South Africa)

Naidoo, Sasha

2010-06-01

Full Text Available A technique was developed to identify annual growth rings in E. grandis using a combination of annual measurements of diameter at breast height (DBH) from permanent sample plot (PSP) datasets and bark-pith density profiles. By assessing the pattern...

An axisymmetric diffusion experiment for the determination of diffusion and sorption coefficients of rock samples.

Science.gov (United States)

Takeda, M; Hiratsuka, T; Ito, K; Finsterle, S

2011-04-25

Diffusion anisotropy is a critical property in predicting migration of substances in sedimentary formations with very low permeability. The diffusion anisotropy of sedimentary rocks has been evaluated mainly from laboratory diffusion experiments, in which the directional diffusivities are separately estimated by through-diffusion experiments using different rock samples, or concurrently by in-diffusion experiments in which only the tracer profile in a rock block is measured. To estimate the diffusion anisotropy from a single rock sample, this study proposes an axisymmetric diffusion test, in which tracer diffuses between a cylindrical rock sample and a surrounding solution reservoir. The tracer diffusion between the sample and reservoir can be monitored from the reservoir tracer concentrations, and the tracer profile could also be obtained after dismantling the sample. Semi-analytical solutions are derived for tracer concentrations in both the reservoir and sample, accounting for an anisotropic diffusion tensor of rank two as well as the dilution effects from sampling and replacement of reservoir solution. The transient and steady-state analyses were examined experimentally and numerically for different experimental configurations, but without the need for tracer profiling. These experimental configurations are tested for in- and out-diffusion experiments using Koetoi and Wakkanai mudstones and Shirahama sandstone, and are scrutinized by a numerical approach to identify favorable conditions for parameter estimation. The analysis reveals the difficulty in estimating diffusion anisotropy; test configurations are proposed for enhanced identifiability of diffusion anisotropy. Moreover, it is demonstrated that the axisymmetric diffusion test is efficient in obtaining the sorption parameter from both steady-state and transient data, and in determining the effective diffusion coefficient if isotropic diffusion is assumed. Moreover, measuring reservoir concentrations in an

An asixymmetric diffusion experiment for the determination of diffusion and sorption coefficients of rock samples

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Takeda, M.; Hiratsuka, T.; Ito, K.; Finsterle, S.

2011-02-01

Diffusion anisotropy is a critical property in predicting migration of substances in sedimentary formations with very low permeability. The diffusion anisotropy of sedimentary rocks has been evaluated mainly from laboratory diffusion experiments, in which the directional diffusivities are separately estimated by through-diffusion experiments using different rock samples, or concurrently by in-diffusion experiments in which only the tracer profile in a rock block is measured. To estimate the diffusion anisotropy from a single rock sample, this study proposes an axisymmetric diffusion test, in which tracer diffuses between a cylindrical rock sample and a surrounding solution reservoir. The tracer diffusion between the sample and reservoir can be monitored from the reservoir tracer concentrations, and the tracer profile could also be obtained after dismantling the sample. Semi-analytical solutions are derived for tracer concentrations in both the reservoir and sample, accounting for an anisotropic diffusion tensor of rank two as well as the dilution effects from sampling and replacement of reservoir solution. The transient and steady-state analyses were examined experimentally and numerically for different experimental configurations, but without the need for tracer profiling. These experimental configurations are tested for in- and out-diffusion experiments using Koetoi and Wakkanai mudstones and Shirahama sandstone, and are scrutinized by a numerical approach to identify favorable conditions for parameter estimation. The analysis reveals the difficulty in estimating diffusion anisotropy; test configurations are proposed for enhanced identifiability of diffusion anisotropy. Moreover, it is demonstrated that the axisymmetric diffusion test is efficient in obtaining the sorption parameter from both steady-state and transient data, and in determining the effective diffusion coefficient if isotropic diffusion is assumed. Moreover, measuring reservoir concentrations in an

Transition Process from Diffuser Stall to Stage Stall in a Centrifugal Compressor with a Vaned Diffuser

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Nobumichi Fujisawa

2017-01-01

Full Text Available The transition process from a diffuser rotating stall to a stage stall in a centrifugal compressor with a vaned diffuser was investigated by experimental and numerical analyses. From the velocity measurements, it was found that the rotating stall existed on the shroud side of the diffuser passage in the off-design flow condition. The numerical results revealed the typical vortical structure of the diffuser stall. The diffuser stall cell was caused by the systematic vortical structure which consisted of the tornado-type vortex, the longitudinal vortex at the shroud/suction surface corner (i.e., leading edge vortex (LEV, and the vortex in the throat area of the diffuser passages. Furthermore, the stage stall, which rotated within both the impeller and diffuser passages, occurred instead of the diffuser stall as the mass flow rate was decreased. According to the velocity measurements at the diffuser inlet, the diffuser stall which rotated on the shroud side was shifted to the hub side. Then, the diffuser stall moved into the impeller passages and formed the stage stall. Therefore, the stage stall was caused by the development of the diffuser stall, which transferred from the shroud side to the hub side in the vaneless space and expanded to the impeller passages.

Magnetisation transfer measurements of the subcortical grey and white matter in Parkinson's disease with and without dementia and in progressive supranuclear palsy

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hanyu, H.; Asano, T.; Sakurai, H.; Takasaki, M.; Shindo, H.; Abe, K.

2001-01-01

We measured the magnetisation transfer ratio (MTR) in the subcortical grey and white matter of 11 patients with idiopathic Parkinson's disease (PD) without dementia, six with PD with dementia (PDD), six with progressive supranuclear palsy (PSP), and 12 elderly control subjects to assess regional differences in structural brain damage. There were no significant differences in MTR in any region between PD and controls. However, patients with PDD had significantly lower MTR in the subcortical white matter, including the frontal white matter and the genu of the corpus callosum than the controls, whereas PSP had significantly lower MTR in the subcortical grey matter, including the putamen, globus pallidus and thalamus, in addition to the subcortical white matter. This suggests that regional patterns of structural brain damage can be detected using the magnetisation transfer technique. Measurement of MTR in the subcortical grey and white matter may be useful in differential diagnosis. (orig.)

Diffusion length measurements in bulk and epitaxially grown 3-5 semiconductors using charge collection microscopy

Science.gov (United States)

Leon, R. P.

1987-01-01

Diffusion lengths and surface recombination velocities were measured in GaAs diodes and InP finished solar cells. The basic techniques used was charge collection microscopy also known as electron beam induced current (EBIC). The normalized currents and distances from the pn junction were read directly from the calibrated curves obtained while using the line scan mode in an SEM. These values were then equated to integral and infinite series expressions resulting from the solution of the diffusion equation with both extended generation and point generation functions. This expands previous work by examining both thin and thick samples. The surface recombination velocity was either treated as an unknown in a system of two equations, or measured directly using low e(-) beam accelerating voltages. These techniques give accurate results by accounting for the effects of surface recombination and the finite size of the generation volume.

Anomalous diffusion measured by a twice-refocused spin echo pulse sequence: analysis using fractional order calculus.

Science.gov (United States)

Gao, Qing; Srinivasan, Girish; Magin, Richard L; Zhou, Xiaohong Joe

2011-05-01

To theoretically develop and experimentally validate a formulism based on a fractional order calculus (FC) diffusion model to characterize anomalous diffusion in brain tissues measured with a twice-refocused spin-echo (TRSE) pulse sequence. The FC diffusion model is the fractional order generalization of the Bloch-Torrey equation. Using this model, an analytical expression was derived to describe the diffusion-induced signal attenuation in a TRSE pulse sequence. To experimentally validate this expression, a set of diffusion-weighted (DW) images was acquired at 3 Tesla from healthy human brains using a TRSE sequence with twelve b-values ranging from 0 to 2600 s/mm(2). For comparison, DW images were also acquired using a Stejskal-Tanner diffusion gradient in a single-shot spin-echo echo planar sequence. For both datasets, a Levenberg-Marquardt fitting algorithm was used to extract three parameters: diffusion coefficient D, fractional order derivative in space β, and a spatial parameter μ (in units of μm). Using adjusted R-squared values and standard deviations, D, β, and μ values and the goodness-of-fit in three specific regions of interest (ROIs) in white matter, gray matter, and cerebrospinal fluid, respectively, were evaluated for each of the two datasets. In addition, spatially resolved parametric maps were assessed qualitatively. The analytical expression for the TRSE sequence, derived from the FC diffusion model, accurately characterized the diffusion-induced signal loss in brain tissues at high b-values. In the selected ROIs, the goodness-of-fit and standard deviations for the TRSE dataset were comparable with the results obtained from the Stejskal-Tanner dataset, demonstrating the robustness of the FC model across multiple data acquisition strategies. Qualitatively, the D, β, and μ maps from the TRSE dataset exhibited fewer artifacts, reflecting the improved immunity to eddy currents. The diffusion-induced signal attenuation in a TRSE pulse sequence

Diffusion tensor imaging of the cervical spinal cord in healthy adult population: normative values and measurement reproducibility at 3T MRI.

Science.gov (United States)

Brander, Antti; Koskinen, Eerika; Luoto, Teemu M; Hakulinen, Ullamari; Helminen, Mika; Savilahti, Sirpa; Ryymin, Pertti; Dastidar, Prasun; Ohman, Juha

2014-05-01

Compared to diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) of the brain, there is a paucity of reports addressing the applicability of DTI in the evaluation of the spinal cord. Most normative data of cervical spinal cord DTI consist of relatively small and arbitrarily collected populations. Comprehensive normative data are necessary for clinical decision-making. To establish normal values for cervical spinal cord DTI metrics with region of interest (ROI)- and fiber tractography (FT)-based measurements and to assess the reproducibility of both measurement methods. Forty healthy adults underwent cervical spinal cord 3T MRI. Sagittal and axial conventional T2 sequences and DTI in the axial plane were performed. Whole cord fractional anisotropy (FA) and apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) values were determined at different cervical levels from C2 to C7 using the ROI method. DTI metrics (FA, axial, and radial diffusivities based on eigenvalues λ1, λ2, and λ3, and ADC) of the lateral and posterior funicles were measured at C3 level. FA and ADC of the whole cord and the lateral and posterior funicles were also measured using quantitative tractography. Intra- and inter-observer variation of the measurement methods were assessed. Whole cord FA values decreased and ADC values increased in the rostral to caudal direction from C2 to C7. Between the individual white matter funicles no statistically significant difference for FA or ADC values was found. Both axial diffusivity and radial diffusivity of both lateral funicles differed significantly from those of the posterior funicle. Neither gender nor age correlated with any of the DTI metrics. Intra-observer variation of the measurements for whole cord FA and ADC showed almost perfect agreement with both ROI and tractography-based measurements. There was more variation in measurements of individual columns. Inter-observer agreement varied from moderate to strong for whole cord FA and ADC. Both ROI- and FT-based measurements are applicable

Measurement setup for the simultaneous determination of diffusivity and Seebeck coefficient in a multi-anvil apparatus.

Science.gov (United States)

Jacobsen, M K; Liu, W; Li, B

2012-09-01

In this paper, a high pressure setup is presented for performing simultaneous measurements of Seebeck coefficient and thermal diffusivity in multianvil apparatus for the purpose of enhancing the study of transport phenomena. Procedures for the derivation of Seebeck coefficient and thermal diffusivity/conductivity, as well as their associated sources of errors, are presented in detail, using results obtained on the filled skutterudite, Ce(0.8)Fe(3)CoSb(12,) up to 12 GPa at ambient temperature. Together with recent resistivity and sound velocity measurements in the same apparatus, these developments not only provide the necessary data for a self-consistent and complete characterization of the figure of merit of thermoelectric materials under pressure, but also serve as an important tool for furthering our knowledge of the dynamics and interplay between these transport phenomena.

Diffusion measurement of intraplaque hemorrhage and intramural hematoma using diffusion weighted MRI at 3T in cervical artery

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Yao, Bin [The Second Affiliated Hospital of Nanchang University, Nanchang, Jiangxi (China); Yang, Li [Fudan University, Department of Radiology, Shanghai Institute of Medical Imaging, Zhongshan Hospital, Shanghai (China); Wang, Guangbin; Shi, Honglu; Wang, Shanshan; Li, Huihua [Shandong University, Shandong Medical Imaging Research Institute, Jinan, Shandong (China); Chen, Weibo; Chan, Queenie [Philips Healthcare, Shanghai (China)

2016-10-15

To assess the difference between carotid haemorrhagic plaque and non-haemorrhagic plaque by using diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI) and to evaluate carotid intraplaque haemorrhage (IPH) and intramural hematoma (IMH) of cervical artery dissection with apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) measurement. Fifty-one symptomatic patients underwent 3.0-T carotid MR imaging, including conventional sequences, three-dimensional (3D) magnetization-prepared rapid acquisition gradient-echo (MPRAGE) sequence, and DWI. Thirty-nine patients with carotid plaque and eight patients with IMH of cervical artery dissection were finally included. The groups of hemorrhagic plaque, non-hemorrhagic plaque and IMH were divided according to 3D MPRAGE sequence. ADC values of different groups were measured, and t tests were performed. The mean ADC values of hemorrhagic plaques, non-hemorrhagic plaque and IMH were (1.284 ± 0.327) x 10{sup -3}mm{sup 2}/s, (1.766 ± 0.477) x 10{sup -3}mm{sup 2}/s, and (0.563 ± 0.119) x 10{sup -3}mm{sup 2}/s, respectively. The mean ADC values of hemorrhagic and non-hemorrhagic regions in the hemorrhagic plaque group were (0.985 ± 0.376) x 10{sup -3}mm{sup 2}/s and (1.480 ± 0.465) x 10{sup -3}mm{sup 2}/s, respectively. The differences between the hemorrhagic plaque and non-hemorrhagic plaque, hemorrhagic region and non-hemorrhagic region in hemorrhagic plaque, and the hemorrhagic region in the hemorrhagic plaque and IMH of artery dissection were significant (P < 0.05). DWI may be a useful complement to conventional MR imaging for identifying haemorrhage of carotid plaques and differentiate IMHs from IPH. (orig.)

Theoretical description of the photopyroelectric technique in the slanted detector configuration for thermal diffusivity measurements in fluids

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rojas-Trigos, J.B.; Marín, E.; Mansanares, A.M.; Cedeño, E.; Juárez-Gracia, G.; Calderón, A.

2014-01-01

Highlights: • A model for photopyroelectric thermal characterization of fluids is presented. • A slanted detector configuration is considered with a finite measurement cell. • The mean temperature distribution in the photopyroelectric detector, as function of the beam spot position, is calculated. • The influence of the excitation beam spot size, the thermal diffusion length and size of the sample is discussed. • The high lateral resolution of the method observed in experiments is explain. - Abstract: This work presents an extended description about the theoretical aspects related to the generation of the photopyroelectric signal in a recently proposed wedge-like heat transmission detection configuration, which recreates the well-known Angstrom method (widely used for solid samples) for accurate thermal diffusivity measurement in gases and liquids. The presented model allows for the calculation of the temperature profile detected by the pyroelectric sensor as a function of the excitation beam position, and the study of the influence on it of several parameters, such as spot size, thermal properties of the absorber layer, and geometrical parameters of the measurement cell. Through computer simulations, it has been demonstrated that a narrow temperature distribution is created at the sensor surface, independently of the lateral diffusion of heat taking place at the sample's surface

Enhancement of diffusers BRDF accuracy

Science.gov (United States)

Otter, Gerard; Bazalgette Courrèges-Lacoste, Gregory; van Brug, Hedser; Schaarsberg, Jos Groote; Delwart, Steven; del Bello, Umberto

2017-11-01

This paper reports the result of an ESA study conducted at TNO to investigate properties of various diffusers. Diffusers are widely used in space instruments as part of the on-board absolute calibration. Knowledge of the behaviour of the diffuser is therefore most important. From measurements of launched instruments in-orbit it has been discovered that when a diffuser is used in the vacuum of space the BRDF can change with respect to the one in ambient conditions. This is called the air/vacuum effect and has been simulated in this study by measuring the BRDF in a laboratory in ambient as well as vacuum conditions. Another studied effect is related to the design parameters of the optical system and the scattering properties of the diffuser. The effect is called Spectral Features and is a noise like structure superimposed on the diffuser BRDF. Modern space spectrometers, which have high spectral resolution and/or a small field of view (high spatial resolution) are suffering from this effect. The choice of diffuser can be very critical with respect to the required absolute radiometric calibration of an instrument. Even if the Spectral Features are small it can influence the error budget of the retrieval algorithms for the level 2 products. in this presentation diffuser trade-off results are presented and the Spectral Features model applied to the optical configuration of the MERIS instrument is compared to in-flight measurements of MERIS.

Comparison of ultraviolet Bi-directional Reflectance Distribution Function (BRDF) measurements of diffusers used in the calibration of the Total Ozone Mapping Spectrometer (TOMS)

OpenAIRE

Butler, J.J.; Park, H.; Barnes, P.Y.; Early, E.A.; Eijk-Olij, C. van; Zoutman, A.E.; Buller-Leeuwen, S. van; Groote Schaarsberg, J.

2002-01-01

The measurement and long-term monitoring of global total ozone by ultraviolet albedo measuring satellite instruments require accurate and precise determination of the Bi-directional Reflectance Distribution Function (BRDF) of laboratory-based diffusers used in the pre-launch calibration of those instruments. To assess the ability of laboratories to provide accurate Ultra Violet (UV) diffuse BRDF measurements, a BRDF measurement comparison was initiated by the NASA Total Ozone Mapping Spectrom...

Optical Transient-Grating Measurements of Spin Diffusion and Relaxation in a Two-Dimensional Electron Gas

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Weber, Christopher P.

2005-01-01

Spin diffusion in n-GaAs quantum wells, as measured by our optical transient-grating technique, is strongly suppressed relative to that of charge. Over a broad range of temperatures and dopings, the suppression of Ds relative to Dc agrees quantitatively with the prediction of ''spin Coulomb dra'' theory, which takes into account the exchange of spin in electron-electron collisions. Moreover, the spin-diffusion length, Ls, is a nearly constant 1 micrometer over the same range of T and n, despite Ds's varying by nearly two orders of magnitude. This constancy supports the D'yakonov-Perel'-Kachorovskii model of spin relaxation through interrupted precessional dephasing in the spin-orbit field

Diffusion-weighted MR imaging of the normal pancreas: reproducibility and variations of apparent diffusion coefficient measurement at 1.5- and 3.0-Tesla.

Science.gov (United States)

Barral, M; Soyer, P; Ben Hassen, W; Gayat, E; Aout, M; Chiaradia, M; Rahmouni, A; Luciani, A

2013-04-01

To evaluate reproducibility and variations in apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) measurement in normal pancreatic parenchyma at 1.5- and 3.0-Tesla and determine if differences may exist between the four pancreatic segments. Diffusion-weighted MR imaging of the pancreas was performed at 1.5-Tesla in 20 patients and at 3.0-Tesla in other 20 patients strictly matched for gender and age using the same b values (0, 400 and 800s/mm(2)). Two independent observers placed regions of interest within the four pancreatic segments to measure ADC at both fields. Intra- and inter-observer agreement in ADC measurement was assessed using Bland-Altman analysis and comparison between ADC values obtained at both fields using non-parametrical tests. There were no significant differences in ADC between repeated measurements and between ADC obtained at 1.5-Tesla and those at 3.0-Tesla. The 95% limits of intra-observer agreement between ADC were 2.3%-22.7% at 1.5-Tesla and 1%-24.2% at 3.0-Tesla and those for inter-observer agreement between 1.9%-14% at 1.5-Tesla and 8%-25% at 3.0-Tesla. ADC values were similar in all pancreatic segments at 3.0-T whereas the tail had lower ADC at 1.5-Tesla. ADC measurement conveys high degrees of intra- and inter-observer reproducibility. ADC have homogeneous distribution among the four pancreatic segments at 3.0-Tesla. Copyright © 2012 Éditions françaises de radiologie. Published by Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.

Measuring groundwater transport through lake sediments by advection and diffusion

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Cornett, R.J.; Risto, B.A.; Lee, D.R.

1989-08-01

A method for estimating low rates of groundwater inflow and outflow through the bottom sediments of surface waters was developed and tested. A one-dimensional advection-diffusion model was fitted to measured pore water profiles of two nonreactive solutes, tritiated water and chloride, and the advection rate was calculated by a nonlinear least squares technique. Using 3 H profiles measured 0-0.5 m below the sediment-water interface, rates of groundwater advection into a lake through interbedded sands and gyttja were estimated to be about 1.0 m/year. In midlake locations underlain by soft organic gyttja, rates of advection were much lower (<0.1 m/year). Knowledge of the rate and direction of groundwater flow substantially altered the interpretation of pore water profiles within the sediments and the fluxes of solutes. This technique can be used to estimate flow rates less than 2 m/annum with minimal disturbance, without enclosing the sediments in a container, in a diversity of systems. (author)

Diffusion properties of NAA in human corpus callosum as studied with diffusion tensor spectroscopy.

Science.gov (United States)

Upadhyay, Jaymin; Hallock, Kevin; Erb, Kelley; Kim, Dae-Shik; Ronen, Itamar

2007-11-01

In diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) the anisotropic movement of water is exploited to characterize microstructure. One confounding issue of DTI is the presence of intra- and extracellular components contributing to the measured diffusivity. This causes an ambiguity in determining the underlying cause of diffusion properties, particularly the fractional anisotropy (FA). In this study an intracellular constituent, N-acetyl aspartate (NAA), was used to probe intracellular diffusion, while water molecules were used to probe the combined intra- and extracellular diffusion. NAA and water diffusion measurements were made in anterior and medial corpus callosum (CC) regions, which are referred to as R1 and R2, respectively. FA(NAA) was found to be greater than FA(Water) in both CC regions, thus indicating a higher degree of anisotropy within the intracellular space in comparison to the combined intra- and extracellular spaces. A decreasing trend in the FA of NAA and water was observed between R1 and R2, while the radial diffusivity (RD) for both molecules increased. The increase in RD(NAA) is particularly significant, thus explaining the more significant decrease in FA(NAA) between the two regions. It is suggested that diffusion tensor spectroscopy of NAA can potentially be used to further characterize microscopic anatomic organization in white matter. Copyright 2007 Wiley-Liss, Inc.

Apparent diffusion coefficient measurement in glioma: Influence of region-of-interest determination methods on apparent diffusion coefficient values, interobserver variability, time efficiency, and diagnostic ability.

Science.gov (United States)

Han, Xu; Suo, Shiteng; Sun, Yawen; Zu, Jinyan; Qu, Jianxun; Zhou, Yan; Chen, Zengai; Xu, Jianrong

2017-03-01

To compare four methods of region-of-interest (ROI) placement for apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) measurements in distinguishing low-grade gliomas (LGGs) from high-grade gliomas (HGGs). Two independent readers measured ADC parameters using four ROI methods (single-slice [single-round, five-round and freehand] and whole-volume) on 43 patients (20 LGGs, 23 HGGs) who had undergone 3.0 Tesla diffusion-weighted imaging and time required for each method of ADC measurements was recorded. Intraclass correlation coefficients (ICCs) were used to assess interobserver variability of ADC measurements. Mean and minimum ADC values and time required were compared using paired Student's t-tests. All ADC parameters (mean/minimum ADC values of three single-slice methods, mean/minimum/standard deviation/skewness/kurtosis/the10 th and 25 th percentiles/median/maximum of whole-volume method) were correlated with tumor grade (low versus high) by unpaired Student's t-tests. Discriminative ability was determined by receiver operating characteristic curves. All ADC measurements except minimum, skewness, and kurtosis of whole-volume ROI differed significantly between LGGs and HGGs (all P determination methods. Whole-volume histogram analysis did not yield better results than single-slice methods and took longer. Mean ADC value derived from single-round ROI is the most optimal parameter for differentiating LGGs from HGGs. 3 J. Magn. Reson. Imaging 2017;45:722-730. © 2016 International Society for Magnetic Resonance in Medicine.

Neuromelanin imaging and midbrain volumetry in progressive supranuclear palsy and Parkinson's disease.

Science.gov (United States)

Taniguchi, Daisuke; Hatano, Taku; Kamagata, Koji; Okuzumi, Ayami; Oji, Yutaka; Mori, Akio; Hori, Masaaki; Aoki, Shigeki; Hattori, Nobutaka

2018-05-14

Background Nigral degeneration patterns differ between PSP and PD. However, the relationship between nigral degeneration and midbrain atrophy in PSP remains unclear. Objective We analyzed differences and relationships between nigral degeneration and midbrain atrophy in PSP and PD. Methods Neuromelanin-sensitive MRI and midbrain volumetry were performed in 11 PSP patients, 24 PD patients, and 10 controls to measure the neuromelanin-sensitive SNpc area and midbrain volume. Results The neuromelanin-sensitive SNpc area and midbrain volume were significantly smaller in PSP patients compared with PD patients and controls. Motor deficits were inversely correlated with neuromelanin-sensitive SNpc area in PD, but not PSP patients. There was no significant correlation between neuromelanin-sensitive SNpc area and midbrain volume in either disease group. Midbrain volumetry discriminated PSP from PD. Diagnostic accuracy was improved when neuromelanin-sensitive MRI analysis was added. Conclusions Neuromelanin-sensitive MRI and midbrain volumetry may reflect the clinical and pathological characteristics of PSP and PD. Combining neuromelanin-sensitive MRI and midbrain volumetry may be useful for differentiating PSP from PD. © 2018 International Parkinson and Movement Disorder Society. © 2018 International Parkinson and Movement Disorder Society.

Hemodynamic measurements in rat brain and human muscle using diffuse near-infrared absorption and correlation spectroscopies

Science.gov (United States)

Yu, Guoqiang; Durduran, Turgut; Furuya, D.; Lech, G.; Zhou, Chao; Chance, Britten; Greenberg, J. H.; Yodh, Arjun G.

2003-07-01

Measurement of concentration, oxygenation, and flow characteristics of blood cells can reveal information about tissue metabolism and functional heterogeneity. An improved multifunctional hybrid system has been built on the basis of our previous hybrid instrument that combines two near-infrared diffuse optical techniques to simultaneously monitor the changes of blood flow, total hemoglobin concentration (THC) and blood oxygen saturation (StO2). Diffuse correlation spectroscopy (DCS) monitors blood flow (BF) by measuring the optical phase shifts caused by moving blood cells, while diffuse photon density wave spectroscopy (DPDW) measures tissue absorption and scattering. Higher spatial resolution, higher data acquisition rate and higher dynamic range of the improved system allow us to monitor rapid hemodynamic changes in rat brain and human muscles. We have designed two probes with different source-detector pairs and different separations for the two types of experiments. A unique non-contact probe mounted on the back of a camera, which allows continuous measurements without altering the blood flow, was employed to in vivo monitor the metabolic responses in rat brain during KCl induced cortical spreading depression (CSD). A contact probe was used to measure changes of blood flow and oxygenation in human muscle during and after cuff occlusion or exercise, where the non-contact probe is not appropriate for monitoring the moving target. The experimental results indicate that our multifunctional hybrid system is capable of in vivo and non-invasive monitoring of the hemodynamic changes in different tissues (smaller tissues in rat brain, larger tissues in human muscle) under different conditions (static versus moving). The time series images of flow during CSD obtained by our technique revealed spatial and temporal hemodynamic changes in rat brain. Two to three fold longer recovery times of flow and oxygenation after cuff occlusion or exercise from calf flexors in a

Measurements of brain microstructure and connectivity with diffusion MRI

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ching-Po Lin

2011-12-01

Full Text Available By probing direction-dependent diffusivity of water molecules, diffusion MRI has shown its capability to reflect the microstructural tissue status and to estimate the neural orientation and pathways in the living brain. This approach has supplied novel insights into in-vivo human brain connections. By detecting the connection patterns, anatomical architecture and structural integrity between cortical regions or subcortical nuclei in the living human brain can be easily identified. It thus opens a new window on brain connectivity studies and disease processes. During the past years, there is a growing interest in exploring the connectivity patterns of the human brain. Specifically, the utilities of noninvasive neuroimaging data and graph theoretical analysis have provided important insights into the anatomical connections and topological pattern of human brain structural networks in vivo. Here, we review the progress of this important technique and the recent methodological and application studies utilizing graph theoretical approaches on brain structural networks with structural MRI and diffusion MRI.

Self-diffusion in isotopically enriched silicon carbide and its correlation with dopant diffusion

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rueschenschmidt, K.; Bracht, H.; Stolwijk, N.A.; Laube, M.; Pensl, G.; Brandes, G.R.

2004-01-01

Diffusion of 13 C and 30 Si in silicon carbide was performed with isotopically enriched 4H- 28 Si 12 C/ nat SiC heterostructures which were grown by chemical vapor phase epitaxy. After diffusion annealing at temperatures between 2000 deg. C and 2200 deg. C the 30 Si and 13 C profiles were measured by means of secondary ion mass spectrometry. We found that the Si and C diffusivity is of the same order of magnitude but several orders of magnitude lower than earlier data reported in the literature. Both Si and C tracer diffusion coefficients are in satisfactory agreement with the native point defect contribution to self-diffusion deduced from B diffusion in SiC. This reveals that the native defect which mediates B diffusion also controls self-diffusion. Assuming that B atoms within the extended tail region of B profiles are mainly dissolved on C sites, we propose that B diffuses via the kick-out mechanism involving C interstitials. Accordingly, C diffusion should proceed mainly via C interstitials. The mechanism of Si diffusion remains unsolved but Si may diffuse via both Si vacancies and interstitials, with the preference for either species depending on the doping level

Experimental study of radon and thoron diffusion through barriers

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Durcik, M; Havlik, F [Inst. of Preventive and Clinical Medicine, 83301 Bratislava (Slovakia)

1996-12-31

The measurement results of diffusion parameters for radon (radon-222) and thoron (radon-220) through barriers, experimental equipment and theoretical background of diffusion are presented in this paper. The diffusion barriers are used for measuring radon and thoron by passive detectors in order to test the reduction techniques in houses. Six samples (filter paper, rubber, polyethylene, glass laminate, polypropylene) were studied for radon diffusion. The thickness barriers were from 0.012 mm to 2 mm, the diffusion area was 16 cm{sup 2} and the volume V{sub 2} was 30 dm{sup 3}. The diffusion constants D were obtained using given expressions and the data from measurements. The procedures used in experiments are useful for study of diffusion ability of radon and thoron in barriers and determination diffusion parameters from short term measurements. (J.K.). 2 figs., 1 tab., 3 refs.

Experimental study of radon and thoron diffusion through barriers

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Durcik, M.; Havlik, F.

1995-01-01

The measurement results of diffusion parameters for radon (radon-222) and thoron (radon-220) through barriers, experimental equipment and theoretical background of diffusion are presented in this paper. The diffusion barriers are used for measuring radon and thoron by passive detectors in order to test the reduction techniques in houses. Six samples (filter paper, rubber, polyethylene, glass laminate, polypropylene) were studied for radon diffusion. The thickness barriers were from 0.012 mm to 2 mm, the diffusion area was 16 cm 2 and the volume V 2 was 30 dm 3 . The diffusion constants D were obtained using given expressions and the data from measurements. The procedures used in experiments are useful for study of diffusion ability of radon and thoron in barriers and determination diffusion parameters from short term measurements. (J.K.). 2 figs., 1 tab., 3 refs

Aplicando la Metodología PSP para el Desarrollo de un Sistema de Reconocimiento de Gestos

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Erik Ramos Pérez

2015-12-01

Full Text Available MUDI es un sistema reconocedor de gestos, capaz de detectar el acercamiento, rotación y cambiar de pieza arqueológica modeladas en 3D existentes en el MureH. El sistema está contextualizado para un museo interactivo en el que los usuarios puedan descubrir las características de las piezas de una forma entretenida y divertida. Para desarrollar el sistema se utilizó PSP, el cual es una metodología encaminada al proceso personal, establecido y regido por etapas bien establecidas, una de ellas es el diseño que permite tener una buena estructura del sistema traduciéndose en una fácil implementación y control de los errores de codificación, así como el manejo de los requerimientos. Para medir la interacción, efectividad y facilidad de uso de MUDI se usaron técnicas de usabilidad, obteniendo resultados favorables, específicamente el acercamiento tuvo una calificación de 4.8, rotación de 4.0 y cambiar pieza de 4.4 en una escala del 0 al 5. Los usuarios manifestaron gran aceptación y buenos comentarios puesto que con MUDI se olvidaban de las visitas tradicionales.

A development of simulation and analytical program for through-diffusion experiments for a single layer of diffusion media

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sato, Haruo

2001-01-01

A program (TDROCK1. FOR) for simulation and analysis of through-diffusion experiments for a single layer of diffusion media was developed. This program was made by Pro-Fortran language, which was suitable for scientific and technical calculations, and relatively easy explicit difference method was adopted for an analysis. In the analysis, solute concentration in the tracer cell as a function of time that we could not treat to date can be input and the decrease in the solute concentration as a function of time by diffusion from the tracer cell to the measurement cell, the solute concentration distribution in the porewater of diffusion media and the solute concentration in the measurement cell as a function of time can be calculated. In addition, solution volume in both cells and diameter and thickness of the diffusion media are also variable as an input condition. This simulation program could well explain measured result by simulating solute concentration in the measurement cell as a function of time for case which apparent and effective diffusion coefficients were already known. Based on this, the availability and applicability of this program to actual analysis and simulation were confirmed. This report describes the theoretical treatment for the through-diffusion experiments for a single layer of diffusion media, analytical model, an example of source program and the manual. (author)

Contribution to the study of the interfacial diffusion

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Perinet, Francois.

1975-07-01

The diffusion behaviour of matrix-precipitate boundaries is the same as that of interphase boundaries prepared by welding. Therefore the latter can be used to measure diffusivity along interphase boundaries. Diffusion rates of silver along copper-silver interfaces prepared by welding single crystals have been measured. The interfacial diffusion coefficients deduced through different analytical solutions of the diffusion equations, yield for the activation energy and the frequency factor values close to: Q(i)=65kcal/mole Dsub(i)sup(o) delta=100cm 3 .s -1 . These results seem to indicate that, in agreement with Bondy's and Job's previous results, the activation energies for interfacial diffusion are high. Furthermore it is shown that the misorientation between the two phases building the interface has an influence on the measured diffusion coefficients [fr

The physical self in motion: within-person change and associations of change in self-esteem, physical self-concept, and physical activity in adolescent girls.

Science.gov (United States)

Lindwall, Magnus; Asci, Hulya; Crocker, Peter

2014-12-01

The purpose of this study was to examine patterns of within-person change, and associations of change, in global self-esteem (GSE), physical self-perceptions (PSP), and physical activity in a sample of 705 Canadian adolescent girls over three measurements points and 24 months. The Physical Self-Perceptions Profile (PSPP) was used to measure GSE and PSP, and the Physical Activity Questionnaire for Adolescents (PAQ-A) was used to assess physical activity. Latent growth curve models were used to analyze the data. All PSP variables except for body attractiveness demonstrated significant average decline, but also significant was the change in between-person heterogeneity. Change in GSE and PSP was moderately to strongly related on a between-person level and weakly to moderately associated on a within-person level. Change in physical activity was related to change in the majority of the PSP variables but not to change in GSE.

Thermal diffusion (1963)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lemarechal, A.

1963-01-01

This report brings together the essential principles of thermal diffusion in the liquid and gaseous phases. The macroscopic and molecular aspects of the thermal diffusion constant are reviewed, as well as the various measurement method; the most important developments however concern the operation of the CLUSIUS and DICKEL thermo-gravitational column and its applications. (author) [fr

Optical Transient-Grating Measurements of Spin Diffusion andRelaxation in a Two-Dimensional Electron Gas

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Weber, Christopher Phillip [Univ. of California, Berkeley, CA (United States)

2005-01-01

Spin diffusion in n-GaAs quantum wells, as measured by our optical transient-grating technique, is strongly suppressed relative to that of charge. Over a broad range of temperatures and dopings, the suppression of Ds relative to Dc agrees quantitatively with the prediction of ''spin Coulomb dra'' theory, which takes into account the exchange of spin in electron-electron collisions. Moreover, the spin-diffusion length, Ls, is a nearly constant 1 micrometer over the same range of T and n, despite Ds's varying by nearly two orders of magnitude. This constancy supports the D'yakonov-Perel'-Kachorovskii model of spin relaxation through interrupted precessional dephasing in the spin-orbit field.

Oxygen diffusion in monazite

Science.gov (United States)

Cherniak, D. J.; Zhang, X. Y.; Nakamura, M.; Watson, E. B.

2004-09-01

We report measurements of oxygen diffusion in natural monazites under both dry, 1-atm conditions and hydrothermal conditions. For dry experiments, 18O-enriched CePO4 powder and monazite crystals were sealed in Ag-Pd capsules with a solid buffer (to buffer at NNO) and annealed in 1-atm furnaces. Hydrothermal runs were conducted in cold-seal pressure vessels, where monazite grains were encapsulated with 18O-enriched water. Following the diffusion anneals, oxygen concentration profiles were measured with Nuclear Reaction Analysis (NRA) using the reaction 18O(p,α)15N. Over the temperature range 850-1100 °C, the Arrhenius relation determined for dry diffusion experiments on monazite is given by: Under wet conditions at 100 MPa water pressure, over the temperature range 700-880 °C, oxygen diffusion can be described by the Arrhenius relationship: Oxygen diffusion under hydrothermal conditions has a significantly lower activation energy for diffusion than under dry conditions, as has been found the case for many other minerals, both silicate and nonsilicate. Given these differences in activation energies, the differences between dry and wet diffusion rates increase with lower temperatures; for example, at 600 °C, dry diffusion will be more than 4 orders of magnitude slower than diffusion under hydrothermal conditions. These disparate diffusivities will result in pronounced differences in the degree of retentivity of oxygen isotope signatures. For instance, under dry conditions (presumably rare in the crust) and high lower-crustal temperatures (∼800 °C), monazite cores of 70-μm radii will preserve O isotope ratios for about 500,000 years; by comparison, they would be retained at this temperature under wet conditions for about 15,000 years.

Diffusion in compacted betonite

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Muurinen, A.; Rantanen, J.

1985-01-01

The objective of this report is to collect the literature bearing on the diffusion in compacted betonite, which has been suggested as possible buffer material for the disposal of spent fuel. Diffusion in a porous, water-saturated material is usually described as diffusion in the pore-water where sorption on the solid matter can delay the migration in the instationary state. There are also models which take into consideration that the sorbed molecules can also move while being sorbed. Diffusion experiments in compacted bentonite have been reported by many authors. Gases, anions, cations and actinides have been used as diffusing molecules. The report collects the results and the information on the measurement methods. On the basis of the results can be concluded that different particles possibly follow different diffusion mechanisms. The parameters which affect the diffusion seem to be for example the size, the electric charge and the sorption properties of the diffusing molecule. The report also suggest the parameters to be used in the diffusion calculation of the safety analyses of spent fuel disposal. (author)

The measuring technique developed to evaluate the thermal diffusivity of the multi-layered thin film specimens

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Li Tse-Chang

2017-01-01

Full Text Available In the present study, the thermal diffusivities of the Al, Si and ITO films deposited on the SUS304 steel substrate are evaluated via the present technique. Before applying this technique, the temperature for the thin film of the multi-layered specimen is developed theoretically for the one- dimensional steady heat conduction in response to amplitude and frequency of the periodically oscillating temperature imposed by a peltier placed beneath the specimen's substrate. By the thermal-electrical data processing system excluding the lock-in amplifier, the temperature frequency a3 has been proved first to be independent of the electrical voltage applied to the peltier and the contact position of the thermocouples. The experimental data of phase difference for three kinds of specimen are regressed well by a straight line with a slope. Then, the thermal diffusivity of the thin film is thus determined if the slope value and the film- thickness are available. In the present arrangements for the thermocouples, two thermal diffusivity values are quite close each other and valid for every kind of specimen. This technique can provide an efficient, low-cost method for the thermal diffusivity measurements of thin films.

Measurements of beam halo diffusion and population density in the Tevatron and in the Large Hadron Collider

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Stancari, Giulio [Fermilab

2015-03-01

Halo dynamics influences global accelerator performance: beam lifetimes, emittance growth, dynamic aperture, and collimation efficiency. Halo monitoring and control are also critical for the operation of high-power machines. For instance, in the high-luminosity upgrade of the LHC, the energy stored in the beam tails may reach several megajoules. Fast losses can result in superconducting magnet quenches, magnet damage, or even collimator deformation. The need arises to measure the beam halo and to remove it at controllable rates. In the Tevatron and in the LHC, halo population densities and diffusivities were measured with collimator scans by observing the time evolution of losses following small inward or outward collimator steps, under different experimental conditions: with single beams and in collision, and, in the case of the Tevatron, with a hollow electron lens acting on a subset of bunches. After the LHC resumes operations, it is planned to compare measured diffusivities with the known strength of transverse damper excitations. New proposals for nondestructive halo population density measurements are also briefly discussed.

Quantitative diffusion and swelling kinetic measurements using large-angle interferometric refractometry.

Science.gov (United States)

Saunders, John E; Chen, Hao; Brauer, Chris; Clayton, McGregor; Chen, Weijian; Barnes, Jack A; Loock, Hans-Peter

2015-12-07

The uptake and release of sorbates into films and coatings is typically accompanied by changes of the films' refractive index and thickness. We provide a comprehensive model to calculate the concentration of the sorbate from the average refractive index and the film thickness, and validate the model experimentally. The mass fraction of the analyte partitioned into a film is described quantitatively by the Lorentz-Lorenz equation and the Clausius-Mosotti equation. To validate the model, the uptake kinetics of water and other solvents into SU-8 films (d = 40-45 μm) were explored. Large-angle interferometric refractometry measurements can be used to characterize films that are between 15 μm to 150 μm thick and, Fourier analysis, is used to determine independently the thickness, the average refractive index and the refractive index at the film-substrate interface at one-second time intervals. From these values the mass fraction of water in SU-8 was calculated. The kinetics were best described by two independent uptake processes having different rates. Each process followed one-dimensional Fickian diffusion kinetics with diffusion coefficients for water into SU-8 photoresist film of 5.67 × 10(-9) cm(2) s(-1) and 61.2 × 10(-9) cm(2) s(-1).

Permeation measurement of gestodene for some biodegradable materials using Franz diffusion cells.

Science.gov (United States)

Liu, Danhua; Zhang, Chong; Zhang, Xiaowei; Zhen, Zhu; Wang, Ping; Li, Jianxin; Yi, Dongxu; Jin, Ying; Yang, Dan

2015-09-01

Biodegradable poly(d,l-lactide) (PDLLA), Poly(trimethylene carbonate) (PTMC), polycaprolactone (PCL), poly(caprolactone-co-d,l-lactide) (PCDLLA) and poly(trimethylene carbonate-co-caprolactone) (PTCL) are recently used for clinical drug delivery system such as subcutaneous contraceptive implant capsule due to their biodegradable properties that they could possess long-term stable performance in vivo without removal, however their permeation rate is unknown. In the work, biodegradable material membranes were prepared by solvent evaporation using chloroform, and commercial silicone rubber membrane served as a control. Gestodene was used as a model drug. Gestodene has high biologic progestational activity which allows for high contraceptive reliability at very low-dose levels. The permeation rate of gestodene for several biodegradable materials was evaluated. In vitro diffusion studies were done using Franz diffusion cells with a diffusion area of 1.33 cm(2). Phosphate buffer solution (PBS, pH 7.4), 10% methanol solution and distilled water were taken in donor and receiver chambers at temperature of 37 °C respectively. The in vitro experiments were conducted over a period of 24 h during which samples were collected at regular intervals. The withdrawn samples were appropriately diluted and measured on UV-vis spectrophotometer at 247 nm. Conclusion data from our study showed that permeation rate of PCDLLA with CL ratio more than 70% could be more excellent than commercial silicone rubber membrane. They may be suitable as a candidate carrier for gestodene subcutaneous contraceptive implants in contraceptive fields.

Ground Thermal Diffusivity Calculation by Direct Soil Temperature Measurement. Application to very Low Enthalpy Geothermal Energy Systems.

Science.gov (United States)

Andújar Márquez, José Manuel; Martínez Bohórquez, Miguel Ángel; Gómez Melgar, Sergio

2016-02-29

This paper presents a methodology and instrumentation system for the indirect measurement of the thermal diffusivity of a soil at a given depth from measuring its temperature at that depth. The development has been carried out considering its application to the design and sizing of very low enthalpy geothermal energy (VLEGE) systems, but it can has many other applications, for example in construction, agriculture or biology. The methodology is simple and inexpensive because it can take advantage of the prescriptive geotechnical drilling prior to the construction of a house or building, to take at the same time temperature measurements that will allow get the actual temperature and ground thermal diffusivity to the depth of interest. The methodology and developed system have been tested and used in the design of a VLEGE facility for a chalet with basement at the outskirts of Huelva (a city in the southwest of Spain). Experimental results validate the proposed approach.

Measurements of beam halo diffusion and population density in the Tevatron and in the Large Hadron Collider

CERN Document Server

Stancari, Giulio

Halo dynamics influences global accelerator performance: beam lifetimes, emittance growth, dynamic aperture, and collimation efficiency. Halo monitoring and control are also critical for the operation of high-power machines. For instance, in the high-luminosity upgrade of the LHC, the energy stored in the beam tails may reach several megajoules. Fast losses can result in superconducting magnet quenches, magnet damage, or even collimator deformation. The need arises to measure the beam halo and to remove it at controllable rates. In the Tevatron and in the LHC, halo population densities and diffusivities were measured with collimator scans by observing the time evolution of losses following small inward or outward collimator steps, under different experimental conditions: with single beams and in collision, and, in the case of the Tevatron, with a hollow electron lens acting on a subset of bunches. After the LHC resumes operations, it is planned to compare measured diffusivities with the known strength of tran...

Measurement of the diffusion length of thermal neutrons in the beryllium oxide; Mesure de la longueur de diffusion des neutrons thermiques dans l'oxyde de beryllium

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Koechlin, J C; Martelly, J; Duggal, V P [Commissariat a l' Energie Atomique, Saclay (France). Centre d' Etudes Nucleaires

1955-07-01

The diffusion length of thermal neutrons in the beryllium oxide has been obtained while studying the spatial distribution of the neutrons in a massive parallelepiped of this matter placed before the thermal column of the reactor core of Saclay. The mean density of the beryllium oxide (BeO) is 2,95 gr/cm{sup 3}, the mean density of the massif is 2,92 gr/cm{sup 3}. The value of the diffusion length, deducted of the done measures, is: L = 32,7 {+-} 0,5 cm (likely gap). Some remarks are formulated about the influence of the spectral distribution of the neutrons flux used. (authors) [French] La longueur de diffusion des neutrons thermiques dans l'oxyde de beryllium a ete obtenue en etudiant la repartition spatiale des neutrons dans un massif parallelepipedique de cette matiere placee devant la colonne thermique de la Pile de Saclay. La densite moyenne de l'oxyde de beryllium (BeO) est de 2,95 gr/cm{sup 3}, la densite moyenne du massif de 2,92 gr/cm{sup 3}. La valeur de la longueur de diffusion, deduite des mesures effectuees est: L 32,7 {+-} 0,5 cm (ecart probable). Des remarques sont formulees quant a l'influence de la repartition spectrale du flux de neutrons utilise. (auteurs)

Measurements of diffusion resonances for the atom optics quantum kicked rotor

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Williams, M E K; Sadgrove, M P; Daley, A J; Gray, R N C; Tan, S M; Parkins, A S; Christensen, N; Leonhardt, R

2004-01-01

We present experimental observations of diffusion resonances for the quantum kicked rotor with weak decoherence. Cold caesium atoms are subject to a pulsed standing wave of near-resonant light, with spontaneous emission providing environmental coupling. The mean energy as a function of the pulse period is determined during the late-time diffusion period for a constant probability of spontaneous emission. Structure in the late-time energy is seen to increase with physical kicking strength. The observed structure is related to Shepelyansky's predictions for the initial quantum diffusion rates

Thermal diffusivity measurement by lock-in photothermal shadowgraph method

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Cifuentes, A. [Instituto Politécnico Nacional, Centro de Investigación en Ciencia Aplicada y Tecnología Avanzada, Unidad Legaria, Ciudad de México 11500 (Mexico); Departamento de Física Aplicada I, Escuela Técnica Superior de Ingeniería, Universidad del País Vasco UPV/EHU, Alameda Urquijo s/n, 48013 Bilbao (Spain); Alvarado, S. [Instituto Politécnico Nacional, Centro de Investigación en Ciencia Aplicada y Tecnología Avanzada, Unidad Legaria, Ciudad de México 11500 (Mexico); Laboratory for Soft Matter and Biophysics, Department of Physics and Astronomy, KU Leuven, Celestijnenlaan 200D, Heverlee B-3001 (Belgium); Cabrera, H. [Centro Multidisciplinario de Ciencias, Instituto Venezolano de Investigaciones Científicas, IVIC, Mérida 5101, Venezuela and SPIE-ICTP Anchor Research in Optics Program Lab, International Centre for Theoretical Physics (ICTP), Strada Costiera 11, Trieste (Italy); Calderón, A.; Marín, E., E-mail: emarinm@ipn.mx [Instituto Politécnico Nacional, Centro de Investigación en Ciencia Aplicada y Tecnología Avanzada, Unidad Legaria, Ciudad de México 11500 (Mexico)

2016-04-28

Here, we present a novel application of the shadowgraph technique for obtaining the thermal diffusivity of an opaque solid sample, inspired by the orthogonal skimming photothermal beam deflection technique. This new variant utilizes the shadow projected by the sample when put against a collimated light source. The sample is then heated periodically by another light beam, giving rise to thermal waves, which propagate across it and through its surroundings. Changes in the refractive index of the surrounding media due to the heating distort the shadow. This phenomenon is recorded and lock-in amplified in order to determine the sample's thermal diffusivity.

Particle diffusion in a spheromak

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Meyerhofer, D.D.; Levinton, F.M.; Yamada, M.

1988-01-01

The local carbon particle diffusion coefficient was measured in the Proto S-1/C spheromak using a test particle injection scheme. When the plasma was not in a force-free Taylor state, and when there were pressure gradients in the plasma, the particle diffusion was five times that predicted by Bohm and was consistent with collisional drift wave diffusion. The diffusion appears to be driven by correlations of the fluctuating electric field and density. During the decay phase of the discharge when the plasma was in the Taylor state, the diffusion coefficient of the carbon was classical. 23 refs., 4 figs

Diffusion tensor optical coherence tomography

Science.gov (United States)

Marks, Daniel L.; Blackmon, Richard L.; Oldenburg, Amy L.

2018-01-01

In situ measurements of diffusive particle transport provide insight into tissue architecture, drug delivery, and cellular function. Analogous to diffusion-tensor magnetic resonance imaging (DT-MRI), where the anisotropic diffusion of water molecules is mapped on the millimeter scale to elucidate the fibrous structure of tissue, here we propose diffusion-tensor optical coherence tomography (DT-OCT) for measuring directional diffusivity and flow of optically scattering particles within tissue. Because DT-OCT is sensitive to the sub-resolution motion of Brownian particles as they are constrained by tissue macromolecules, it has the potential to quantify nanoporous anisotropic tissue structure at micrometer resolution as relevant to extracellular matrices, neurons, and capillaries. Here we derive the principles of DT-OCT, relating the detected optical signal from a minimum of six probe beams with the six unique diffusion tensor and three flow vector components. The optimal geometry of the probe beams is determined given a finite numerical aperture, and a high-speed hardware implementation is proposed. Finally, Monte Carlo simulations are employed to assess the ability of the proposed DT-OCT system to quantify anisotropic diffusion of nanoparticles in a collagen matrix, an extracellular constituent that is known to become highly aligned during tumor development.

Mass diffusion coefficient measurement for vitreous humor using FEM and MRI

Science.gov (United States)

Rattanakijsuntorn, Komsan; Penkova, Anita; Sadha, Satwindar S.

2018-01-01

In early studies, the ‘contour method’ for determining the diffusion coefficient of the vitreous humor was developed. This technique relied on careful injection of an MRI contrast agent (surrogate drug) into the vitreous humor of fresh bovine eyes, and tracking the contours of the contrast agent in time. In addition, an analytical solution was developed for the theoretical contours built on point source model for the injected surrogate drug. The match between theoretical and experimental contours as a least square fit, while floating the diffusion coefficient, led to the value of the diffusion coefficient. This method had its limitation that the initial injection of the surrogate had to be spherical or ellipsoidal because of the analytical result based on the point-source model. With a new finite element model for the analysis in this study, the technique is much less restrictive and handles irregular shapes of the initial bolus. The fresh bovine eyes were used for drug diffusion study in the vitreous and three contrast agents of different molecular masses: gadolinium-diethylenetriaminepentaacetic acid (Gd-DTPA, 938 Da), non-ionic gadoteridol (Prohance, 559 Da), and bovine albumin conjugated with gadolinium (Galbumin, 74 kDa) were used as drug surrogates to visualize the diffusion process by MRI. The 3D finite element model was developed to determine the diffusion coefficients of these surrogates with the images from MRI. This method can be used for other types of bioporous media provided the concentration profile can be visualized (by methods such as MRI or fluorescence).

Diffusion weighted imaging of the normal breast: reproducibility of apparent diffusion coefficient measurements and variation with menstrual cycle and menopausal status

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

O'Flynn, Elizabeth A.M.; Morgan, Veronica A.; Giles, Sharon L.; de Souza, Nandita M.

2012-01-01

To establish the reproducibility of apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) measurements in normal fibroglandular breast tissue and to assess variation in ADC values with phase of the menstrual cycle and menopausal status. Thirty-one volunteers (13 premenopausal, 18 postmenopausal) underwent magnetic resonance twice (interval 11-22 days) using diffusion-weighted MRI. ADC total and a perfusion-insensitive ADC high (omitting b = 0) were calculated. Reproducibility and inter-observer variability of mean ADC values were assessed. The difference in mean ADC values between the two phases of the menstrual cycle and the postmenopausal breast were evaluated. ADC total and ADC high showed good reproducibility (r% = 17.6, 22.4). ADC high showed very good inter-observer agreement (kappa = 0.83). The intraclass correlation coefficients (ICC) were 0.93 and 0.91. Mean ADC values were significantly lower in the postmenopausal breast (ADC total 1.46 ± 0.3 x 10 -3 mm 2 /s, ADC high 1.33 ± 0.3 x 10 -3 mm 2 /s) compared with the premenopausal breast (ADC total 1.84 ± 0.26 x 10 -3 mm 2 /s, ADC high 1.77 ± 0.26 x 10 -3 mm 2 /s; both P total P = 0.2, ADC high P = 0.24) or between postmenopausal women taking or not taking oestrogen supplements (ADC total P = 0.6, ADC high P = 0.46). ADC values in fibroglandular breast tissue are reproducible. Lower ADC values within the postmenopausal breast may reduce diffusion-weighted contrast and have implications for accurately detecting tumours. (orig.)

Radiation measurement and inverse analysis techniques applied on the determination of the apparent mass diffusion coefficient for diverse contaminants and soil samples

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rey Silva, D.V.F.M.; Oliveira, A.P.; Macacini, J.F.; Da Silva, N.C.; Cipriani, M.; Quinelato, A.L.

2005-01-01

Full text of publication follows: The study of the dispersion of radioactive materials in soils and in engineering barriers plays an important role in the safety analysis of nuclear waste repositories. In order to proceed with such kind of study the involved physical properties must be determined with precision, including the apparent mass diffusion coefficient, which is defined as the ratio between the effective mass diffusion coefficient and the retardation factor. Many different experimental and estimation techniques are available on the literature for the identification of the diffusion coefficient and this work describes the implementation of that developed by Pereira et al [1]. This technique is based on non-intrusive radiation measurements and the experimental setup consists of a cylindrical column filled with compacted media saturated with water. A radioactive contaminant is mixed with a portion of the media and then placed in the bottom of the column. Therefore, the contaminant will diffuse through the uncontaminated media due to the concentration gradient. A radiation detector is used to measure the number of counts, which is associated to the contaminant concentration, at several positions along the column during the experiment. Such measurements are then used to estimate the apparent diffusion coefficient of the contaminant in the porous media by inverse analysis. The inverse problem of parameter estimation is solved with the Levenberg-Marquart Method of minimization of the least-square norm. The experiment was optimized with respect to the number of measurement locations, frequency of measurements and duration of the experiment through the analysis of the sensitivity coefficients and by using a D-optimum approach. This setup is suitable for studying a great number of combinations of diverse contaminants and porous media varying in composition and compacting, with considerable easiness and reliable results, and it was chosen because that is the

Diffuse sound field: challenges and misconceptions

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Jeong, Cheol-Ho

2016-01-01

Diffuse sound field is a popular, yet widely misused concept. Although its definition is relatively well established, acousticians use this term for different meanings. The diffuse sound field is defined by a uniform sound pressure distribution (spatial diffusion or homogeneity) and uniform...... tremendously in different chambers because the chambers are non-diffuse in variously different ways. Therefore, good objective measures that can quantify the degree of diffusion and potentially indicate how to fix such problems in reverberation chambers are needed. Acousticians often blend the concept...... of mixing and diffuse sound field. Acousticians often refer diffuse reflections from surfaces to diffuseness in rooms, and vice versa. Subjective aspects of diffuseness have not been much investigated. Finally, ways to realize a diffuse sound field in a finite space are discussed....

Impurity diffusion in transition-metal oxides

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Peterson, N.L.

1982-06-01

Intrinsic tracer impurity diffusion measurements in ceramic oxides have been primarily confined to CoO, NiO, and Fe 3 O 4 . Tracer impurity diffusion in these materials and TiO 2 , together with measurements of the effect of impurities on tracer diffusion (Co in NiO and Cr in CoO), are reviewed and discussed in terms of impurity-defect interactions and mechanisms of diffusion. Divalent impurities in divalent solvents seem to have a weak interaction with vacancies whereas trivalent impurities in divalent solvents strongly influence the vacancy concentrations and significantly reduce solvent jump frequencies near a trivalent impurity. Impurities with small ionic radii diffuse more slowly with a larger activation energy than impurities with larger ionic radii for all systems considered in this review. Cobalt ions (a moderate size impurity) diffuse rapidly along the open channels parallel to the c-axis in TiO 2 whereas chromium ions (a smaller-sized impurity) do not. 60 references, 11 figures